Curried Fruit Smoothie

Always striving for more fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, I thought outside of the box and came up with this gorgeous concoction.  Turmeric and cumin, both from the spice curcumin, are fantastic in combatting inflammation of all kinds, and have been purported to help with everything from head and neck cancers to major depressive disorder.  The warming ginger aids digestion and circulation and the black pepper makes the spices more bioavailable.  You can use whatever fruit you prefer.  Papaya was wonderfully tropical and mild in this.  I always aim to have more veggies than fruit, and this combo was so delicious.  Enjoy!


Curried Fruit Smoothie

1/2 cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 large carrot
1c. papaya
a small handful of raisins
1 can full fat coconut milk (I like this brand)
1tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. turmeric

Blend in a vitamix or other high powered blender.  Add a little water if you want to thin it out.  This is very nutritious and filling and provides 2-3 servings.  Sometimes I store some in a jar for later in the day, then whirl it up again with some ice when I need a pick-me-up.  Always finish fresh smoothies within 12 hours or so.

Almond Butter and "Jelly" Smoothie!

[This is a cross-post from one of my other blogs, A Midlife Regeneration.  This delicious, regenerating smoothie is also vegan!]

After a week of striving for the Wahls' 9 cups of veggies and fruits per day -- I'm sold!  On the days I was able to get close to 9, I felt amazing and many of my persistent symptoms (skin pain and numbness, fatigue, brain fog) began to disappear again.  Other autoimmune skin issues disappeared instantly, my facial skin improved freakishly fast (it seems tighter and pores are smaller, tone is more even).  Since I doubt healing is only skin deep, I'm hoping the benefits to the CNS are even more dramatic.  A couple of days I ran out of time and was only able to squeeze in 6 veg servings and the old symptoms began coming right back again.  Immediate palpable evidence is so rare as we spoonies strive to find what's best to include in our healing arsenals.  What a treat to have anecdotal evidence to match Dr. Wahls' clinical results.

Since I adore freshly made juice, and Dr. Wahls didn't recommend it in The Wahls' Protocol because of the glycemic index spike it could cause, that was one of the reasons I stopped pursuing the Protocol last year.  I never thought I'd like smoothies as an alternative to juice, because of the texture.  Now, looking back, I wonder why I was so hard-headed about this.  It seems crazy that I didn't even try veggie smoothies as a way to up my veg doses for the Protocol.  It's so much easier to eat more vegetables when some of the servings are pre-digested in smoothie form.  I've had the Vitamix all along, and am now really putting it to good use -- every day!

I've really enjoyed the recipes in Dr. Wahls' new book, but this one is my original recipe.  It was amazing, and provided at least 3 cups of my required servings, along with wonderful healthy fats and protein.

Almond Butter and Jelly Smoothie
1 c red organic seedless grapes
1/2 cucumber, peeled unless organic
2 organic purple carrots, unpeeled
2 Tbsp. organic almond butter
1 Tbsp. MCT oil
1 c filtered water/ice
a shake of nutmeg
a shake of powdered ginger
freshly ground black pepper - 1 grind

This recipe made about 3 servings, and this is how I portioned them.  I initially put the mason pint jar in the fridge and I sipped it later on in the morning.  So I had all three servings -- sort of a brunch situation.  The smoothie was substantial enough that I needed no additional breakfast, and had no problems with nausea from supplements and medications.  If I don't have enough on my stomach I do sometimes get a little ill when I take my pills.  Not in this case!

I feel so happy to have found one piece of my wellness puzzle!

Rum Raisin Smoothie!

Yes, another smoothie!  I'm aware my photos of late are monotonous with one glass after another, but you'll thank me for this one, I think.
My doctor tracks my nutrient levels very carefully every few months and a recent blood test revealed low iron for the first time in recent memory. I'm not crazy about the nausea that ensues from iron supplements, but half a tablet doesn't bother me, so I've added that to my arsenal of meds.  My doctor also provided a list of foods that may improve the iron situation with bioavailability that surpasses what I can get from a pill.  It turns out that raisins are an excellent source!  So I began to experiment . . .

I really think of this smoothie as a special treat since it is pretty sweet.  It tastes like rum raisin ice cream to me, but there is no rum.  There's a scant bit of alcohol from the vanilla extract but you could leave that out of the mix if you prefer and I bet it'd still be luscious.  Here you go:

Rum Raisin Smoothie!

