Garden Penne

I have nothing much to report today, but I have one thing to say before I get onto my Garden Penne recipe: what is it with everyone being obsessed with vegan's partners? I have fielded more questions about Mahri's diet than I have my own. Is he going vegan because I have? No. That's a big no. I can't make that choice for him. And seeing as how he's already a picky eater as omnivore, I'm not even thinking about it. Would it certainly make shopping easier? Duh. Are we going to have separate cookware? Nope. I'm not worried about cross contamination, and I won't feel like less of a vegan because we cook on the same skillets.

Do I think this will place a burden on our relationship? Quite the opposite, not only he is my biggest supporter, but he's been learning recipes on his own because he enjoys cooking for me. He's amazing, what can I say? While I don't relish the thought of cleaning chicken wings (hated it before tbh) I also support my fiancé so I will obviously be helping him cook as well. Honestly, our favorite thing to do together is cook. We love going grocery shopping together and spending time learning new recipes in the kitchen. We're sickening I know, but I've always been attracted to a man that knows his way around the kitchen. I don't know what to tell y'all honestly. We've been through so much in 3 years and it's only made us stronger as a couple. We've had plenty of down falls and each time we get back on our feet and dust ourselves off. Why would a lifestyle choice, one that I've personally made to end the suffering of others be anything but admired by him?

I'll leave you with that question and get onto the recipe for my delightfully easy Garden Penne.

Garden Penne w/ Nutritional Yeast, Asparagus & Roast Broccoli

Garden Penne is literally whatever you want it to be. What veggies do you have on hand that you need to get rid of? What was fresh at the farmer's market today? That's the idea behind my Garden Penne. I like to load my sauce up with as many fresh veggies as I can. This week I cleaned the fridge out to make this and it was wonderful! I used sautéed mushrooms, tomato, yellow onion, red onion, garlic, broccoli, and mini bell peppers for my Garden Penne, topped it off with some Nooch (Nutritional Yeast) and dug in!

What you'll need:

half a crown of broccoli, chopped, stalks included

8 oz sliced mushrooms, any variety

1/2 cup yellow onion

1/2 cup red onion

6 cloves of garlic minced (as always, there's no such thing as too much garlic)

1 diced tomato

4 mini bell peppers (or 1 regular sized)

29 oz can of tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Tuscan Blend seasoning

1 box of penne

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (untouched by any man is how I prefer my olive oil) 

Start off by sautéing your vegetables in the olive oil, I tend to start off with the broccoli so the stalks can get tender, then I add in the bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato and mushroom. Once your veggies are cooked through, bring your pot to a simmer and add in the can of tomato sauce with your seasonings. Let this simmer as long as you like, my daddy always told me the longer and slower you simmer something the better it will be. This advice is definitely taken to heart when making a pasta sauce. I find the best results in the kitchen come with patience. When you're ready to eat cook your pasta however you like, and toss in the sauce. Top with Nooch and enjoy your delicious pasta and the newfound space in your fridge. For more protein, lentils always make a good add in. 

Trials, Tribulations & Potatoes

Today is day 2 of my vegan reset and admittedly, going vegan cold turkey is a lot harder than it looks. Yesterday, I finished off the last of my black bean burgers which were in fact, vegetarian thanks to egg being the binding agent. Today has been much better, everything I've eaten today has been vegan. I made the most delicious breakfast potatoes which I'm going to share the recipe for below, along with fresh fruit for lunch: 1 mango, 1 banana, and 2 oranges. I love fresh fruit, especially on days like today when I feel a little lackluster and dehydrated. I feel like making pasta for dinner tonight, maybe some lentil bolognese. 

Breakfast Potatoes

What would we do without potatoes? Honestly, except for dessert these do just about everything. Cheap, filling, and a complete workhorse in the kitchen. I love these breakfast potatoes for how hearty they are, but also just how easy they are to make! 

You'll need:

2 chopped potatoes of your choice ( I used russet)

1 diced tomato

5 cloves minced garlic (use as much as your heart desires tbh)

1/2 diced yellow onion

3 sprigs thyme, stripped

olive oil

salt

pepper

First thing you want to do to is gather all your ingredients, mise en place is important for a reason! Having everything prepared before you even heat up your pan is a good way to make sure you've got everything you need no matter how small the recipe. You'll want a sturdy skillet set on medium high heat. First, you are going to start your caramelizing your onion and garlic, once they are the perfect golden brown toss in the tomato and thyme, stewing in the skillet until softened. Once they are ready, add in your potatoes and toss ingredients in skillet, stirring at 3 minute intervals for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. 

What you'll find is a soulful breakfast, packed with flavor and a mouthwatering aroma! I love these crunchy little potatoes. Serve them alongside tofu scramble if you really want to wow someone with your brunch skills.  

Accept the Unaccepted

I've had a lot of questions about what my plans are as a vegan, how "far out there" am I going to be and the like. One of the questions I got was what am I going to do with all the stuff I own that isn't vegan. Simply put, I won't be doing anything with it. I've already paid for it, it's in my possession and I'm going to use it until I no longer can. Do have makeup that isn't vegan? Yes, while all of my makeup is cruelty free, some of it isn't vegan, and I do not have the means to just throw stuff away and replace it, and I also find that wasteful. My favorite purse is my trusty Longchamp Le Pliage, and I have carried it faithfully everyday for 6+ years. Will I give it to Good Will? Nope. I am aware that while the body is nylon, the handles are in fact real leather.

