homemade hummus

There is a lovely recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine for hummus. actually, there's a few, all starting with the basic one. so, i made the basic one. except, i don't have lemon juice, so i used a bit of vineger... not as good as it could have been, but good enough for just a dip!

2 cans of garbanzo beans
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 clove of garlic
1/2 c. tahini
2/3c. hot water

blend it all together! delicious!!!

for breakfast, i was running late, so i had carrots, dipped in hummus. For lunch, i had vegan, gluten free pancakes with natural peanut butter! for dinner, i'm going to make something with rice, i think. I've been using noodles a LOT this week (they're so easy to mess around with, so versitile and such)
i have to go grocery shopping later, so the next thing on my todo list is: put laundry in washer, and then make this week's dinner and lunch plan (i can bring my lunch :) )

eggplant chickpea asparagus pasta

I made a delicious pasta today! recipe:

1.boil water, cook whole wheat pasta
2. saute eggplant (slice it, then cut into quarters first) and asparagus (cut each one into 4) add a few drops of soy sauce.
3. put the noodles in the pan with the veggies, add 1/2 chickpeas, and 1/2 c. newman's basil pasta sauce (i'm not sure if that's the one, just get a vegan tomato sauce)
4 stir, until the pasta gets little grilled sides, add's flavor!
5. sprinkle with 1/4c. of vegan cheese, mozzerela is prefered... do they even make vegan parmessan cheese?

delicious ingrediants:
8 oz of whole wheat penne pasta
1 small eggplant
20 asparagus spears
1/2 c canned chickpeas
1/2 c. tomato sauce
vegan cheese (optional)
soy sauce

hello?

is anybody actually reading this? i don't think i like this blog site. my other one, you can search by similar interests, and this one, i can't even find other people's blog sites... lame...

hair cut!

I got a hair cut today! it's a cute bob that doesn't even go past my face. this is the shortest i've ever had it, but the layers could use some more "layer" eeness... the lady was knew, so i decided i was going to cut my own bangs... i know how i like them, and she was having a hard time understanding english, let alone cutting my hair.

today was mostly coffee, washed down with coffee, and chased with, you guessed it, coffee. i had to go to some boring class and listen to people try and proove the poor teacher wrong... oh well, it's her job, and she knows it!

good night!

carrot sticks

SO I DECIDED TO EAT HEALTHY, RIGHT? INSTEAD OF SNACKING ON A UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF CHEX MIX DELICIOUSNESS, I DECIDED TO HAVE CARROT STICKS... AND, WELL, THEY ARE STARTING TO MAKE MY CHEST ITCH. THIS KIND OF HAPPENS EVERY TIME I EAT MY CARROTS, WHEN THEY'RE RAW. ANY ADVICE? I'M GOING TO POST THIS ON MULTIPLE SITES... I'LL UPDATE IT IF I GET AN ASWER!!!

MAD MEN

So, i've been watching MAD MEN this weekend, and it was kind of funny to watch the women's goals only being to make their husband happy... it was hilarious. So, as a little tribute, I made my friends dinner tonight. It was a nice vegetarian pasta, and they actually liked it! It was from VEGETARIAN MAGAZINE, PG 34 the vegan one with artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. It was DELICIOUS! I didn't have the wine, but it was good without it. Next time, i'm going to try to make it with the wine.

Can you imagine if we still lived like they are portrayed in MAD MEN? The women raised the children, were expected to make dinner, and smile in their **gorgeous** giant dresses. I think it would be fun to be like that, but only once in a while. I don't think that I would be able to do that for very long. Especially since all of the men in that show cheat on their wives... nope, i much happier working in the army, cooking dinner for a group of hungry guys, who act like children, and being just me.

