Day 8 The Foodie Goes Vegan Project

Today has been really busy. I feel as if my cells have so much more energy. It’s as if I have no choice but to propel forward. That’s a good thing.

I popped home just in time for lunch and went to the refrigerator and took out some leftover cooked Gardein Chick’n Filets and chopped them up. I grabbed The Kind Diet and followed the Tuna Salad Sandwich (Kinda), substituting chopped chicken for the tempeh. Then I chopped up everything listed that I had: carrot, dill pickles, celery, and red onion. I added water chestnuts in place of a cucumber that I did not have and the peas the recipe called for.

The vegenaise, Dijon, capers, lemon juice and umeboshi vinegar marinated onions mixed all of the vibrant tastes into a creamy, crunchy goodness. I put the mixture on Dave’s Killer Bread with sprouts on top. Using the the tag line “Just say no to bread on drugs”, Dave makes my favorite bread. To read his inspiring story about finding himself while serving jail time, go to http://www.daveskillerbread.com/story

To go along with my killer chicken salad sandwich, I whipped up a Food Day (once-a-week supplement to our local paper, The Oregonian) inspired salad. The recipe in Food Day showed a spinach, tomato, and brown rice salad with a delicious vinaigrette. I already had a cooked batch of brown rice in the refrigerator so I whipped that together and added beets, sunflower seeds, and a few other fresh ingredients for a healthy “garbage” salad.

It is hard to believe that I needed a snack before dinner but my boosted metabolism urged me to create a new snack that I am calling Nacho Mamma’s Snack (Not your Mamma’s snack).

Here is what I did:

Nacho Mamma’s Snack

Organic healthy tortilla chips (I used Blue corn)
Vegan cheddar cheese
Marinated artichokes
Mild Ortega chopped chili’s
Sliced black olives
Chopped cilantro and green onions for garnish with lime juice

Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake or broil until cheese melts. Garnish and drizzle with lime juice.

These would also be delicious with guacamole and fresh salsa (I have a killer recipe I have made for years I will share this summer).

Since it has been a busy week, dinner will be simple as well:

Nonna’s Pesto Spinach Spaghetti with Sautéed Tomatoes and Caramelized Sweet Onions

1 16 oz bag of Whole Foods Spinach Spaghetti or pasta of your choice

Olive oil

Garlic to taste

2 large Walla Walla sweet onions (or whatever is local and organic from your area such as leeks or shallots)

1 packages Natures Sweet vine-ripened cherry tomatoes (or whatever inspires you at your farmers market).

1/2 cup white wine or sherry

1/2 cup marinara (optional)

Pesto to toss with pasta (optional)

Sliced basil for garnish

Heat Olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and add sliced onions. Stir cover and cook until onions are beginning to darken. Add sherry and begin reducing add tomatoes. Cook until sherry is reduced by half, stirring occasionally. Bring a large pot of sea-salted water to a boil. Cook and drain pasta. Toss with pesto . Add marinara to onion mixture and a sprinkle of sea salt. Let flavors meld and top pasta with a hefty portion of the sauce and garnish with basil.

As always this is just a blue print, use your intuition as you will always be guided for what is best for you and those you love.

Enjoy nourishing your self and your loved ones and take in all the beauty that brings.

Please keep your comments and ideas coming! I am loving reading them.

If you haven’t purchased The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, or a loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread, what are you waiting for???

Posted by Cari   5 Comments on This Article