Well, I did it again. I got so drunk on Christmas cheer that I committed to another vegetarian-for-a-month plan. I told SuperBro about it over the phone on Christmas morning and he sounded genuinely excited about it. Then I caught a genuinely NOT excited look from my husband that was like "Funny, I don't recall discussing this." Fortunately, the experience last year was tolerable and I did not subject him to the more experiemental entrees (Cottage Cheese Loaf, Mung Bean Pancakes) so I think he will be OK. He hasn't said otherwise so I'm going for it. Or maybe he didnt' actually hear me when I was talking to Chip in which case this will come as a surprise to him.
I have not yet decided on a month, however. Initially, I figured March worked well last year, it would be good again this year. But there is one big problem.... my Dinner Party Club is having a chili cookoff in mid-March! Yes, yes. I am keenly aware of the fact that there is a plethora of delicious vegetarian chili recipes to be found. Yes, I realize that many of them are also quite tasty. Are you not aware that I MADE several of them last year? I'll have you know that I continue to include vegatarian Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili in my recipe repetoire. That is not the point. The POINT is that I would have to attend a chili cookoff where I would be unable to partake in the actual chili tasting. This does not sound like fun to me at all.
I wonder if Chip would give me an event pass for the cook-off if I agreed to something crazy like going vegan for a day in exchange. I'll have to propose that, but somehow it still feels like it would be cheating. Opinions welcome.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mung Bean Pancakes
I did it. I made mung bean pancakes. I felt it was my obligation and duty after all the hype about them early on. Not to mention the fact that my mother called me all giddy one day with a "neener neener" kind of tone to say she knew what they were and where to buy them. I just couldn't let her down.
The shelless mung beans, or "Moong Dal" as they are actually called, were found in the Indian section of Jungle Jim's Market where you can find anything under the sun. I once purchased Ostrich steaks there. They also sell some of the craziest nastiest stuff that you could just never imagine someone would eat. Like chicken beaks and the like. They only thing was, there was just one size of Moong Dal for sale and it was the value pack. Large bag. I'm hoping this recipe is good.
Mung bean pancakes contain not only mung beans, but eggs, scallions, shredded carrot, garlic, and some red pepper flakes. You puree the pre-soaked mung beans in a processer for a bit, and don't you know it gets actually FLUFFY like a batter? Who would have thought? BEANS! FLUFFY! Anyhow, mix everything else together and cook on a griddle. As recommended, I also made some soy sesame dipping sauce.
I was home alone last night and didn't want this to be a solo experience. I needed a witness. Who in the world would be believe me if they turned out to be delicious? I called Miriam, who is the only other member of the "Veggie for a Month" club and she actually sounded excited to try them. She came right down and we did the honors simulataneoulsy.
The good news is, I now know for a fact what a good faker Miriam is. I almost believed that she liked them but since I was there to experience it first had, I knew they weren't all that tasty. She went on and on about how they were good and she liked the sauce but curiously, she didn't clean her plate. Something about having had rice before she came over or whatever. It's OK, Miriam. Seriously. I wasn't expecting them to taste GREAT but I was hopeful that they'd be.... I don't really know what I thought. These are mung beans after all. And they were fluffy.
Today was officially supposed to be the last day of my veggie month. But not only do I need to keep my diet as is until after the marathon on Saturday, but I'm actually enjoying it! There are still so many recipes I haven't had the chance to try yet (I'm preparing Tofu Cacciatore tonight). Also, I've got this big bag of mung beans that I'd like to use up. A friend of mine told me there is such a thing as "mung bean popsicles" but I'm going to totally pass on that one. He said they were delicious - I think he and Miriam would get along great.
The shelless mung beans, or "Moong Dal" as they are actually called, were found in the Indian section of Jungle Jim's Market where you can find anything under the sun. I once purchased Ostrich steaks there. They also sell some of the craziest nastiest stuff that you could just never imagine someone would eat. Like chicken beaks and the like. They only thing was, there was just one size of Moong Dal for sale and it was the value pack. Large bag. I'm hoping this recipe is good.
