Leap Day Goodies!

Happy Leap Day, Gnawers!  I knew there was something special about this year when it started.  It just felt different...like it was going to be better.  And, it has been!  I am now two months into this journey and I have made more changes than I ever expected.  Vegan?  Really?  I would have laughed in your face if you suggested that to me in December.  But, here I am!  Vegan and loving it!  I have now lost a total of 18 pounds, and it is the easiest 18 pounds I have ever lost.  Certainly not the fastest, but the easiest!  I don't count calories or fat.  I don't measure out my portions.  I don't make sure to eat at a certain time.  I haven't eliminated things that taste good.  I am just eating good food and what feels right and my body seems to be getting on board with the changes.  I am really looking forward to seeing my doctor next week and getting results from my blood work to see if anything has changed.  I will keep you posted!  Whatever happens, I know that this is right.  Even though there are hard days, it is 100% worth it.

Tonight, I made a recipe that I adapted from the For The Love of Food website.  This recipe is for Asian Pan-Fried Pineapple Quinoa.   I wasn't really sure how it would turn out.  I am totally digging quinoa lately, so I figured that it was worth a shot.  I do not typically like fruit mixed in with my food, so I must admit that I was a little concerned.  Still, I loved the sound of the recipe and list of ingredients.  It looked like something sinful I might order from a Thai restaurant.  I do love all things sinful.  So, I went for it.  Holy moly, people!  This meal was out of the park AWESOME.  It was bursting with so many delectable flavors that lit up my tastebuds and left me feeling very satisfied.  My mom stopped by for a little bit and made a face at the recipe as she watched me chopping away.  After her first bite, she said, "I think this may be the best thing you have made yet."  That is saying something coming from my non-veggie mama.  This is something I know I will start to crave.  Oh man, so yummy.  

Asian Pan-Fried Pineapple Quinoa 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large bunch green onions (about 8), chopped
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it!)
• 1 cup peas (I used organic frozen peas)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 and 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
• 3 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (or until water is absorbed).  After 20 minutes, remove saucepan from heat and keep covered.  Allow to sit for 10 more minutes.  Then, remove lid and fluff with a fork.  You can also make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.  

2.  Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a  large heavy bottomed skilled or wok.

3.  Add yellow onions, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes to pan and sauté until fragrant (about three minutes).

4.  Add the peas, bell pepper, and pineapple and turn heat up to high.  Stir frequently and cook for about three minutes or until the pineapple starts to caramelize.

5.  Add in cooked quinoa, liquid aminos, cilantro, and green onions.  Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.

6.  Serve and enjoy!!!

Well, Gnawers, I think that is all from me for the night.  I made my weekly Whole Foods trip today, so you can look forward to lots of delicious recipes coming your way in the next week!  As Leap Day comes to a close, I hope you will keep in mind how you want to make this year different ... special.  No more excuses for you or for me ... now is the time to be the people we aspire to be!  Until next time, dear Gnawers ... take good care of you!!!

Adventures in Lentil "Meat" Loaf And Other Fun Things ...

Good evening, Gnawers!  What a busy day it has been!  I started the morning with yet another new green smoothie.  This one was definitely another winner.  I have been using so much kale lately that I forgot how much I love (and prefer) spinach in my smoothies!  Today's smoothie had absolutely no "green" taste to it all. It was just pure, unadulterated goodness.  It tasted like drinking a strawberry milkshake for breakfast.  I can definitely handle that every morning!  It does come out a slightly reddish, greenish, brownish color.  Do not be alarmed.  It is so good!  It tastes so DELICIOUS that I guarantee you will not even notice the color after your first sip!

Green Goodness Green Smoothie


Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups fresh spinach
• 1-2 tablespoons flaxseeds
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup (or a little more) frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen pineapple

Preparation Instructions:

• Add all ingredients to blender (VitaMix!) in order listed and blend until smooth.
• Serve and enjoy!!!

I had 6 clients today, which always keeps me on my toes.  I was able to sneak in a quick lunch around one.  Lunch was left over lemon garlic cannellini beans and mushrooms dumped over a pile of fresh spinach.  I also brought some dressing in case I needed it.  I mixed 3 parts fresh lemon juice with one part cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, plus sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.  I ended up eating the beans and mushrooms off of the top (I had forgotten just how amazing they were) and then adding the dressing to the spinach.  Delish.

