To quinoa or not to quinoa

To quinoa or not to quinoa?

That is the question.

At least it was last night.

Quinoa

Pronounced "Keen Wah"

I think it gets a bad rap and, actually up until recently, I had been involved with that misconception.

I would see quinoa and black bean burgers or quinoa salads on menus and wonder why anyone would want to eat "that stuff" when I really didn't know anything about "that stuff".  

This herbaceous annual plant grown as a grain crop was first domesticated about 4,000 years ago by the Andean people. This crop was held sacred by the Incas and referred to as the "mother of all grains".

Quinoa also has plenty of health benefits and is a staple in the whole food, plant based way of eating!

 Honestly, I had never tried this particular whole grain before this self-imposed challenge. Early on in this journey, I made a quinoa salad which was not appealing. Hubs ended up eating the rest of it - at least it didn't go to waste. We figured it must have been a texture thing with me. It looked pretty though.

Considering I still had about four cups of quinoa left, and I refuse to waste food, I decided to give quinoa another chance. I'm so glad I did, because not only was this recipe easy and all made in one pan,  but it was pretty good! So good that I thought I'd share the recipe with you!

One Pan Mexican Quinoa

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)

1/2 jalapeno, minced

1 cup quinoa

1 cup vegetable broth, plus 1 tablespoon

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

ground black pepper, to taste

1 avocado, diced

Juice of 1 lime

chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Heat tablespoon of vegetable broth in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
2. Stir in quinoa, cup of vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin.Season with pepper, to taste.
3. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro

(recipe adapted from Damndelicious.net)

To quinoa or not to quinoa?

The jury is still out but where this dish is concerned,

we're going with quinoa for the win!

A simple staple

I have quickly found by eating the whole-food, plant-based way, that I have a lot of leftover food items or half full bags or fresh produce in my kitchen that quickly starts to deteriorate or get lost in the shuffle. I found a recipe the other day in my daily obsessive internet searching, called "Clean out the Fridge Soup". This sounded like a perfect way to literally clean out my fridge and my kitchen! I have a little of this and a little of that but none of it is enough to make something by itself. So I decided to take this recipe to heart and made it my own.

I actually felt creative - for once - by putting this concoction together!

I started by sauteing chunks of yellow onion in garlic.

Then I added organic, low sodium vegetable broth.

Sliced mushrooms - can't get enough of these!

Diced celery - I hate celery.

Carrots - only had a few left

Green beans - I don't even know why I had those in the fridge

Let's see, what else could we thrown in this pot?

Kale - shoot - it's already spoiled. Next time.

Ah the rest of the bag of red potatoes. Chop those babies up!

Then a can of diced tomatoes with its juices.

Now this looks fine and great, but what do I do to flavor it other than garlic and black pepper?

Then it hit me!

I want this to be rustic!

Country rustic!  

Maybe beach rustic is more appropriate. Ah, whatever.

So I threw in a ton of rosemary and thyme.

Finished it off with a hint of crushed red pepper and brought it to a boil.

Once I could tell the potatoes were cooked, I let it simmer for about a half hour.

It was then time. The truth was about to come alive.

Was this going to be any good or, like every other meal I've prepared on this journey, tasteless?

One taste off the wooden spoon and.....

DELISH!

It was exactly what I had hoped it would be!

Hubs came in from the gym and I shoved a spoonful in his mouth.

I waited, I watched and then....

"It tastes like beef stew!"

YES!! I had done it!

Finally!

Easy, delicious and all plant based!

If nothing else, I'll make this once a week to clear out my kitchen and make room for new stuff.

I have found my simple staple that I so desperately need!

Day 12 - Maybe it's worth it after all

Last night was a tough night. I was tired from a long day. I had no energy. I had a headache. Hubs had a sore throat and was groggy from meds. This would have been the perfect night for us to say we needed comfort food and to go to our favorite bar to hang out with our favorite bartender and bury our funk into our incredible favorite burger. But we didn't. We powered through. It was more than tempting though.

On tap for dinner was butternut squash and navy bean lasagna.
Sounds delicious, doesn't it?
Nope, not one damn bit.
Lasagna should be full of meat and oozing with cheese.
I gotta get over this, don't I?
Yeah, don't hold your breath.