Mung bean pancakes contain not only mung beans, but eggs, scallions, shredded carrot, garlic, and some red pepper flakes. You puree the pre-soaked mung beans in a processer for a bit, and don't you know it gets actually FLUFFY like a batter? Who would have thought? BEANS! FLUFFY! Anyhow, mix everything else together and cook on a griddle. As recommended, I also made some soy sesame dipping sauce.
I was home alone last night and didn't want this to be a solo experience. I needed a witness. Who in the world would be believe me if they turned out to be delicious? I called Miriam, who is the only other member of the "Veggie for a Month" club and she actually sounded excited to try them. She came right down and we did the honors simulataneoulsy.
The good news is, I now know for a fact what a good faker Miriam is. I almost believed that she liked them but since I was there to experience it first had, I knew they weren't all that tasty. She went on and on about how they were good and she liked the sauce but curiously, she didn't clean her plate. Something about having had rice before she came over or whatever. It's OK, Miriam. Seriously. I wasn't expecting them to taste GREAT but I was hopeful that they'd be.... I don't really know what I thought. These are mung beans after all. And they were fluffy.
Today was officially supposed to be the last day of my veggie month. But not only do I need to keep my diet as is until after the marathon on Saturday, but I'm actually enjoying it! There are still so many recipes I haven't had the chance to try yet (I'm preparing Tofu Cacciatore tonight). Also, I've got this big bag of mung beans that I'd like to use up. A friend of mine told me there is such a thing as "mung bean popsicles" but I'm going to totally pass on that one. He said they were delicious - I think he and Miriam would get along great.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Torture
So tonight, I had the experience I had been dreading all month - the one I thought would be utter torture - and I didn't even flinch. This? Has me worried. Tonight was the banquet for my mother's photography club that I promised her I would attend. This was BEFORE I found out the event was being held at The Montgomery Inn, aka "The Ribs King." I'm not just talking about a local favorite here - this IS the ribs KING. You can ask Andre Agassi, John Glenn, Oprah, Bob Hope, and countless other celebrities. He is the ribs KING and I am not kidding. To be fair, there are some purists out there who disagree with his method of ribs preparation (the whole boiled vs. grilled argument) but that's completely beside the point of this posting and I'm not even going to go there.
Yesterday, knowing I would be there for dinner tonight, I took a look at their menu on-line. As I suspected, not a single vegetarian entree other than the basic side salad. Which is not an entree anyhow. Now as a meat-eater, I sincerely have to apologize to the vegetarian world for the rudeness and presumptuousness of the restaurant industry. I really had no idea. So I called them and discovered that while it is not on the menu (it's a dirty secret), they DO have a vegetarian offering - it's a veggie pasta dish. I was satisfied. At least I would have an actual meal vs. side salad and dinner rolls. And wine.
You know what was so weird? I didn't even care that everyone around me was eating ribs! How weird is this? At one point, I noticed my mother had a little morsel of uneaten ribs on her plate and I instinctively thought to grab it and eat it but I didn't.... and I didn't crave it either. I was able to satisfy my need for the flavor by ordering some saratoga chips with a side of the BBQ sauce and it was perfectly satisfactory. In fact, the only thing about the dinner that left me wanting was the lack of dessert. There was none. What kind of banquet does not serve dessert? This one, apparently. I could have used a bit of chocolate but whatever. Damned photographers and their "we don't want dessert" nonsense. Pft.
This is not to say that I have not been without torturous moments. In fact, I almost gave up on the entire thing last Saturday. We hosted our running group at our home and I could not run because of strain to my IT band. I played hostess (with the mostess!) instead. While everyone was running, I baked an absolutely delicious breakfast casserole for everyone that is my step-mother's signature dish and one that we request every single time we visit her. This was my first attempt at making it. It contains copious amounts of chopped ham.
