My Journey Begins Today

I had promised to deliver the results of my homemade tofu antipasto....which due to circumstances beyond my control did not get created.  But it will....just not until next weekends shopping excursion takes place.  


This weekend I have had the fortunate opportunity to finally watch the fabulous documentary, "Forks Over Knives".  I knew that I would really love this documentary but I was , to put it simply, flabbergasted!!


There are so many things I could tell you that went through my mind.  So many things that I vowed to change, not only for myself but for my family.  Today IS the day.  


Where are you going with this Dondi, you may ask.  Quite simply I will be bullying my husband into adopting a vegan lifestyle.  He doesn't know it yet, I will certainly keep you posted on my efforts....but I will succeed!


Now for today's menu:.


We well be having a nice salad with every salad ingredient I can come up with thrown in.  Some raw, some grilled.
Simple corn, slightly sweetened with raw sugar, no butter. 
Steamed asparagus.
Whole grain pasta served with sauteed zucchini, caramelized onions and crushed red pepper.
Some spicy pepperocini


This is a thrown together at the last minute meal.  I am determined to fill up my omni husband and begin to sway him to the light.  Keep your fingers crossed people....and wish me loads of luck!


And oh yes....I will post pictures of dinner later this evening!

Abject frustration

I must face the fact that this blog I'm dreaming of developing is never going to amount to much if I don't break down and get a proper internet in the house besides my mobile! I will try to do better for the time being but please forgive if my postings continue to be sporadic. Much love, Dondi

Gumbo!

So yesterday was a beautiful day here in Ohio. The hubby and I took the dogs for a nice walk and were just generally lazy. And on a move in the right direction. The non-vegan honey has expressed to me he really prefers earth balance margarine,  and he has been requesting some of my vegan meals for the family! Wow! I'm so psyched over that! Lol

As for today I threw together some leftover brown rice, the hodgepodge of frozen veggies ( including okra) some vegan sausage and out came this delicious gumbo!  Mmmmmm!

Dondi

Epiphany? Hmmm

I've recently realized that while I THOUGHT I was a vegan I am actually NOT!  I am in reality a transitioning vegan. How did I come to this crazy,(yet true!), conclusion?  I have constantly been researching the subject and came to realize that being vegan is more than what I eat. Its what I live as well. I'd already made up my mind to begin buying eco- animal friendly from now on, but I just realized that I also need to replace certain items in my wardrobe.  Now I'll admit I haven't the funds to just throw everything away, but the leather jacket has to go, as do the boots. Say la' vie! Or so be it.
I've had some moments of how can I do this OMG! The vegan action site did help me immensely so I highly recommend it.
Overall what I'm coming to realize and want to share is that becoming vegan is an ongoing always learning process. As is life...
Dondi

Sauted Baby Bella's w/sweet onions and sun dried tomatoes.

Simplicity at it's finest. As the name implies its simply sliced baby Bella's,  sweet onions and diced sun dried tomatoes. Sauted in a little olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and crushed red pepper.  Served over whole wheat pasta. Elegant!

How lunch SHOULD be done! After consuming a massive portion of my favorite lunch,( marinated kale salad w/ brown rice) I'm feeling quite stuffed! This apparently brings out my need to share. I have been vegetarian off and on for about 2 1/2 yrs.  And vegan for about 6 months. A month ago I started following Dr. McDougall s nutrition plan. Let me say he is a genius! I have lost about 12 lbs. My skin is wow! Energy is wow! The problem is I'm getting bored.  I had this problem when I first went veg. So! For a bit I know I'll be more Dr.M oriented but I'm going to be experimenting until I can make it a complete lifestyle change:-)  I WILL be sharing!  I'm also working on being more active. I HATE exercising so you'll be joining me in this challenge as well! Wish us luck!

Recipe for oh so delish Marinated Kale Salad

So once again I've been away from it for a bit.  No internet at home makes this much more difficult than I thought.  Hopefully that will be remedied soon! 

So I posted a pic of the Kale Salad and it truly is to die for!  The hubby complains when I make it because I don't leave enough for him!  LOL...anyway...here is the easy recipe.

Marinated Kale Salad

I use two large bunches of fresh Kale, destemmed (mostly) and coarsely chopped
couple cans of vegetable broth or stock
garlic cloves, minced, about 2 t. or to taste.
lemon pepper seasoning, about 1 t. or to taste
sea salt to taste
about 1 T. crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
half a lime
assorted raw veggies, sliced for sauteing or grilling  I use sweet onions and red/yellow peppers, sometimes zucchini and yellow squash as well

Simply start with the bottom of a large soup pot covered with about an inch of veggie broth.  Bring it to a boil and add the kale.  Stir immediately and keep stirring frequently until it begins to wilt.  Add all the rest of the ingredients except the half a lime and raw veggies.  Allow to simmer, stirring frequently, for about 15 min. tops.  Squeeze the half a lime over the whole thing. Add more veg. broth if needed.  I like some juice on it.  I then season to taste with some sea salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now heat up a skillet, add some more veg broth to cover bottom of pan, when it's bubbling add your raw veggies and cook to desired doneness.  Again I just season this with some sea salt to taste. 

To serve simply put a bit bunch of the Kale in a bowl, add sauted veggies to the top and EAT, EAT, EAT!

You can also serve this over some brown rice if you'd like...so yummy and filling!