A tasty week

OK - I came up with my own vegan recipe that is out of this world. I wish I had taken a picture of it so you could see it, but I will try to describe it. It is basically a wrap using a whole wheat tortilla with some pretty yummy and attractive fillings. The main ingredient is a quinoa/chick pea dish made with the above 2 ingredients and vegetable broth, garlic, onions, seasonings and toasted almonds. The 'salad' ingredient is a coleslaw made with grated carrots, green cabbage and a dressing made of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, a little lemon juice and seasonings. The coleslaw should sit for a while to get the flavors to marry. So, to put this thing together - First - I heat up the tortilla in the microwave or fry it in a pan with a little olive oil (if you want to be a little decadent) then I heat up the quinoa mixture and melt a slice of vegan soy cheese with it and put it on 1/2 of the warm tortilla. I top that with the coleslaw (cold), then wrap it up. My favorite part is the next - I dip some of my bites in a little hot sauce! Wow - the explosion of the warm and cheesy filling with the cold and crunchy bite of the coleslaw, then the kick of the hot sauce! I am talking about a treat with no meat, people! Talk about delicious. And I am very proud of myself for putting these elements together in my own recipe. Becoming vegan has definitely given me a boost in the food creativity department. Just a plug for the hot sauce - it is a Susie's hot sauce limited edition - with Barack Obama on the label. The type I used is called Susie's Calypso made by Susie's Hot Sause in Antigua!!! I also made an apple pie with the freshly picked apples and it was soooooo delicious. This version has a spicier kick with not only cinnamon, but nutmeg and allspice. The crust has a heartier taste since I use whole wheat flour and truthfully, white flour tastes so bland to me now that I use more of the whole grains for everything. Hope you are eating well and thinking about eating good nutritious food. Becoming a vegan has made me a more conscious eater - it feels so good!

Vegetables

I added a slideshow of random pictures of vegetables (none of which I took). This is in honor of my vegan diet. Just got my blood work results back (I always ask for a copy) and everything looks so good, especially cholesterol. To celebrate, I ate at my favorite vegan restaurant and had a chick pea salad sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mushrooms, roasted peppers and sprouts on pumpernickel. It was SO delicious. I then had a vegan vanilla raspberry cupcake for dessert. The more I don't eat meat has made it difficult for me to smell meat cooking or handle it myself. I used to love a big juicy hamburger. Now the smell of it and the fat from it almost makes me nauseous. Eating for me now is a whole new adventure - each day I learn something new about alternatives to meat and how delicious and nutritious they are.