I  rushed home after work to meet the cable guy and can finally say (after moving in a whopping six months ago) that my bedroom is sans crazy wires sticking out all over the place!  I do love having things in order.  My bedroom is finally complete!  It is a perfect beach retreat that suits me oh so very well.  Ahhhh.

My friend, Kelly, sent me a text in the late afternoon asking if I wanted to have dinner tonight.  I texted her back and invited over to my house for dinner if she felt brave enough to try my vegan fare.  This was risky since tonight's recipe was a new, slightly scary one for me.  Plus, in the 15 years I have known her, I have never cooked for her and I would describe her as more of a picky eater.  No pressure at all, right?!  Based on the grocery shopping I did last Tuesday (I have not been able to shop yet this week), I only had two options for what to cook for dinner tonight and I allowed Kelly to choose.  With my luck, she chose the more difficult one of the two recipes ... the one I have put off making all week for fear it would be a flop after what seemed like a lot of work.  "What the hell?" I thought.  "I'm going for it."

I made Vegan Lentil "Meat" Loaf (which is also gluten free) from a recipe I adapted from the Healthful Pursuit website.  I was able to cook the lentils before Kelly arrived.  Let me tell you about what I did with the lentils so that you don't make the same mistake.  I wasn't sure how many dry lentils it would take to make the 2 cups of cooked lentils I needed for the recipe.  As is typical for me, I made waaaaaaay too many.  A simple google search for this information would have saved me from eating lentils for every meal for the next week!  It turns out that 1/2 cup of dry lentils equals about 1 cup of cooked lentils.  Make a note of it.  Also, please feel free to send me recipe ideas for all these cooked lentils I have stockpiled now!

Kelly watched as I prepared and we chatted as I cooked.  I waited nervously for the oven to beep to see how my creation would turn out.  The whole house smelled delicious and even the dogs were circling the kitchen looking for someone to drop something from the non-meat treat.  The lentil "meat" loaf turned out SO good.  It tasted like real meatloaf!  Kelly said that she loved it and oohed and ahhhhed as we ate.  Score again for the vegans!  I love meatloaf and did not believe that it could be replaced with rabbit, er, I mean, vegan food.  Guess what?  It can an it was!  Hallelujah!  This will certainly go down as a family favorite.

Vegan Lentil "Meat" Loaf (also Gluten-Free)


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 6 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup vegan spicy  BBQ sauce (I used Annie's Chipotle), divided
• sea salt to taste
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked green lentils. cooled and divided (see below for instructions on cooking lentils)
• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, divided 
• 1/2 cup almond flour

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Cook green lentils.  Here is a good tutorial for doing so: http://startcooking.com/blog/196/Lentils.  It is really very simple.  No soaking needed and done in under 25 minutes.  :)  

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

3.  Add ground flaxseed to a small bowl.  I ground my own using my VitaMix!  You can also buy it already ground or use your coffee grinder. 

4.  Add boiling water to the bowl with ground flaxseed and stir to combine well.  Set aside to allow mixture to thicken and cool.  This makes a flax "egg" (aka: egg substitute) for keeping the loaf together.

5.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or heavy bottomed skillet.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until the onions are tender.  Stir during this time to make sure garlic does not brown or burn.

6.  Add mushrooms to pan and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.  

7.  Add in thyme and spinach and cook for about 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted.  

8.  Add in 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce and stir to combine.  Add sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.  Turn off the heat and set aside.  

9.  In a food processor or blender (VitaMix!), process 1 and 1/2 cups of the green lentils with 1/2 cup of the rolled oats until smooth (it is okay to still have some chunky bits).

10.  Spoon mixture into a large bowl.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup of green lentils, 1/2 cup of rolled oats, flax "egg" mixture, almond flour, and vegetable mixture.  Stir really well to combine.  You may need to get in there with your hands to make sure you mix it really well the way you would do with regular meatloaf or meatballs.  

11.  Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper (make sure to leave parchment paper hanging out over the sides so you can easily get the loaf out after it is cooked).  Use your hands to press the mixture in really well.  Brush on the remaining 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce.

