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!

DAYS THIRTEEN AND FIFTEEN

So, let's say that, hypothetically, you and your mother are going to be in Egypt this summer. And let's say that because of this, you need to go to the Egyptian Consulate in Chicago to get your visas. And so you get up at five in the morning and drive three hours all the way to O'Hare Airport and then take the CTA into the city, only to discover that that you left your passports at home and cannot get your visas. Your day is now completely ruined and you now have no choice but to drive the miserable three hours back to Madison and curse yourself for forgetting those damn passports.

Or you could, you know, shrug your shoulders, say "C'est la vie", and then spend the day frolicking around Chicago, rediscovering an awesome grocery store, visiting the Art Institute for the first time and eating kickass Indian food for dinner.

That's what happened on Thursday to my mother and I, and as it turned out, even if we did have our passports we wouldn't have been able to get the visas back the same day, which means that they would have had to mail them back to us, and putting your passport in the mail just isn't a good idea. So we'll just have to go back sometime before we leave.

Other than that, it was a great day, except for the part where the weather forecast was a DIRTY DIRTY LIAR and told us it was going to rain all day when in fact it was 75 degrees and sunny, but thankfully I dressed in layers so it wasn't too bad. Although I must say that carrying around my umbrella all day only to leave it at a CTA station on our way back to O'Hare was pretty annoying.

So first we went to this jewelry store that was going out of business and got some very cheap stuff; I got four stainless steel rings colored silver, black and gold for ten bucks. Then we were going to go see the Stained Glass Museum but on the way to Navy Pier ran across the grocery store Fox and Obel, which is kind of like a cross between Sentry Metcalfe's and Whole Foods but fancier, and we remembered it from previous trips so we stopped inside and ended up buying some very delicious multigrain demi baguette and eating it with our packed lunch of guacamole, cheese, and clementines. I was very sad to have to leave, because if I had access to that demi baguette here in Madison, I would eat it every day of my life.

Then we decided to go to the Art Institute of Chicago, which was closer than the other Museum and I'd never been and neither had my mother; plus we saw a sign that said there was a special Matisse exhibit going on and neither of us wanted to miss it. It was pretty cool, although I must say for someone who definitely had drawing skills, Matisse was never much for the technical aspects of art. Next time I turn in something that looks like a child could have done it except for the very obviously thought out color combos and composition, I'm going to say, "If this has Matisse's name on it, you'd be worshipping the ground it walked on." Because really, I'm pretty

sure even I could do some of the things I saw there, and I still suck at art in relation to what I want to be doing.

Then it was time for lots and lots of Impressionism, which of course is my all time favorite art period, next to Surrealism. I was really surprised at the collection that the Art Institute has, which is quite extensive. I'd say it's at least on par with the National Gallery of Art in DC.

After that it was dinner at a lovely Indian Restaurant called the Chicago Curry House, with wonderful mango lassi and creamy vegetable kofta, and of course my mother ordered a bunch of meat dishes in her combo that didn't come with sauce so I couldn't mooch off her, though she did get a vice vegetable curry. Also, naan. Delicious, delicious naan. Well, pharata. Whatever, they're both amazing.

By the end of the day we'd walked about five miles, which was pretty damn good, I thought. Except that apparently if you eat Indian food all that walking means jackshit, because when I stepped on the scale on Friday, I hadn't lost a single pound. I was kind of pissed, but then I remembered that Indian food is delicious and suddenly I didn't care anymore.

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Today wasn't very productive in terms of food; I had to work the closing shift. I did, however, go to Whole Foods in the morning and picked up this delicious thing they call Greek Wheat Berry Salad (pictured right).

Basically all it is is wheat berries, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, pine nuts, feta cheese and dressing, but somehow it is incredibly delicious and I wish I could eat it all the time. I keep forgetting to look at the little card that tells you what the ingredients are though and until I find out what goes into the dressing, I can't make it properly myself. Boo.

Anyway, it's kind of become a semi-staple in my diet; whenever I go to Whole Foods and I know I'll need something for lunch/dinner the same/next day because I'll either be at work or school, I'll pick it up because it travels easily and is a well-balanced meal if you add some fruit (I wouldn't do this if I could eat the tomatoes, but for some reason, I hate cherry tomatoes. I really don't know why). If you're ever there, pick some up. Or keep watching here for the recipe to make it yourself because I will remember to look at the card someday.

So that was dinner. Lunch was a grilled caprese sandwich. Caprese is an Italian recipe that is basically slices of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper. It also makes a great cold or hot sandwich. Normally I eat the sandwich cold, but I'd been to the site Panini Happy earlier and decided I wanted a hot sandwich today. (Also, I really want a panini press. Or a panini pan. Badly.)

Hot Caprese Sandwich

1 ball fresh mozzarella

1 ripe tomato (You can test a tomato's ripeness by smelling the part where it was attached to the stem; if you can smell it, it's good. Out of season, a roma tomato is going to be your best bet.)

1/2 c. slivered fresh basil

4-6 slices crusty bread (I used a country loaf; a sourdough would also work well.)

olive oil for brushing

salt and pepper

Brush one side of each slice of bread liberally with olive oil. On non-oiled side, add one layer of mozzarella and tomato, then season lightly with salt and pepper and add basil. You should be able to make 2-3 sandwiches depending on how much mozzarella and tomato you have.

Put a skillet pan on the stove and add the sandwiches right away, covering the pan; this will give the cheese extra time to get warm and melty. Wait about 4-5 minutes, then remove the cover and check to see if the first side of the bread is golden brown. If it is, flip the sandwiches and recover the pan. Wait 2-3 minutes, then remove the sandwiches; serve warm.

Don't get discouraged if you burn the bread a little by misjudging times; I still do that.

For a cold sandwich: Mix 3 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar together. Brush onto one side of each slice of bread. Layer mozzarella, tomato, and basil on the side with the dressing, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve.

Until next time, my duckies!