books | jenojoon

Feb 05 2012

Pancakes and Chocolate Mousse!

I started the morning with a perfect batch of “Perfect Pancakes” from Vegan Brunch. These are truly perfect. They are fluffy and classic tasting. I make them a lot, but today was the most perfect they’ve ever been. I halved the recipe so I don’t know if this had anything to do with it. All I know is they hit the spot this morning drizzled with agave syrup and served with some pumpkin spice coffee.

And while I enjoyed the pancake breakfast, I read the weekend’s section of Vegan’s Daily Companion. The recipe was for chocolate mousse. A very simple recipe that I happened to have all the ingredients for. I whipped it up later in the evening. I had a hard time getting the melted chocolate to incorporate completely into the mousse. I used my food processor and I think it might have been smoother if I’d made it in the Blendtec. But it still tasted delicious. It is very rich and the half cup serving size is plenty! The recipe makes six servings.

Feb 01 2012

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adventures, books, food, Let's Eat!, vegan food, veganism

Adventures in Whole Foods!

No, not the store, but actual whole foods! A few months ago I came to the harsh realization that although I eat lots of healthy foods I also eat lots of process junk foods. And just because they are vegan junk foods does not make them healthy! Anyone that follows me on Twitter knows how much I ADORE nachos. Like, LOVE them. OBSESSED with them. I always have tortilla chips in the pantry. I eat a variation of nachos at least once a week if not more often. Yes, I usually make my own vegan queso that is low fat and relatively healthy, and I sometimes put veggies on top of the chips and queso, but still. I am eating full fat, fried, processed, not even always organic tortilla chips! This needs to stop (not entirely (gawd forbid) – but just not as a regular habit).

And even more recently I realized that I have become addicted to sugar. In the afternoons, sitting at my desk, I get an overwhelming urge to eat something sweet and if I don’t get it I get all panicky! (umm, sugar-holics anonymous much?) And then, if I do eat something sugary, I get that terrible crash later and feel like I’m going to pass out at my desk! No Bueno.

So I’m embarking on some changes around JenoJoon-land. I’m focusing on whole foods and primarily on fruits, veggies, and beans. With a little bit of nuts and seeds thrown in and the occasional serving of a cooked grain or sprouted bread or pasta.

I’m taking parts of a few philosophies that work for me and combining them into an eating-habit revamp. This isn’t a cleanse or anything like that. I need to make some permanent changes. However, I was definitely inspired by Bianca of Vegan Crunk, who does a cleanse each January, and I decided to give The Crazy Sexy Diet another read. I’m incorporating green juice most mornings because I know how good it makes me feel. I’m also using the little ph sticks to test my alkaline/acid balance in my body. So far today I’ve been nice and balanced!

I’m reading Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live so I’m also incorporating lots of raw fruits and veggies (also recommended by The Crazy Sexy Diet). As well as some cooked veggies, lots of beans, and moderate amounts of nuts and seeds.

So, with all that being said, here’s what I’ve eaten today:

Before I left for work I sipped eight ounces of fresh green juice. I juiced what I had on hand that needed using up so I did collards, bok choy, rainbow chard, romaine, a little carrot, a couple apples, half a lemon and a couple oranges. (this made enough juice for four servings) This made for a pretty spicy green juice but very tasty.

Then I ate some chia seed pudding that I’d made last night- just chia seeds, some organic soymilk, and a bit of stevia. It ‘gelled’ overnight and tasted like vanilla tapioca pudding. I also had a small cup of coffee with soymilk. I’m not giving up coffee. It brings me joy and I don’t think the 6 ounces I drink each day is going to hurt me…

chia seed pudding

Then I had a big fruit salad with a combo of fresh and frozen fruits: Frozen peaches and strawberries and a fresh orange and banana. Dr. Fuhrman recommends at least four fruits a day, so that was my breakfast.

fruit salad

I was definitely feeling hungry around 10am but I need to remind myself that it is ok to feel a little hungry between meals. My body needs down time. If I’m constantly eating, I’m constantly digesting! Dr. Fuhrman recommends not snacking between meals.

So I waited until lunch time to eat my next meal. I had some juice pulp crackers that I dehydrated (more about this tomorrow when I tell you about my raw NACHOS! See? Told you I wasn’t giving them up!), and two dishes that my mom gave me. She gets food delivered from a vegan food service sometimes and I always get to try some of the items. This week she gave me a lentil pistachio salad and green beans with leeks and fennel! So delicious. I’ll do a post on the food delivery service soon too.

lentil salad, green beans, and raw crackers

I guess this wasn’t all that different from a typical day for me, but it was what I DIDN’T eat instead of what I did eat that was so different. There was no snacking, no afternoon cookie gorging, and the only processed thing I had was the soymilk in my chia pudding and coffee. I had to make a concerted effort not to snack before dinner too. But I knew that I’d had plenty of food and plenty of nutrients throughout the day and also that I had an awesome raw dinner to look forward to!

I felt clear and energetic all day. Which was nice.

Jan 23 2012

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baked treats, books, food, in the kitchen, vegan food, veganism

Vegan’s Daily Companion: Lemon Berry Muffins

This was week three of Vegan’s Daily Companion. And I finally made the week’s recipe! But before we get to that let me tell you a little about some of the other topics from this week.

