Day 233 -- Happy Birthday To Me!

It's day 233 and it's my birthday, so I'm taking the day off of blogging.  But I will leave everyone with this -- a recipe for Vegan Chocolate Cake from MarthaStewart.com!

And I hope that's not a glass of cow's milk sitting next to that plate!

Day 232 -- Looking Back -- And Forward

Tomorrow is my birthday!  I won't say how old I am.  Old enough.  As the big day approaches, I've been thinking about the changes I've made in my life in the past year.

Last August 16th, I was pretty unhappy with myself.  I'd spent the summer feeling exhausted and sick and uncomfortable.  I was way too heavy and I began to wonder if I'd ever do anything about it.  Birthdays are always a time to reflect on the past year and the upcoming year and for the first time in many years, I have an optimistic outlook.

I've lost 74 pounds since the start of the year and I'm pretty happy with that.  I've been sitting at the same weight for about a month now, but I also haven't been focusing on diet as much as I should.  So I hope August 16th will be motivation to finish this thing.  The end of my "vegan year" is approaching more quickly every day.  And I'd like to lose at least another 40  pounds before the end of the year.  That's going to be a pretty tough thing.  So maybe I'll have two years as a vegan.

I have made one decision, though.  I won't be a strict vegan.  I'm going to try to eat vegan as much as I possibly can, at home and out when there are vegan option on the menu.  But I am going to eat fish occasionally and cheese when I have pizza.  Other than that, I think I should be able to stick to a vegan diet and be perfectly happy.

Day 231 -- One Stop Website For Vegans

I've been talking about the VegNews survey and never really mentioned VegNews.com.  So, we'll begin with this photo from their homepage.

Yeah, a few days ago it was Rice Krispy Treats and now it's Ryan Gosling.  Did you know that he's a vegan?  I didn't until I read it in VegNews!

I also found 9 Vegan Foods For Healthy Skin -- tomatoes, flax seeds, dark chocolate, sweet potatoes, spinach, citrus fruits, safflower oil, walnuts, and carrots.  And I found tons of great recipes.  So, this site is moving up on my list of sites to visit every week.

Day 230 -- Thug Kitchen

One of the blogs listed in my recent post was Thug Kitchen.  I stumbled across this blog early on in my vegan journey and I thought it was really funny.  It's liberal use of curse words in order to persuade that reader to try recipes is strangely at odds with the "chill" vegan persona.  And that's why it's so entertaining.  Here's the photo of a recent entry for a Chickpea Pesto Sandwich that I plan to try very soon (with a slice of fresh tomato from my dad's garden).

All right, I'm definitely going to try this sandwich!  And not because I feel threatened but because it looks really, really good!

Day 229 -- One Potato, Two Potato . . . Fifty Potato?

I'm reaping the benefits of my dad's huge garden this summer.  And one of the veggies he's planted is potatoes.  Actually, two types, red and yellow.  Until I saw my dad dig potatoes for the first time last year, I never really knew how potatoes grew.  I knew they grew underground, of course, but seeing them emerge from the dirt for the first time is so much fun!

When the shovel turns the dirt over, there they are, small and large, breaking free and lying at your feet.  When you dig a plant, the potatoes come up in a variety of sizes, so I have a bucket of very small red potatoes, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and then larger potatoes, almost the size of my fist.  Freshly dug potatoes are so tasty, too!

I found this recipe for Smoky Potato, Cabbage and Chickpea Skillet on a vegan blog called MapleSpice.  Though it calls for vegan "parmesan cheese" which I'm not sure I can find anywhere in my area, I'm stil going to give this a try!

A little tip I'll pass along about freshly dug potatoes -- It's best not to wash off the dirt until right before you use them.  They'll remain fresh longer!

Day 228 -- Blogging About Blogs . . . Again!

See what I did there?  I lured you in with promises of Rice Krispy Treats.  As a kid, my siblings and I lived for Rice Krispy treats -- and Scotcheroos, which were made with peanut butter instead of marshmallows.  But back to the treats later.  VegNews website and newsletter does its awards survey this month and one of the categories is best vegan blog.  I thought I'd list the candidates here since I might find some new sources of inspiration for my vegan cooking.  Several of my favorite blogs are on the list.  I've gone through the list and will feature a few new favorites over the next few days, but I'm pretty fussy about what I eat, so if the blog doesn't grab me right away, then I probably won't go back.

Here's the list!
Bittersweet
Chocolate-Covered Katie
Choosing Raw
FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Happy Herbivore
Healthy. Happy. Life.
Maple Spice
Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes
Oh She Glows
This Rawsome Vegan Life
Thug Kitchen
Vegan Yack Attack
Vegansaurus

I'm a big fan of FatFree Vegan Kitchen and Oh She Glows.  And I'm going to add a new blog to my list.  Happy.Healthy.Life.  And as a reward for following along, here's the link for vegan Rice Krispy treats from the Healthy.Happy.Life.    See, it does pay to explore new blogs!

Day 227 -- A Whole Lotta Tomatoes

My father always plants a lot of tomatoes in his garden, so about this time of year, everyone around him gets inundated with fresh tomatoes.  Since BLTs are out this year, as is a Caprese Salad (with fresh mozz), I've been looking for some good recipes.  I love roasting fresh tomatoes and one of my favorite dishes is the Roasted Artichokes, Leeks and Tomatoes over Warm Farro that I posted a few weeks back.

This recipe for Eat Your Greens Chickpea Medley comes from Oh She Glows, one of my favorite vegan blogs.  The recipe calls for both spinach and cilantro ground up and tossed with the chickpeas, but I might try basil instead of the cilantro as I have a lot of basil in my herb garden.  The dressing for this uses lime juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin.  Sounds yummy!  I'll let you know how it was.

Day 226 -- The Next Not-So-Super Food?

I was watching a new reality show the other night -- I think it's called Supermarket Superstar?  Three people come on the show and try to pitch and sell a new grocery item.  One guy came on and pitched a cricket -- yes, the insect -- power bar.  Apparently, crickets are very high in protein and can be a sustainable food source.

