Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts

Here are some things that I've learned so far along the way:

1) Keep a bag of mixed chopped veggies in the fridge. Carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, peas--just about anything will work. This will save time when you're in a hurry and the mix can be used for so many things, such as a quick curry or stir-fry.



Vegetable Curry

Vegetable Stir-Fry

2) Make extra rice to keep in the fridge. That way when you cook your pre-cut veggies you can serve them over pre-made rice for a cheap, quick, and easy meal! Just make sure the rice is covered tight so that it doesn't start to dry out.

3) Buy pre-chopped garlic. Almost every savory vegan recipe I have even made calls for chopped garlic. Instead of going through the hassle of doing that every time, buy a jar of garlic and just ladle in a tablespoon for each clove called for. Save the whole garlic and chopping it by hand for your better recipes that really deserve it.

4) Don't wash or peel things you don't need to. I don't peel carrots and I don't wash bagged lettuce. Unless you can see bugs or dirt, what is sprinkling a bit of water on it going to do? Absolutely nothing. If you are buying non-organic fruit you may want to rinse off any residual pesticides or other nastiness, however.

5) Don't bother to refrigerate packed lunches. In almost every recipe that I have made to take to school with me for lunch, there is nothing in them that would spoil from being left out at room temperature for a while. So instead of fussing with a insulated bag and a cold pack, I just toss a tupperware container and a fork into my backpack. This also means that you don't have to find a microwave to reheat cold food.

Btw guys, today marks the one month mark for my vegan challenge. I've lost 10 lbs so far and am still dropping fast! Why on Earth didn't I ever do this before now...?

The Results Are In (Drum Roll, Please)

Mildly disappointing, I didn't lose any weight this very last week. I blame waaaay too many alcoholic beverages and slices of cake on Friday and Saturday (stupidly just before my weigh-in). Just because the cake was vegan didn't mean it was calorie free. But hey, I've learned my lesson, forgiven myself, and am ready to move on to bigger and better things.

So, over the course of my three week Weight Loss Kickstart, I:

• Lost 6 pounds
• Lost 1 and 1/2 inches of off my hips
• Lost 2 inches off of my waist
• Lost 2 and 1/2 inches off my bust
• Lost 1 inch off of each thigh
• Gained a lot more energy, especially midday
• Stopped drinking coffee and soda almost entirely
• Completely halted my IBS episodes
• Started developing a better self-image, outside and in
• Cleared my previously conflicted conscience about eating ocean life

Not to shabby, I'd say! I am feeling really, really positive about all of this. So where to go from here?

Right now, I feel like I've only just begun a really awesome adventure--there is so much more to do and learn about food (and I do love food). Dr. Barnard tells me not to say, "I'm a vegan now," but instead to say "I will follow a vegan diet for the next (relatively short-term commitment here)." So what kind of commitment will I be making?

Check out my new name to find out. Hope you'll stick around!

Banana Pancakes with Home-Made Blueberry Syrup

This recipe was inspired by post on the Hungry Hungry Hippie blog. Not having any coconut on hand, I decided to make my own version.

Banana Pancakes with Home-Made Blueberry Syrup

Don't let the home-made syrup daunt you--it is actually incredibly easy and fuss-free. All you want to do is throw a handful of blueberries in a small sauce pot (however many you want to eat), cover them only about half way with water, add two tablespoons over your favorite sweetener, and start them off at a simmer. You'll notice that as soon as they get hot the blueberries begin to burst and turn the liquid purple. Yum! Go ahead and add the juice and the finely-chopped zest of half a lemon. After about 7-10 minutes remove it from the heat. It will congeal a little bit more, so I actually ended up having to stir back in a tiny bit more water to get the right consistency. That's it! So much more healthy than the store bought kind as well. Also, you could strain this if you don't want chunks, but I didn't.

 

Blueberry pancake syrup reducing.

Next, mix up the pancake batter. I've stopped measuring entirely, but I'll try to estimate:

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp of cane sugar
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 mashed ripe banana

Basically, put all of ingredients besides the milk in a measuring cup and that add the liquid and whisk until it looks right. There really isn't a way to ruin it. Them fry 'em up (no butter needed)!

These go incredibly fast, so keep an eye on them.

Then just stack, top with syrup, and enjoy! This recipe yielded six pancakes, which is enough for one ravenous person or two regular person (and I'm not going to tell you which I was this morning).

Why yes, that IS gooey banana oozing out of the center. De-freakin-licious.

Garlicky Kale

Big shout out to my friend Jessica for introducing me to this wonderful new food, which is pretty much my new addiction...



Garlicky Kale

There is just something about this dish. I've always liked kale, but I can just straight up eat this as a meal. The flavor is pungent, but it a really satisfying way like aged brie or a good crystallized Gruyere. This recipe probably isn't for non-garlic-lovers (or the faint of heart, for that matter), but for those of you who are I think you'll definitely be going back for more... again and again and again.

This recipe originally came from Brittany Mullins on Eating Bird Food.