1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 a frozen banana
1 Tbsp. almond butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a generous shake of nutmeg, with more on top, if you like
a shake of cinnamon
a small handful of organic raisins
a couple of ice cubes

If you don't have a high-powered blender, soak the raisins in the milk for 15 minutes or so first.  Otherwise, no pre-soak needed. Blend all ingredients until most of the raisins are minced finely.  Enjoy -- this makes about 2 cups.

It's definitely worth it to splurge on the organic raisins, which are superior in nutritional value, and they are juicier and more flavorful too. I'm a huge fan of nutmeg, so I use a lot of it.  You can obviously tweak this recipe to suit your preference.  If you'd like it a little sweeter, you could use a whole banana and/or more raisins.  I've just learned there's a whole subset of folks who don't enjoy autumnal spices, so if you are one of those, this smoothie probably won't appeal at all.  For all the rest of you -- you're gonna love it!

'Tis the Season

For applesauce, that is! Truly I'm indulging in a bit of wishful thinking, pretending that Autumn is in full swing down here in the deep south. Still, temps in the 70's are so much better than the 95 degree weather of a couple of weeks ago, so we are counting our blessings.

Back to my wishful thinking:  I wish you could smell it in here. The photo doesn't do it justice. This is a labor of love, as it's a bit labor-intensive for the output which is always gone in a flash, but it's still worth doing.  Here's my recipe:


Cheryl's Favorite Applesauce

10-12 apples, peeled and cored -- make sure at least one is a Granny Smith

1Tbsp. "butter" of your choice

a splash of water or cider if you have it

1tsp. Allspice

1 tsp. Nutmeg

a pinch of kosher or Himalayan salt

Really, the only effort here is the apple prep. Chop the apples roughly and warm them in a pan on medium/low heat with all other ingredients. Make sure there is enough liquid on the bottom that the apples won't burn. Stir periodically so the apples warm and break down evenly. After all the apples seem to have softened and they begin to simmer, turn the heat to low and cover. I usually cook the applesauce for a total of about 45 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold.

I always have big bags of organic apples around for school lunches and juicing. When they begin looking a little soft I know it's time to make the sauce. The bulk of the apples can be any variety, but I find the tastiest sauce includes the tart flavor of the granny smith. A little squeeze of lemon or some citric acid may be good alternatives if you find yourself grannysmithless. Obviously, this recipe responds well to personalization. You may like cinnamon or ginger. Add more "butter" if you want a more silky, rich sauce. If you want it sweeter you could add some brown sugar or, even better, a tablespoon of molasses! I'm not a big sweets fan myself, preferring the natural sugars in the apples. This is amazing warm or cold. I really love it on a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning. It tastes like apple pie in your bowl. Hope you like it!

Mashed Cauliflower with Sauteed Shallots

This cauliflower was really delicious and light, but creamy. I served it with stew. Here's my recipe:

Mashed Cauliflower with Sauteed Shallots
1 head organic cauliflower, cut into large chunks
2 shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. Earth Balance
4 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk coffee creamer
garlic salt to taste -- I used about 3/4 teaspoon

Boil the cauliflower for 15 minutes, making sure all parts of the florets are submerged. Meanwhile, saute the shallots in the olive oil over medium-low heat, until translucent. In a large bowl, put the Earth balance. Drain the cauliflower and pour it on top of the Earth Balance so it melts. Begin mashing the cauliflower into the "butter" with a pastry cutter or ricer, or a large sturdy fork. Add the shallots and olive oil and mash more. When the texture is becoming homogeneous (some small lumps are fine) incorporate the coconut coffee creamer. Finally, season with garlic salt. 

My garlic salt had some herbs in it -- that explains the little flecks you see. It looks like dill but the overwhelming flavor was garlic. This cauliflower was delicious and satisfying, and even better the next day!

As I begin to learn about and incorporate elements of the Wahls Protocol into my diet, I'm documenting my progress on a parallel blog, A Midlife Regeneration. Disclaimer: there will be meat. I'll continue to contribute to A Midlife Vegan any delicious veggies I eat as I go through the transition of determining what is best for my health.