Insects are eaten in many places of the world.  Crickets and grubs seem to be the most popular, but people also eat scorpions and grasshoppers and even spiders!  Thiis wasn't news to me because I'd seen a news item on group that was trying to market crickets as a food source to Americans.  They're easy to raise (all they eat is raw potatoes).  They believed it was possible to convince Americans to eat crickets and were using sushi as the model.  About thirty years ago, Americans turned up their noses at raw fish and now it's one of the most popular cuisines in the country.

Strangely, my reaction to eating ground (finely, I might add) crickets was not what I thought it would be.  I was actually quite interested in knowing how much protein they offered in relation to fat.  As a vegan, protein is always a concern and if it's possible to find a good source of protein, I'm always interested.  Of course, crickets aren't vegan, but that didn't stop me from  checking them out.  I guess they're supposed to have a nutty taste.  At least they don't taste like chicken!

Day 225 -- The Next Superfood?

Huffington Post is running a contest to name the next superfood.  I found this kind of funny because of the foods listed -- hemp seed, chia seed, rhubarb, kohlrabi, tumeric, maca, kimchi and kelp -- there was only one that I haven't ever had in my kitchen.

My father is a huge fan of kohlrabi and has always had them in his garden.  I have hemp and chia seed in the house and a rhubarb plant in my back yard (although, I didn't make my favorite rhubarb dessert this year because it has dairy in it).  Turmeric is the new weapon in the war on Alzheimer's.  Kelp is . . . well, kelp.  And everyone knows about my fondness for kimchi (see multiples posts on multiple days).

But . . . I have never heard of maca!  A potential superfood that I've never heard of?  What is it?  According to HuffPost maca is a powder made from an Andean root and has been used as a fertility aid and aphrodisiac for centuries. Modern research agrees: Small studies have found that men who ingested maca produced more sperm and both men and women who take it reported increased energy.

Okay, I don't think I'm going to be adding this to the diet any time soon.  I'll stick with my kimchi and maybe up my intake of kelp.  

Day 224 -- I'm Behind! I'm Behind!

This post was supposed to be written on August 7th, my two-hundred and twenty-fourth day.  But it is now August 13th.  I'm eight days behind on my blog and I have no excuses except that I've been ridiculously busy and have barely even been on my computer for the past week.  So I will simply try to catch up over the next few days and provide some clever insights into my new life as a vegan.

By the way, after my big fall off the vegan wagon, I hopped back on again and am doing well.  So, my apologies to my blog and to any readers I may have out there, wherever you may be!

Day 222 -- Oh, My!

I usually try to be as honest as I can on this blog.  It's like a journal of sorts.  But I'm really reluctant to write about the events of Tuesday, August 5th.  I've fallen off the wagon before, but this was a complete diet disaster.  I suppose I should try to explain and rationalize it, but let's just say that the next time I work for 24 hours straight, I need to make sure I have healthy food in the house.

I was working under a pretty intense deadline for work and over the course of four days, I was working 18 hour days to finish.  I jumped off the diet to enjoy a pizza, thinking that would give me the energy to complete the project.  And it was good.  But then, once I finished the project, I was on my way to Starbucks to get my iced green tea latte and I made a little detour to Perkins.

I had a deep-fried shrimp, and mac and cheese and corn for my two sides  I followed that up with a slice of peanut butter silk pie.  Yes, it was bad.  In fact, it was worse because it wasn't even good food.  If I was going cheat, I should have at least had something really great to eat.  So, I left the restaurant feeling guilty and stupid.

Then, my friend L. called and asked if I wanted to meet her for dinner.  I decided to go, thinking I'd just have a drink and maybe a salad so I suggested Texas Roadhouse, knowing that there probably wouldn't be anything on the menu to eat.  Well, this place was set up to tempt even the most dedicated dieter.  They started by dropping off a bucket of salted peanuts.  Then we order margaritas (which were excellent, I might add).  And then, I decided, what the hell, I'll order dinner.  So I ordered the dinner I should have had in the first place -- grilled shrimp, a baked potato with sour cream and butter (soooo yummy) and a salad with french and bleu cheese dressing.

The toll for this little trip into gluttony -- 2+ pounds on the scale.  So, it's right back to eating healthy again.  But this time with the knowledge that it is so easy to fall back into old habits.  I have no idea how long it will take before my mind will be able to say "No!" in a case like this.  I'm sure I'll find out along the way.

Day 221 -- Is It Peaches Yet?

Second only to "cherry time" in my summer calendar, and right before "sweet corn time", comes "peaches time."

There are certain foods that you can only enjoy once a year and peaches are one of them.  When they're sweet and juicy and perfect, I'm even more excited to put fruit into my diet.  But I'm very fussy about my peaches.  They can't be mealy or I throw them out immediately.  So buying peaches is like gambling -- you never know what you're going to get.

I've found that peaches that smell "peachy" are usually the best bet, although I've been fooled by scent before.  Because of this, I'm reluctant to buy one of my favorite fruits for fear that I'll be disappointed.  So today, when I go to the grocery store, I'm going to buy peaches AND nectarines AND maybe a few plums.  Hey, I bought 10 Powerball tickets Wednesday night (and didn't match a single number).  Maybe this time I'll come out a winner.

ETA:  And just in time for peaches, Fat Free Vegan has a wonderful Peach Oatmeal Bar recipe.  Check it out!

Day 220 -- More Clinton Recipes -- Part Two

And here are the last three recipes from Clinton's vegan lunch.  I'm going to try the quinoa right away.  It sounds really yummy!  All recipes are from this article on the AARP website.

Spiced and Herbed Quinoa With Green Onions
Serves 4

1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup hothouse cucumber, diced
1/2 cup tomato, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped jalapeño
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. In a small pot, combine the quinoa and stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Let cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa with the remaining ingredients. Toss to mix thoroughly. Serve chilled.