After everyone finished running and started eating the casserole, and commenting on how delicious it was, I had the worst "gotta have some" moment I think I have ever had. I've had some pretty fierce "gotta have some" moments in my life (specifics withheld), and this was definitely near the top of the list. I succumbed. I had some, but carefully picked out the ham. This borders on sacrilege, but I did it. Felt like an idiot with a big pile of diced ham on my plate, but I did it.
THAT was torture. But if I can eat Windsor casserole and pick out all the ham, and I can sit in The Montgomery Inn watching everyone eat ribs and not care, I can do virtually anything. In fact, I think maybe I'll try walking on hot coals later this evening.
Veg on.
Yesterday, knowing I would be there for dinner tonight, I took a look at their menu on-line. As I suspected, not a single vegetarian entree other than the basic side salad. Which is not an entree anyhow. Now as a meat-eater, I sincerely have to apologize to the vegetarian world for the rudeness and presumptuousness of the restaurant industry. I really had no idea. So I called them and discovered that while it is not on the menu (it's a dirty secret), they DO have a vegetarian offering - it's a veggie pasta dish. I was satisfied. At least I would have an actual meal vs. side salad and dinner rolls. And wine.
You know what was so weird? I didn't even care that everyone around me was eating ribs! How weird is this? At one point, I noticed my mother had a little morsel of uneaten ribs on her plate and I instinctively thought to grab it and eat it but I didn't.... and I didn't crave it either. I was able to satisfy my need for the flavor by ordering some saratoga chips with a side of the BBQ sauce and it was perfectly satisfactory. In fact, the only thing about the dinner that left me wanting was the lack of dessert. There was none. What kind of banquet does not serve dessert? This one, apparently. I could have used a bit of chocolate but whatever. Damned photographers and their "we don't want dessert" nonsense. Pft.
This is not to say that I have not been without torturous moments. In fact, I almost gave up on the entire thing last Saturday. We hosted our running group at our home and I could not run because of strain to my IT band. I played hostess (with the mostess!) instead. While everyone was running, I baked an absolutely delicious breakfast casserole for everyone that is my step-mother's signature dish and one that we request every single time we visit her. This was my first attempt at making it. It contains copious amounts of chopped ham.
After everyone finished running and started eating the casserole, and commenting on how delicious it was, I had the worst "gotta have some" moment I think I have ever had. I've had some pretty fierce "gotta have some" moments in my life (specifics withheld), and this was definitely near the top of the list. I succumbed. I had some, but carefully picked out the ham. This borders on sacrilege, but I did it. Felt like an idiot with a big pile of diced ham on my plate, but I did it.
THAT was torture. But if I can eat Windsor casserole and pick out all the ham, and I can sit in The Montgomery Inn watching everyone eat ribs and not care, I can do virtually anything. In fact, I think maybe I'll try walking on hot coals later this evening.
Veg on.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Bonus Gift for Chip
I'm going to have to voluntarily extend this meatless month for a few days, believe it or not. However, it won't be a COMPLETE ban on meat. Let me explain.
I am signed up for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 4th, 4 days after I planned to eat nothing but meat for a solid 24 hours. But then I realized.... making drastic changes to your diet just before a 26.2 mile run is not smart. Some say "neither is running 26.2 miles" but to them? I say "try it before you knock it" and I usually don't hear anything more from them. But about this diet changing thing.
One thing I've noticed is that.... well, digestion "works" better or something when there is no meat involved. I'm afraid that if I go back to eating meat at 2 meals per day just before this marathon, my body will get all "what the hell?" and I'll "experience" the meat differently than I would like. I'm just not going to say more than that.
I'd say "somewhere out there, a chicken is thanking me for this." However, I know this is not true. In reality, someone else is going to eat that chicken. But I know Chip is thanking me and that is good enough, really.
I am signed up for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 4th, 4 days after I planned to eat nothing but meat for a solid 24 hours. But then I realized.... making drastic changes to your diet just before a 26.2 mile run is not smart. Some say "neither is running 26.2 miles" but to them? I say "try it before you knock it" and I usually don't hear anything more from them. But about this diet changing thing.
