Day Four and Day Five

Got a little behind on posting because I was sick. Boo. But now I'm back, and I bring wonderful recipes of deliciousness with me!

Day Three

I don't remember what else I ate on day three, but for dinner, we had nachos. Nachos is, I feel, one of those weird, paradoxical foods that is seen as really bad for you but actually isn't, but even though it isn't most people make it really bad for you anyway. It's like a catch-22.

Regardless, my family has managed to make healthy nachos for years, which is probably why I threw a conniption fit last time I saw an article on Shine Yahoo! about how replacing potato wedges with tortilla chips when making nachos would make them more healthy (which is a big, fat lie, by the way, and don't you even think about believing it). And when I read the comments, everyone seemed so thrilled to find a "better" alternative to tortilla chips. I almost cried, because the reality is, tortilla chips are perfectly healthy for you and I really don't know where they got such a bad rep from, except for perhaps the fact that they're fried. But that it a minor detail. So, for your benefit, here is a small breakdown of tortilla chips.

What it really amounts to is finding the right kind of tortilla chips. Look for ones made without white corn, and there should be 2 grams of fiber to about 18-20 grams of carbs. The only ingredients should be corn, water, some kind of oil (usually corn), trace of lime and salt. Mexican brands like El Milagro or Xochitl (pronouned so-cheel) tend to be better than American brands (like Tostitos), but they don't have to be. The kind that I'm currently addicted to is called Donkey, and you can get them at Whole Foods. And yes, they are fried, and yes, they do have fat, but eat them in moderation and with a nice healthy side of salsa or guacamole, or in something like nachos, and they're fine.

Also, while I'm on the subject of what makes nachos healthy, don't use sour cream. Use Greek style yogurt. It's so much better for you and you can barely taste the difference, if at all.

Okay, so. Nachos. What I really like about nachos is that you can make them omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan and they taste good all three ways. The recipe below is omnivorous, but can easily be made vegetarian or vegan by the omission of the meat and dairy products.

Nachos

1 bag tortilla chips (should be thick and able to hold up to a lot of toppings)

1/2 lb - 1 lb ground beef (adjustable for personal taste)

~ seasoned with nacho seasoning from a packet OR

~ use 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. ground coriander seed, 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano (not Turkish, it will taste weird and gross, I know from experience), salt and pepper

1 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 - 2 c. shredded cheddar, colby jack or Mexican blend cheese (adjustable for personal taste)

2 c. shredded romaine lettuce

1 - 1 1/2 c. salsa

1/4 - 1/2 c. Greek style yogurt (optional)

1/2 c. guacamole (optional)

Add a little bit of oil to a skillet and cook the ground beef, following instructions on seasoning packet or cooking for 2 minutes, adding above seasonings and continue cooking until brown.

Preheat the oven to broil.

Spread the tortilla chips over a large baking sheet (you may not need the whole bag, depending). Pour the black beans over evenly, and then the beef, and then the cheese. Place under broiler until starting to brown and bubbly (times will really depend on what kind of broiler you have, so I'm not even going to try and guesstimate). Remove from the oven and let cool for a minutes before adding lettuce, salsa, yogurt and guacamole in that order.

Serve hot.

Day Four

One word: chili.

Chili is, I think probably one of my favorite foods ever, because it is so versatile and can be prepared in so many ways and is almost always delicious. It can be extremely healthy if you want it to be (like our recipe), or not, but it is always comfort food, and I don't think I've ever met a person who didn't like it. I mean, it's chili. Everybody loves chili.

The recipe below has meat in it, but can easily be made vegan by taking out the meat and adding an extra can of beans.

Chili

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 14 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 c. finely chopped white onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 - 1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander seed

1/4 tsp. cloves

cayenne pepper to suit desired spicyness (1/4 tsp. for not at all up to 1 tbsp. for very)

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1/2 c. fresh orange juice

1/2 c. tequila

1/4 . tomato paste

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot and add beef. Cook, stirring frequently, until beef is no longer red, about 6 minutes. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cayenne, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander and cloves to pan and stir to combine. Cook for 30 seconds.