Snow Pea Salad
Serves 4

5 ounces snow peas, strings and tips removed, cut diagonally
2 ounces bean sprouts
1/4 medium red bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Salt, to taste

1. Blanch snow peas in boiling water for 8 to 10 seconds, then shock quickly in ice water. Pat dry.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the snow peas, bean sprouts and red pepper. Toss with the soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Season to taste with salt. Serve chilled.

Garlicky Hummus With Raw Vegetable Batons
Serves 4
1 bulb garlic, roasted
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces chickpeas, cooked
2 tablespoons tahini paste
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Raw vegetables for dipping (carrots, red bell pepper, haricots verts, hothouse cucumber, fennel, pencil asparagus)

1. Cut 1/2 inch off the top of the garlic bulb. Place on a 9-inch square of foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Close the foil around the garlic and roast at 350° F about 40 to 50 minutes, until soft. Squeeze the garlic out of 3 cloves. Save the remainder of the bulb for other uses.
2. Combine the cooked chickpeas, roasted garlic and remaining hummus ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust the consistency of the hummus with a little water. Season to taste with salt.
3. Cut the dipping vegetables into batons (1/4-inch french fry shape). Lightly blanch the haricots verts and pencil asparagus and shock in ice water. Serve chilled.

Day 219 -- More Clinton Recipes -- Part One

Continuing on from yesterday's post, here are a few more recipes, vegan dishes that are Bill Clinton's favorites.

Gigante Bean Salad
Serves 4

1/2 cup dried gigante beans (or cannellini beans)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
Black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water. Let them stand overnight. Drain.
2. Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with 6 inches of water. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender. Season with the salt and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain the beans and discard the bay leaf.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and the bell peppers, lightly season with salt and black pepper, and stir frequently until the bell pepper mixture is tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the beans and parsley to the bell pepper mixture. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve chilled.

Shredded Red Beets in Vinaigrette
Serves 4

8 ounces red or yellow beets, shredded
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced chives, mint and parsley
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler and grate with a mandoline or in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade.
2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with the salt.
3. Marinate at least 1 hour. Serve chilled.

Day 218 -- Bill Clinton, Vegan-In-Chief

I came across this article on the AARP website (no, I don't visit there, it was linked from another blog) about Bill Clinton and his recent switch to veganism -- Bill Clinton Explains Why He Became A Vegan.  To be honest, Clinton was one of the inspirations I had for trying a vegan diet.  He had experienced the kind of heart problems that have plagued my own parents and he chose veganism because it represented the best and fastest way to get healthy.

The reporter describes a lunch they had along with his conversation about Clinton's vegan diet.  Many of Clinton's thoughts about the diet are the same as mine are.  He misses yogurt and cheese, eats as much as he wants as long as it's low fat, and is feeling more healthy than he has in years.  All things that I've expressed.

I was bemused by one of the comments -- that because Clinton eats a piece of salmon or Omega-3 eggs once a week, that he isn't a "real" vegan.  I know that ethical vegans seem to hold themselves to a higher standard, but my feeling is that if 99% of your calories come from plants, you should be able to call yourself a vegan.  There is no other term to describe the diet you maintain for the majority of the time.  I wouldn't tell someone I was a vegetarian, because they might choose to make me a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.  I say I'm a vegan because, for the great majority of the time, I choose not to eat meat, eggs or cheese.  I'm a vegan who occasionally cheats on their diet.  Besides, who made you the word police?

On another note, the recipes were posted for the vegan lunch, so I've decided to repost them here because, hey, if they're good enough for Bill Clinton, they're good enough for me!

Roasted Cauliflower and Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 4
1 head cauliflower
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets.
2. Toss the cauliflower with 2 teaspoons olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and roast at 375° F for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Toss the tomatoes in 1 teaspoon olive oil and add to the cauliflower. Roast an additional 8 minutes.
4. Whisk together the Dijon mustard and the vinegar, then slowly incorporate the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to make the vinaigrette.
5. In a bowl, gently toss together the cauliflower-tomatoes mixture, the parsley and the vinaigrette. Serve. 

Day 217 -- Vacationing On The Diet Plateau

I'm quickly approaching my birthday and I was hoping to reach a major milestone in my weight loss goal by that date.  It doesn't look like I'm going to make it because I've been vacationing on the diet plateau.  I don't use the term vacationing lightly because, beyond eating healthy, I haven't done much to shed pounds.  I haven't added an exercise plan to my routine, which would probably be of great help.

The diet plateau is so common that NPR even did an article about it.  Called, How To Find A Path Off The Dreaded Diet Plateau, the article lays out the reasons why, despite our best efforts, we sometimes get stuck at a weight.

I think back to the weeks, early on in this vegan adventure, when I was losing five pounds in a week.  Now, I lose a pound a week.  Although that's still good, it's not getting me to my weight loss goal as fast as I want to.  I hoped to be down to my goal weight by Christmas and I'm halfway there now!  I've been eating vegan for thirty-one weeks and my average weight loss per week has been 2.3 pounds.  Which means I've lost a total of 72 pounds!  Not bad for seven months work!

But it is time to jump start this program!  Eat more greens, get more exercise, drink more water!  Hopefully by the end of August, I can say that I've jumped off the plateau and I'm back on the road again.

Day 216 -- Fruit Crisps And Crumbles

Peaches are in season now and some of the most fragrant and juicy varieties are available at the grocery store.  In my former days as an unhealthy un-vegan eater, I used to make a killer fruit "kuchen".  It had a buttery crust topped with fresh fruit and custard made of eggs, sugar and sour cream, and topped with streusel.  Yum!

Of course, that's off the list now, but I have made a couple of fruit crisps using pie cherries picked from my cherry tree.  I just found this recipe for a healthy fruit crisp on the Smart Balance facebook page and I'm going to add it to my recipe book.  I've tweaked it a bit, but I think it's worth a try.