Organic, oil-free, spicy marinara sauce and brown rice lasagna noodles sound acceptable.
Roasted butternut squash is fine with me.
I've made butternut squash stuffed shells before - but they had goat cheese in them.
This time it's butternut squash, navy beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano, onion powder, parsley and nutritional yeast. Not so bad until you have to put it all in a food processor and chop/blend it up into a mush.  Oh yeah, and then the blender stops working with all of this chunky mess in it!!!

At this point, I just throw my hands up in the air, scream and storm off to the dining room table, possibly mumbling an obscenity or two and plop myself down in a chair, head in my hands, eyes shut and just tell myself to take a deep breath. At this point, I hear a noise and I open my eyes and see my sweet girl with a piece of spinach in her mouth. Sigh.

After my breakdown, I go back to the kitchen and, by the grace of God, the blender works just enough for me to get this stuff finished.  Then I realize that I forgot to add the spinach. Well, guess what? Spinach is going to just have to be layered on this girl's lasagna. I prepare the lasagna, or at least that's what it's called. It sure doesn't look like any lasagna I've ever made or eaten before. I put it in the oven, set it for 30 minutes and retreat to my favorite chair in Hubs' office to feed Nami her dinner, which is probably going to be better than what I'm about to serve me and my love.

Then the tears just roll. My mom has pneumonia and is four hours away. Don't worry, she's doing ok. If she wasn't, I'd be there. But the point is that I'm feeling guilty and sad because she's sick and I'm not there. I constantly miss my dad - it's like breathing- I just don't know how to stop. When I am down and defeated, I miss him even more than usual and start beating myself up. Then I start questioning if any of this "food nonsense" is worth it. What am I doing? I'm not cut out for this. I love food.  This isn't food. I miss food. I lost my Prowler. I lost my dad. My mom is sick. Now I don't even have the joy of food or cooking anymore. Why am I doing this to myself?

Then the timer to the oven goes off. No rest for the weary.
I wonder if the lasagna is done. I have no idea because I don't know what it's supposed to look like. Usually, there's tons of cheese bubbling and that's a tell-tale sign. This time there's only vegan parmesan cheese, which I made out of cashews and garlic, on top. I leave it in for 10 more minutes. What can it hurt at this point?

Right now, it would be great to pour a glass of wine - to take the edge off. Oh yeah, I gave that up for 30 days. What the hell was I thinking? I left myself no vice at all.

Well, the lasagna is cooked and it literally flops off of the spatula and onto our plates. It really doesn't have much form to it but it's done. It's also edible and it's not disgusting. It's not delicious by any means but it's not gross. The butternut squash navy bean mush has the consistency of what a ricotta cheese mixture would but it doesn't have any taste. The only taste that we get is that of the spicy marinara. I then think, what if I just used crushed tomatoes? This would be an absolutely tasteless dish. I take a deep breath, I eat my piece, and I go back for another slice because there's nothing else to eat and I'm hungry. It's not terrible. There's just nothing yummy about it. I want yummy.

Welcome to a typical night in my WFPB life! Hubs deserves a medal. It's frustrating. It's complicated. It's the unknown. I honestly can't understand how anyone can enjoy this type of food. Do they not have taste buds? Did they lose their taste buds because they have been eating this way for so long? I fear that will happen to me... that I'll adjust. As horrible as it may sound, I don't want to adjust. I don't want to enjoy food that doesn't have any flavor. I know, I haven't even been through two full weeks yet. Give it time. I'm trying. I really am.

I'm discouraged. I'm like a hamster on a wheel. Round and round. Doing the same thing over and over day after day and getting nowhere, it seems. Then this morning, I get a message from my NP at the Wellness Center. Not all of my blood work is back but some results are in and they boosted my mood sky high! The two levels that were too high and outside of the normal range have decreased substantially and my levels are in the normal range now! THIS is exactly why I decided to self impose this challenge on myself. As my NP said, "You may not be loving this way of eating, but it's working!"

Hallelujah!

Like it or not, I can't deny the results.

Maybe it's worth it after all!

Knowing those test results have at least given me the push I need to see this challenge through to the end!