12.  Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes or so.  Pull the loaf from the pan by grabbing the sides of the parchment paper and lifting it straight out.  Allow it to cool for another 5-10 minutes.  

13.  Slice and garnish with thyme.  Serve with extra BBQ sauce for those that may want it.

14.  Eat and enjoy!!!

I served my lentil "meat" loaf with salade vinaigrette, my most recent favorite salad.  Yum!  This was another great meal for the books!

Well gnawers, that is all from me tonight.  I hope that you are each feeling healthy, hopeful, and motivated as we make it through the rest of this week!  Until next time ... take good care of you!!!

Ease On Down, Ease On Down The Road ...

Tonight, Gnawers, I feel it is best for me to start with a quote...

I promised from the get go that I would be honest with you along this journey, and tonight is a time for a little honesty.  I have been having major urges to pull off of this journey and into one of those metaphorical "parking spaces " for the past 2-3 days.  In fact, forget parking, I have wanted to jump out of the car and take a quick road trip to junk food town, spring break style ... wild and free without looking back.  I have no idea at all where these urges are coming from, which is especially frustrating.  I have loved just about every second of the changes I have made, and BOOM!  They slapped me in the face like a giant wave.

And, boy, I would be lying if I didn't say that I haven't been tempted.  I like this quote because I think most of us can relate to being on the highway, tempted by sign after sign for burgers, fries, ice cream, and other junk.  We resist because we know it is not good for us and we have our sights well set on reaching our actual destinations.  We may give in to an exit at some point, but that is after passing 200 others.  After a brief stop, we pull back on the road and get on our way.

It has taken every fiber of my being to resist these urges.  One of my specialty areas as a psychologist is called "motivational interviewing".  I won't bore you with all of the details, but I will share one thing from the approach that has been especially helpful in my own life.  Basically, the approach is geared towards helping people make informed choices rather than feeling like they are compelled to do one thing or another.  For example, it is one thing to choose to pull off of the interstate for an ice cream cone knowing that it fits in well with your dietary choices and that you believe in everything in moderation.  It is entirely different to be driving along the interstate with no intention of stopping and then suddenly realizing that you have pulled off, eating 6 value meals, and are deciding which ice cream you want for dessert.  Make sense?

One of the ways that we help people make informed choices is by exploring their motivation for change.  Once you can really understand and name your reasons for being motivated, you can pull them up at any time and remind yourself why you are making the choices that you decide to make.  For me, I am choosing to make these changes because I want to find health, I want to be able to do more of the things that I love, I want to be around for my niece and nephew for a long time to come, I want to be able to have my own children, I want to feel good about myself, it fits in with my perspective on the world, and I feel it makes me a better person inside and out.  I have several more reasons, but too many to list in a single blog post!  My reasons for a detour to junk food town would be pretty insignificant compared to the reasons I want to change.  They might be that a cheeseburger sounds damn good and tempting and that I don't feel like cooking today.  That's about it.

So, as I have been having these urges over the past couple of days, I have taken time to "stop and think".  It may seem like a simple concept, but we all forget to do it most of the time.  I tell my clients all of the time, "When you have urges for cigarettes/alcohol/food/drugs/whatever, don't just tell yourself that you cannot have or do these things.  Rather, give yourself 20 minutes to sit and truly think about why or why not you want to go ahead and do those things.  Remind yourself of what is motivating you, and just think it through.  If after 20 minutes you still make the decision to go ahead and drink/smoke/binge/etc., you can go ahead and do so.  Just know that it will be a choice though instead of something that 'just happened' to you."

I have had to take my own advice in the past couple of days, and that is what has gotten me through.  I have examined what motivates me (like at least once an hour it seems), and chosen not to give into the urges I have been having.  Not easy, but totally possible.

The other thing I have done is made some compromises.  For example, I had no interest in cooking today.  I haven't felt well, I am a little cranky, and I can't seem to think clearly enough to cook.  I made a smoothie for breakfast and had leftovers for lunch.  I also ate a frozen meal for dinner.  "Whaaaaat?" You may be asking.  "How in the world does that go along with all of your healthy lifestyle changes?"  I'll tell you.  It turns out going plant-based and vegan doesn't have to be as difficult as I make sometimes.