Fruit Crisp
Filling:
3 cups sweet peaches, sliced and peeled, or any fresh fruit
6 tbsp honey
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tsp cornstarch

Topping:
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup vegan (healthy) margerine

Heat oven to 375°F.  Combine fruit, honey, lemon juice and zest in large bowl.  Sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss until fruit is coated.  Place fruit in an ungreased pie dish.  Mix remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over the fruit.  Bake about 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender.

Day 215 -- Duck, Duck, Gooseberries!

Last year I bought my father a pair of gooseberry bushes for his garden and this year they're bearing fruit.  Gooseberry bushes can be found in nearly every English garden and they made their way across the Atlantic with the earliest settlers.  They are native to Europe, Africa and Asia but with the advent of commercially grown berries, gooseberries fell out of favor here in the U.S.

One of the reasons may be the fact that the bushes are covered in thorns.  Without heavy leather gloves, you can get seriously scratched just picking a single berry.  Of course, new thornless hybrids have been developed, but people just don't seem to plant them in the U.S.  My father tells of picking gooseberries at his German-immigrant grandfather's house.  They are one of the prettiest fruits, looking like little pink watermelons and tasting like . . .

I was talking to my sister about gooseberries and trying to describe what they tasted like, but I had no words since they taste like nothing I've every tasted before.  Some people say that gooseberries are a combination of the tastes of  grape, fig and apricot, if you can imagine that.  They have the texture of a very firm grape although they aren't as juicy and they have tiny seeds inside, much like the seeds in a kiwi, only smaller.

You can use gooseberries in any type of dish that you use cherries or blueberries -- pies, muffins, jams.  But unlike other berries, you can  also use them slightly unripe for a tart taste or fully ripened for a sweet taste.  They're nearly impossible to find in the stores, but I am going to see if I can find them at the farmer's market.  I'd like to make a gooseberry crumble.  

Day 214 -- My Little Herb Garden -- Dill

The final herb in my little herb garden is dill.  I haven't used a lot of fresh dill and the reason I grew it was so I could use it to make refrigerator dill pickles.  I love the scent of dill and and the taste, so I searched for a recipe and found a recipe with roasted veggies!

I love roasted veggies.  I make them into sandwiches and I eat them over whole grains.  And I also love to have them over greens as a salad.  One of my favorite recipes is the Roasted Artichoke, Leek and Tomato Over Farro, a dish that I've made three or four times since I first tasted it a few weeks ago.

Now I have a new recipe to add to my book --  Roasted Vegetable Salad with Dill Dressing which I found on Straight Up Food.

This salad has a wonderful dressing made of fresh dill, avocado, tofu, and scallions.  The roasted veggies are golden beets, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion and zucchini.  Yum!  This also might be nice with a few roasted red potatoes.  I dug some fresh red potatoes from my father's garden so I'm going to add them to this dish and let you know how it goes!

Day 213 -- My Little Herb Garden -- Italian Parsley

I've come to appreciate the taste of Italian parsley and since I've planted it in my herb garden, I've used it to top a lot of dishes.  But I found this recipe for Chimichurri which is an Argentinian pesto-like sauce made with both cilantro and Italian parsley.

Although it usually is used as a sauce for meat, it also tastes good with pasta or bread.  It does have a fair bit of olive oil in it, but this recipe makes 2/3 cup and that can go a long way over pasta or as a spread for bruschetta.  The recipe is from the Herbivoracious blog which is a wonderful vegetarian and vegan resource!

Chimichurri
Makes 2/3 cup

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped fine or pressed
1 cup well-rinsed parsley leaves, lightly packed
1 cup well-rinsed cilantro leaves, lightly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup red onion, minced (or add to food processor before herbs)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

In a small food processor, combine the olive oil and garlic and run until the garlic is well distributed. If you don’t feel like mincing the onion by hand, you can add it in chunks now, but it won’t look as nice. If you don’t have a small food processor, you might need to make a double batch as a full size machine probably won’t work well on this small quantity.
Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, pepper and vinegar and process until minced but with still a bit of texture left in the leaves.
Remove from the food processor and mix in the onions and capers.
Let rest at least 30 minutes, then taste and adjust salt, pepper and vinegar as needed.

Day 212 -- My Little Herb Garden -- Basil

The third herb I have growing in my little herb garden is basil.  I love basil and one of my favorite ways to eat basil is on a Caprese Salad.  But there is no vegan substitute for fresh mozzarella cheese.  And you can't do a caprese without the cheese.  So the next best use for basil is pesto!

But pesto also requires parmesan cheese.   However, I just came across a recipe for pesto that uses nuts instead of cheese.  This recipe for Pesto Pasta comes from one of my favorite blogs, Straight Up Food.

It uses water, walnuts, garlic and basil.  I've decided to try it with roasted garlic rather than raw garlic.  Hopefully, that will give it a mellower taste.

Day 211 -- My Little Herb Garden -- Cilantro

I've been obsessed with cilantro lately.  And it just doesn't seem to grow fast enough in my little herb garden.  As fast as it grows, I pick it.  I've been putting it on top of my Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili.  Yes, I eat chili in the summer time.  And I've been putting in stir fries and adding it to sandwiches and salads.  But one thing I haven't done is made a really killer guacamole with it.  And since I've been buying avocados on a regular basis, I decided to look for a good guacamole recipe.

I found this recipe on the Simply Recipes website and it's called the Perfect Guacamole from Elise Bauer.  I've modified it a bit to make it My Favorite Guacamole!  By the way, the word guacamole comes from two Aztec Nahuatl words – ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce).

The Best Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup red onion, chopped finely
1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, minced finely
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Cut avocados in half and remove the seed, then slice into narrow wedges.  Peel the skin from the flesh and put in a bowl.  Mash the avocado, leaving come larger chunks.

Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper and mash some more. Add a bit of the jalapeno to the guacamole and taste.  Keep adding until it reaches the desired heat.  I don't add much, but some people like it hot.  If you're making ahead, cover the guacamole with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the dip and refrigerate.  However, I don't like it as much once it's been refrigerated, so I think it's best to make it right before serving.  Whichever way you do it,  mix in the chopped tomatoes just before serving.

