Adventures in Eating

I just wrote this as a FB post and it disappeared, plus it's a bit long.

Bought some collards tonite.  Before Lent, I went on a bit of a baking spree, baking five or six cakes in a month.  I got maybe two slices out of all of them; when my brother told me he'd eaten all of his except for some he saved to eat while watching the Super Bowl, I realized that, even though I hadn't baked for about 10 years before that, I hadn't forgotten everything I'd learned.

Many people are surprised to find that not only do I cook, but I'm fairly good at it.  I don't usually choose to because my time is so limited, and it never seems to be a good use of time to cook for just one.

For instance, I would never take the time to cook a whole bunch of collard greens the traditional way.

...so I'ma cook 'em up Brazilian style, like a coupla Brazilian brothers have cooked for me and like my friend Erica served me in Rio. You just cut them up the way you want them, then sauté them in EVOO and garlic (and onions if you want). If you're reading this and interested, there are plenty of recipes on the internet.  But you just sauté the collard greens in EVOO and garlic. They cook up quickly, and into a really pretty bright green.  They look good on a plate with the traditional Brazilian Feijoada.


hmmm.... Black beans are soaking, I have some vegan sausage -- maybe it's time to make a vegan feijoada, and use quinoa instead of farofa... Or since I live near a lot of West Africans, I could actually get some fufu and work with it.  It's not the same thing, but it's made from the same stuff. 

There are lots of possibilities, and I'm more than a little impressed by the fact that, in most of the places I've traveled (Europe, North, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East) -- in most of the world, while meat is certainly eaten, it's not at all unusual to eat a plant-based diet, and one that is SIGNIFICANTLY lower in sugar and processed stuff than we eat here. I'm not sure why it's such a big deal to devote oneself to clean eating for a period of time.

Well, actually I do know why it's such a big deal.  I look at my kitchen and realize that wow, I have to clean it a lot more often when I actually use it (side note:  while I may be helping the environment by not consuming animal flesh, am I negating that good by running my dishwasher more?  And no, hand washing is not an option). The reason eating clean is such a big deal in America is because we are so incredibly accustomed to eating crap.  It's everywhere, it's easier, and in the short run, it's cheaper.  People always talk about how much more expensive it is to eat healthy, but if you factor in quality of life and future healthcare costs, it's probably way easier to eat to live.  But, as someone recently pointed out, you can get a double cheeseburger for like $1.00.  A salad is close to $10.00.  If your financial resources are finite, the choice seems easy.

Especially since when I eat a plant-based diet I feel like I'm eating ALL the TIME.  I had some fruit for breakfast, then I snacked on quinoa and samosas for lunch.  I had a protein shake (plant-based protein powder is really nasty tasting, but I'm hanging in there with it) during my workout, and had some muesli with almond milk as my evening snack.  It doesn't sound like that much, but it felt like I was eating all day long. 

Anyway.  My prayer partner is excited.  She's more of a cooker, so she's doing roasted eggplant and tomatoes, and some sort of faux cheese.  She also said there was some faux or almond yogurt, and she's supposed to bring me some.  Like me, she's having fun trying new things, and has a whole/health food store nearby.  Today's Scripture, BTW, is from Rev. 4:10-11 -- You are Worthy, our Lord and God, to receive Glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.  That's a good Scripture for me to remember and to meditate upon, especially as I drive through NYC. I'm trying very hard to control the road rage -- today a guy yelled at me and I didn't respond or retaliate in any way.  I actually let a couple of people cut in front of me, but I still have lots of room to grow in that area...

But we were talking about eating.  I'm really excited by this vegan thing.  I can see it becoming a regular way of living, not because of any philosophical or ecological reasons, but just because my body seems to like it more.  If I show any gains in my ability to train, or any decrease in my body fat percentage during these 40 days, that would sorta seal the deal. Or if I continue to feel good -- not just my physical body, but I feel like some of the clutter is leaving my mind. Dare I hope to be energized enough to make it leave my home, as well?

This is only the third day, but this has been an incredible, and long-overdue, adventure into vegan eating.  It's an effort, but I am really loving it!  There's something about taking time to consider what you put in your body, and there's something about only putting into your body things God has created rather than things humans have created -- there's something about it that puts me in another place.  For instance, tomorrow after my morning workout, I'll have an hour before I go to church. I'll go to Dunkin as usual to get my coffee, and I'll take some Stevia packets to sweeten it, but I won't have any non-dairy creamer, unless I either buy a small container of soy or bring some with me, neither of which is a viable option.  But I like my coffee sweet and light...

Guess that will be another adventure.  We shall see.