I randomly spotted some Candle Cafe vegan frozen dinners in an end cap while at Whole Foods last week.  They were made my Candle 79, which is a restaurant known at "NYC's premiere vegan oasis".  I have heard only good things about all things Candle 79, so I threw two of them in my cart to give a shot.  I honestly forgot that they were in my freezer until tonight.

I choose to give the Macaroni and Vegan Cheese dinner a chance tonight.

I'm pretty particular about my mac n' cheese - a mac n' cheese snob if you will.  Unless it is my Aunt Sandy's ridiculously amazing recipe or straight out of a Kraft box ... it never measures up.  And frozen mac n' cheese?  NEVER.  It always seemed like tasteless slop if you asked me.  Needless to say, I was not very hopeful about tonight's dinner.  I was SO pleasantly surprised!!!  This mac n' cheese wasn't just doable ... I really liked it!  I even went and got the box out of the recycling bin to make sure it was really vegan and that I had not made a mistake.  It was cheesy and the noodles were perfectly thick.  I just wish I had more!  One tip I would tell you when eating frozen dinners is to never eat them out of the tray they come in.  How unappetizing!  Put them on a plate and pair them with a veggie or salad.  I chose to eat mine with "garlicky greens" from the whole foods' prepared foods department.  Yummmmm-O.

What is even better about this dinner is that I feel inspired and excited to pull back on the road after "parking" for awhile.  It shook me out of a rut, thank God.  I am looking forward to making a list for this week's recipes and getting going!

With my new enthusiasm underway, I also tackled a simple project this evening that I have been wanting to do for weeks!  I finally transferred all of my seeds, flours, nuts, etc. from random baggies to labeled mason jars.  I am fully aware that it may make me look a little nutty and completely diagnosable with OCD.  But, you have to admit that it is pretty freaking awesome!!!

My pantry went from this:

 To THIS!

Such a simple, inexpensive makeover and it took me less than 10 minutes!  The mason jars come in boxes of 12 for under $10 (I got mine at a regular hardware store).  The labels are just simple mailing labels I found in my office.  I have a feeling I may have just started a slight mason jar obsession in my house.  Oh the things I can organize!!!

So, I guess that the bottom line tonight, Gnawers, is that we all feel like giving up or giving in sometimes.  But, if you can just hang there and "stay on the road", it will get easier and you will be that much closer to your chosen destination.  Lots of fun recipes to come this week!  I'm with you!  Until next time ...  take care of you!!!

Warning: The Following Recipes May Lead To Your Arrest ...

Hey there, Gnawers!  I hope each of you have had a fabulous weekend!  It seems like mine went way too fast.  It turned out to be a productive weekend jammed packed with family time.  I served lots of leftovers and got some rave reviews from my non-veggie, non-vegan family.  It seems these reviews have more weight than those of my veggie pals sometimes.  The vegan pizza, cauliflower soup, mock egg salad with endurance crackers, and black bean brownies were noted as favorites.  It was great to watch my sister shove the remainder of a brownie in her mouth after my mom asked my dad if he wanted to taste it.  Like a five year old, she did not want to share, so she shoved it in before he could get any.  Did I mention that she is 35?  I must be doing something right!

I have a few fun recipes to share from the weekend.  The first one is one I call my Island Treat Green Smoothie.  I was going to call it a Piña Colada Green Smoothie, because it pretty much tastes just like a piña colada, but I decided to go for the islandy name.  This smoothie has such a sweet blend of creamy banana, sweet pineapple, and toasty coconut that it is easy to forget that it is also full of kale!  Pretty sneaky if you ask me (in a good way).  It is also a good smoothie because it helps the body recover after drinking any alcohol (due to the hydrating effects of he coconut water and potassium boost in the bananas).  Of course, you could always add rum for a true piña colada experience ... ;)

Island Treat Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups kale, stems removed
• 6 ounces coconut milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 4 ounces coconut water
• 1.5 frozen bananas
• 1 cup pineapple
• 1-2 tablespoons flaxseed
• 3-4 tablespoons shredded coconut (like you would use for baking) - toast it ahead of time if you want to get really fancy

Preparation Instructions:

• Blend all ingredients in blender (VitaMix!) until smooth.
• Serve and enjoy!!!  