Day 210 -- My Little Herb Garden -- Mint

I've decided to do a little series of posts on the herbs in my little herb garden.  So today, I'm doing mint.  I have two types of mint in my garden -- spearmint and peppermint.  It's the perfect thing to have around in the summer to add a little bit of flavor to iced tea.  But the best use of fresh mint is in the very popular vegan drink -- the mojito!

Making a mojito is pretty simple.  It takes sugar, mint, rum, and club soda.  I'm using organic sugar although I'm sure if it makes a difference because I'm not using organic rum!  Is there organic rum?  It turns out there is!  Here's an article about organic booze from the Treehugger blogspot.

So, on to the recipe for mojitos.

Mojitos -- Makes 2
Ice
2 ounces light rum
4 mint sprigs, or spearmint, 8 roughly broken apart
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 t. sugar
Club soda
2 slices lime

Divide the sugar and the mint between two 12 oz. glasses.  Using the back of a spoon, muddle the sugar and the mint, crushing the leaves with the sugar to release the mint flavor.  Fill the glass with ice then add the rum and the lime juice and fill to the top with club soda.  Add a sprig of mint and a slice of lime and enjoy!  Best if sipped through a straw.

Day 209 -- A Battle With A Craving

Yesterday I had an overwhelming craving to eat seafood.  I very rarely have cravings, but when I do, I tend to listen to my body.  Something was telling me that I needed a shot of animal protein and nothing I could make on the vegan end of the spectrum would satisfy my hunger.

So, I stopped at my favorite restaurant and instead of choosing the portabello mushroom fajitas, I had the shrimp fajitas.  I'm not sure why I get these cravings and they come so infrequently that I don't worry too much about feeding them.  Maybe it's physiological or maybe just psychological.  But it was a good meal and the first time I've had meat in about six weeks (since my cheeseburger cheat in June).  That seems to be a bit of a pattern for me.  Every six to eight weeks, I eat meat.

Oh, well, today was back to veggies.  And some reading about the Paleo diet, which I may discuss further.  I don't have any intention of going on the diet, but in reading about it, I'm finding that the Paleos are as outspoken as vegans and vegetarians about their diet choice.  More on that later.

Day 208 -- The Wonderful Taste Of Fresh Food

My neighbor, T, brought me a container of watermelon chunks a few days ago.  The watermelon was perfectly ripe and sweet and juicy and it was one of the best things I've eaten in weeks.  I usually don't buy watermelon.  A whole watermelon is too big and when it's cut apart in the store, it's ridiculously expensive.  But this was a nice treat!

It's funny how the simplest foods suddenly taste so much better to me now that I eat mostly simple food.  My taste buds are no longer assaulted by salt and fat and all the chemicals in processed foods.  I'm not sure about the nutritional benefits of eating watermelon.  With all that water, I'm sure it's good for you but it's certainly not a superfood.  It is, however, a nice thing to have on a hot summer day.  And I think I'm going to make watermelon a part of my diet.

Day 207 -- Time To Make The Kimchi - Revised

It was time to make another batch of my favorite kimchi -- a vegetarian kimchi based on the delicious Sunjay brand.  I've done some tweaking of the recipe and this batch turned out particularly good.  Just the right amount of salt and red pepper flakes.  I let it ferment for 3 days before putting it in the fridge.  And it was made with a green cabbage freshly cut from my father's garden!

The kimchi always seems to get better with a little age.  It lasts in the fridge for at least a couple months and usually takes at least a couple weeks for the flavors to meld.  So, here's my latest recipe!


Kimchi Recipe

1 very large head of green cabbage, chopped

2 bunches green onions, sliced

Put in enamel pot or glass bowl with 6 T. kosher or sea salt and stir.  Leave for 12 hours until cabbage begins to wilt.  Green cabbage will remain more crispy than Napa or Chinese cabbage and will release very little liquid.  Add 8 cups water, 2 chopped leeks (thoroughly washed) and 1 package matchstick carrots to the pot.

Blend together the following and stir into the cabbage mixture

1   6" knob ginger  peeled

12 cloves garlic

2 T miso

2 T. sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cup Korean red pepper flakes

Place a plate over the cabbage mixture and something heavy to weight it down so that all the cabbage is covered in liquid.  Cover the pot or the container and set aside to ferment.  It should be ready in about 3 days.  Put in containers and refrigerate.

Day 206 -- Too Many Beets!

I love sammiches!  Especially  when  I find an interesting new vegan combination.  This recipe, for a Chickpea, Beet and Apple Panini, is from Vegetarian Times that uses raw beets!  I've never eaten raw beets but I'm going to give this sandwich a try!

Chickpea, Beet, and Apple Panini

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

8 slices sesame semolina bread (8 oz.)

1 medium golden beet, peeled and sliced (yes, raw, not cooked)

1 Granny smith apple, thinly sliced

¼ cup broccoli or radish sprouts

4 Tbs. prepared black olive tapenade

1. Pulse chickpeas, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and tarragon in food processor until chunky. 

2. Spread chickpea mixture on 4 bread slices. Top with beet and apple slices, and sprouts. Spread remaining 4 bread slices with tapenade; close sandwiches.

3. Spray panini with cooking spray. Coat skillet or grill pan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Place panini in pan; weight with smaller-diameter saucepan weighted with 2 cans. Cook 3 minutes. Flip, replace weight, and cook 2 minutes. (Or cook 4 minutes in panini maker.)

Day 205 -- In A Pickle With Beets

What do you do when you have too many beets?  You make pickled beets.  And I've made traditionally canned pickled beets in the past, but I've learned that it's easier to make refrigerator pickled beets.  So here's a recipe!

The recipe required  cooked beets and they can be boiled or roasted.  In my opinion, it's easier to roast beets.  Less mess, no overboil on the stove.  So, I clean and trim the beets and then cut them in half (unpeeled) and roast them in a 400-degree oven until they soft when pricked with a fork.

