FINIS

Well, it's all over. Yes, I cheated a little (especially on the "detox" half of it), but for someone who really likes their meat (hahaHA!) I think I did pretty well. I learned all about the virtues of tofu, I introduced several new meals to my repertoire, and I discovered a newfound respect for those who live their lives absent of macaroni and cheese. In addition, I lowered my cholesterol and kick-started my energy. (Now I can stay on the elliptical for twenty minutes without even getting tired. Before, I was so out of shape that a mere five would do a number on my calves.) And I saved a little money, believe it or not. Meat works out to be pretty expensive. I am however a little disappointed that I didn't lose more weight (about 4 pounds total).

Could I seriously recommend it? For a short while, yes. Could I do it forever? NO!!! For Easter I joined my family for a delicious meal- perfectly cooked ham, green beans cooked with ham, corn cooked with ham, and a chocolate and peanut butter cream pie (and there was no tofu cream on that particular pie). Later on that evening, I watched "Animation Domination" with leftover ham, Ritz crackers, and that gross rain slicker- looking sliced cheese. How was my indigestion the next day? Both dreadful AND abominable.

Is This Blog Dead?

Yep, I'm still off the baloney pony (hahaHA!) and will be until April 12th, when I shall enjoy a delicious and juicy Easter ham. But lately I haven't had the time or energy to record everything I eat for dinner every night. Especially since my dining habits have become rather prosaic; I recently ate the fabulous kung pao tofu that I recorded some weeks ago again, as well as the tofu manicotti and others. Also, my efforts have turned to another ambition- going back to school for the first time in seven years. If all goes well, I shall be accepted to the graduate art history program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. And if all really goes well, I will be able to enter it too. There may even be a PhD somewhere in my distant future. What I'm going to do with it, who knows, but it's something I've wanted for some time now. 

Right now I'm off to the library to spend the day doing research for my scholarly writing sample. And maybe I'll break for a falafel at the downtown Purple Onion sometime in the day.

Chicken and Dumplings

(I have given up on numbering the days. I've finished my original commitment, after all.) Even when made with seitan, and even with dumplings made with soymilk mixed with vinegar instead of buttermilk, chicken and dumplings is good ol' American  comfort food.

You definitely don't want to make the dumplings too big. They will take too long to cook, and may also take up your entire bowl when you go to serve. But this is overall a very easy dish to cook- enjoy.

• 1/4 cup margarine
• One large onion, chopped
• One cup celery, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 package chicken-flavored seitan

And for the dumplings:

• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 2 cups flour (self rising)
• 1/4 cup margarine

1. Saute the onion and celery with margarine in a large dutch oven. Add bay leaves and flour when tender. Slowly mix in the broth, bring to a boil, and add seitan.

2. While simmering, make the dough for the dumplings. Combine soy milk and vinegar, and allow to sit for a few minutes. In a bowl cut the flour and margarine together until crumbly. Add the milk mixture and stir until combined. 

3. Drop the dough into the soup by spoonfuls. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes (don't overcook- the dumplings will be rough).

Soy yogurt makes the BEST muffins!

I used to do a little baking, but I obviously haven't done much over the past couple of months. I decided to change that today. Here we have carrot spice muffins- NO eggs, NO dairy, and NO oil. Woohoo! I will probably take these to work tomorrow and leave them in the break room; otherwise I'll be tempted to eat them all tonight. The main tip I can give is to go easy on the ginger. You really don't need the full amount called for here.

The recipe:

• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour (whole wheat if you can find it)
• 1/4 cup natural sugar (dehydrated cane juice)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
• 1/2 cup soy yogurt (I used vanilla because I couldn't find the plain kind)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 grated carrots
• 1/4 cup raisins (I used golden raisins, but you can use either kind)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the cups of your muffin tin with vegan cooking spray.

2. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Blend the wet with the dry and stir just until combined. Add carrots and raisins.

3. Spoon into muffin cups, about 1/2 to 2/3 full. (This recipe will make 12-15 muffins. Don't use paper liners unless you spray the insides first- they will stick.)

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, more if you like them slightly brown on the bottom.

Day 54: Dinner

Oh yeah! It looks delicious, and it was delicious. Black eyed peas, short grain brown rice, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and the perfect blend of seasonings. 100% organic and certified vegan. Unfortunately, I can't give you the recipe. In fact, I didn't make this. It's an Amy's frozen dinner- one of the bowls. 