One thing I've noticed is that.... well, digestion "works" better or something when there is no meat involved. I'm afraid that if I go back to eating meat at 2 meals per day just before this marathon, my body will get all "what the hell?" and I'll "experience" the meat differently than I would like. I'm just not going to say more than that.
I'd say "somewhere out there, a chicken is thanking me for this." However, I know this is not true. In reality, someone else is going to eat that chicken. But I know Chip is thanking me and that is good enough, really.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Back to Basics
Contrary to popular belief, I have NOT been losing weight while on this journey. In fact, despite running 23 (twenty-three) miles last weekend, I have managed to gain about 5 pounds. I asked myself... "WHAT IS GOING ON???" and then I realized - my dietary equation has changed. Where I used to evaluate food choices and recipes based on nutritional value, I have recently been evaluating them on one criteria alone... Does it contain meat? If not, I'm eating it. Case in point: All the cheese laden veggie pizza I've consumed in the past three weeks. The meatless 3 Musketeers Bar I ate after realizing that I couldn't have a hotdog. The meatless 3 Musketeers Bar I WANTED today after my husband screamed "STOP!!!" when I inadvertently put a piece of beef jerky in my mouth (close call and fortunately, my teeth had not yet even begun to sink).
Let me just say this about the beef jerky thing. Boy, was I pissed. My husband and I had been working in our rehab condo all day and I went to the store for some beer (which thankfully is meatless). He asked me to pick him up some beef jerky (not meatless), which I did. When I got back and ripped open the package of beef jerky and started to eat one without thinking, and he stopped me, I got all 5th grader pouty like "Now I don't have ANY snack!" I was a bit of a pill for a bit. I'll admit it. In fact, it was "BOGO" on the beef jerky so the second pack, the BBQ flavored one, was supposed to be for me. Damned vegetarian-diet-for a month idea. But I digress....
For the past few days I've tried to get back to basics and combine the "nutritious" part with the "meatless" part. Friday night, I made a delicious Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce which was made with tofu, fat free cottage cheese, roasted red peppers, and some other stuff. It was DELICIOUS and super creamy! According to my husband (as if he is more reliable), you would never know it did not contain heavy cream. Today? Breakfast was a fruit smoothie and lunch was a veggie "pizza" soup prepared in my blender made with practically nothing but veggies and some fat-free cheese. (Dinner was left over Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce and even though it was good, it's just not worth repeating here)
So, it's back to basics for me. I'll be running a marathon in 2 weeks and I've got to lose all this extra weight plus a little more in order for me to perform well in the race. Wish me luck. And hope I don't accidentally stick another piece of beef jerky in my mouth.
Tomorrow, I'll have to tell you about the meated torture I put myself through on Saturday. Oh... it was so painful. I almost caved in. And I almost didn't care.
Veg on.
Let me just say this about the beef jerky thing. Boy, was I pissed. My husband and I had been working in our rehab condo all day and I went to the store for some beer (which thankfully is meatless). He asked me to pick him up some beef jerky (not meatless), which I did. When I got back and ripped open the package of beef jerky and started to eat one without thinking, and he stopped me, I got all 5th grader pouty like "Now I don't have ANY snack!" I was a bit of a pill for a bit. I'll admit it. In fact, it was "BOGO" on the beef jerky so the second pack, the BBQ flavored one, was supposed to be for me. Damned vegetarian-diet-for a month idea. But I digress....
For the past few days I've tried to get back to basics and combine the "nutritious" part with the "meatless" part. Friday night, I made a delicious Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce which was made with tofu, fat free cottage cheese, roasted red peppers, and some other stuff. It was DELICIOUS and super creamy! According to my husband (as if he is more reliable), you would never know it did not contain heavy cream. Today? Breakfast was a fruit smoothie and lunch was a veggie "pizza" soup prepared in my blender made with practically nothing but veggies and some fat-free cheese. (Dinner was left over Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce and even though it was good, it's just not worth repeating here)
So, it's back to basics for me. I'll be running a marathon in 2 weeks and I've got to lose all this extra weight plus a little more in order for me to perform well in the race. Wish me luck. And hope I don't accidentally stick another piece of beef jerky in my mouth.
