On The Menu

Here we have some vegan recipes that I have come across simply by going to Pinterest and typing in "vegan breakfast".  Truth is, I am being urged (by no one but myself) to actually do the 108 day, The Ultimate Yogi program.  The program not only consists of daily yoga and meditation but also a big change in diet, for me anyway.  Lots of juices, no processed foods (which I try my best to stay away from already), vegan, raw, and no alcohol.  It would be tough until I got the hang of it.  But this morning I wondered... what to vegans eat for breakfast?  I eat pretty healthy and switch my breakfasts from my berry-beet smoothie, my favorite green smoothie, over night oats and rye toast with almond butter, banana and flax seed.  Sounds like I would do ok I reckon.  As I was browsing, I found a few recipes I'd like to have a go with.  I actually tried making the 3 ingredient biscuits Sunday morning and not sure if the one container that I used to keep self-rising flour in still contained SR or not, I used it anyway and turns out it wasn't SR flour.  Not sure what it was actually.  Tasted pretty salty and smelled like play dough.  My fault.  Worth a try though!

3 Ingredient Coconut Oil Biscuits

Photo and recipe from: gimmesomeoven.com            

Breakfast Cookies

Photo and recipe credit: diary of a mad crafter... obvi                             

Vegan Breakfast Burritos

Photo and recipe from: veganfreezerexchange.blogspot.com  

  

These burritos remind me of a lunch variety of burritos that I made for myself to eat on the trails four wheeling.  I actually haven't eating any lunch meat (processed) in over a year and didn't want to spoil that being in a pinch for picnic food.  So I made "make ahead lunch wraps", ate them cold and truthfully enjoyed the heck out of them.  This version has tofu which I will admit I have never tried and am a hesitant to do so.  I'm not real sure what tofu is exactly and since we mentioned processed.... it sounds like tofu would have to be processed somehow.  I've often stared at it at the grocery store with a difficult look on my face wondering... soft? firm? what am I going to make with it? will Shaun come near it?  So I wind up leaving it there.

Do you have any vegan breakfast ideas or suggestions? Lemme have em please!

literally on the library hold shelf

some of these books i am on the waiting list for and others are waiting on me.  in my quest to eat healthier and overcome my autoimmune disorder, psoriasis, i check out lots of books on eating healthy and a more plant based diet.   i have to realize that these things take time.  my psoriasis did not come up over night therefore will not go away over night.  but with studying, learning and a bit of creativity i feel i have a symptom free future.  

learn to let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food  ~Hippocrates

this does not mean getting the low fat stuff.  it is a whole diet change and a tough one to stick to.  i already feel better.  i am more conscious of what goes in to my body, i am becoming a label reader, i am a daily green smoothie drinker, i sprinkle flax seed on my whole grain cereal.  this may not sound strange to some but it is strange to the way i learned to eat.  not that it is wrong, it is just hard to get away from.  i don't know where i will land, be it vegan, vegetarian or raw.  there is a difference you know between vegan and vegetarian.  i didn't know that before... see how much i'm learning?

anyone else have a total change in eating?  do you want to or need to?  

a support system wouldn't be bad either.  i will be yours if you will be mine!

also another really good book on smoothies that i also checked out from the library is 

365 vegan smoothies

by Kathy Patalsky of Healthy-Happy-Life.com

this book not only has tons of smoothie recipes, it also gives you the low down on different ingredients further than oranges are full of vitamin c.  awesome book.

i am also wondering, can you freeze smoothies for later? like a couple of days later? like if you were going camping you could stick the frozen smoothie in a cooler later?

recipes i want to try

I have been craving some really odd foods lately.  Not odd to everyone, just to my normal or "used to" diet.

1.  This Pizza Bread by Tidymom.net looks fantastic!   Although I would probably leave the chicken out for me.  I am in need of a baking stone.  I broke my stone from Pampered Chef some years ago and am wanting a new one with all the bread baking lately.

2.  The Ultimate Leaning Bellini from Macaroni Grill is one of my favorites.  I have to try this recipe especially since I have my new Vitamix in my hands!