Am I getting lazy or what? Will this website come down to nothing but reviews of frozen vegan dinners? Nah... but I haven't felt like cooking lately.

So this blog will look good on the read-through, let me rant about something else that's not food-related, but is related to a conversation I overheard today at work. It pisses me off when someone says a child is "brilliant" just because they prefer reading over watching television or playing video games. I was one of those kids, and everyone (all the way up to my parents) thought I was antisocial and weird, yet today reading is so remarkably unpopular among the younger set that any kid who likes reading is a genius. Geez.

Let's put it in perspective. If your eleven year old child reads AND understands Pynchon, Balzac, or A Brief History of Time, it is safe to say that you've got yourself a genius. (The "understands" part is important. I read Crime and Punishment when I was twelve. Did I "get" it? Not for about five years.) If the child can put down Poe, Dickinson, and maybe some of Mark Twain's more elusive works, they have potential (but don't get your hopes up). A child who likes Louisa May Alcott, Judy Blume, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Harry Potter series is about where they need to be- and where your kid should be if they're not. But if your child reads nothing but Goosebumps, Sweet Valley High, and those obnoxious manga novels, then sorry, but they're no better than the neighbor's kid who spends seven hours a day with their Xbox. Some people really need positive assurance that they're good parents, but don't delude yourself. Okay, that's all.

Surprise! Whole Foods is NOT a grocery store.

Recently I took out a credit card because it offered rewards points, which could be redeemed for airline miles, gift cards, etc. What really impressed me was how this particular card offered five points for every dollar spent on groceries and gasoline. The way I see it, I can use it to buy all of my groceries and gas, pay it off every month, and rack up about 2500 points a month. That really adds up.

So why so sad? Purchases at Whole Foods don't count. Nope. It's not a grocery store. Sorry, but if I'm going to spend $93 on tofu and edamame, I want 465 points, not 93. I'm a big fan of getting something for nothing.

Since I'm obviously insane, this was enough to compel me to attempt to do all of my grocery shopping at Publix. (Unless of course I'm in the mood to get some marzipan for $1.75 a bite.) I'm getting that $250 Amazon gift card by God! I went shopping there this evening- and want another surprise? When it comes to the sort of stuff I've been eating, Publix is no cheaper. They sell tofu and tempeh, but only the more "gourmet" varieties, which are twice what Whole Foods charges for its store brand. Cedarlane and Amy's Organics microwave dinners (which I have been eating many of, hence the lack of posting recipes) are five to six dollars each. You can eat lunch at a restaurant for not much more. 

Life and veganism are full of surprises. Yes, I'm aware that this is a rant. I'm furious.

OOOOO... Scary.

So I have recently taken on the hobby of calculating the caloric content of my food. All I can say is , "Yikes." Who'da thunk a half cup of olive oil would pack over 900 calories? (That's how much I used in the marinade for my kebabs yesterday.) In fact, each of those kebabs had 228 calories (and I ate three for lunch today)! A full recipe of hummus contains 800 calories, without the bread to dunk in it. Of course, I'd never eat that much hummus at one sitting... no way...

Day 50: Dinner

Vegan kebabs are self-explanatory. I mean, geez. Drain your tofu, slice into large chunks, and skewer the pieces with your vegetables instead of meat. These are designed to be cooked on the grill, but it's not grilling weather, and besides, I have no grill. (Well, the thought of putting these on a George Foreman is hilarious.) So I broiled them in the oven and they still turned out fabulous.

You definitely don't want to make tofu kebabs without marinating the tofu for at least eight hours because they'll taste like putty. Also, if you're using wood or bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for a couple of hours. Otherwise you'll run the no fun at all risk of their catching fire.

How to make 'em:

• Eighteen cherry tomatoes (for nine skewers)
• One green bell pepper, chunked
• One red onion, chunked
• One package button mushrooms
• One package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into chunks
• One zucchini, sliced

And for the marinade:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 5 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or basil
• salt and pepper
  

1. Make marinade by mixing all ingredients. Marinate tofu and vegetables for eight hours or overnight. 

2. Preheat oven to broil. Thread your kebab-making material on skewers. (You'll have about nine.) Don't add tomatoes yet.

3. Place skewers on sprayed cookie sheets. Broil for 6 minutes, then remove from oven, turn, and baste with remaining marinade. Broil 6 more minutes. Remove from oven, thread tomatoes on kebabs, and broil 3 minutes more.

Delicious with pita bread and hummus.