You may notice that I served this smoothie in a jar.  Guess what?  It is actually an empty Vegenaise jar that I washed.  These are great because they are the perfect size and they have a lid in case you want to take your smoothie on the go!  They are also free, and it always feels good to recycle or "upcycle" when you can!  I am trying to collect enough of these so that I can keep all my nuts and seeds in different jars too ...

Drinks were in order with the family over on Saturday afternoon.  I love the chance to show off what my VitaMix blender can do, so that is exactly what I did.  I made them the best strawberry daiquiris known to man.  You can't feel too horrible having a cold bevi when it is packed with fruit, right?!?  So delicious.

Sassy Skinny Stawberry Daiquiri  (try saying that 10 times fast)


Ingredients:

• 6 cups frozen strawberries (or just fill your blender up to the top)
• 6 ounces clear rum (adjust based on your affinity for alcohol)
• 6 ounces vodka (adjust based on your affinity for alcohol) 
• 3 packets of Stevia
• juice of 1 large lime
• lime slices for garnish

Preparation Instructions:

• Put all ingredients in a blender (VitaMix!).  Adjust amounts to taste.  
• Blend.
• Serve and enjoy!!!

It doesn't appear that we were lacking in the alcoholic beverage department in mi casa this weekend.  Not to worry ... I did cook a little bit too.  I made Creamy Sesame Greens to go with all of the leftovers that were exploding out of my fridge.  The recipe is one that I adapted from a recipe on the Whole Foods Market website.  

Let me tell you a little bit about my experience cooking these.  I decided to use Swiss chard for my greens because I have never cooked those and I wanted to branch out.  I started cooking the greens while my mom cleaned the kitchen and my sister , the cop, laid on the couch.  She must have been in the prime spot to catch the smells wafting out of my kitchen because she suddenly popped up out of no where and said, "Do you smell that?  I smell pot."  I can't make this stuff up.  I smelled it too.  As we sniffed around the kitchen, we quickly realized that the smell was coming from the pan on the stove.  I'll be damned.  Swill chard smells like marijuana.  Who knew?  Thank goodness the cop was already at my house, or that might have looked really bad!  I can just see it now...  

• *Knock Knock Knock*
• Police Officer:  "Excuse me, ma'am? We've received a complaint about the smell of marijuana coming from your residence.  Would you mind if we come in and take a look?"
• Me:  "Huh?  I am just cooking Swiss chard!  I swear!  I am newly vegan (which doesn't sound like a hippie at all) and I am trying new things!"
• *Cop spots guitar and wooden peace sign hanging from the wall in my living room"
• Police Officer:  "Riiiiiiiiiiight.  We're gonna need to go ahead and come on in, ma'am."
• *I land in jail due to my vegan pursuits*

Luckily this is not what happened!  I tried googling this to see if my sister and I were both just crazy.  I found nothing related, so the jury is still out.  Any of you ever have this experience?  It was quite strange.  Despite all of this, these greens turned out great.   They would make an excellent side dish.  Just make sure you have some Febreze around in case the cops stop by!!!

Vegan Creamy Sesame Greens

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons water, divided
• 6 cups chopped Swill chard, kale, or collard greens, washed and stems removed
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely chopped
• crushed sea salt to taste
• cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a large skillet or medium pot over medium heat. Add greens and cook, tossing until wilted (about 5 minutes).  Drain well.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together tahini, orange juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and remaining two tablespoons of water.

3.  Add hot greens and toss to combine.  Add extra salt and pepper as needed.  

4.  Serve immediately and enjoy!!!

Well, friends, that is all I've got for the weekend!  I do want to give a little shout out to one of my favorite bands, the Sarah Mac Band.  If you have not heard of them yet, you will, and you will love them.  Trust me!  The bass player, Claire, is friend of mine from high school and college.  The band is amazing and their music is sure to put you in a good mood.  I dare you to listen to this song and tell me you don't love it.  I've been singing it around the house for the past three days.  So good. 