I don't see the point in giving anything away or worse, throwing it in the trash, I will use it until it's in disrepair and then I will find a suitable vegan replacement for it. This mindset will go into all of my personal belongings, I will use what I already have until I can't, and then I will replace it with something vegan.

I'm sure this goes against what others believe, and some will tell me that I'm not a true vegan, but I'm not in a financial position where I can just throw away a lifetime of possessions and replace them instantly. I have however, begun what I'm calling a no buy. I will obviously not be buying anything in the future that is not vegan. No leather, no makeup, no fleece, etc. Obviously that includes my food, that just goes without saying.


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To Be Or Not To Be

The word vegan seems to spark a lot of animosity in some people but have you ever wondered why? Aside from the trauma caused to the movement by PETA (a blog post for another day perhaps) I see no reason why the term vegan should arise such harsh reactions from anyone. The goal of veganism is to cause less harm to one's self, the animals, and our planet. It is at its very core a peaceful movement. So why all the hate? Why when you tell someone you're planning on transitioning to a vegan lifestyle do they immediately scoff? 

Questions are plentiful among omnis about "where you get your protein?',  "do you know how expensive it will be?" and general comments about how "this is just a phase." I've often found that people are cynical when it comes to things they don't understand but more often or not I've found that the people that turn down their nose at those who are trying to better themselves and become less selfish because they cannot or won't be bothered to understand why anyone would want to change. 

Now I don't plan on pushing my own personal agenda on anyone, my fiancé is an omni and a notoriously picky eater at that, and while I will not be partaking in the omni lifestyle after December 1st, I certainly won't be nagging at him to change his diet, or anyone else for that matter. You have to do what is right for you. That being said, I will wholeheartedly try and be a beacon for the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle. I want to shed light on the real message and love offered by choosing a more thoughtful diet.  I only ask that others do the same for me, show me the same respect that afford you. 

Growing up in the south, I know all too well how far I am wandering off the beaten path. My father has taken me deer hunting, I am an excellent fisher and my brother is one hell of a sportsman when it comes to providing for his family, he excels. It's just how we were raised. I have no ill will at all towards them, in fact I have more respect for a man that takes his time to go out and earn the food he feeds his family, taking only what he needs versus someone who gets their meat from the supermarket and is completely numb to the cost it took to get it there. 

So again I say, please try to afford me some respect for my decision. In fact, I ask that you please encourage me, and motivate me to stay on this path. See not that I fail, but that I triumph.

The Comeback Kid

If I told you the only thing stopping you from being who you want to be is yourself, would you listen? I've heard that same line for 31 years and never stopped until this year to really listen. Every problem I've faced as an adult I have caused. Poor health, lack of money; there is no one but myself to blame. Growing up in the south made this a lot harder on me, you're always expected to look your best, have the best, and make sure you show it off. Or at least that's what I felt. In retrospect the only thing anyone has ever cared about was whether or not you're a good person. Do you have a job you love? Are you a part of your community that gives back? That's what's important. Are you taking care of yourself? Are you working on your faith? These are the questions I get asked more often than not. They are the questions that constantly keep me thinking, am I? Am I where I want to be? Am I who I want to be? What can I change about myself to be better than I am?

I promised myself I would change a lot of aspects in my life in the coming new year but I want to do it a little differently. They say it takes 28 days to break a habit, so I am starting my New Year's resolutions on December 1st. I will write everyday, workout everyday, and everyday, and this is my biggest challenge, I will be vegan. I will not purchase or consume any product that is not 100% plant based starting December 1st. I'm calling this my rule of three. Why am I doing this? I hope to accomplish these changes and stick with them, so I want to start before the head rush that comes with all the excitement that the new year brings. I want it to stick. I want it to work, because I want to change. I want to be a better person. 

I already have a slew of vegan cookbooks, however I felt the need to add to my collection of vegan books to help motivate me and insure success. I recently picked up Vegan Reset by Kim-Julie Hansen and Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen and Katie Kasbee to help me get started with my vegan lifestyle. I quickly learned before that if done the right way, being vegan is as simple as can be, but it's very easy to go overboard with the exciting pre-made vegan foods like Gardein or Field Roast. I will be trying my best to make every meal I can from scratch and buy what I can in season or bulk to cut down all costs. 

Alongside my plant based diet I will be adding Jillian Michael's Beginner Shred to my daily runs. I saw the dvd skimming through Target and it is geared towards people who don't work out, unlike her other dvds where you need to be somewhat used to cardio in order to participate and keep up with the workouts. There are three levels and three modifiers for each level so I will be using this dvd for a good while before I switch it up. Of course adding to this I will continue my weekly runs at Forsyth Park. I just love running there, I don't mind running around a park versus running the streets because I feel much safer. There is always a police officer there in the mornings and everyone else is out there running or walking there dogs. Plus on Saturdays when I finish my jaunt they have the farmer's market set up and that is my favorite way to spend my Saturday mornings! 

If you've read this far I'd like to thank you, I haven't blogged in sometime and I'm a bit rusty when it comes to putting thoughts into writing but I hope you will stick around. I will be adding to this blog's design over the next couple of weeks so if you come on here and something is out of sorts I do apologize. I will be cleaning up the rest of my social media accounts to mesh with this blog as well, and hopefully the last two years that I haven't written (all past posts have been deleted) won't be for nothing. Stick around awhile, let's be friends and grow together.