OneTwoThree

Dude, last night I made the Cajun Cornbread Casserole from the Everyday Happy Herbivore's cookbook and it was amazing.  I added a pinch of sugar to my cornbread topping but other than that, I followed this recipe to a T.  I unfortunately did not snap a picture of it because I was too busy stuffing my face.  Mr Smith had seconds so I know it was a winner!

Everyday Happy Herbivore’s
Cajun Cornbread Casserole
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (commercial blend, or make your own)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons raw sugar (optional)
3/4 cup nondairy milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or casserole dish.
2. Drain tomato juices into a skillet, and chop tomatoes into smaller pieces. Set chopped tomatoes aside to use in Step 5.
3. Add water as necessary until a thin layer of liquid covers the skillet.
4. Sauté onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper over high heat until onion is translucent, bell pepper slices are tender and all of the water has evaporated, about 4 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, and mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans, stirring to combine. Set aside.
6. In a small mixing bowl, whisk cornmeal, baking powder, salt and, if desired, additional Cajun seasoning (several dashes, so the mix looks speckled when stirred). You can also add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar if you like a sweet cornbread topping. Then stir in nondairy milk and applesauce. It should be thick but spreadable, like hummus, and not dry.
7. Pour bean mixture into your baking dish, and pat down firmly with a spatula. Spread cornbread mixture on top, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cornbread is a deep golden, cracked and firm to the touch. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving. (I didn't let mine sit, I was hungry)

Wiggle it, just a little bit.

Today is Thursday.  That means no meat since Sunday so a total of what, 5 days?  My amazing husband has also managed to stick to it the past 5 days, so high fives all around.

This experience is definitely making me more aware of what is in food.  A trip to the grocery store involves reading every label and googling terms I am not so sure of.    I have also gotten pretty creative in the kitche as well, many thanks to the Happy Herbivore cookbook!

One of the dishes I made the other night was the Djion Pasta with Peas with Sweet Potatos as a side:

Why yes, that creamy substance covering the pasta is tofu.  It was pretty good but kind of bland.  We ended up adding some extra spices after it was done.

Last night, we had the Caribbean Portobello Mushroom burgers and they were #totesamaze.  Seriously, I could eat them every night.  We stuck with the sweet potato as a side only this time in the form of fries:

My god, they were magical.  I am ready to have them for dinner again, like tonightish, but I will probably wait and bring them over for 4th of July to grill out.





Here we go again

I did something semi dangerous this weekend.  Bored after G$ went to sleep, I decided to browse Netflix and ended up watching "Forks Over Knives".  Eye opener for sure. I decided afterwards that Mr Smith & I would go vegan, at least 30 days for him, to see if we could repair any of our health woes.  Mine are slightly more complicated, having Lupus & Celiac, whereas his are more genetic,  high cholesterol and a family history of diabetes.  I was kind of surprised he agreed to try it out, to be honest.  He is a southern boy down to the bone.  In fact, I am pretty sure bacon grease flows through his veins after a childhood of food full of lard.

So for the next 30 days, I plan to:

a.  Not consume anything that once had a face or parent. So no animal products of any kind, IE meat, cheese,  etc
b.  Not consume any processed flours or sugars.  All natural and GF here, baby
c.  Not consume any man made oils or olive oil. 

Now, I have tried out the Vegan lifestyle before, but not in a really healthy way.  I did feel pretty great while doing it but gave it up when I was broke, living with roommates and had to steal their food.  Yes, I am that horrible roommate people grip about, though I had my roommates convinced the mentally challenged boy from downstairs was breaking into our apartment during the day and eating their food.  I am not sure they believed me or not, or if I am possibly going to hell because of that fact.

Anyways, I present to you my first Vegan meal conquest: NOLA Gumbo with GF Vegan Cornbread from Happy Herbivores

It was totes amaze.