Friday, March 1, 2013

Two Months

I can now say that I have eaten Vegan for 2 months.  I only had a few hiccups. Mainly not thinking about the broth a soup was in or realizing something was cooked in butter instead of olive oil. I have used butter in a few breads because I want to use what I already had on hand. I still have 2 sticks.  I just don't use butter or a substitute that often.  I lost three more pounds this month which is nice since I am not on a 'diet' or counting    calories. I just counted calories and grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat the first week. I wanted to make sure I had the right balance of everything and it gave me a picture of what should be on my plate.  

My breakfast was an Almond Butter Banana Sandwich.  The almond butter is the fresh ground in the DIY machine at Whole Foods.  It is very good, but pricey - not for the budget conscious.  I made the bread.
For lunch I sauteed a variety of mushrooms with leftover grilled eggplant and baked tofu.  This was served over white rice.  I am really happy with the use of leftovers in new dishes.  I have greatly reduced food waste.  Now, does anyone have a suggestion for making alfalfa or clover sprouts last longer. These usually go bad in less than a week when I have only used a quarter or half of the package.  This is not very practical when you only go to the grocery every two weeks.
At dinner I had a type of grain porridge.  I cooked a mix of black rice, barley, steel cut oats, urad beans and a large Indian food bean (can't remember the name of them) in veggie stock.  I seasoned it with sage and curry.  For the vegetables, I roasted brussel sprouts, broccoli, and potatoes in roasted garlic olive oil. I finished the oil and added the whole garlic cloves to the pan. I seasoned it with garam marsala and basil.

I mixed up a Biga Pugliese or starter from Puglia to start fermenting for some breads in the future. The picture was right after mixing and before any rising.



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