In a food processor combine:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast

Blend until smooth. There will be itty bitty pieces of garlic, but that is okay.

Garlic sauce--the nutritional yeast makes it yellow.

Wash, de-stem, and tear into bite sized pieces one bunch of kale. This is a whole lot of leafy green, so much sure you start with a very large bowl.

One bunch of fresh raw kale.

Next, pour all of the garlic dressing on the kale and thoroughly massage it into the leaves. It is a MUST to use your hands here. Take extra care to make sure the dressing is evenly distributed. If for some reason you don't have quite as much kale, don't put all of the dressing in. It is strong enough that a little goes a very long way.

Kale after the dressing is massaged in.

As you can see, the kale has already reduced in volume. The longer it is left to marinate, the more wilted the kale will become. If you want it really crunchy, eat it right away. If you would like your kale a little more manageable, let it sit in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Also, please excuse all of my window sill photographs--I know it's ghetto. It is the only spot in the entire kitchen that isn't dark though! Oh, and as a reward to myself today I bought some pretty ceramic fire-glazed dishes. No more monotonous plates! I don't know if you guys had noticed, but it was driving me crazy.

As always, thanks for reading!

Addiction

I don't know about you, but I definitely have issues with food addiction.

Usually this happens regarding desserts. If I know that there is a piece of cake in the fridge, I can't stop thinking about. I can't sleep because I am thinking about eating that piece of cake, I wake up and the first thought on my mind is that piece of cake... You get the picture.

Strangely, for the first time in my life--and I've no idea why--the sweets aren't tormenting me any more. I think it might be that I don't really have them around, and I am so busy eating so many fantastic vegetable-based dishes that I don't even have time to think about it. When my room mates have something sweet lying out on the counter it doesn't bother me either because I know it isn't vegan and so in my mind I categorize it as inedible. It is so cool to not be sugar crazy all the time.

But, alas, I knew this peace couldn't last. Last night Jessica cooked me a lovely dinner and turned me on to another dang food addiction...

Garlicky Kale.

Yes indeed. I can't stop thinking about it. I woke up with it on my mind, and now that I am attempting to start my homework I cannot focus on anything except those pungent, wilted leaves...

This is the only picture I could snag before we voraciously devoured it.

Excuse me while I make a trip to Kroger to buy several pounds of kale and a jar of nutritional yeast.

You can expect lots of pictures and a recipe to come, ha ha!

Soba Noodle Bowl

This soup is one of my favorites, but it originally contained chicken and chicken stock. A little tweaking produced a delicate and flavorful vegetarian dish that is mild enough to be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Soba Noodle Bowl

Begin by bringing to a boil:

• 2 cups of water
• 6 cups of vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (or more to taste)
• 1 lb of sliced mushrooms (I used button because they were on sale)
• 2 bunches (6oz) of buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic
• 3 slices of peeled ginger (about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick)
• 1 bay leaf
• freshly cracked pepper

After about 4 minutes, add:

• 5 sliced scallions
• 1/2 cup thawed frozen peas
• 2 generous cups of fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup of sliced sugar snap peas

Feel free to play around with any other vegetables you may have on hand, such as water chestnut, carrot, or onion. Boil two more minutes, remove ginger and bay leaf, and serve. This is one of the fastest and easiest recipes to make, especially if you buy presliced mushrooms and jarred chopped garlic. This recipe serves four, and the SparkRecipes Recipe Calculator tells me that each serving is 250 calories, has almost zero fat, and contains 3.5 grams of fiber. Healthy and delicious!

Enjoy!

Birthday Celebrations

I am having so much fun discovering all of the wonderful foods and restaurants to go to and eat at. This past Friday we went to Kabuki Japanese Steak & Seafood and enjoyed a hibachi show.

Kabuki Japanese Steak & Seafood

The building was beautiful. The ceiling was pained with stars, there were marine fish tanks everywhere, and they had a lounge featuring a waterfall.

Cucumber & Avocado Sushi and a salad with ginger dressing.

My first experience with vegan sushi was awesome--it was super yummy and I easily could have filled up on about five of those rolls.

My delicious sauteed veggies.

The very first thing the chef did was dump a gigantic bowl of mixed vegetables on the hibachi. I thought that they would be divided amoung everyone as a first course, but I was delighted to see that they were all for me!

This is what my plate looked like when I had eaten half of my food...
The leftovers were a perfect breakfast the day after!

The "Vegetarian Dinner" was wonderful. I didn't get the soup and grilled shrimp that everyone else got, but I was 100% content and satisfied with my meal. There was a garlic sauce to die for that I basically drown my already amazing veggies in, and then there was an amazing ginger and soy sauce dressing that was particularly good on the fried rice. So, so fantastic that I am starting to drool just remembering about it. And all for only $13!

Onion Volcano

Our Malaysian chef.

And on top of that, the show was good and the company was lovely.

James, Heenal, Carla, Helen, me, and Darren.