I'm back! And no, I didn't just randomly disappear. I've been on the vacation of a lifetime! On June 11, Paul and I, along with 140+ of our closest friends, left for Israel. We spent the next 9 days exploring, learning, discovering, and having a life-changing experience in the land where Jesus walked.
I'm not going to chronicle the whole experience on this blog, but I do want to share the highlights of the food. Oh, the food! Now, I knew I loved Middle Eastern food (especially falafel!) and I knew this was going to be a treat in that regard, but man, oh man, did it exceed my expectations! All you vegetarians and vegans out there know how hard it can be to travel and eat well. Not on this trip! This was vegan paradise!
We stayed in four different hotels, and in each one of them, the food was amazing! They provided extravagant buffets with vegetables and salads and breads and desserts. Oh my, you have never seen such breads and deserts! (I sound like the food addict, don't I?!?)
While we traveled pretty much the entire length and breadth of the country, our primary stops were in Tel Aviv, Tiberias (on the Sea of Galilee), the Dead Sea, and then Jerusalem. The touring and sight-seeing were non-stop and we crammed a whole lot of places into those few short days. I could have easily stayed a week at each location.A couple of food discoveries I made were za'atar, a hyssop (or thyme) spice combination that is awesome, and schug, a green chili sauce that is HOT! I brought some of the za'atar home with me and have already used up about half of it. It is delicious on salads, sandwiches, or used to make a salad dressing. And I made schug this week for the first time. A little of that stuff goes a looooong way! I'll be posting the recipe for both on my next post.So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are food photos from Israel. (With a few non-food photos thrown in just for fun!)Oh - and just in case anybody doesn't get it, falafel is my FAVORITE food! If you've never eaten this culinary delight, it is deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas stuffed in pitas with hummus, various salads, tahini sauce, and optional schug. Never had falafel? Find your nearest Middle Eastern restaurant and discover it TODAY!!
The market in Old Jerusalem. I so want to shop like this all the time!
More of the market. This was one of my very favorite parts of the trip. The senses were overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and the smells!
Trying to beat the heat. It was up to 117 degrees in the desert. 
A spice shop in Old Jerusalem. I wanted everything in there!! The smell was indescribable!
The pyramid is made from spices! Cool, huh?!?
A view of the Negev from Masada
At the Dead Sea - this is the man who used to weigh 432 pounds!
Floating in the Dead Sea
Paul eating falafel from a street vendor in Old Jerusalem.
Me waiting (impatiently) on falafel........
From the hotel in Jerusalem.
Yes, that's me and Paul on a camel in the desert........ And afterward we were served a wonderful meal by the Bedouins. Didn't post the food photos because they were rather dark, and because there was meat on the trays with which they served (no, we didn't eat it, but it was in the photos.) 
At the Bedouin camp. Amazing how much cooler it was under the tents!
Just in case you wondered........ The kosher ones do not serve cheeseburgers. Jewish dietary laws forbid eating meat with the cheese from the same animal.
From the restaurant at the Dead Sea......
Falafel at Qumran. This was the very best falafel of the trip!
Yummy falafel!
A beautiful display of some of the locally grown veggies served at every meal, including breakfast.
From the restaurant in Jerusalem........
A little restaurant on the Jordan River. A fellow UPSer and his beautiful family.
And yes, more falafel!
Yummy curried carrot salad. There will be a post on this soon!
The chef at this little family-run restaurant near Mt. Carmel. See the spread below.
This goes in your pita with falafel.
From the hotel in Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.
A little cafe in Old Jerusalem. Guess what we ate......
And finally..... they do love Elvis in Israel. Who knew???
Paul at the finish line of the Marine CorpsMarathon
Paul and me in his size 60 jeansEvery time I try to tell our story, I am surprised at how long it is! There are so many twists and turns, so many side stories and funny turns of events. Paul's book will have to include all those details; I can't possible remember them all! I do promise, however, that this will be the final installment of "Our Story".
One day it dawned on me that if things continued along the path they seemed to be taking - Paul exercising and faithfully eating well and me doing neither, he was going eventually weight LESS THAN ME!! That was a moment of crystalizing clarity. I got on board with a vengeance. I started counting calories right along with Paul. I started going to the gym without having to be browbeaten. And the weight loss followed like a well-behaved child.
Adventures began to come our way. Paul went on a mission trip to Africa, a life-long dream of his. We started camping and hiking, something we had never done together. Paul learned to snow ski and water ski and I began horseback riding for the first time since college. In time, I had the opportunity to own my own horses, a life-long dream of mine.
