When I’m doing one of these fun/silly diet challenges (not “diet” in the sense of weight-loss, which I’m not into, but “diet” as in “what I eat”), the best time to do them is a time like this month, when I’m working at home and have all the time in the world to cook. You can expect to see lots of posts this month; brace yourselves.
Today’s menu:
Breakfast: Tofu scramble; fried O’Brien potatoes; agave ketchup (recipe below)
Morning snack: Figs and raspberries
Lunch: Salad with vinaigrette (olive oil, cider vinegar, a touch of agave nectar)
Afternoon snack: guacamole and chips (James made the guacamole with onions, jalapenos, and garlic. He asked me if I wanted him to clean it up for photos, but I said Nah, we’re just gonna sit and watch movies with it; this is how it looks.)
Dinner: Polenta with wild mushrooms. The morels didn’t look good, so I got porcini, chanterelles, and baby buttons. Cooked down with onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper. Served over fried polenta sticks. I used this method, but left out the animal products and added olive oil and a little bit of nutritional yeast for “cheesiness.”
These photos are by way of saying that even if there’s a food you don’t or can’t eat, you don’t have to sacrifice abundance. I don’t believe in deprivation, and there’s no reason a vegan, gluten-free life has to be dull and drab.
Oh, and here’s the recipe for the ketchup. Let me know if you improve on it. I love ketchup!
- 1 small can (6 oz.) tomato paste (I used organic, because the only ingredient is tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon amber agave nectar, optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- Mix everything but the water, then add the water a tablespoon at a time until the ketchup is the consistency you want. Makes about a cup of ketchup.