I don't bake

It's 9:30 p.m. and I'm still in the kitchen.

I haven't left since we ate dinner around 7:30 p.m.

I decided I needed something to snack on and Hubs needed a treat.

First of all, I don't bake. I hate baking. Always have.

When I do, it never turns out well and I get irritated before I'm done.

So, I just don't bake.

But I found this recipe on the Minimalist Baker website and it sounded super delicious. Plus, I've been going at this challenge for over a week now and I need to reward myself somehow. Of course, a juicy burger or a big fat cheesy sausage and pepperoni pizza would be preferable but..... nope.

Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Granola is the prize!

I climb up into our pantry and go shopping on the plant-based shelf.  I feel like a kid in HomeEc. Do they even teach HomeEc in schools anymore? I get all I need and thank God we have a good-sized island in the kitchen to hold all this nonsense.

With the directions printed out next to me (yes, I'm old school), I start up.

I pulse rolled oats, walnuts, almonds, coconut, chia seeds, cocoa powder, sea salt, and refined sugar in the food processor a few times and then dump the mixture into a glass mixing bowl.  This mixing bowl hasn't seen action since I baked that cake at Easter all those years ago because I had an awesome bunny-shaped pan to use.

I melt coconut oil and pure maple syrup in a saucepan until it's blended and then pour it over the mixing bowl mixture. So far so good. I got this.I'm listening to "The Voice" on the tv in the living room and feel like Kelly Clarkson when she gets excited because that girl hit that note that shouldn't be humanly possible. I'm making freakin' granola and haven't wanted to shoot myself yet! Oh yeah!

I spread the mixture onto a large baking sheet, shove it in a 340 degree oven and let it work its magic for about 24 minutes, after flipping halfway.  Then I see that once it's cooled, it's optional to mix in some dairy, soy and nut-free vegan dark chocolate chips.

Ok, dairy, soy and nut-free vegan dark chocolate chips? I'm a chocolate fan, ya'll. I only buy the quality stuff. So this is all new to me and I have no idea what this so-called "chocolate" is going to taste like. So far on this journey, everything else that says it's "vegan cheese" or "vegan taco meat" has just been an imposter. Don't make me think that just because it's called taco meat or cheese and looks like taco meat and cheese that it's going to then taste like taco meat and cheese because it doesn't... AT ALL! So, I'm quite leery of using this vegan chocolate.
Before I use any of these chocolate chips, I open the bag to test them out. It looks like regular dark chocolate chips. I pop one in my mouth and almost scream. It tastes like a dark chocolate chip! I run over to Hubs who's relaxing on the sofa and say, "Here, try this!" and shove a handful of chips in his mouth. I needed to make sure I hadn't lost my mind. Nope. He agreed. Well, son of a........vegan!! I will gladly sprinkle some optional chocolate chips all over the top of the granola!

The granola is absolutely delicious and it took everything out of both of us not to eat the entire tray! It now lives in a bucket on our kitchen counter and I sparingly will grab a handful once a day. I might have taken a small ziplock of it to work with me too - for those middle of the day emergencies.

That didn't take as long as I thought it would and I was actually successful so I figure why not try my luck at more baking. Who am I? It's about 10pm now and we're usually forcing ourselves to stay awake to take the dogs out one last time before bed at 10pm and here I am gearing up to bake something else!

Hubs loves chocolate chip cookies. Ok, I love them too.

I had already made a mess of the kitchen so why not add some flour to the disaster area?

I went back to my pantry and pulled out all the ingredients I would need for this baking adventure. (Thanks to the Oh She Glows website for the recipe).

Oats, Oat flour, almond flour, arrowroot flour/starch

Geez, really?

Coconut oil, pure maple syrup, almond butter, pure vanilla extract

Ok, what else?

Pink Himalyan salt and baking powder. No, soda. Baking soda. Shoot. I always get those mixed up.

Ok, I got it all. I think.

Parchment paper. I forgot the parchment paper. Back to the pantry, I go.

Ok, I wash my good ole mixing bowl and the directions say to mix all the wet ingredients first.

Wet? Ok. I wouldn't have said almond butter was wet. But ok, it's not dry. I get it.