Slice them up and put them in this recipe!

Refrigerator Pickled Beets

3 pounds fresh small whole beets (use similar size beets)*
2 sliced onions
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
3 or 4 garlic cloves, sliced in half

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and garlic cloves; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar melts. Reduce heat and let the pickling brine simmer approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let brine cool before adding the cooked beets.  I put the beets in a plastic ice cream bucket but you can pickle them jars even in a plastic ziplock bag.

Day 204 -- Dilly-Dallying With Veggies - Beans

I spent the morning with my friend and neighbor, T, and we paid a visit to my father's garden and with my father's help, came away with green beans, peas, beets, kale, onions, gooseberries, cabbage, and swiss chard.  We then stopped at a local orchard to check out their cherry harvest and as we were chatting,  I was telling Toni that she could pickle some of the beans we picked.  And right there, at the little orchard shop, was a jar of Dilly Beans.

In that past, I've done traditional canning, but I've found that for my purposes, refrigerator pickling is so much easier.  So I've hunted down a recipe for Refrigerator Dilly Beans.

Refrigerator Dilly Beans
2 cups of green beans
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
2 ½ tablespoons of sugar
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt
½ of a medium onion, sliced thinly
2 sprigs of fresh dill
½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
¼ to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you want them) – you can also add a whole dried chili if you have one.

It's best to do the beans in a glass container, a large canning jar is best.  Make the brine.  Add the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn it off and set it aside to cool down to room temperature.

Blanch the trimmed beans. Do enough to pack into your jar with enough space at the top so that the brine can cover them completely.   Bring a saucepan of water to a full boil, then dump the beans in and boil them for thirty seconds. Drain them, and quickly add them to a bowl of iced water to shock them and stop the cooking process.  The beans should be brightly colored and still crisp.

Drain the beans and set them aside. Add your onions, dill, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns to your jars.  They look prettiest standing upright, but don’t worry about being perfect. The easiest way is to lay the jar on its side, or hold it horizontally, and place the beans inside.

Pour your brine in once it has reached room temperature. Fill the jar to 1/2 inch below the top of the jar, and put the lid on. Place the jar of dilly beans in the fridge, and let them sit for at least two days before eating them.  They’ll keep for up to six months in the fridge .

Tomorrow, we'll try Refrigerator Pickled Beets.

Day 203 -- Detox Drinks -- Do They Work?

I've seen so many different recipes for detox drinks that include some combination of lemon and/or cayenne pepper and/or vinegar and they never seemed to appeal to me.  My friend, E, posted a link for this recipe for Skinny Body Fat Flush and Detox on Facebook today and I've decided I'm going to give it a try.  It seems simple enough and I have a ton of mint growing in my little herb garden that I need to use!  It could be quite refreshing and if it flushes fat I'm all for that!  Just so you know, I don't hold out a lot of hope that this will help, but I'm willing to give it a try!

 Skinny Body Fat Flush and Detox
1 cucumber
1 lemon
2 limes
1 bunch of mint

Slice them all and divide the ingredients between four 24 oz water bottles and fill them up with filtered water.

I'm going to put this in a large gallon pitcher instead of 4 water bottles and just pour myself a big old glass full every day.  And I'll report back soon and let you know how it works.

Day 202 -- Balsamic Vinegar, Oh, How I Love Thee!

One of my favorite treats is to go to my local grocery store and pick up a loaf of freshly baked whole grain bread.  I've  carefully studied the label and though it does contain some dairy (milk), it's such a small part of the recipe that I've allowed myself a pass on this particular item.  It is loaded with pieces of cracked wheat and is so flavorful and hearty that I can't seem to help myself.

In earlier days, I'd bring bread home, warm it up and slather it with butter.  But my favorite way to eat it these days is to pour a little olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar on a plate and dip away.  There is nothing so tasty, except maybe if you add some fresh, ripe tomatoes to the mix.

For something that I love so much, I know very little about balsamic vinegar.  Except that the more expensive it is, the better it is.  The 8.5 oz. bottle I have in my cupboard now cost about eight dollars, which is low-priced in the world of balsamic, but about all my budget can tolerate.

The word balsamico (from Latin balsamum, from Greek balsamon) means "balsam-like" in the sense of "restorative" or "curative".   The balsam tree had medicinal purposes in ancient times.  The original traditional product (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale) is made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and is not a vinegar in the usual sense.  This product has been made in the Modena and Reggio Emilia regions of Italy since the Middle Ages.  The names "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena" (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) and "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia" (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia) are protected by both the Italian government and the European Union. Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Aceto Balsamico di Modena), a less expensive imitation of the traditional product, is today widely available and much better known.

When choosing the balsamic vinegar, you have to read the label carefully. True, traditional (tradizionale) balsamic vinegar is made from crushed grapes that have been aged for at least 12 years and has a thick, rich and slightly sweet flavor. The second type of balsamic vinegar (no tradizionale on the label) is a more commercial version made from wine vinegar; it has additives such as food coloring, sweeteners and preservatives . The flavor of the imitation balsamic is similar, but not really the same as the "tradizionale" variety.  Thus the difference in price.  Twelve years in casks or a few months processed in a factory.  So the key is to look for the traditional kind and buy the best you can afford.

Day 201 -- The Value Of Food

Over the past week, I've been blessed with an abundance of fresh produce.  Beets, onions, beans and peas from my father's garden.  Strawberries fresh picked and given to me by a friend.  And cherries from a tree in my backyard (it's been a banner year for cherries).  But with this fresh produce came the necessity to pick and clean and store and prepare it.  I pitted cherries, shelled peas, hulled strawberries, separated beets from their edible tops.  And the more I did of this work, the more I realized what our ancestors had to go through just to put a meal on the table.