Tomorrow, I'll have to tell you about the meated torture I put myself through on Saturday. Oh... it was so painful. I almost caved in. And I almost didn't care.
Veg on.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Third time's a charm!
I am pleased to tell you, humbly, that I finally achieved the Holy Grail, as it were. A meatless meatloaf that my family actually liked!! I can't believe I had the nerve to try it, honestly, but I was convinced that it could be done. So, I picked up a pack of veggie "meal starter crumbles" from MorningStar Farm and noticed a webite on the package: http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/. I thought, if anyone should be able to give me a good meatless meatloaf recipe without a bunch of weird ingredients like TVP, it should be these guys. Here are a few highlights:
Pre-Oven:
Me: (Placing mixture in loaf pan)This one looks much more promising. Here, let me show you. See? It actually looks like meatloaf!
Husband: Let me smell it. (sniffing)Mmm... it smells good.
Son: Let me smell it. (sniffing with nasty wrinkled nose)Smells like butt.
(As meatlessloaf bakes, paranoia sets in. But I feel somewhat reassured knowing I have potatoes and green beans for sustenance)
After-Oven
Husband: Something smells delicious!
Me: (cautiously) Before you eat it, let me just remind you that it is NOT meatloaf so don't expect it to taste like meatloaf.
Husband: Don't be so hard on yourself. I bet it will be good. (Easy for him to say. He knows that if it does in fact taste like butt, he can go to McDonald's while I'm stuck with nothing but potatoes and green beans.)
Son: (says absolutely nothing because he knows if he makes another "smells like butt" comment, he'll be eating leftover Cottage Cheese loaf)
At the Table:
Me: (watching family members out of the corners of my eyes, afraid to try meatlessloaf, afraid to ask about it)
Husband: MMM.... this is a good one! You did it!
Me: Well, I figured it must have been OK since Cody has taken 4 consecutive bites without complaining. Must not be too bad.
Son: Well, it doesn't taste like meatloaf, but it's not bad. Actually, it tastes like stuffing.
I will call that a ringing endorsement! 3 Cheers for MorningStar Farms Recipe Starter Crumbles! But I will say this... it sort of did taste like stuffing. That's OK though because I like stuffing.
Tomorrow, it's just me and my husband. Since he was so supportive about the meatlessloaf, I'm going to try pineapple and black bean burritos. You think I'm kidding, but I'm dead serious. I'm on a roll now!
Pre-Oven:
Me: (Placing mixture in loaf pan)
Husband: Let me smell it. (sniffing)
Son: Let me smell it. (sniffing with nasty wrinkled nose)
(As meatlessloaf bakes, paranoia sets in. But I feel somewhat reassured knowing I have potatoes and green beans for sustenance)
After-Oven
Husband: Something smells delicious!
Me: (cautiously) Before you eat it, let me just remind you that it is NOT meatloaf so don't expect it to taste like meatloaf.
Husband: Don't be so hard on yourself. I bet it will be good. (Easy for him to say. He knows that if it does in fact taste like butt, he can go to McDonald's while I'm stuck with nothing but potatoes and green beans.)
Son: (says absolutely nothing because he knows if he makes another "smells like butt" comment, he'll be eating leftover Cottage Cheese loaf)
At the Table:
Me: (watching family members out of the corners of my eyes, afraid to try meatlessloaf, afraid to ask about it)
Husband: MMM.... this is a good one! You did it!
Me: Well, I figured it must have been OK since Cody has taken 4 consecutive bites without complaining. Must not be too bad.
Son: Well, it doesn't taste like meatloaf, but it's not bad. Actually, it tastes like stuffing.
I will call that a ringing endorsement! 3 Cheers for MorningStar Farms Recipe Starter Crumbles! But I will say this... it sort of did taste like stuffing. That's OK though because I like stuffing.
