Vegetarianism

Hello Friends.  My Man and I have fully committed to vegetarianism.  Why?  Too many health issues that all point to the food we are eating.  After years of suffering and me on/off again with food elimination diets, it was time to just do it.

Not to blame my partner or family, but it is pretty difficult to be responsible for feeding the family an entirely different style of eating when you want to become a vegetarian or vegan.  Not to mention trying to eat HEALTHY Veg/gluten free out in restaurants is REALLY hard. (unless you live in some super hip City)  Friends and family don't always understand and you get the "what do you do for protein" question.   When you decide to not eat meat or dairy, it seems that some people think you are passing judgment on them for eating those things, by you NOT eating them.    Which we are not.  What one eats is simply a lifestyle choice, but in some ways has been just as divisive as discussing politics or religion.

I had a couple bouts of being pretty dang sick last few years after eating certain foods.  It kept getting more frequent and severe.  It culminated at the the Holidays.  I was so sick after indulging in holiday food, that one week into the New Year, we made the change.   Having my Man on board and enjoying it has beed truly wonderful.   I'd like to become full vegan, but for now we do have the occasional egg or salmon.  No, meat, wheat, dairy, refined sugar, wine or coffee.  Having tried this lifestyle on and off in the past, knew I'd be fine.  My Man on the other hand, was a bit of a sugar/coffee junkie.  Happy to report, he doesn't miss any of it and we are having a fantastic time trying new recipes.  Almost every symptom I was having is gone and even my man can't believe how great he feels and how much better and more consistent our energy levels are.  Our skin has improved, digestion, sleep, eyes are brighter, etc, etc.  Next we are getting back to working out.  We fell off that wagon last year too.  Despite not exercising we have lost between us 19 lbs in under one month. Oddly, both Rob and I "cheated" this month, while him eating lunch at work and me with a friend.  We both felt ill that night.

So, my goal here in bloglandia is not to convert or debate with anyone. But to offer some really cool recipes we have tried and LOVE.  Plus link to other peoples site that I have gotten some really cool recipes from.

Last night we shared a photo of our Vegan Spicy Thai Noodle Recipe (don't know where I found it online, so cannot link to original creator) and promised to share with a few of you today.  Here it is!  If you try it, please let me know what you think!

Spicy Thai Noodles

Sauce:

1/2 cup cashew butter
2/3 cup water
4 tablespoons wheat free soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic (we used 4)
1 tablespoons fresh finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons miso paste
1-4 thai peppers (we used 2 and it was pretty hot)
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Place all of the above ingredients except cilantro in a blender and blend until smooth.  Then add the cilantro and blend again. Set aside.

Toppings & Noodles:

1/2 thinly sliced red pepper
1/2 cup tofu in chunks (optional)
1 cup diced kale
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 lime cut into wedges
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1/3 cup cashews
Cilantro for serving

package of rice noodles (we used the whole package, honestly it was too much) since we were feeding three of us, half a package would have been fine.

Soak the noodles in very warm water for at least 30-45 minutes.

Cook onions, tofu, red pepper, carrot in grapeseed oil until onions get slightly translucent and tofu gets colored and firms up. (I use medium texture tofu)  Add Kale and a 2 tablespoons of water and steam quickly.

turn heat down to low and simmer until water is evaporated.  Add noodles and sauce to vegetables, tossing until all is covered.   Continue cooking until noodles are soft.

Serve in bowl topped with chopped cilantro, sesame seed and chopped cashews, with a lime wedge on the side.

(tips I learned from this recipe:  Cooking thai noodles is kind of tricky.  Overcook and you have mush, under cook and they are chewy.  Much smaller window and room for error compared to wheat pasta. Next time I make this, I will be sure my noodles are pretty much done before I toss with the veggies and sauce.  Rice noodles are delicate and the more you stir them around in the pan, the more they break apart)

After dinner we made this cake, compliments of Jenny Doh.  It is a paleo recipe and was fabulous!

http://blog.crescendoh.com/crescendo/2014/01/favorite-paleo-chocolate-cake-recipe.html

Let me know what you think!

xo,
Lisa