We began taking spin classes, which we now both teach. I dragged out my old Trek bicycle and had it refurbished, Paul bought a new bike, and we began outdoor cycling. Paul ran his first half marathon, then his first full-length marathon. I ran my first series of foot races and then a half-marathon. I am currently training for my first triathlon in August and a 10-mile road race in October, both with my older daughter.
We were eating locally as much as possible, and buying as much organic as we could find, but up until 2006, we still were not vegan. Two things happened to change that. The first was my "accidental" reading of The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. I say accidental because when I came across this book I was actually trying to buy a different one which had nothing to do with veganism. I have no idea now what I was looking for, but I couldn't find it and this one kept crossing my path. So I finally bought it. And what I read rocked my world. I read that book in about two sittings. I couldn't put it down. And when I finally did put it down, the die was cast. We would be vegan. Period. Paul was 100% with me on the decision.
The second event occurred on a camping trip just after I read The China Study. We were still figuring out how to make the shift and we were still eating meat. It was September and we were camping at Kentucky Lake near the Land Between the Lakes area. It was pouring rain and we were stuck in the camper. We decided to get in the truck and drive out to a game preserve out in Land Between the Lakes. We figured that since it was raining 1) there wouldn't be many people there and 2) the animals would be active. We were dead on on both counts.
We were driving slowly through the preserve, enjoying the frequent glimpses of elk and deer and other critters. Then out of nowhere came a herd of bison. Hundreds and hundreds of bison. Mama bison and daddy bison and precious shaggy little baby bison. We had to stop for them to cross the road and they just kept coming. I rolled down the truck window and I could feel their hot breath, could have touched them, they were so close. And those majestic creatures just kept marching out of the woods. I was so moved I was sobbing as I shot video. We sat there for almost an hour.
When we got back to camp, Paul and I just looked at each other. Three guesses what had been on the menu for dinner. Yeah. Bison burgers. That was NOT gonna happen! From that moment, we have never eaten another bite of bison or any other meat or animal product.
In the end, we lost a collective 336 pounds. I lost 104 pounds, and Paul lost a whopping 232. Many people ask if we had bariatric surgery. We did not. Paul did have reconstructive surgery after he had lost his weight. That was quite an experience as well - 11 hours and 12 pounds of skin removed from his chest, back, and abdomen! The scars have faded quite a bit, but I know Paul wears those scars as a badge of courage and commitment!
To be honest, I still struggle with the daily discipline that is required to maintain a healthy weight. Not the cooking part, because I love to cook. It’s not the vegan part, because I will never eat another animal. It is the self-control and commitment to good health part, because, believe me, a vegan can still be fat and unhealthy!
The past year and a half presented us with some of the most difficult family struggles we have seen in our 15+ years of marriage. I tend to turn to food for comfort and my exercise routine got a little sketchy. As a result, I gained 17 pounds over the past winter.
The name of my blog describes me rather accurately - I am indeed a food addict. And just like any addiction, it must be managed or it will take over. At this writing, I have lost 5 of those extra pounds, my eating is under control, I am exercising like a crazy woman again, and I feel confident that my renewed commitment to a healthy and active lifestyle will prevail.
So here we are. Healthy, fit, vegan, and loving the adventure! On August 7th I will take part in a triathlon and on October 25th I will run 10 miles with my daughter in Washington D.C.. Ten years ago if anyone had told me what I would be doing when I was 50, I would have slapped them for being stupid. And turned around and eaten another donut.......
Paul and me before a training run for the Derby Mini-Marathon
So here is a quick recipe that I threw together mostly from leftovers. It turned out yummy enough to share!
Pasta with Sausage and Peppers
2 tbs olive oil
4 Field Roast vegan sausages, halved length-wise and sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced 1 medium onion, diced1 large tomato, diced
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp onion granules
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups cheezy sauce1 box cooked bowtie pasta
Cook the pasta (mine was leftover) and set it aside. In a large dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the peppers, onions, and sausage, and cook until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is browned. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, the garlic granules, black pepper, and onion granules. Stir in the cheezy sauce, then the add the pasta. Let the mixture simmer for 10-12 minutes, but not long enough for the pasta to get mushy.
Yes, I've been away for too long. Lots going on - vacation planning, a new laptop, training hard for two up-coming events - a sprint-length triathlon in August and a 10-miler in October. It might seem early to be training for an event in October, but you have no idea how hard I have to work to get my head ready for a long distance run! My body is ready looong before I get my head into it!Now on to the next part of our story, and a quick recipe.