So why I am I talking about music and bands now??? Weeeeeeeeeell, it turns out that the Sarah Mac Band has gone vegan for about a month so far too!  Just like me, they are documenting their journey on their blog, Band Goes Green.  They have been kind enough to cite me as a resource and even called me "spunky and fun".  What's not to love, right!  You should definitely check them, their music. and their blog out.  All good things.  

Okay, Gnawers, this gal is heading out!  I wish you all the best as we embark on another week of getting healthy, staying healthy, and living life to the fullest.  Until next time ... take good care of you!!!

Vodka and Pizza ...

Good evening, Gnawers!  Happy Friday!  You made it through another week ... Well done!

So, let's jump right in.  Today's quote comes from Rumi ...

This sounds deep, and you might be thinking that I am about to launch into a diatribe about following your heart.  I'm not.  Okay, I kind of am, but not in the way you think!  What I want to talk about is vodka and pizza (stick with me, I promise I am going to pull all of this together).  When we drastically change our eating habits, it is pretty normal to still have cravings for some of the old things we used to love every now and then.  For me, that has been pizza and a cocktail here and there (or a "proper drink" as my favorite Brits call it!).  Now, I have been able to reconcile the whole cocktail thing already.  I never signed on to give it up completely, but merely to limit it to when I really want it and not just because it's there.  This has been pretty easy for me to do.  I made this decision because I know that alcohol is not really healthy for my body on a regular basis, but it is also not the worst thing in the world, especially in moderation.

The pizza thing is a whole other story.  I guess I did not realize it before making this change, but I think I might have a slight addiction to pizza.  I really haven't missed many things since going mostly vegan and unprocessed ... but man, I do miss my pizza.  I am not even talking about in the normal way of missing something.  I am talking about having dreams about its ooey gooiness and fantasizing about greasy cheese slipping off of the crust and into my mouth.  Papa John even makes it into my dreams from time to time.  Yeah ... it's that bad.

Many of us tend to think in black in white.  What I mean by this is that we that we are either "eating healthy" or "splurging", we love someone or hate them, we think we have either succeeded or failed ... you get the point.  We often struggle to think about the gray area in the middle.

When I saw this quote today, I thought it was perfect.  I mean, I highly doubt that Rumi thought his words would be applied to pizza one day, but guess what?  I'm gonna do it.  I have been silently drawn by the strange pull of my pizza addiction for the past two months.  I have tried to avoid it and not look it in the eye for fear that even going there would lead me down a dark path of unhealthy eating and utter destruction ... or in Rumi's less dramatic words, lead me astray.  It occurred to me that I have been thinking about this in such black and white terms ... all or nothing terms ... and that just doesn't work.

For example, try this.  Right now, do not think about a giant purple elephant......... you are thinking about a giant purple elephant, aren't' you!  We automatically think about and want to do that which we tell ourselves (or are told) that we can't.  So, why not find something in the gray area?  In the middle?  Without all that pesky restriction?

A big fat cheesy pizza pie is out of the question for me right now, but no one said I couldn't eat pizza at all, right?  I let myself begin to entertain the idea ... following that strange pizza pull in my heart.  And you know what?  Rumi was right.  It did not lead me astray.  Nope.  In fact, it led me to a delicious alternative pizza recipe that fits with the dietary changes I am trying to make right now.  It turns out I don't have to avoid pizza all together or beat myself up for wanting it.  When I took a little time to examine that pull I was feeling, I was able to come up with a good solution.  It reiterated for me that eating healthy does not mean you have to eat boring.  You can eat all the things that you love, just in a new way.

So, trust yourself.  Follow what pulls you, and make it work with your goals and beliefs.  I am sure that it how good veggie burgers, sweet potato fries, and those amazing vegan black bean brownies all came to be.

I tell you all of this so that I can share with you what I ate and drank tonight!

After a long work week and an even longer day, a proper drink was in order.  I used to love a good Jack Daniels and Diet Coke (not your typical girl's drink, but I learned to like it from my dad).  Since I have given up my beloved Diet Coke, this drink it no longer an option.  Because I don't indulge as much as I used to, I let myself have the good stuff when I do drink now.  I got home and made myself an ice cold dirty martini with Kettle One vodka and jalapeño stuffed olives.  It hit the spot.