We're so used to walking into a supermarket, snatching up produce that's already cleaned and even chopped up, to use for our meals.  Meat is neatly packaged, veggies frozen, pies made.  And because food has become so simple, I think we've lost touch with the value and the meaning of what we eat.  When it takes time to make our food edible, it becomes so much more valuable.  It took me two hours to shell a couple cups of peas, but when I ate them I appreciated the value of them much more than those that I dump out of a bag from the freezer.

Of all the things I've learned in my half year as a vegan, I think this has been the most important.  I'm so very careful not to waste food.  If something is getting a little past prime in my fridge, I find a way to use it.  I don't let it spoil (except for lettuce, I can't seem to eat that fast enough).  And that makes me happy, that I'm taking only what I need and leaving the rest for others.  I'm satisfied with that.  

Day 200 -- Green Peas And Tart Cherries

Today was the perfect 200th day of my vegan life.  When I began this little project, it was the dead of winter, the days were short, the night was long and the ground was covered in snow.  I honestly thought that summer would never come.  Well, it was slow in coming, but it is here now and with it, lots of wAndnderful fresh produce.

Today, on my 200th day of vegan eating, I shelled some fresh peas and ate them.  They were from my dad's garden and at first, I thought all that shelling really wasn't worth the measly amount of peas I got.  But then I cooked them and ate them with a little margarine and some salt and freshly-ground pepper and they were heaven!

Later in the afternoon, a friend of mine came over and we picked the cherries off my cherry tree.  I then pitted them and made another cherry crumble, this time not from store-bought Bing cherries but from my own home-grown cherries.  And the crumble was so good!  The cherries were just perfectly tart and yummy, better than Bing!

It wasn't the healthiest day of eating.  In addition, I managed a veggie burger on a whole wheat bun and a Pink Lady apple, but that was pretty much it for the day.  I guess cherries and peas aren't the worst choices, but they are a far cry from the junk I was eating 201 days ago.  I'm glad that I can get all excited about fresh peas and homegrown cherries.  Now on to the next 100 days!
  

Day 199 -- My Vegan Odometer

I'm not sure why I get so excited about silly milestones in this year-long journey.  First it was one month, then two months, then one hundred days.  After that it was halfway through (one-hundred eighty-three days) and now my odometer is going to turn over from the hundreds into the two-hundred day mark.  Two-hundred days seems like a very long time.  In another seventy-four days, I'm going to be three-quarters of the way done with my year.  My birthday is also coming up.

So, I suppose now is as good a time as any to look at what I've achieved since the last "big day."  I spent most of June stuck at one weight.  Though I continued to eat healthy and light, nothing seemed to be moving.  And then, at the beginning of July, I got food poisoning and that all changed.  In the course of three days, I lost five pounds!  Though it was the worst way to shed weight, I think the illness shocked my body and the pounds started coming off again.  Since then, I've lost another two pounds.  Total weight loss -- 70 pounds!

I still haven't added exercise to the mix and it's really starting to show.  The skin on my arms and thighs is beginning to resemble a shar pei!  I watch "Extreme Weight Loss" and envy the contestants who get the skin surgery, then realize that I'd never be accepted on that show because I don't weigh enough -- which, of course, makes me very happy.

It's strange, the little things that seem to delight me these days.  What are some of the things I'm looking forward to?  Watching my weight loss odometer turn over and breaking into "one-der-land".  Watching my BMI move from obese to overweight and then, someday, to normal.  Reaching my one-year anniversary on December 27th.  Being able to fit into an old pair of Levi 501 jeans that I've never worn.  Hey, being able to fit into any of the old jeans I've kept that don't have an elastic waistband.

I can always find something to look forward to on this year-long journey.  And along the way, I seem to amuse myself with food.  Who would have ever thought two hundred days ago, that my major concern would be how I might be able to fit more chia seeds into my diet?  Or that I'd be eating beet greens?  Or nutritional yeast?   Life is good.

BTW, I should have used an odometer for my photo, but I couldn't resist the chance to put up the shar pei photo.  

Day 198 -- Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I've written mostly about the positive effects of my new vegan diet.  But there are a few negative effects that I've experienced.  I noticed, recently, that I've been losing a lot of hair.  At first I thought it was because it was summer and I was shedding.  But I did a quick internet search and found out that hair loss is quite common -- and completely reversible -- for people who have begun a vegan or vegetarian diet.  It's so common that the problem is addressed on the Livestrong.com website.

Three possible causes are all deficiencies in the diet -- protein, amino acids or iron.  I could be deficient in any one of these three.  Or all three.  But I suspect iron might be the culprit since I don't eat a lot of greens and that's the best source for iron.  I sometimes struggle with amino acids and I know I get plenty of protein.

 

The most likely cause of my hair loss is something called telogen effluvium.  This is a transitory increase in the number of hairs in the telogen or resting phase of the hair growth cycle. This can occur spontaneously, but it can also come as a result of a high fever, stress from surgery, or shock.  From a nutrition standpoint. the condition can also come from malnutrition or "crash" dieting.  The sudden switch to a vegan diet may cause the body to react as if it were experiencing a crash diet.

The good news is that this condition usually reverses itself in a matter of a couple months.  So, for now, I'm not going to worry too much about it.  I'm going to pay closer attentions to my intake of protein, iron and amino acids and make sure that I'm getting what I need in nutrition.

Day 197 -- That's How The Cherry Crumbles

Since I've started eating vegan, I haven't been much into desserts, with the exception of my favorite molasses cookies.  Since my blood sugar remains pretty constant during the day, I don't find myself craving sweets and when I do, fruit seems to satisfy me quite nicely.

The other day, I bought a cherry pitter and with that purchase came the notion that I could now use fresh cherries in my cooking.  I immediately thought about making a cobbler or a crumble, but since I was too lazy to look for a recipe, I decided to just wing it.  I mixed a small bit of sugar and some whole wheat flour with my halved and pitted cherries and then put them in a small casserole.  Then I mixed some melted Earth Balance margerine, some brown sugar and  more flour for the crumble topping.  I thought about adding some chopped almonds as almonds and cherries are always good together, but I decided to go simple.