(For vegan: Saute onion in oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spices and stir to combine. Cook for 30 seconds.)

Add tomatoes, orange juice, tequila, tomato paste and beans to pan and mix well. Heat over high heat until boiling and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 20 minutes for meat, 15 for vegan.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, Greek style yogurt, chopped cilantro and tortilla chips or cornbread.

Until next time, my duckies!

Vegan Month: Day Two

So, today was pretty standard. Same breakfast as I had yesterday and a nice lunch with an apple, some snapea crisps (which are very addicting and you should never buy them because you'll end up eating a whole bag all by yourself, which is made only slightly better by the fact that they are quite healthy) and a wonderful soup that is simply delicious and super easy to make.

I was going to put it in a bowl and take pictures and make it look nice and pretty, but then I got sick, probably with the flu, so you'll just have to make it yourselves if you want to see it.

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Italian Pea and Basil Soup

5 tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

1 carrot stick, chopped

14 oz frozen baby peas

3 3/4 c. vegetable stock

1 c. fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

grated parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)

Heat oil in a large pan and add the onions, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook the vegetable over a low heat for 20-25 minutes, until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking.

Add the peas and stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the basil, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.

Blend soup in a food processor or blender (will probably have to do in batches).

Reheat the soup gently before serving.

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Dinner was more soup and dry toast. Not bad, all things considered.

Vegan Month: Day One

So, day one went pretty well. Breakfast for me this month is going to be a bit of a challenge because normally I have eggs and toast, and if I don't have that I have cereal with yogurt and fruit and if I don't have that, I have cereal with milk and fruit. I can now only have one of those things and I can't use real milk. I hate soy milk, so when I was ate Whole Foods yesterday, I picked up some almond milk and some coconut milk (the drinkable kind, not the stuff in the can) in case I didn't like one.

So this morning, it was Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Shredded Wheat with almond milk and a banana. The shredded wheat wasn't bad; I thought it could use a little more cinnamon, but I like my spices on the heavy side so that might just be me. And the almond milk was actually quite tasty; just a little different than regular milk, with less fat, less sugar, and a gram of fiber, which is very cool. :D Unfortunately it also costs four dollars for a half-gallon, which is not cool. D:

I also came to the realization today that I don't eat bananas because I like them, I eat them because they're there, and in the morning, they're the most convenient fruit to eat because they require no prep (unlike strawberries) and it's easy to eat them fast (unlike apples). Now, that isn't to say that there aren't really good bananas out there, and sometimes, when you get a banana at just the perfect ripeness it tastes amazing, but otherwise... I could live without them.

Then I had work at two, so I had lunch and dinner together, which was an apple, some grapes and Celery Root, Apple and Walnut salad from the Whole Foods deli. It wasn't bad; the salad is made up of the three aforementioned ingredients, wheat berries, quinoa, green onion, and raisins with a dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar dressing. It was a little dry, so I had to add some olive oil, and there wasn't much flavor to it besides the sweetness of the apple and the raisins, but the crunch of the walnuts was nice, and it made for a passable meal if you didn't have time to make one yourself. I wouldn't actively seek it out again, though.

On a side note, I love wheat berries. Why don't I have them more often?

That's all for now. Until next time, my duckies!

Vegan Month: Go!

Alright guys, so here's what's up; I have a new food challenge. Starting tomorrow, October 17th, 2010, I will be going vegan for a month.

Now, what could have prompted me to make such a dramatic change in my eating habits, especially seeing as I am addicted to cheese? I'm not going to lie; it mostly has to do with weight loss. That was one of the main goals of my first challenge back in May, but it didn't happen, and I figured out that the reason was probably because when I don't eat meat, I tend to make up for the loss with cheese. The obvious solution? Get rid of the cheese.

The second reason, which is also very big, is that by being vegan for a month, I'll be reducing my carbon footprint, and I like to be as environmentally friendly as I can.

The third reason; I just like the thought of the challenge. I want to see if I can do it. And what's more, I'm not doing it alone. The lovely Miss Holly Lehr will be joining me.

So stay tuned for updates, recipes, and probably rants about how much I miss cheese.