I told you baking isn't my thing, right?

Then stir the dry ingredients into the mixture, one by one.

I know I'm going to forget something.

Chop the chocolate into chunks. Huh?

Chop the chocolate chips? No, that can't be right.

Oh, they wanted me to get a chocolate bar.

Uh no. These chips will do just fine, thank you.

So I throw those chips into the batter and mix it all up.

It's a sloppy mess at this point and so is my kitchen. Well, truth be told, so am I.

You can't give me three types of flour and maple syrup and expect it not to get messy.

Christina Tozzi would not be happy right now but, let's face it, she needs to lighten up anyway.

Now comes the fun part. This recipe makes 12 jumbo cookies so while I try to use a spoon to measure out the exact amount at first, that doesn't last long. After the first one, I'm all in with both hands making these mounds. After I get the first row of three placed on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, I see that the mounds are starting to flatten out. Thankfully, the recipe tells me this may happen - it's because of the almond butter. Here I am thinking, "The girl who doesn't bake is at it again trying to be something she's not and screwing things up." Four rows of three (or is it three rows of four?) slowly flattening mounds of cookie batter are now ready to go into the oven and this girl is hopeful!

After about 10 minutes, I check them and, while they have all started to become Siamese twins with their pan partners, they seem to be done!

The toughest part? Waiting.

They have to hang out on the pan for five to six minutes because they are super delicate.

Who doesn't love fresh, hot, right out-of-the-oven cookies?  Kind of like doughnuts at Krispy Kreme when the light is on. You just HAVE to go get one (or a dozen).

But I made it this far without a mistake, so I need to give it the time it needs to perfect itself.

As I gently use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack for 10 minutes, so they will be able to firm up more, I am starting to feel myself turning blue and wanting to just devour the entire freakin' tray!

But, I wait (where is all this patience coming from lately?) and I'm so glad I did because it was so worth it! They are absolutely delicious. They may not be formed like normal cookies. They may not break apart like normal cookies. But who cares? They TASTE like normal cookies! No, they taste like delicious cookies!

How is this possible? Why would anyone eat store-bought cookies like Chips Ahoy (bleh) or even the ones that you buy in the refrigerated section and break apart and bake? Knowing all the crap that you are consuming, wouldn't you rather make them at home with this recipe out of all natural plant-based goodness? They taste the same! They are soft with gooey chocolate in the middle and a firmness on the edges. If you wanted to make them crispy, keeping them in the oven a little longer would easily make that happen.

I truly am amazed.

First, that these cookies are downright yummy!

Second, that I am the one who baked them from scratch and they still turned out that yummy!

For the first time, during this challenge, I actually have made something that is really enjoyable and that's probably because it tastes like something I'm used to and love. It figures that it's a dessert, of all things! 

Obviously, this is my grandmother's spirit - the sweet tooth matriarch of my life - making this happen. There's just no other explanation because..... I don't bake!

Reflections on Day 10

It seems in life when we make drastic changes it's when something happens that nudges us or, in some instances, even pushes us over the edge. We often need reality to slap us in the face in order to make a change. Hopefully, it's not too late by the time that revelation occurs. I've had a few nudges over the last two-three years but evidently not enough to take any severe steps. I cut down portion sizes. I tried to cut out desserts (which is difficult when my mom is visiting). I started juicing in the morning. I consciously drank more water. I even stopped drinking beer for a month (who knew that would even be a problem - I'm a wine girl). It wasn't until this past March, when I had my mandatory biometrics screening done for work, that I finally got my push over the edge.

I'm very big into natural healing. I do not like taking medicine. I have always felt that food can heal and that IF my health ever warranted help, that I would always go the food route first. I preached this to my father and almost begged him to change his diet instead of going on chemo when that was the only option left for treating his prostate cancer, but he wouldn't budge. That was his choice. Now, it's MY choice to make. No time to be a hypocrite now, girl!