---update----
i bought some meat when i had gone grocery shopping, but i think i'm just going to give it away, or eat it up, but not get anymore. i want to be a vegan again. i like having some sort of title, and especially one that means something...

grocery shopping

I went grocery shopping today! I did it smart for once. I picked out recipes for the different days of the week, and then I wrote down what they needed, and that's what I actually bought for once! So, now, I have to hold to that plan! Most of the recipes I chose were from vegetarian magazine, and they were the vegan ones. It's easier to eat healthy with the vegan recipes, and then add meat later if I feel like it. So, I am excited to see how they turn out! Wish me luck!

gnochi (i don't think i spelled that right)

I got this pasta from the German grocery store, and I'm not fluent in German (actually, i know like 10 words) so i wasn't sure about how to cook them. obviously, since they're like a pasta, i boiled them, but i don't know for how long i was supposed to boil them for... i don't know if they're cooked all of the way... help!

Debating

I haven't been eating Vegan for a while, mainly because i've been trying to get into shape; loose weight, get toned, and just look better overall. But, in all of the magazines that I read, it says to eat eggs for breakfast, and then mainly fish and chicken from there. So, I decided to try and give it a whirl. But, much to my avail, I reached the same problem eating meat that I had not. I was still starving by the weekend, eating whatever I wanted, and I wasn't loosing any weight. Correction, I'd loose a pound or two, and then go back to the weekend, and eat, and usually gain it back.

Then, one night, I had a dream where i decided to eat vegan again. In my dream, I actually said it: I'm going to eat Vegan again, because I liked eating like that more than the way I'm eating now. I woke up eventually, and I felt like that was the right thing to do. I was never bloated when I ate vegan, and it's nice to not be bloated. And, when I ate meat, I worried about fat way more, and all I ended up eating was those single portions of light tuna. That's not healthy, and I know it. But everything else just doesn't seem right to eat. Too much fat, too many steroids, or just gross. So, animals in the world have one less person to worry about, I am going back to being Vegan as of now. 2:54 in the morning, on August 16, 2010. My goal: to finish up the year as a vegan. Then ONLY exception: if i get deployed, i have to settle with vegetarian. But, the chances for me to get deployed are as high as, well, probably yours (whoever is reading this, comment if you even exist please!)

My plan for tomorrow: Running, laundry, cleaning, and light grocery shopping. Have a beautiful day, and I hope that sometime this week, you actually feel like I do right now, happy, peaceful, and like you're actually making a difference.

Good night.

20

that's the number of days i've been vegan for. well, that's not entirely truthful. My main thing, no matter what, is no meat. but, if the only options at the dfac have a little butter in them, or my boyfriend buys me a drink with a little milk in it, i'm stuck. i'm getting better though! today, i bought a frozen yogurt thingy, and then i decided not to eat it, so i gave it to my neighboor (she was with me) and her roommate. ya, i still bought it, but it's a start!

but, 20 is my number! my new years resolution is 6 months. that way, i will have completely get it into my system, and when the six months are up, i can decide if i want to go back to eating meat or not. now, i am just working on making it the rest of the month without eating dairy or eggs... eggs really aren't the problem. it's the dairy. which frustrates me because i'm allergic to it, and it's till everywhere. at lunch, i get to eat a salad, rice (and not even a good rice, it's not sticky at all) and whatever cooked veggie doesn't have butter in it. i can't even have mashed potatoes or the baked potato because they put butter on both. ug.

i do really good all day, until about 5, when i go to eat dinner. because i have SO many options. and i got my dorm-room cookbook back from home (i left it there over break... whoops) so, i made something i've been wanting to make forever... vegan mac and cheese. except i didn't use macaroni, i used a package of roman noodles. yum! oh, there's no vegan margarine here, so i used a splash (about a T) of olive oil... (the recipe calls for (with 1 package of roman noodles) a splash (about a tablespoon) of soy milk, the same of olive oil, or vegan margarine, and about 1.5 Tablespoons of yeast. and garlic powder and salt (and pepper, but i dont like pepper) to your taste! simple, yummy, and well, pretty darn filling. i was absolutely starving when i got home, i ate about 2/3 of the package, plus a couple water crackers with hummus, and i was not hungry for a couple hours! perfect!

well, wish me luck at being a complete vegan for the rest of the month!

rice

my new year's resolution was to be a vegan for 6 solid months. my boyfriend isn't helping at all (he says he'll quit tobacco the day i eat a steak, and even when i ate meat, i never ate steak... it was just gross). but, hey, I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!! i'm really liking him, and am blushing at the thought, but i've slightly, maybe, kinda thought about marriage. ya, it's too soon to tell, but, except for the fact that i don't eat meat, and he says he likes to chew on baby cows (ya, i get this everyday)... and the tobacco, we really click... i don't know. if there's more about this, i'll be sure to post about it.

