Thursday, October 29, 2009

Day 2... the cravings almost got me!


Well day 2 brought on the cravings especially when I went to Costco with my dad. I managed to control myself for the most part. Then my dad brought over a cake that my mom had made. I ate a small sliver of it this evening. Sigh....there is always tomorrow.
Breakfast:oatmeal
Lunch:Leftover Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Snack: Rye crackers with peanut butter, almonds
Supper: Hummus, Tomato Brushetta, cucumbers, carrots and celery.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Day 1...getting use to life without sugar


I have decided to try something a little different and am hoping I have enough motivation to stick to this change. I am trying to cut most sugar out of my diet (and for those of you who know me you know I love my sugar!) This line of cooking follows a lifestyle change called First Line Therapy where you eliminate sugars and eat foods that have lower glycimic index values. First day and so far so good.
Breakfast: oatmeal with blueberries and Almond Milk
Morning Snack: 3 rye crackers with almond butter

Lunch: Butternut Squash soup with a salad (romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts, cucumbers, chickpeas, tomatoes and olives)

Afternoon Snack: Hummus and veggies

Supper: Tofu Stir Fry with Ginger Broccoli, Portabellos and Red Peppers over quinoa.
Let's see what tomorrow brings...

Monday, October 12, 2009

Vegan Thanksgiving #5 2009



We celebrated our 5th Annual Vegan Thanksgiving Sunday evening and there was a lot of food to go around. I loved everything this year and we definitely now have staples that will be made each year.
The menu looked something like this:
Tofurky Roast
Baked Brussel Sprouts
Homemade sage Stuffing
Roasted Poatoes done 2 ways (one with Tofurky roast the other in a maple/dijon sauce)
Chesepeake Tempeh Cakes (from Veganomicon)
Homemade cranberry sauce
Homemade Gravy

Everything on my plate! My mom also made me a beautiful birthday cake with crazy candles for my birthday but none of the pictures turned out..:( The cake is gone now in my belly. It was an amazing chocolate cake with raspberries with this amazing creme-caramel sauce on it. It tasted so yummy especially since I did not have to make it myself :)

Needless to say we have enough leftovers for the next week so I will have to find something else to blog about for the next few days.

So what am I thankful for this year...for my amazing family who is so supportive in so many ways. I love my parents and brother so much. I am thankful for change and for hope because sometimes without hope I would just give up. I am thankful for a loving husband, two amazing kitties and great friends.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Sushi


So what happens when you are craving Sushi on a sunday night at 5:45 and the stores close at 6pm? Well you get 2/3 of the ingredients you really wanted to make sushi with since the avocados are all hard as a rock. I have been craving sushi for a few days now but I was trying to make it until tuesday when the stores have their 10% off days. Anyhow...tonight we had sushi with roasted asparagus and veggie mock shrimps. In retrospect the mock shrimps made the dish a little too fishy so I probably would not use them again. They were perfect for rice wraps but maybe not so much for sushi. The asparagus was perfect though...it was no avocado but was okay none the less.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Why did I become vegan...for Kensington


Everyone has a reason for why the became vegan or what lead them there. Mine is a very personal story that I do not always share with people who ask. My original reasons for turning vegetarian was because of the literature I began to read about the slaughterhouses, the transportation of animals, the torture and misery that these animals lead. My reason for veganism however is Kensington the cat. His story brings tears to my eyes and I will not repeat it. His story has nothing to do with the food that I eat but has everything to do with how people treat animals. He is the reason that I am vegan because I want to personally ensure that his suffering brought along change. If you are not the type that is weak of heart you can google is story. I will warn you it is painful.
I just celebrated my 5th year of Veganism in August. Each day I keep Kensington is in my thoughts and he is always in my heart.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

VeganMoFo III

Welcome to VeganMoFo 2009...this is the month where we go nuts about blogging all about vegan stuff. I promise to blog at least 20 days in October. So here goes...

I am still working through recipes from The Vegan Brunch. Tonight I tried out the recipe for a Lemon Cashew stuffed Crepe with Whole Berry Sauce. I also made some homemade vegan Chorizo sausages and baked some blue potatoes on the side. All I can say is WOW! This was my first time making crepes and although the first few were big time flops I got the hang of it towards the end. The cashew lemon stuffing is simply divine! This is a perfect make ahead recipe since everything can be made the day before and assembled the next morning.
I somehow managed the make the Chorizo sausages a tad too spicy for our liking but they turned out really good and what I love about them is that they are soy free. It is very difficult to find a vegan sausage that tastes good and is soy free. I plan to make a bunch of these and have them ready in the freezer to grill up on the bbq or throw into various dishes.
So if you have never made crepes because you were too intimidated now is the time to throw caution to the wind and give them a whirl! I promise they are worth it and you can impress your family and friends.