Devilishly Dirty Martini


Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Kettle One vodka (or whatever kind you prefer)
• 1 ounce brine from jalapeño stuffed olive jar, or to taste
• three jalapeño stuffed olives

Preparation Instructions:

• Fill martini glass with ice and set in freezer to chill.
• Fill shaker with ice and add vodka and brine.
• Shake well.
• Pull glass out of the freezer and dump the ice.
• Pour martini into glass. 
• Garnish with three jalapeño stuffed olives on a tooth pick.
• Serve and enjoy!!!

  
Now, for the pizza.  I did a little searching and found a yummy looking vegan pizza recipe on the Little House of Veggies website.  I made some variations.  Now, I am not going to lie to you and tell you that this pizza tasted like the pizza you would get on the corner in NYC or even from your local pizza delivery store.  That may be possible using the vegan cheese, Diaya, but I haven't tried that yet.  This pizza was delicious though in a whole different way.  It was like gourmet pizza ... the kind you get at a fancy pizza joint.  It was hearty, rich, and bursting with flavor.  I have to tell you, another reason I have avoided making pizza until now was my fear that I would eat the entire thing.  This pizza was so delicious and satisfying that I was stuffed after two pieces.  It still amazes me how my body regulates my intake when I am putting in good food.  Will I be making this pizza again?  Abso-freaking-lutely.

The original recipe on the Little House of Veggies website included instructions for making your own dough for crust.  I didn't feel like doing all of that, so I bought a pre-made, organic, whole grain crust from Whole Foods.  If you want to make your own, you can get the recipe from Little House of Veggies.  Okay ... enough yapping!  Let's get cooking!

Vegan Cheezy Pizza Topped with Jalapeño Stuffed Olives, Red Peppers, and Tangy Salade Vinaigrette 


Ingredients:

• 2 pizza crusts
• 4 cups organic spring mix greens
• 2 red peppers, diced or chopped
• 2 small jars jalapeño stuffed olives, sliced
• 3 cups sunflower & cashew cheese (see below)
• salad vinaigrette (see below)

*This recipe requires two mini recipes, so I will go through each of them and then talk about how to build your pizza! It also yields enough to make two pizzas ...

Sunflower & Cashew Cheese


Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashew pieces
• 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons mellow white miso paste
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 3 teaspoons ume vinegar or red wine vinegar 
• juice of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• sea salt to taste
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 1/2 - 1 cup water (plus additional water to soak seeds and nuts)

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Soak the cashews and sunflower seeds in water for about an hour (just put them in a dish and cover with water).  

2.  Drain cashews and sunflowers and add to food processor or blender (VitaMix!).

3.  Add all of the other ingredients except water.

4.  Begin mixing and slowly add the water to help mix.  Start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed to help the blender mix the ingredients well.  Be careful not to add too much water though because you do not want your cheese to be runny. You want it to be thick and spreadable, kind of like hummus.  

5.  Taste once it is mixed well and add any additional spices (salt, etc.) as needed.

6.  Set in refrigerator until ready to use.

Salade Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 large tablespoon reduced fat Vegenaise 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 1/3 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to mix together well.  

2.  Set aside until ready to use.

How to Make Your Pizzas:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Put 1 pizza crust on a large baking sheet.

3.  Toss the spring mix with the salade vinaigrette dressing. 

4.  Spread cashew and sunflower seed cheese onto pizza about 1/4 inch thick, using 1 to 1.5 cups of the cheese (I suggest using the lower end, 1 cup, because this stuff is really rich).

5.  Cut up one red pepper per pizza and sprinkle it on top of the pizza.

6.  Top with salad mix (using about 2 cups per pizza).

7.  Use one jar of jalapeño stuffed olives per pizza.  Slice them (I cut mine into thirds) and sprinkle on top of pizza.

8.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

9.  Remove from oven and slice.  Repeat steps 1-9 if you want to make a second pizza, or store ingredients to make a second one later.

10.  Serve and enjoy!!!

Here's to following those "strange pulls of what we really love" and realizing that when we trust ourselves fully ... we will never be led astray.  Until next time, Gnawers ... take good care of you!!!