Veg Pledge 2012



I have taken the Veg Pledge!  Seven days, all veg.  No meat.  No meat products.  Wow.  I've been meat free 3-4 days a week, but a whole week?  What was I thinking??? 

Day one was yesterday, and I did good.  I had a huge "taco salad" with greens, tomato, avocado, veg refried beans, vegan sour cream, black pepper, and blue corn tortilla chips.  It was quite tasty!  For dinner I had a Budda Roll and Miso Soup from the neighborhood Japanese place.  Budda Roll was on the "vegetarian" list of rolls, and was shitake mushroom, carrot, and avocado wrapped in seaweed and white rice.  OK, so brown would be better, but I like white rice!

Today is Day 2.  I've had the same taco salad, and a few french fries.  They were good, and they were handy.  For dinner I'm planning a trip to Pei Wei, where I can get something noodly or ricey.  Their Thai Basil Chicken (with tofu instead of chicken) is amazing.  Their Bangkok Noodles are yummy (without onions or chicken).  And I'm told they have a good new salad that is quite tasty.  So one of those will be my dinner.

Tomorrow is a trip to the Taco Bus.  This lunch was scheduled before I took the pledge, so we'll see how creative I get...  I am bound and determined to do this!

Meatless Monday

I decided to embrace Meatless Monday.  I found a recipe for a chilled dish that required no cooking (other than defrosting the rice), and I could make up at in the back room at work.  I stopped at the grocery store on my way to work, recipe in hand. 

Apparently January 2 is NOT the day to look for Black Eyed Peas.  I've not heard of this tradition before, but learned about it in my quest to make this dish.  Not a can or frozen bag to be found.  None.  Zilch.  Nada. 

I did some substitutions.  Between substitutions for things I don't like and not being able to find black eyed peas, it ended up as...

• 1 can black beans, drained (instead of black eyed peas)
• 1 cup brown rice
• Diced bell pepper (instead of celery, blech!)
• Bunch Diced green onions
• Diced tomato
• 1/3 tube Basil (instead of fresh parsley)
• Two tablespoons minced garlic
• I did not add the tablespoon of lemon juice.

Mix in large container, chill for an hour.

It was really good.  I've let the leftovers chill since last night, and it's really smelling amazing.  I probably overdid the garlic, but you can never have enough garlic!

Review: Forks Over Knives

Tonight I was invited to a Raw Food restaurant.  Intrigued, I went. Upon arrival, our friend who invited us handed us a copy of Forks Over Knives and swore it would change our lives.
I've had this documentary on my wish list on Net Flix for a few months, waiting for it to come out. Now I can remove it.  After dinner I went to my other friends house and we watched it (such a healthy evening!)
It was very good, very informative.  It continues to amaze me how food controls our health. It makes sense - you are what you eat - and all, but still...
Much of what I saw I've heard of before, like the China Study, the good doctors and their amazing work, the plant based diet.  I would rate this a must watch, as long as you understand its not as entertaining as Food Inc or King Corn. It is just as important.
As for the raw food experience, more on that later!