On Monday I learned about walnuts and how they are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that are so important. Tuesday was my favorite entry for the week. The topic was titled, Answering the Same Questions Again and Again. The passage that hit me the most was, “Whether we like it or not, if we’re the vegan someone comes to, we represent all vegans.” When someone asks us questions like, “Where do you get your protein?”, it is important that we don’t just roll our eyes out of annoyance, but sincerely answer the question with patience and compassion. They may never have talked to a vegan before and genuinely don’t get it. Or they may be trying to mess with you, but even so, take the high road!

Now let’s fast forward to the weekend section- food! Saturdays and Sundays are combined into one section in Colleen’s book and there is always a recipe. I HAD to make this week’s- Blueberry-Lemon Muffins! I wished I had read ahead because my mom gave me a beautiful pint of fresh blueberries, but I ate them up before I realized I could use them in the recipe for the week! So I improvised with frozen mixed berries. And they were still amazing!

I had some lovely home-grown lemons from a friend’s yard. And I think the thing I was most excited about was the fact that the recipe called for lemon extract. I’ve had an unopened bottle of organic lemon extract that I got on clearance quite a while back that I haven’t had a use for. I think I actually squealed out loud when I realized I could use it!

So the muffins turned out fluffy and perfectly cake-like. Just the way I like them. They were also nice and lemony!! (I should hope so with the zest of two lemons and a teaspoon of lemon extract!) I ~~inhaled~~ enjoyed them slathered with Earth Balance buttery spread and a nice cup of kukicha tea, hot out of the oven!

look at that berry goodness!

And on a somewhat unrelated note, I got a laptop this weekend and was soooo excited to sit at my kitchen table and blog whilst the muffins were baking! I’ve never had a laptop before and is it ever a treat! :)

Jan 15 2012

5 Comments

books, food, life, loveliness, vegan food, veganism

Vegan’s Daily Companion- Lessons and Gifts

Every day in 2012 I’m reading a passage from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s Vegan’s Daily Companion (VDC). I wrote about the book last week.

This week in VDC I learned about dates (the fruit). I LOVE them already, I’ve been a huge fan for years but now I want to get my hands on some date sugar and bake something! There was also a recipe for Pine Nut-Anise Cookies. Yum! The recipe calls for a cup of pine nuts and almost a cup of maple syrup, so it’s not a cheap recipe! I’d like to make it at some point, but I’ll have to get the supplies and plan for it.

My favorite passage for the week was Wednesday’s entry on Optimum Health, “Receiving Lessons and Gifts”. Colleen talks about how every experience in life is either a lesson or a blessing. It is hard to think of things in this way when you are going through a really tough time. Recently, I lost my bestie kitty, Bas, and I’m still trying to see the ‘lesson or blessing’ in this experience. I know that I’m learning to cope with loss and that’s a lesson of sorts. I can look back at my 5+ years of memories with Bas and those years were a blessing. But it is still hard. I’m still grieving.

Another point in this passage is how we never know the impact that our lives or actions will have on others. This made me stop and think. Gosh, I really hope that my actions would be a blessing to someone else. A kind word, a funny joke, a smile when they need it. I don’t want to be a lesson to someone else- eek. I mean, I’d hate for my actions to make someone think- eww, I never want to act like that! HA! I’m kind of joking but not really. :) I want to focus on being a positive blessing in the world.

After two weeks of reading a bit in this book daily, I definitely recommend it to vegans or those open to learning about veganism. I’m looking forward to the coming week. I took a tiny peek and it looks like some great stuff! ;)

My nephew Jake feeding a rescued goat. What a blessing he is to me!

Jan 08 2012

7 Comments

books, veganism

Vegan’s Daily Companion- 365 Days of Love

On January 1st I started reading Colleen Patrick-Goudreau‘s beautiful book, Vegan’s Daily Companion. I’ve had this book for several months and had skimmed around in it but I wanted to start it at the new year and read each day’s entry for an entire year. The book has a short entry for each day of the week (with Saturday and Sunday combined), so six entries per week for 52 weeks. The entries start on Monday and since I really wanted to start it on the 1st (which was a Sunday) I read the intro and ‘how to use this book’ sections first. Colleen says you can read an entry each day in order or skip around however you like. One of my favorite things about the book is the purple ribbon page marker attached to it!

The book is organized like this:

Monday- For the Love of Food- discussion on all kinds of vegan foods

Tuesday- Compassionate Communication- ideas on ways to talk to people about veganism with love

Wednesday- Optimum Health for Body, Mind, and Spirit- how to care for ourselves in the best ways

Thursday- Animals in the Arts: Literature and Film- how animals are portrayed in books and movies. Some of these entries are really sad…

Friday- Stories of Hope, Rescue, and Transformation- uplifting stories of animal rescues

Saturday and Sunday- Healthful Recipes- uhh- well, this day gives recipes! :)

I enjoyed reading a section each morning this week with a cup of tea before heading to work. I’d also love to make each recipe in this book! This week’s recipe is for a massaged kale salad. I ate a TON of kale this past week so I may or may not make this recipe today. I plan to share a little bit about the book in a new series of Sunday posts. Have you read this book?