I am an "all or nothing" kind of person. Once I have decided that I want to commit to something then I am all in - 100 percent. If I don't do it in that way, then I know that I won't have the will power to see it through. I know that I will cave under pressure or under stress. I knew that transitioning into this lifestyle would not be beneficial. I needed to jump in and hit the ground running. I also knew that it wouldn't be easy but if after these 30 days I felt better and saw positive results, then the struggle would be worth every single second. If I don't see the results I need and nothing really changes, then at least I did every possible thing I could and I did it the right way.  I won't have to wonder.

Almost three weeks after my biometrics screening, I had extensive bloodwork done this morning. If nothing else, this will serve as a baseline but hopefully will show some trending downward after 10 days of strict WFPB (whole food plant based) eating. I'll find out in about two weeks. What I found out this morning though is that I have lost five pounds and THAT is definitely a motivating factor to keep pushing me forward in this challenge. It is obviously working. The NP asked me how I was feeling and as I told her that I was really tired all the time I instantly remembered that I have been in the kitchen cooking/baking the last two nights until almost 11pm.  Wait a minute. Maybe, I AM getting more energy and didn't even realize it. Usually I wouldn't even want to get up off the sofa after dinner each night except to go downstairs to go to bed by 10pm. I'm not staying in the kitchen this late because I have to. I'm doing it because I want to.  Maybe things ARE improving after all....

When I commit to something, I almost become obsessed. I'm a sponge and just search and search for information and resources to gain more knowledge. I listen to others and their journeys. Some I commiserate with; some I do not.  So many of my friends can't believe I'm doing this and say things such as, "I couldn't do it." or "No way I could give up meat" or "Wow, I don't know how you're doing this" or "You can't have cheese or ice cream? No way!"

I don't know how I'm doing it either and most days I don't want to do it anymore but I have to. It was kind of like that marriage when I knew it was over. I wanted to just call it quits and send him off to rot in that bitter hell where he belonged but I couldn't. Well, not without trying first.  I had to know that I did all I possibly could. I had to see if there was any chance that I could make it work because if I didn't I'd always wonder. I don't like living with regrets and when I actually have a choice then I'm going to make the best one for me. We don't always have choices in life so I need to embrace them when I can.

It's the same way with this WFPB eating lifestyle. I know this way of eating works. It even makes sense. I have seen it work for others. I just need to find out if it works for me. I have to try. It may work and completely change my life. But then again, it may not. Regardless, I have to try because if I don't I'll never know and not knowing is something I just can't accept.

Day 7 - How do I feel after a week?

How do you feel after a week of plant-based eating, someone asked me.

Honestly? Pretty depressed.

I have no energy. I don't feel any different physically and I am craving food.

Am I eating enough? Yep. Am I eating the right things? Yep.

But this is all new to me. I can cook just about anything and I can figure out the spices that I need to use in order to enhance that particular food. But this type of eating is completely new to me; completely foreign. And if I'm being honest, I don't enjoy it. I enjoy cooking but I don't enjoy any of this the last seven days. Food excites me. This type of eating does not.

I made 15-minute avocado and basil pasta the other day. I love avocado. I love fresh basil. Add garlic and some fresh squeezed lemon and pulse it all in a blender and there ya have it! Instead of pasta, made zoodles (spiralized zucchini into noodles) and mixed in the creamy sauce.

It wasn't disgusting. In fact, it was pretty good but it was lacking. What was it lacking? Substance. Shrimp, scallops or even grilled chicken with freshly shaven parmesan cheese on top. It's not that it was bad; it just wasn't delicious and I like delicious food. I make delicious food.

I made French Green lentil salad the other day with fresh parsley, tomatoes, celery, shallots and a homemade Dijon mustard, garlic, red wine vinegar and Herbs de Provence dressing. It looks like tabbouleh and I love tabbouleh but it didn't taste like tabbouleh. In fact, it didn't taste like much of anything at all.

I threw together sautéed Portobello mushrooms and onions in garlic, added black beans, wilted baby spinach and fresh made salsa on top with crushed red pepper for lunch one day. It was ok. I ate it. But I've never been one to just EAT food. I ENJOY food. I haven't once found a dish these last seven days that I have made that I have actually enjoyed and said, "Wow! I could eat a ton of this stuff!!!"