Our Story, Part IISo Paul and I find ourselves a family of four. Two very busy daughters keeping us running constantly and both of us in grad school. No time to plan for or cook healthy meals. Most of our meals during that time were either Hamburger Helper-type deals or fast food. Junk and more junk. During this time, Paul and I reached our heaviest weights. I maxed out at around 254 pounds, Paul at 432. I was wearing a size 24 and Paul's jeans were a whopping size 60.
This is Paul and me at a family reunion in September of 1998.
During this time, Paul was diagnosed with hypertension and Type II diabetes. Before long he found himself on 8 different drugs to control the two diseases. The diabetes was a bit of a wake-up call. I began to cook more and we began to pay more attention to the amounts of food we were consuming. Paul dropped around 60 pounds. I didn't.
The new resolve didn't last and Paul regained all of what he had lost. Then a series of events began that turned our lives upside down. I will condense this very long story to the bare bones. No, there were no tragedies. Paul decided to change careers. He had been doing psychiatric social work for many years and thought it was time for a change. He quit his job and went to work managing a woodcrafters' supply store.
It was a disaster. He hated it from the moment he started. And when I say he hated it, that is an understatement. He lasted all of 3 days. The store owner was furious with him, but Paul knew it was not where he belonged, so after those 3 days, he quit. And was unemployed. He was only unemployed for two weeks, but those were very long weeks!
Now, anybody who knows my husband at all knows what a conscientious and responsible person he is. To be unemployed with a family was devastating to his sense of responsibility. The anxiety was overwhelming. He began having panic attacks. He couldn't sleep or eat. To manage the anxiety, he began taking long walks. And lo and behold, by the time he started his new counseling job, he had lost around 15 pounds!
He kept walking every day. In the rain, in the heat, in the snow. And the weight kept coming off. I was becoming more aware of the types of food we were eating. I was preparing more fresh vegetables and we cut fast food out completely. I lost a few pounds, but nothing compared to what Paul was loosing!
Then Paul began "branching out". He started going to the gym. I hated him for it. Because he dragged me along with him. I would walk on the indoor track and mutter mean things while he pumped away on the elliptical machine. You see, I had long since made up my mind that I was fat and would stay that way for the rest of my life. Not because I liked it, but because I didn't think I could do anything about it.
To be continued..........
And now for a quick, easy, and delicious dinner......
Stewed Cabbage with Red Lentils and Rice
1 cup red lentils1 cup basmati rice
5 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1 tbs dehydrated onions (or 1/2 tsp onions granules)
1 tbs caraway seeds2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 red cabbage and 1/2 green)
NOTE: Seasonings for this are flexible. Use flavors and amounts that suit your taste!
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, bring bring broth to a boil. Add lentils and rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add cabbage, tomatoes, and all seasonings. Return to a boil, them simmer covered for another 15-20 minutes, adding water or more broth if it starts to stick or gets too thick. It should be somewhat saucy.
I served this over mashed potatoes and it was soooooo savory - comforting and delicious!
I've been waiting to tell our story for awhile until I felt a little more comfortable with the whole blogging thing. But I didn't want to wait too long because our story is so very vital to the whole reason Paul and I are vegan to begin with. I think now is the time. So, here is Part 1 of how Paul and I became vegan.In The Beginning……A Love Story
I moved to Louisville from Western North Carolina in 1994 to attend seminary. I was a single mom with two daughters, aged 9 and 11. I met Paul three weeks after moving here while we were registering for our first semester of grad school. It really was love at first sight. It just took us a few weeks to figure that out. A very few weeks. In fact, we met in the registration line on August 27th. Our first date was homemade pizza (the theme is already developing…..) at my house on November 11. On December 19th we picked out my engagement ring, and on March 26th, 1995, I became the wife of the most awesome man in the world. (That isn't hyperbole. It is the absolute truth.)
Now let me just go ahead and put this out there so you don't start trying to count on your fingers later on in the story. Yes, I am a cougar. At this writing, I am 50 years old. Paul is approaching his 40th birthday in the next few weeks. I attribute our relationship to God's wonderful sense of humor.
Our wedding was a bit ecclectic. We were married in an after-church ceremony in a Southern Baptist church by a woman pastor and an Episcopal priest. We wrote our own non-traditional vows. And we had no music. Which was strange because I was working towards a masters' degree in music. Our reception was a HUGE potluck lunch in the church basement (the theme continues) where we did have a string quartet, our only financial indulgence.
That's Paul, third from the left, and I'm right next to him in the pink dress. (This is the only digital wedding picture I have.)
You may be wondering what the "theme" is here. Well, the day Paul and I were married, our combined weight would have tipped the scales at somewhere close to 600 pounds. Yup. We were rather large people.
