by chris

Care for Coffee?

We’ve been saving for a good long time and now we have a new machine to play with. Well, ok, Christina is going to be the one playing with it most of the time. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy a hot drink every now and then.

Introducing the Rancilio Silvia…
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mmmm… shots…
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And, ok, it’s not the usual glass but isn’t that dark color pretty?
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Of course, we do have a few ‘normal’ glasses, though we did go a little fancy. They are double walled so they keep the drink hot (or cold) and it is neat looking at the suspended drink.
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Christina also did a latte for me earlier, though I didn’t get a picture of it. The best part is that even though she’s just started out, I already think she’s as good as or better than starbucks. It only improves from there. There are some features of a ‘good’ shot that people look for – I’ll let Christina explain if anyone cares to hear – that the local coffee people told her she would see in her shots after she worked the machine for a while. But she’s already seeing it. Natural Born Espresso Maker. Right now it’s just a matter of consistency. (and I don’t even want to know what I’d produce – something only I could drink out of obligation, I’m sure)

Anyway. Next time anybody is around we can now do more than just regular coffee.

by Nelia

45 and holding

I hit 45 pounds a while back, and stopped. I know why I am not losing… 3 reasons. One is that i seem to stop losing at 45. It happened when i was on weight watchers. My first goal was 50 pounds, but I sat at 45 pounds for a month, even though i did exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I didn’t lose again will I dropped down below what i was supposed to be eating, and then loss was painfully slow.

Second, I am staying vegan but i am, unfortunately, becoming good at vegan junk food. Junk food is junk food. Almond butter is a failing. Almond butter is good for me, but, even though almond oil is good, oil is oil. I eat too many almond butter sandwiches.

Third, I am getting good at cooking vegan. That means there are few meals when i cannot think of anything to eat which means I am not eating raw as much. When I first started this I could not think of anything but raw veggies most of the time. Now I usually have cooked leftover in the frig and always have a can of vegan chili in the cabinet. Several times I have decided to get back to having cut veggies always available and having them for lunch every day, but then there will be that one serving of leftovers in the frig and I will opt for that. Today I had my tortilla soup… vegan with lots of beans for protein and so much better with quite a few baked tortilla chips. The raw veggies are right there on the shelf, all cut up and ready to go. I ate the soup and what was left of the chips.

Another problem, i suppose, is focus. I am working on getting the sewing room back together, and that is my focus, usually to the exclusion of everything else. That means I do not plan meals as well which means we eat out more and I tend to grab “something quick” when I am hungry. (An almond butter sandwich is quick and satisfying.) It also means I have not been going to the Y. You would think the work I am doing would offset the “Y” calorie burn, but maybe not.

It’s frustrating… but I am still convinced that I am going to get back to losing. And the vegan part is still good for me and easy to do. And the 45 pound loss still feels good.

An interesting note on the effect of the vegan diet on my body: My fingernails show it. I wish I could say they are stronger, but they aren’t. Right now they are so beaten up that they are very very short. But, a while back I noticed that the base of my nails was very white compared to the rest of my nail. I assumed it was the age of the nail and that they had always been that way. But very very gradually the white base seemed larger. For a long time I thought it was my imagination, that I just misremembered where the line was.

It wasn’t till it dawned on me that diet might have something to do with it that i watched the yellow growing more to the tip as the white band expanded, thinking I knew why. My nails are pretty much white now. Last time I looked, the yellow started just where they separate from the finger (which made it look like I never cleaned my nails). By now the yellow may be gone… I can’t tell unless I have brighter light than I have here.

Obviously my nails have always been a kind-of dirty yellow but with nothing to compare them with, I never knew the difference. Whiter nails are prettier.

by Nelia

Stepping on the scale

When I talked to Ramona a few days ago she asked me if I had lost any more. I told her it had been a while since I had stepped on the scale because I was a little afraid of what I would see. I am still doing the vegetarian thing, but the longer I do it the more I figure out how. At first my refrigerator was not as well stocked and I was not as sure of myself when it came to picking out good things to eat so I ate less. Now days I am eating more.

But I have been thinking I should weigh in since that conversation. This morning I did. I am relieved to say that I am still losing, though, of course, not as fast. My weight loss, to date, is 40 pounds. 🙂

by Nelia

Cowbirds

I just saw something on Nova Now that is so interesting I had to tell someone.

You are familiar with Cowbirds, I’m sure. They lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and the other birds raise their babies. This is getting to be a problem because the baby Cowbird is a big little guy and if the foster parents are small birds, they spend all their time and energy satisfying the large dominant bird and their own babies starve. Some species of small song birds are dangerously diminished in number because of Cowbirds.

A researcher noticed that a female Cowbird was frequently near a nest where she had laid an egg, and seemed to be watching the nest, but thought that was preposterous. Later he decided to remove the cowbird eggs from the nests of the birds he was studying so their own offspring would have a better chance. Then a strange thing happened. The nests that he had removed the Cowbird eggs from were trashed. The eggs were broken and the nest was torn up. Impossible as it might seem, it looked like vengeance for the missing cowbird eggs.