Last week was eye opening, frustrating and demoralizing.  I never thought this was going to be easy but it's so time consuming too. It's not like we have a plethora of options in which to grocery shop in the Outer Banks - Walmart, Food Lion, Harris Teeter and a new Publix. I love Fresh Market but it is really only for my specialty items. I have to go to three different stores in one day and still can't get everything I need. I miss Wegmans so much I could scream.

So tonight, Hubs and I went to our favorite place to eat on the Outer Banks - The Salt Box. It's really the only "safe" place for me to go during this challenge because Chef Amanda "gets me". She always has a vegan dish on the menu and the menu often changes from week to week. I saw the menu on the restaurant's Facebook page and the vegan dish sounded interesting. Of course, so did the prawns and pork belly and I was drooling just thinking about that dish. Sigh. Hubs would get that delicious dish and I'd at least get to smell it and maybe even lick it. Oh hell yeah, I was gonna lick it.

Off to Salt Box we go, in the pouring rain, and I'm hopeful. If it were anywhere else, I wouldn't be but Chef Amanda is a food genius. I have chosen vegan dishes off the menu before simply because of the flavor. I went to the Salt Box vegan wine dinner a few months ago and enjoyed every single dish. I don't know if I'd choose vegan dishes every time but I still enjoyed it and was blown away by the creativity.

We sit down and look at the menu and what appears? Something that wasn't listed on the Facebook menu. Lump crab and bacon tortellini with smoked gouda cream sauce. Seriously? You've got to be kidding me. Could you throw anymore of my favorite things together into one dish when I can't have them? I almost burst into tears. On any normal night, I would have gotten that dish and Hubs would have gotten the prawns and pork belly dish and we would have shared and had the best of both worlds. If there ever was a time that I would cheat, this should have been it, but I didn't. I was really fighting myself internally though. Chef Amanda had informed her sister, April, who also works there and was our server, that I was "going vegan" so there was no way that I'd be able to change my mind now. That was probably a blessing.

Even though this shot is blurry, it's still beautiful and I can still smell it. It's probably out of focus because I was shaking for lack of delicious food in my life the last seven days. I did take a tiny piece of crab and a tortellini. It was heavenly. Personally, I would have liked more crab.

Come on, I was trying to find SOMETHING wrong it.....

My Thai green curry noodle bowl came out and I was in awe of its presence. Incredibly beautiful.

A dish with strategically placed glass noodles, peanuts, chickpeas, pickled avocado, sweetie drops (a Peruvian pepper in the shape of a teardrop) and just the right combination of spices.

 The curry sauce was absolutely divine.

As I've said before, if all vegan food tasted like Chef Amanda's, I'd turn vegan instantly.

Now, with that in mind, I'm not vegan. I'm doing whole food, plant based. Closest thing to get to at a restaurant with this is a vegan dish. Also, I did ask if there was any oil in this dish and Amanda said MAYBE a tablespoon in the entire pot of curry so basically I may have had what amounts to a spritz of oil in my bowl. Seriously, if anyone wants to fight me over this, have at it. I could have caved and gotten anything else on this menu - including the ribeye - but I didn't. So cut me some slack.

Earlier, I mentioned to Hubs that I was going to just go jump in the ocean.

For those who don't know, I can't swim.

Yeah, I wasn't in a good place.

While Hubs had the coconut cream pie for dessert, I was super excited about my vegan chocolate avocado pudding.

Incredibly thick and luscious in a champagne glass with crushed up nuts on top, I sighed with every slow mouthful. I've only had vegan desserts that Chef Amanda has made and I have been in awe at each one. The chocolate and avocado torte was the first one Hubs and I shared a few months ago and I still have dreams about that one.

This is the happiest I've been in the last week. Chef Amanda gives me hope. I figure if I go to Salt Box for dinner each night for the next 23 days, I can definitely power through breakfast and lunch on my own. If only it were that easy.

One bit of confidence though was Chef Amanda agreeing that changing my eating habits into this lifestyle is definitely not easy and no doubt time consuming. She gave me some helpful advice and tips and I also am going to try to recreate her green curry noodle bowl on my own soon. It obviously won't taste like hers but at least I know the ingredients and where to start.

How do I feel after a week of whole food, plant-based eating?

Better now that I had dinner at my favorite little café in Colington.