So, because i'm trying super hard to be vegan (i'm doing pretty good, on most days, i've only had chicken once, and a meat sandwhich once) i am noticing what i'm eating more. in the mornings, i usually have oatmeal, grits (both made with water) or leftover rice with dried fruit (i'm liking the appricots) and some sliced almonds (not a lot, just enough to through in some protein!) For a snack in class, i usually have the trail mix (it's the ONLY vegan option in the vending machine) --basically raisins and peanuts, and sunflower seeds (without the annoying shells). For lunch, i have the soup (if it's vegan, which is like once a week) a giant salad with every vegetable that i am offered (beets are the latest one, which are tasting pretty good) rice and whatever cooked veggie looks good to mix in. most of them are over cooked, or seasoned with butter, so it's just plain rice with some soy sauce. yum. (actually, there isn't that much sarcasm in that one... i like just plain rice!) Then, for dinner, i usually have rice (from my rice cooker) with beans of some sort (i really could use any bean, it's amazing how i used to hate them, and now i don't) and maybe a fruit, or a half cup of fruit juice, and some miso soup (i get the instant mix from the store... yummy!!!!)

So, obviously i like rice. my favorite is the asian rice, it's medium grain, and when you cook it, it actually sticks together, unlike the rice from the chow hall which would only stick together if i added glue. rice is an amazing staple that fills me if i eat some beans, or a bunch of veggies with. ya, brown rice is best for you, but it takes longer to cook, and more water, and it doesn't stick together, or have the delicious consistancy of asian rice. so, i'm eating white rice for now... as soon as my rice runs out, though, i have a three pound bag of brown rice that i'm going to eat up before i buy more. also, rice is cheap! yes, i understand that the price of rice has gone up, but the price of meat is way worse, especially compared to how filling rice is compared to nasty meat. so, if you are wondering what to eat, may i suggest rice. just keep a pot of rice always available! we only have a 3 cup rice cooker (as soon as it breaks, i'm buying a bigger one) so we have to make rice daily. but, we usually make it before dinner, eat some for dinner... and then there's enough left for one or two people's breakfasts! and, you can put anything in it! some of my dorm-room recipies:

• Dorm-Room-Mexican **delux version**: 1-1 1/2 cups of cooked rice, 1/4 - 1/2 cups of black beans (just open the can, put it in a paper bowl, and put in in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring once), a couple tomatoe slices (or cherry tomatoes) from the chow hall, onions (if you like them), a couple slices of ripe avacado (make sure it's ripe. trust me.) Salsa (if you like it)- just put it all together, stir if you want, or not. For to go, just wrap it up in a giant tortilla (you might need two, whoops!)
• Dorm-Room-Mexican**simple version**- 1-1.5 cups of cooked rice, 1/2 cups of beans, some salsa-- yumm!!!
• left-overs rice!!: have you ever made onigiri? rice balls? well the basic concept is to put something inside of the rice, and form it into a ball. well, get some of last weekend's grilled tofu, or last night's stir fry, or whatever is hiding behind the soy milk and put inside the rice for a fun, easy treat! (you should try to use the sticky rice, or else it won't work) put a clump in your hands, some of the leftovers, some more rice, and form it into whatever you can! i stick with a ball, or a triangle because it's too much work for me... i'm not very good at these, i just like to eat them!!
• (this is what i use rice for in the morning, after a workout) Rice -breakfast-goodness (?): 1 cup of rice, cooked, and a little water added to it, and reheated in the rice cooker (it's better if it's moist), 4 dried appricots (or whatever fruit, dried, or fresh) 1/4 cup of sliced almonds (i usually use just under 1/4 c, so 1/4 c would be the max) mix together! yum!

well, that's it about rice!