I’m BACKKK and It’s Time for my Annual Vegan Challenge.

Cauliflower-Caper salad. Quick, easy and make-ahead.

I am a true omnivore, though a fairly picky one.  I have tried them multiple times, but I will never like an avocado.  My omnivorousness means that, yes, I do eat high on the food chain at times, but it also means I truly love my veggies, fruits, legumes and grains.

The result of my omnivorous habits, however, is that gluttony and I are best buddies during the holidays.  Your grandma’s peppermint brownies?  I’m there and whipping up my own version for comparison.  December’s when I work my way through a bit more of the Gourmet cookie book (the gingerbread is a new favorite, sorry Maida Heatter.)

But even when I’m surfing on the fat of the land, I’m thinking ahead.  A few years ago, I started going vegan for a week in January.  The first time, it was hard.  I wasn’t used to cooking without cheese and even six years ago, it was harder to find restaurants with vegan options than it is now.  Each year since, I’ve tinkered with my challenge–two years ago, I was a gluten-free vegan–a diet that didn’t work for me.  (I felt worse instead of better.)  Last year, I spent two weeks as a vegan with no white flour or processed sugar.  I felt so good that this year I’m doing the same thing, but for three weeks. (And, yes, well okay, I really, really pigged out–see above reference to new gingerbread recipe.)

Here’s the funny thing, I’ve actually started to look forward to my challenges.  It’s a time to rediscover foods and reset my sweet tooth at a healthier level.  What’s even odder is that my family looks forward to it.  Instead of a diet, it’s a culinary adventure and no one wants to miss out.  New recipes get tried and the best of them (or easiest) work their way into the regular meal rotation.

At least at dinner.

Truth is, I don’t really like to cook more than once a day.  I plan dinner, but I’ve no interest in planning breakfast or lunch.  Thanks to last year’s challenge, I have the breakfast part down–my chocolate-banana almond-milk smoothie serves me in good stead morning after morning.  Lunch is usually leftovers.

Only sometimes, like today, there weren’t any.  So I tossed together my cauliflower-caper salad.  It’s so simple, I barely consider it a recipe, but it actually is one, I suppose.  Unlike leafy green salads,  this one can be made and dressed ahead and transports well.

Cauliflower-Caper salad

Raw cauliflower (don’t use pre-cut)
1 T capers
fresh pepper
small amount of finishing salt–well, any salt will do, but I like the look of pink salt on this
2 T. Extra virgin olive oil
1 t. red wine vinegar
1 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Wash and cut cauliflower into small pieces.  I usually use about a third of a medium-sized head for this.  If cauliflower is extra-tough, blanch it for one minute in boiling water.  Otherwise, raw is just fine.

Add other ingredients.  Toss.  Eat or wait.  If refrigerated, let it sit out for a few minutes so that the olive oil melts before eating.

For me, at least, this doesn’t make a complete lunch, so I have some walnuts and dried apricots to add some protein and a touch of sweet to the meal.

Eggplants and Arugula–When Opposites Attract

Eggplant and Arugula Salad–the sweet mildness of eggplant is balanced by the assertive bitterness of the arugula. Quick, easy and unexpected

The first time I paired eggplant and arugula was years ago.  It was one of those thrown together from the garden things.  I had yet-another-eggplant and the arugula was sprouting.  So I sauteed the eggplant, washed the arugula and stuffed both into a pita pocket.  It was not bad, not bad at all, I thought.  And I’ve been putting the two together ever since.  The sweet mildness of the eggplant balances the green, fresh bitterness of the arugula.  A touch of balsamic vinegar adds a little more sweetness and tartness.

While I still make eggplant and arugula pita pockets, today was boiling hot and called for a salad.  The following takes no time (less than 10 minutes) and, thanks to the eggplant, makes a satisfying lunch.  If you make it ahead of time add the arugular right before serving.   And, yes, you can stuff it into a pita pocket.

Eggplant Arugula Salad

1 Japanese eggplant
handful of arugula
1 carrot
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper

Wash vegetables.  Using a vegetable peeler, cut slices of eggplant lengthwise.  Heat a tablespoon of light olive oil in heavy frying pan.  When hot, saute the slices of eggplant (a few at a time) over medium heat, turning once.  This will take very little time.  Remove slices when slightly browned, adding more slices and additional oil if needed.  Salt eggplant lightly and set aside.  Put arugula in salad bowl.  place eggplant on top.  Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar–you won’t need much.   Using vegetable peeler, slice strips of carrot over salad.  Add pepper and a little more salt.  Toss together lightly.

Serves one as a main course, 2 to 3 as a side salad.

 

 

 

 

Trying to be Good

I’ve limited my attempts to be totally, totally good to daylight hours during the month of January. And I like vegetables–always have, always will.

Nonetheless, my willpower’s been less than formidable these last few days. In an effort to fortify it, I hit the local healthfood store in an effort to seek out new grains and new weird raw adaptations. I didn’t go to Whole Foods, mind you, but the more hardcore and locally owned Country Sun. In I would go–seeking out raw buckwheat to sprout.

And promptly ran into the potato-chip aisle. Damn, it looked good. Resist, resist, seek out back of store–YES, I can do this. There are the grain, nut and dried legume bins.

And chocolate toffee almonds in bulk. Resist, resist. Ooh, what’s that dried papaya–okay, it’s sure not local, but the sweet tooth is leading a major uprising. And look, I’m getting buckwheat, raw cashews and MILLET. What could be more crunchy-granola than millet. I will be a whole-grain sprouted champion.

Okay in line with my bulk goodies–and there are the individually wrapped chocolates–there’s one with toffee bits. Okay, can’t take anymore, in it goes.

Whew. Safe at home. Damn, that chocolate is satisfying and I’m back to semi-virtue with that African chickpeas in coconut milk on whole-wheat couscous for dinner. (And, hey, the kid just ate *fourths*)

But I’ve never actually had an issue with binging. My weight issues are in the realm of vanity not health. But getting through a *health-food* store without getting snack food with too much fat and salt was hell. When I think of what your average supermarket stocks or upscale quasi-health-food stores like Whole Foods stock–and always near the front so you can’t avoid them–it’s little wonder to me that most of us are fat.

Leaning over and almost off the Wagon.

Okay, it’s been just about three weeks before I embarked on sprouting, whole wheat, minimal bad stuff etc.  And I have to say it’s gotten rougher.  It didn’t help that Martha Stewart’s cover story was on cupcakes.  Cupcakes!  I love cupcakes.  Particularly if I make them.  And that damn article was full of cupcake recipes–just waiting for me and my KitchenAid.

But I resisted and felt rewarded for my virtue when the news about peanut-butter recalls came out.  What a great time to be avoiding most packaged food.

That said, I’ve been slipping up this week–I had ice cream.  Yes, it was slow-churned and it was a child’s portion, but it had followed on a nonfat froyo earlier in the day.  And was followed by a cookie in the evening.  Or was it two?

And this is an excellent example of what happens to my self-discipline on dietary matters when I’m short of sleep, but bouncing up and down teaching very small kids to make music.

Well, tomorrow is another day as Scarlett said after no longer managing to squeeze into an 18.5-inch corset.