Vegging , week 1

Actually there has been very little vegging going on around here this week, what with dealing with the snow storm, work, flat tire, gym, tanning, getting ready for holidays, and cooking there has been no time for relaxing.

And yes cooking has been high on the activity list, the switch to a vegetarian diet means trying out new recipes which has been fun but it takes time as a lot of it is new. 
And there is a huge learning curb trying to replace the meats with a healthy diet, learning about proteins, carbs, fiber, vitamins, fat, etc.. things that before we didn't pay to much attention to but now realize we have to know about in order to stay healthy. On top of that Ev and I have dissimilar tastes and eating habits, after being married for twelve years I've gotten to know how to cook for the two of us but now that meat has left the equation, well it's like starting all over again, between what is not liked and what upsets the stomach compromises have to be made about what can and cannot be cooked and eaten, it's a bit frustrating at times but I still find this whole new culinary revamp fun.

I have found some good recipes on my online searches that are keepers and are being added to our new veggie home cooking book. 

My favorite so far has been 

“ Eggplant Parmagian I “

Ingredients

1. 1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch slices
2. 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
3. 8 tablespoons olive oil
4. 8 ounces ricotta cheese
5. 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
6. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7. 1 egg, beaten
8. 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
9. 4 cups pasta sauce

Directions

1. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Place slices in a colander, and place a dish underneath the colander to capture liquid that will sweat out of the eggplant. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix in egg and basil.
3. Rinse the eggplant in cold water until all salt is removed. In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Place one layer of eggplant in the pan, brown each side. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, using additional oil if necessary.
4. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, evenly spread 1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Top the eggplant with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering process until all the eggplant and cheese mixture is used. Pour remaining sauce on top of layers, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2016 Allrecipes.com 

Printed From Allrecipes.com 3/3/2016

I didn’t have fresh basil but I did have some fresh coriander so I chopped a bit of that and added it to some dried basil instead and I also added a couple of cloves of garlic (chopped). The eggplant I coated in breadcrumbs before frying, this dish turned out great !! Ev was hesitant about the eggplant, I promised her she would like it done like this and once she tasted it she was a convert ! as far as this dish goes but unfortunately eggplant won't be a staple in our new diet. 

Now Ev has been sticking to the new diet but I have been eating meats, yes I know I’m a sinner !!, but no, we have in our freezer a few containers of frozen foods that I have made during our carnivorous days, I like to make a big batch of whatever it is we are cooking and then freeze some for another day, that way we are not always slaving over the stove. So I am going to finish all the old foods we have left in the freezer as I think that throwing them out would be very disrespectful to the animals that gave their lives for it, once it is all gone I think I will fully join Ev in this new lifestyle ! 

Here is a sampling of our kitchen activity. 
This was an awesome potato-spinach dish with mozzarella,recotta and cheder cheese in it , very good !!!

Of course being a vegetarian means eating tofu so this was our first go around with it, Ev eat it but is very hesitant about it, I fried this lot and we had them with some fried eggs, asparagus and leftover potato/spinach casserole, yum yum ! 

And last night I fried the rest of the tofu and adding it to a noodle dish Ev made . I am finding that with the extra exercise I am hungrier and have to eat more if I am going to maintain the workload.

 And tonight an awesome " Quinoa and Black Beans " dish with corn kernels, onion, garlic, cumin, black pepper and fresh coriander, very very tasty !! 

More recipes to come in future posts 

The Challenge

Just a week ago or so I increased my weekly exercise from spinning twice a week to three times. 

I’m in training again after a five year hiatus !!. 

My challenge comes this September in the form of a Tough Mudder event at Mount St Louis Moonstone. And why you may ask ? , I know I do, the response  “ because it’s there “ as the popular answer from the crazed adventurer goes; well yes and no. 

Yes, because I desperately need a challenge and this one is there waiting for me to just try it, five years have gone by since my cross Canada cycling adventure, five years of searching for something to do. 

And no, because this has more to do with my long dragged out mid-life crises then anything else. ( more another day on that ) 

Age in itself has never bothered me but the changes that come with it has started to bug me big time and this past year has been difficult I must say.

And that brings me to an acceptance ( finally ) that I am not the same any more, I’m not 25 or 35 or even 45 , no I’m 58 and I don’t like it and I can’t do anything about it. But then again I’ll be damned if I’m going to accept it without a fight, so I’m going to push the limits and see how far I can go, I might be getting older but I’m not old yet ! 

The plan was ( and still is ) to increase the spinning over the winter and as the weather warms move to outdoor biking and then start the upper body exercises, cross training, jogging ( I hate jogging !! ) strength training and flexibility. 

All of this should be enough of a challenge on its own never mind doing a Tough Mudder as I have been on a not so slow down hill slide physically for the past year or so  a loss of upper body strength has been worrisome and it’s going to take a great effort to get at least some of what I have lost back. And mentally there have been some dark times too that I will have to work on. 

I am hoping this Tough Mudder challenge will put me back on the right path both  physically and mentally.

So bring it on, I’m ready !!!

The reluctant vegetarian

A few days ago it happened, out of the blue “BANG” Ev announced she was never again eating meat ! , all because of a post she viewed on Facebook , ahhhh !!!. 
At first I wasn't sure what to make of this, was she really going to do it or would it pass in a day or two, but no, true to form once she makes up her mind there is seldom a turning back and she (we ???) is now a vegetarian.

So after lecturing her profusely about the draw backs of doing this all of a sudden on her health etc ... , I went online and started to do some research myself, and try as I may I could not really come up with one good solid reason for her not to go ahead.

It was just a matter of time really before one or the other of us would follow this path as we have talked about it in the past many times, funny enough I had thought that it would be me first as I have struggled morally with the barbaric practices used in the mass rearing and housing of animals for human consumption and the inhumanity of the slaughter house for a long time, but no, social media in just one post viewing managed to alter Ev’s view of the world and she is the first of us going down this path. And me for now the reluctant vegetarian/carnivore.   

Now this is a major life changing event, after all eating is a principal part of one staying alive, goes hand in hand with breathing, modify one or the other and you can be in trouble. 

So back to the internet in search of vegetarian recipes and here again another challenge as Ev at the best of times is a finicky eater, recipes abound, but recipes that she will eat not so much, she is not as bad as my grandson who will automatically say in response to just about any new food put in front of him “ I don’t like that !!! “ , but she is a close second in that regard, so after much consultation a menu for the week was agreed upon and a grocery list put together and off on a new adventure we headed. 

Here is a sampling of  the bounty we brought home, kind of exiting really !! 

And now once again a new stage in our lives begins, and to be totally honest I don’t mind it at all ( I think ) , I get to experiment with cooking new foods and I will most probably slowly follow Ev into a vegetarian lifestyle . I did gain one concession , she will for a little while eat fish ( if she can ) so tonight we are having baked salmon and a spinach mashed potatoes casserole ( spinach , potatoes, sour cream, cheddar cheese , onion , etc ...) if it turns out I’ll put the recipe up.