3.  I had my first falafel burger at the Pharmacy in Nashville not long ago and have been looking at recipes to make my own ever since.  This recipe for falafel from Gourmandelle looks easy and very good!

4.  This winter has been a long and cold one it seems and soup has been on the menu in our house quite a bit.  This lentil soup from The First Mess seems very rich and divine tasting that I cannot wait to make it soon.  And it will be soon because Spring is on it's way... yay!

Hey you guys... I also found a daily food journal that is pretty cool that I am going to try myself and thought I would share it with you as well.  I like that I can log what I eat, glasses of recommended daily water and exercise which I badly need to begin again.  

I found the food journal at ThirtyHandmadeDays and just love it.

BTW, Happy Birthday to my sister Marty!!!

black beans and rice

I have been asked by my doctor to cut back my meat intake from three times a day to two or three times a week.  after i got up off the floor from shock (jk) I asked if he was truly serious.  then, he said to cut out pork all together!  my look of terror eeked "but doc! we have two hogs we raised that go to the slaughter house this week!" being a vegan himself, he had no sympathy.  ugh!  all that work.  I will say the sausage is divine.  I cannot cut it out altogether.  I've always been a carnivore/herbivore mix, for crying out loud.  he suggested that I replace meat with other proteins such as beans, lentils, etc. and brown rice.  so I have been doing my best.  I have changed my breakfast and lunch and most of the time supper too.  here's what I have made at the dc for lunch that goes along with a nice spring salad with carrots, tomato and whole grain toast.

it's pretty simple.  for me it took a day to get used to the idea.  i made one recipe for this out of a cook book and it didn't turn out near as good as this one.  i will say that i used tomatoes and okra that i had canned together from our garden.  i do feel sure there is something comparable within the canned tomatoes at the grocery.  you could just experiment with different varieties and see what you like best.  also, i used instant brown rice for this recipe.  since, i have made it again and used the bagged kind which turns out a little stickier than the instant but the flavor is better.  have fun!

Monday Night Minestrone

It's a big change from my old Monday night routine of a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with potato chips and a dill pickle spear to go along with the Antiques Roadshow.  Not that Shaun minds that yummy combination for a Monday night meal which was my forever go-to when I was a single gal!  Seriously, he said that I was going to turn into a bacon, egg and cheese if I wasn't careful.  Monday nights have definately taken a turn in especially in the last several weeks since I discovered this delicious concoction. 

After trying some of the best soup I'd tasted in a while, I came up with my own version that in my opinion may just have it beat!  Gee whiz the smell coming from the kitchen with his soup is fantastic and paired with a simple grilled cheese sandwich it makes for a perfect and quick Monday night meal.

The following recipe is based on what I used that I had on hand.  I use pasta sauce and tomatoes that I canned last year.  The pasta sauce is purposely pretty chunky with tomatoes and I love it!  It's also a great chance to use frozen vegetables that have been laying around in the freezer for who knows how long. 

I also used basil that I froze last year from the garden.  It's so simple to do and handy to have.  You just chop it up fresh, place it by the tablespoonful in ice cube freezer trays, top with water and freeze.  Once they are frozen just pop them out and put them in freezer bags to use whenever a recipe calls for fresh basil.  Fantastic in soups like this one!

Monday Night Minestrone
1 medium sized can spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 chicken bullion cubes, or 2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 chopped onion
1 bag mixed vegetables such as a bag of frozen carrots, celery and onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup each zucchini and squash (from the garden last year)
3/4 cup macaroni noodles, uncooked

In a large pot combine the first 8 ingredients, bring to a boil and let cook for 20 minutes.  Add zucchini, squash and noodles.  Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more stirring often to prevent noodles from sticking to the bottom. 

Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese on top and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.  Absolutely scrump and lucky for me it goes perfect with my Antiques Roadshow!

Maybe sometime I will figure out how I can link the recipe to where it can be printed easily!  Now wouldn't that be handy for ya!