So he set up an experiment. He made many nest boxes with holes big enough to allow a Cowbird in, making them inaccessible to snakes, squirrels, and other possible culprits. When Cowbirds laid eggs in the nests, he removed them. Then, on half the nests, he slid in an insert that made the hole too small for a Cowbird.

All the nests that had Cowbird eggs removed that were still accessible were trashed. The ones that were not accessible were not. He mounted cameras and actually filmed mother Cowbirds tearing up the nests and breaking the eggs.

This gives a whole new dimension to why the foster families accept the baby cowbirds. They have learned that if they do not raise the intruder, there will be disastrous consequences. Cowbirds are not lazy bums, they are little winged mobsters intimidating other birds into raising their young.

I hope researchers and others who build nest boxes to attract certain kinds of birds start making the entry holes as small as they can be to allow the species they want using the nest.

by Nelia

Pondering this whole vegan/diet thing

I am sitting here tonight thinking, how far do I take this thing? I am eating a vegan diet. I like it. It is good for my body. I don’t mind not eating meat. I have pretty much decided that milk and milk products may be off my list permanently. But… where do I draw the line?

What got me to thinking about it was this: A few days ago, I bought some chia seeds. Chia seeds are fun. They are a super food, full of all sorts of good things which is why i bought them. The reason they are fun is that they gel liquid. I put them in water and played with them, seeing how much they gelled. Then I got this bright idea that I would gel juice. I bought a bottle of apple juice (real apple juice, not from concentrate) and added some chia seeds and blueberries. It was very good. I did it again. For some reason the chia did not gel as well (perhaps I did not use as much, but it seemed like as much and i did measure). I decided to add a little knox gelatin. Yes, I know, it is not vegan, but I did it. It jelled up nicely, loose, but nice. Apple juice and blueberries are wonderful with almonds. With the super food, chia, in the mix, it is good for me too, enough to balance the sugar from time to time.

So yesterday and today I have been looking for a vegan gelatin. I found options. I could probably find unflavored vegan jel by Natural Desserts and agar agar at whole foods, and if i find them in small quantities, I will try them. But i am not grossed out by what gelatin is and where it comes from. Why not just use regular gelatin?

I don’t know the answer to that.

I have been having fun being a vegan. It is an adventure trying vegan recipes and finding so many new ways to put food together. It’s fun using cauliflower and tofu in place of cheese and having it actually work. (I am going to share my vegan lasagna recipe one day soon.) I have found new spices and flavors. I am actually enjoying cooking again.

Now, since I wrote last, i have been bad. I have had 3 or 4 chocolate bars, all vegan, all semi-sweet, but, lets face it, still fat and sugar. I have had 2 pint containers (almost – I still have some) of dairy free ice cream. They are surprisingly good. But they are still fat and sugar. We went to the store today and I had no urge (well only a small urge) to buy more. I have had my fling and am ready to get back to serious dieting.

But today I was thinking, why not pay half the price and get a semi-sweet chocolate bar that has a little milk in it? If it doesn’t upset my system and I am not offended by the animal product, why not? It is not like I am going to be eating a lot of chocolate bars. Now the ice cream is a different matter. There is way more than a trace of milk in ice cream.

The thing is, I wonder if accepting the use of Knox gelatin, which I already have, and which is readily available in grocery stores, and indulging in an occasional semi-sweet chocolate without making sure there is no trace of milk, would be the beginning of the end of my diet. Would I cave when i visit Bill and Eliane and eat something I know I shouldn’t? Would I decide to go ahead and put an egg in my cornbread? Would i decide that a little sausage to flavor my lentils is not such a big deal? Would I eventually be right back where I was a month ago? I do intend to eat meat again, probably, maybe, someday, just not to make it the mainstay of my diet. But I want to decide to do that, not slip into it without intending to.

Am i being silly to think using gelatin to gel my juice for an occasional treat is a big deal? (I don’t think allowing it this time is a big deal because it was done once with the intention of getting the vegan version for later use if it worked out. Occasional one-time small deviations are allowed.)

I like the challenge of keeping it vegan. That is largely what makes it fun. I doubt if a little gelatin occasionally is going to do me any harm, but if I allow that, will I allow another thing and another till the fun is gone because I am no longer living within the rules of the game and it is no longer a challenge? I just don’t know where to draw the line….

by Nelia

Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup (well, I liked it)

Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced medium fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried Thyme
1 teaspoons dried Tarragon
several pinches fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 ribs celery, diced small
1/2 pound carrots, diced small
1.2 pound zucchini, diced small
1 cup lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
6 oz tomato sauce
1/4 pound spinach leaves, well washed and chopped

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and saute the onions in oil for about 5 minutes, till translucent. Add garlic, thyme, tarrigon, pepper, and salt. Saute another minute.

Add celery, carrots, zucchini, lentils, and vegetable broth. Mix to combine. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to simmer for 30 – 45 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Add tomato sauce and bring to simmer. Stir in spinach. Turn heat off, cover, and let sit for 10 – 15 minutes.

