Day 37 - Meet and Eat

Yes, that says 'meet', not 'MEAT'!  I've been eating vegan for five weeks now and besides the fact that I'm feeling much better than I have in years, I've been discovering some brand new foods.  I've eaten quinoa for the first time and found it very tasty.  I've added edamame to a curry that I've made three times already.  And I can't even express how much I love miso paste.  I've been adding to to every soup that I make!

I've come to enjoy the heartiness of kale and use it in my soups now instead of spinach, which I always found just a little slimy.  And nutritional yeast and I have become acquainted.  Though the smell was a bit off-putting, I did like the taste sprinkled on top of spaghetti and sauce.  I've added fenugreek seeds to a dish and sent away for kalonji seeds for the same dish.

I've tried eight different varieties of apples and found one to replace my dearly loved Macintosh (but only when they're out of season and too mushy to eat).  The Pink Lady is now my choice when it comes to a good eating apple.

I tried to find lily buds for my Vegan Hot and Sour Soup, but couldn't find them.  Within the next week, I plan to try fava beans for the first time and I also bought fennel to add to a soup recipe.  I've been trying something new at about the rate of 1 or 2 items per week.  Can I keep this pace up for 52 weeks?  Thank goodness I'm vegan and I won't have to try sardines or anchovies.  In truth, there isn't much in the plant-based world that I wouldn't try.  I even bought a can of my childhood nemisis -- the lima bean.  I do know that eating vegan is paying off in health benefits.  I've lost 22 pounds in 5 weeks.  I'm sleeping better.  And my acid reflux is gone.  Here's to five more weeks of veggies!