Long time no see

So life has been insanely busy. I am still getting headaches, but not after exercise now, so I have been a gym rat of late. My baby brother also got home after having been gone for two years in Brazil, and my twins turned four. So the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of fun and adventure. I have still been cooking, and made two things that I took pictures of. One was great, the other was ok. And I will try and post those tomorrow. But for now, I want to ask you a serious question. Have you ever roasted cabbage? And if the answer is no, I say WHY THE F NOT? Yes, I am shouting. Everyone needs to roast cabbage. I don’t have any pictures of my roasted cabbage because I tried a bite straight off the pan, and then ate the rest way too fast to even think about taking a picture. It’s sweet, delicious, crunchy, amazing. Need I say more? Buy a damn cabbage and roast it. Your taste buds will thank me. I basically just sliced it. Drizzled it in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, and then cooked at 350 for around 35 minutes. If you actually need better directions because I am not good enough for you and you prefer some Martha Stewart, go here http://www.marthastewart.com/315062/roasted-cabbage-wedges, sure you can thank Martha, but I told you about it, so I should get some thanks too.

Aren’t you starving?

I get asked this all the time when I tell people I am vegan, or they find out I am. And the answer is, no. I am not. “Well, what do you eat?” is undoubtedly the next question out of their mouths. “Just salads?” No. I don’t eat just salads. I eat, a lot. Which is also probably why the scale is not moving in leaps and bounds, but it’s still moving slowly and steadily.

The trick to going vegan and not being starving, and also not cheating, is to have tons of foods around. For example, I made a HUGE pot of bean soup last Friday. And when I say huge, I mean huge. I took this recipe http://www.thefirstmess.com/2012/01/16/favourite-lentil-soup/ and switched it a little bit. I did it all in the crock pot and used the 10 bean soup mix from the bulk bins at Sunflower Market. I also pretty much doubled the recipe and dropped or added ingredients as I saw fit. I didn’t have smoked paprika, so I used normal paprika and added some liquid smoke. It made tons of food, so I basically have my lunch, and even breakfast option for a week. It’s really good with pita chips on top, and maybe a spoonful of hummus. It’s really good for you, packed with protein and fiber, and keeps you full for a long time.

Another thing that helps you “survive” being a vegan is to find your favorite snack or comfort food, and discover a vegan substitute for it. My favorite snack was a piece of crusty bread that I broiled, with some cheese and a slice of tomato.  I still do the bread, I just find a vegan version. My current favorite is the roasted garlic bread from Costco. 4.99 for a package of two delicious loaves. And for my cheese substitute, I found this wonderful stuff called heart of palms tapenade, also purchased at costco. It’s most definitely not cheese, so don’t go fooling yourself. But it’s a pretty damn good substitute if you are looking for something that tastes rich and creamy and delicious. Now if only I could find something that filled my craving for eggs, because I certainly miss them.

So no, I am never starving. Nor do I just eat salads. Actually, I rarely just eat salads. You find what works for you, and always be prepared with easy foods to either reheat or prep so you aren’t tempted to run through the McDonalds drive through and just get fries, because those are certainly not vegan, at least from McDonalds.