Tomorrow, it's just me and my husband. Since he was so supportive about the meatlessloaf, I'm going to try pineapple and black bean burritos. You think I'm kidding, but I'm dead serious. I'm on a roll now!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
It was an ACCIDENT!!!!
Wow.... what a close call. See, I am a runner and I'm training for my 10th marathon in a few weeks. I run with a group of crazy people (some could argue we are ALL crazy to run that far) which makes the long runs go much easier. On Saturday, we were out for a 23 mile training run. When you run distances like that, your mind tends to glaze over - probably for self-preservation, to be honest. Along the way, during a bathroom break at Starbucks, one of the runners bought a low-fat latte to share. And at mile ... oh, about 13 I guess, they got even crazier and decided to dash in to Wendy's to grab a couple of burgers. Yes, grabbing a few Wendy's cheeseburgers to eat WHILE RUNNING 23 miles. Like I said, crazy.
So, here is this group of us like a pack of wild dogs and this girl in the middle passing out morsels and pieces of cheeseburgers to the others. I'm not big on fast food anyhow so I didn't really think much of it but as I looked at my friend Paul holding a 1/4 of a burger, I thought "What the heck. I'm running 23 miles today. I'll burn it off." I was justifying the FATTENING part - without even thinking of the MEAT part! He handed it over, and I took a little bite.
No sooner had a closed my lips around the little morsel in my mouth than my eyes got big as saucers and I yelled (with food in my mouth - my mother would be ashamed) "ACK! I CAN'T EAT THIS! IT'S MEAT!" (Fortunately, all my running buddies know about my "experiment") I ran about 10 feet away and spat it out on the ground. With considerable drama. I turned around to see them all staring at me in disbelief, and one said (with just as much drama) "I can not believe you spit that out. God will strike you down for that."
Later that evening, my husband and I were at a St. Patrick's Day party - a benefit for the local athletic boosters - where they were serving mostly meat appetizers, with some cheese/crackers and some fruit. It's really shameful how few party planners consider that there may be vegetarians in the crowd. This disturbs me. They did have eggrolls so I took one of those too. The lights were dim but as I ate it, I thought I might have detected some meat, but it was difficult to discern. Before getting another one, I asked my husband to inquire and sure enough, they had some pork in them. I do not feel guilty because it was an accident and once I learned of the offending ingredient, I had no more. And besides, it was punishment enough to have to watch my husband eat BBQ meatballs.
So, here is this group of us like a pack of wild dogs and this girl in the middle passing out morsels and pieces of cheeseburgers to the others. I'm not big on fast food anyhow so I didn't really think much of it but as I looked at my friend Paul holding a 1/4 of a burger, I thought "What the heck. I'm running 23 miles today. I'll burn it off." I was justifying the FATTENING part - without even thinking of the MEAT part! He handed it over, and I took a little bite.
No sooner had a closed my lips around the little morsel in my mouth than my eyes got big as saucers and I yelled (with food in my mouth - my mother would be ashamed) "ACK! I CAN'T EAT THIS! IT'S MEAT!" (Fortunately, all my running buddies know about my "experiment") I ran about 10 feet away and spat it out on the ground. With considerable drama. I turned around to see them all staring at me in disbelief, and one said (with just as much drama) "I can not believe you spit that out. God will strike you down for that."
Later that evening, my husband and I were at a St. Patrick's Day party - a benefit for the local athletic boosters - where they were serving mostly meat appetizers, with some cheese/crackers and some fruit. It's really shameful how few party planners consider that there may be vegetarians in the crowd. This disturbs me. They did have eggrolls so I took one of those too. The lights were dim but as I ate it, I thought I might have detected some meat, but it was difficult to discern. Before getting another one, I asked my husband to inquire and sure enough, they had some pork in them. I do not feel guilty because it was an accident and once I learned of the offending ingredient, I had no more. And besides, it was punishment enough to have to watch my husband eat BBQ meatballs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)