To be continued........
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Of course, broccoli casserole is mandatory at any potluck in the south, and especially at church potlucks. Here is my veganized version using Delight Soy popcorn chicken nuggets, which are optional in this recipe but totally delish!
Rice and veggie mixture:2 - 2 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c celery, chopped
1 veggie bullion cube
appropriate amount of water, depending on whether you cook on the stove or in a rice cooker
Cook rice and veggies together with the veggie cube either on the stove or in a rice cooker. While it is cooking, make the sauce.
Sauce:
3/4 c flour3/4 c nutritional yeast
3 c water
2 veggie cubes
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp spicy mustard1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tbs Bragg's
juice of 1/2 lemon
3-4 tbs Earth Balance
Combine the flour, nutritional yeast, water, and veggie cubes in a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Stir in garlic granules, mustard, lemon juice, and Earth Balance. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add the following to the sauce:
16 oz frozen chopped broccoli, cooked according to package directions
4-6 oz chopped mushrooms
12-16 oz popcorn chicken, sliced (optional, or substitute chicken-style seitan or even tofu)
Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and combine the rice and veggie mixture with the sauce. Stir gently to evenly distribute the sauce. If you want to, at this point you can add a bread crumb topping.
Bake for 30 minutes.
This may look like a lengthy process, but it comes together pretty quickly if you have all your ingredients at hand. And oh my, it is so good.
Next time, Our Story, Part 2.
If you live anywhere close to Kentucky, then you know what the first Saturday in May means! It's DERBY DAY! And where I live, Derby Day is almost a sacred holiday. I have mixed feelings about horse racing. I am very much aware that there are abuses that happen in horse racing. Living in Kentucky, however, and being a horse lover, I also know how these animals are treasured and well-cared for in most situations.
Some horses were just born to run, like Secretariat and Seabiscuit and Affirmed and Man O'War.... My favorites of the past few years have been Big Brown - shame on his trainer - and Barbaro (what a heartbreak). I love Rachael Alexandra and Zenyatta and I will never, ever forget Eight Belles. These horses and fillies run / ran for the love of running and winning. Others, well, not so much. But we won't go there today. Today we shall celebrate the most beautiful and fastest horses in the world! (And some of the ugliest hats.....) And our hearts will be thrilled with the majesty and power of these amazing and magnificent animals!
Today's post includes pizza made with Daiya vegan cheese as well as cabbage and white beans cooked with Field Roast vegan sausages.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Whole Foods now carries Daiya vegan cheese. The first time I bought it at Whole Foods I had to get it from the deli, but now you can find it in the dairy section along with other vegan cheeses. The deli had the italian blend style, but the dairy section, at least in my local store, carries only the cheddar and mozzarella styles.
As I have already said, this stuff is a bit pricey. The deli charged $8.99 per pound. For the pre-packaged Daiya it was $4.39 for 8 ounces. It is so worth it, in my opinion, though, especially if you are making pizza. It is melty and stringy just like real cheese. And, as far as I can remember, its tastes pretty much like it too. Below is a pizza I made this week using Daiya. It has mushrooms, onions, red and green peppers, vegan pepperoni, vegan sausage (which I'll talk more about below), and Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce. I used pre-made organic whole wheat crusts, also available at Whole Foods.
This was seriously good!
This next dish uses Field Roast vegan Italian sausages. Field Roast products have been around for several years. They are made from gluten and vegetables. I first tried them when I used their stuffed roast for our Thanksgiving meal. It was pretty good, but I wasn't inspired to keep purchasing their products. They recently began making vegan sausages, however, and wow, do we love these! I have used their chipotle sausages which are quite spicy but most often I get their vegan Italian sausages, which I used for the pizza above and for the dish coming up next. Field Roast also makes sandwich slices, which are quite good as well.
This dish was a quickly thrown-together meal this week - pretty much a pantry challenge deal.Cabbage and White Beans with Italian Sausage2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced1 large onion, thinly sliced1-2 tbs olive oil1 tbs caraway seeds (always with cabbage!)1 can white beans, rinsed and drained (I used cannellini beans)2 field roast Italian sausages, sliceda pinch of red pepper flakeslots fresh ground black peppersalt to tasteHeat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add olive oil and then the onions and cabbage. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes. Add sliced sausage and cook until it browns and vegetables are tender. Add caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt. Add the beans and stir gently to combine. Cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through.I served this over oven-roasted potatoes. To prepare these potatoes, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut 2 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes. Toss in a bowl with 2-3 tbs olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and black pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer and roast until they are brown and crispy. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the potatoes!