And it was really good!  It felt nice to enjoy a dessert again, especially one made with luscious and very fresh Bing cherries.  I have a tart cherry tree in my backyard that is almost ready to be picked, so that's my chore in the next few days.  With those cherries, I'm going to try a real recipe.  I modified this one from a recipe I found online.

Cherry Crumble

Makes 6 servings

Approximately 4-5 cups of fresh, pitted cherries cut in half
1/4 c. Demerara sugar
 1/2 cup plus 1 T. whole wheat flour
 1/2 cup rolled oats
 1/3 cup brown sugar
 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/4 cup chopped pecans or almonds
 1/3 cup melted Earth Balance margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.  Mix cherries with 1T. flour and 1/4 cup Demerara sugar (less if you're using sweet cherries)  In a medium bowl, mix together remainting flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix in melted margarine. Spread over pie filling, and sprinkle with chopped pecans or almonds.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

Day 196 -- The Beet Goes On

I added another new food to my list today.  Beet greens!  My dad brought me a few bunches of beets from his garden and I decided to saute the greens in a little olive olive, onion (also from my dad's garden) and garlic.  And I have to say, they were very tasty!

Beet greens are high in vitamins and minerals, speicifically vitamines  A, C, and K.   They're also high in fiber, iron and potassium.  And I've always had trouble getting enough greens into my diet so when they land on my doorstep, I feel compelled to eat them.  I'm glad I gave them a try.  I'm feeling healthier already!

Day 195 -- Lipstick On A Pig's Foot

I had a discussion with my sister L. yesterday over comfort food.  More specifically over comfort food that really isn't good food but is loaded with so much mayo and cheese that you can't taste that it isn't good food. Exhibit One of One:  A recipe for Georgia Cracker Salad is from the suddenly notorious Paula Deen.

Georgia Cracker Salad


1   sleeve saltine crackers
1   large tomato, finely chopped
3   green onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1   hard boiled egg, finely chopped

In a medium size bowl, crush the crackers, add all of the ingredients, mix well, and serve immediately.

Yes, that's right.  The main ingredient in this dish is a sleeve of crumbled up saltine crackers. Something that I wouldn't choose to eat plain.  But cover it in a cup and a half of mayo and the dish is elevated to one of the most popular recipes on Paula Deen's website.  I suspect that my cat's kibble would probably taste good covered in a cup of mayo.  So why bother with the saltines or the kibble?  Why not just eat a cup of mayo straight from the jar?  Or sour cream or Velveeta?

Yesterday I put together a dish made of three oven-roasted veggies and served that over cooked farro.  No dressing, no added spices.  A little chopped parsley was all that was added.  And the tastes were so good and clean and perfect.  Now, I'm sure if I tossed the ingredients with cheese, sour cream and mayo and baked it in the oven, it would probably taste delicious, too.  But then I'd miss the taste of the veggies and get nothing but the other overly-rich ingredients.

There is something to be said for tasting a really good Roma tomato.  Or roasted leeks that are sweetly caramelized.  Or artichoke hearts that are tangy and creamy.  If the SAD (Standard American Diet) requires that we mask our ingredients with these "comfort" condiments, then people are never going to grow to appreciate the taste of pure, unadorned, whole foods.  And that is what's really SAD . . . or sad.  

Day 194 -- A Farro Tale

I'm always looking for new foods to try, especially when it comes to grains and veggies.  So when I kept reading about farro, I started a search for the grain at my local markets.  I finally stumbled across it a few weeks ago and I'm currently mulling over what to do with it.

A wonderful article on the history of farro, Farro: The Ancient Years can be found on this website, Farrolicious, devoted entirely to the grain.  According to Farrolicious, farro or emmer is an ancient grain, dating back 17,000 years to the beginning of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent Region of Mesopotamia in the Middle East.   In ancient Egypt, emmer wheat was especially valued, where it was the staple crop. It was also depicted extensively in ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Latin Historical references. In Egypt, emmer was the primary ingredient in ancient Egyptian bread and beer and farro has been found in Egyptian tombs.


The Roman Legions ate farro as they marched across the European continent and into the Middle East. Not only did the Romans consume farro, but they used it as currency. After the fall of the Roman Empire, new and more productive varieties of wheat were discovered and developed and farro became scarce except for isolated fields in Italy.  The French rediscovered farro and it began to appear in fine restaurants.  The low yield and high price now make this grain less of a staple and more of a luxury.

Farro is rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B, and is almost always grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Because it is so easily digested and low in gluten, farro can often be eaten by people who are normally gluten-intolerant.   I came across this recipe for Warm Farro with Roasted Artichoke Hearts, Tomatoes and Leeks from Sarah's Cucina Bella.   I haven't used artichoke hearts in a dish yet, even though I love them.  And the only appearance leeks have made is in my kimchi recipe.  So, I will report back and let you know how this recipe turns out and what it tastes like to eat a food that's been around for 17,000 years.

ETA:  Yummy yum yum yummers!  This has just five ingredients and yet it is so flavorful!  Nutty farro, tangy artichoke hearts, creamy leeks and sweet tomatoes.  Don't leave out the parsley because it adds a whole other level of flavor.  And though three leeks seems like a lot, the leeks are the best part of this dish, so don't skimp.  With a little salt and fresh ground pepper, this a great meal.

Day 193 -- A Nifty Little Gadget

It's cherry season and I love my cherries.  I'm waiting for the Rainier cherries to show up in the stores as they are my favorite fruit of all fruits.  But until then, I'm enjoying the black or Bing cherries in large quantities.

I decided I wanted to use cherries in a smoothie, but I didn't have anyway to pit them.  So today, with a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond, I looked for a cherry pitter and found this one -- a Progressive Cherry-It Pitter.  It was about $15.00 and it is worth every penny.  You can pit four cherries at the time and it removes the pit very cleanly and they're collected in a little reservoir.

So, tomorrow morning, I'm going to enjoy my silken tofu and chia seed smoothie with cherries instead of blueberries.  Yummy!