Yeah, let's just leave it at that for now.

Day 5 - Mater Love

Day 5 was a good day. Why? Well, I was off work for the day for one thing. That right there is enough. I had numerous doctor appointments but it still allowed me to be home about an hour earlier than usual so I took advantage of that time.

Home grown tomatoes are something I have always loved and even craved. Nothing like a home grown mater right out of the garden. I remember as a child anxiously awaiting summer at our Colonial Beach cottage so we'd get home grown tomatoes. Mr. Hicks had a garden right behind our house and the delicious yummies would graciously appear on our patio table every morning. Even after Mr. Hicks passed, Skip would share tomatoes from his garden with us as well. Even without our gracious neighbors, Mom, Grandmother and I would go downtown and purchase them from the local produce stand or from Mr. Lee who drove around with this station wagon stacked with fresh produce.  Even as I got older and lived on my own in Woodbridge, I'd frequent the local farmer's market to grab home grown tomatoes and ironically they were usually from someone in Westmoreland County. To this day, I still hunt them down in the summer and I just cannot wait for them to be ready this season!!

If it's a really ripe one, and you can tell by the smell, I can wash it, and bite right into it, just like an apple. Mom and I would always cut up tomatoes and put salt on them and just eat them as a snack or as a side. Wedge one and put lump blue crab on top or homemade chicken salad. Slice them for toppings on a pizza or in a salad. Nothing better than a home grown mater on a burger. Sets that burger on fire, Dad would say. Fresh bruschetta or caprese salad with fresh basil.  Ah.... so many delicious ways to enjoy tomatoes.

One thing I have never done though is roast tomatoes. So I found a recipe for a roasted tomato soup the other day and since I needed a fair amount of time to prepare it, no better day than Day 5 to do so. Being that its April, tomatoes aren't in season yet which would make this dish soooooo much better. Instead, I purchased roma tomatoes, cut them in half, black pepper and sea salted them with a spritz of vegetable broth (b/c/ oil is a no go these 30 days), put them on a foiled baking sheet and into the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes they went!  On a separate sheet, went a sliced yellow onion.

The other thing I've always wanted to do but never have is roast garlic cloves. This soup recipe had another recipe attached for roasting garlic and it seemed super easy. I had three garlic cloves, chopped off the tips, put some vegetable broth over the cut edges, wrapped them in foil and shoved each one in a muffin tin. After 45 minutes, my house not only smelled of wondrous garlic but I was able to easily squeeze the softened garlic out and into a pot with the carmelized onions, which were done well before anything else in the oven. Reminding me of licking the mixer parts and spoon after Mom baked a cake as a kid, I must say that I quite enjoyed licking my own fingers after squeezing the garlic out of these cloves!

Once the tomatoes were roasted, they got added to the pot along with a can of light organic coconut milk, some vegetable broth and garam masala. After bringing this loveliness to a boil, it simmered on medium for about 15 minutes before I added it all to the blender. You could make this smooth but I like a chunky tomato soup so I just pulsed it a few times. 

 

 Garam Masala is a combination of spices (cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardmom, coriander) mostly used in Indian cuisine and I LOVE Indian cuisine. Butter Chicken is one dish that is a staple on Indian menus and I actually was able to perfect it a few years ago.  This soup reminded me very much of butter chicken but without the chicken.

We could remedy that real easy in fact... sigh... but I won't.

I know. I know.

Anyway, this soup isn't as thick as I'd like but since I can't have heavy cream, I can't make it thicker. Regardless, it's delicious. It made quite a bit so I froze half of it. I can see this being very versatile and even putting it over gnocchi or pasta or cauliflower rice. I have some future ideas forthis soup used as a sauce. This soup could also easily be given an Italian spin by putting in fresh basil and oregano or made more hearty with spinach and mushrooms.

Heating/broiling some whole grain bread a little in the oven to make it crusty and dipping it in the soup is a must. Bread is always a great way to clean up the bowl when you're done too. Don't rinse all that goodness down the drain!

Day 5 was a good day.

No work

Brought back wonderful family and food memories

My home smelled of tomatoes, garlic and onions.

Yep, Day 5 was a good day.

I could use more days like Day 5.