As to what I did different… I chopped my veggies a little larger than small and did not chop the baby spinach. If the spinach had been larger, I would have chopped it a little, but spinach wilts. I guess if you want a more even texture, you should chop everything small.

I liked it. Luke didn’t. He says it needs sausage, but he is not sure that would be enough to save it. It would be better with sausage. I will probably add veggie sausage next time. I will be making it again. I think its good, and different, and interesting.

I made cornbread which was good with it. (By the way, cornbread made with applesauce and almond or rice milk and no milk, eggs, or butter is pretty good, especially in a bowl with soup broth soaked in the way I like it.)

by Nelia

Kidney Bean Soup

Kidney Bean Soup (using dry beans)

7 cups vegetable broth or water (or a combination of both)
1½ cups dry kidney beans, soaked overnight (or 1 cup kidney beans, soaked, and ½ cup black beans)
1½ cups brown rice
1–2 cups chopped onions
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
½ t salt
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
6–10 cups, loose packed, chard, spinach, beet greens, kale, or other flavorful green
3–4 large cloves garlic, crushed or chopped fine
2–4 tablespoons minced basil or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
2–4 tablespoons minced parsley or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
1–2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste

Drain beans. In a large pan, add beans and broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add rice, onions, Rotel tomatoes, salt, and mustard. Simmer for about 1 hour. As beans and rice cook, tear greens into small pieces, discarding stems and veins. When beans and rice are tender, stir in greens, garlic, basil, and oregano. Add salt to taste. Add water if needed. This can be soupy or not as you prefer. Cover, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or till greens are wilted and tender.

Kidney Bean Soup (using canned beans)

5 cups vegetable broth
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
1–2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups brown rice
3 cans Kidney beans (or 2 cans kidney and 1 can black beans)
6–10 cups, loose packed, chard, spinach, beet greens, kale, or other flavorful green
3–4 large cloves garlic, crushed or chopped fine
2–4 tablespoons minced basil or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
2–4 tablespoons minced parsley or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
1–2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste

Put broth, Rotel tomatoes, onions, and mustard into a large pan. Add rice, cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 30 minutes. (As rice cooks, tear greens small, discarding stems and veins.) Add beans and cook for 15-30 minutes till rice is almost done. (You can add canned beans with or without their liquid, but if you add the liquid, you will need to add no or very little salt.) Stir in greens, garlic, basil, and oregano. Salt to taste. Add water if needed. Make it soupy or not as you prefer. Cover, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or till greens are wilted and tender.

Note:
This soup freezes well. If you plan to freeze some, remove it from the soup pot before adding the greens. Then, add greens once you have defrosted the soup. This way you don’t lose a lot of the greens nutrients in the freezing process.

by Nelia

Kale with Panfried Walnuts

Kale with Panfried Walnuts

yield: Makes 8 servings
active time: 20 min
total time: 30 min

Ingredients
• 3 pounds kale
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (3 1/2 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Preparation
Tear kale into large pieces, discarding stems and center ribs, steam until tender but not limp, about 6 minutes.

Cook walnuts in oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add kale and salt and pepper to taste and cook, tossing, until heated through.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

—

The recipe calls for vegetable oil, but I used olive oil and it worked fine. I did keep my heat down, of course. The second time I made it I reduced my oil considerably and stirred constantly. I guess the nuts absorbed the oil because it seemed like I was cooking the walnuts in a dry skillet, but it worked fine. If you are not trying to cut back on fats, I would go ahead and use the whole amount, though. The little bit of walnut flavored oil on the kale when you toss it in is good.

Also, I doubt if i had 3 pounds of kale. I had a large bunch as sold in the store. I used the full measure of walnuts and garlic, though.

by Nelia

Weight Update

Got on the scale this morning. I have now lost a total of 35 pounds.

I still like what I am doing. I still feel good. I am beginning to miss things, though. I miss Chick Fil A. Last night I had a bowl of vegi chili and I missed cheese. The other day, I missed chocolate (I can have chocolate, just not the things that are usually in it – I may see if i can find a vegan chocolate or a recipe that has minimal fat and sugar).

I was reading the other day that if i keep this up I’ll probably become lactose intolerant, but that’s acceptable.

All in all, I am still happy with what I am doing. I like that I can eat all I want. I have found some interesting new recipes. I am surprised by the variety of ways of putting plant food together. Since my meal planning focus used to be mostly on meat and I like my vegies plain, I put my creative efforts toward meat and added a vegie. Now, if I am to have variety in my food, I have to be creative with vegies. I am also eating more organic. Organic is pricey, but I figure if i am eating only plants it is important to have as many of them as possible without toxins.

An interesting aside: I made horseradish dill humus the other day and used the last of the dill i raised. It was very good. I made more, but had to use dill I bought. It was not as good. I was surprised by how different it tasted. Bought dill has a bitterness that my fresh dill didn’t have, not even the fresh dill I dried. I am going to have to get myself another dill plant.

I had planned to share the more interesting recipes I have found. I’d thought I would share by email, but I just remembered that there is a recipe category here… Hmmm