Cozy and Green + A Winter Wonderland

We have been shut-ins for a few days now. It is currently a "State of Emergency" in our area since an inch or two of snow and ice fell recently and road treatment programs here in the deep South are limited. I understand there are folks who have suffered with our recent storm -- I know of one house under a downed tree and people have lost power, but the declaration of a "State of Emergency" is mostly about diverting funds.

I enjoy being inside looking at the winter wonderland. Our normally perfectly camouflaged wildlife don't seem to notice that we can easily see them against the contrasting white. Yesterday morning 5 whitetail deer took their time sauntering down the middle of our street, completely unconcerned for their own safety. While I was on the phone with a friend yesterday, through the back window I witnessed a lone coyote meandering across the back edge of our yard and slipping under the fence of the adjacent property on his way to the retention pond where he likely finds his dinner on an ordinary evening. These last few nights there have indeed been more horribly bone-chilling coyote pack killings as their similarly unconcerned prey are spotlighted against the snowy expanse under the light of a full moon. It's an eerie sound. So, with the equilibrium of the circle-of-life temporarily tweaked, I'm happy to be cozily indoors, and also glad to have my own pups out of the spooky fray just beyond our walls. Here's something warm and delicious that I came up with during my shut-in days:

Kale Bisque
2 medium yellow onions roughly chopped-- I used Vidalia
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 bunch of kale, without stems, torn into large pieces
1 cup cooked rice or grain of your choice
2 Tbsp. shoyu
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
purified water as needed
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg to taste

In a tall stockpot, saute the onions and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the onions and garlic become fragrant, lower heat to low and cook slowly until translucent and slightly caramelized. It's important to take your time with this part of the preparation, since you want a soft, unburned consistency. 

Add the kale and wilt, turning heat up to medium and stirring frequently until the volume of greens has visibly decreased. Add more oil if needed to avoid burning. Stir in the rice and only enough water to just cover the ingredients. I have ruined this soup by adding too much water at this stage, so it's important that the volume of the greens is lower before determining how much water is required. The shoyu, salt, pepper and nutmeg can be added as the pot simmers a few minutes more, softening the kale and grains further. While the kale is soft, but still bright in color, add the almond milk and blend the soup. 

I use an immersion blender in the tall pot since I am not crazy about pouring scalding hot liquids back and forth, but you could also use a standard blender. A Vitamix would yield a smoother result than what my immersion blender produced here, but I liked the immersion blender's results just fine. More water can be added, sparingly, if needed during blending.

Warm the bisque through and adjust seasonings to your liking. A little cooking sherry might be a nice accompaniment, traditional in other bisque recipes as it is, but I opted for a drizzle of high-quality virgin olive oil for my cozy bowlful.

Serves 4

I normally err on the side of under-seasoning, since too much salt ruins most flavors for me, but if you do find you've added too much salt, adding a little more rice and water will fix it.

We did venture out yesterday morning in the jeep, and were even able to help a nice family who were stuck in a ditch. My husband was happy to utilize the winch to pull the car out of the mire. It worked like a charm! Here are a few shots of our adventure:

  I had to laugh at myself as I was viewing my photos later -- as I snapped away, I hadn't even noticed the rear-view mirror!

It's hard to understand what you are seeing here, but I really liked the way this photo came out. The camera was on auto-focus as we were moving on down the road, and it obviously focused on the water droplets upon the plastic jeep window instead of the subject matter beyond. I think it's a serendipitously cool effect!

I hope you enjoy the bisque, and your own cozy, wintry adventures!

The Eggplant

This is what became of the featured speckled eggplant yesterday. I utilized another great recipe from Moskowitz' and Romero's Veganomicon. Since the speckled sky turned into this:

(photo courtesy of my friend, Linda -- I nabbed it off Facebook)

--by the time I started working on the "Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Chick Pea Stew", going for missing ingredients was out of the question. I had no red bell peppers, which the recipe calls for roasting and peeling, but I had a crazy idea that I'd seen a jar of roasted peppers somewhere in my house about a year ago. Unbelievably, within a few seconds I found it in my pantry. (it's a hoarder's pantry, so it's quite miraculous the jar fell into my hands so easily when I needed it!). I didn't have a can of tomatoes, but I did have some fresh ones. I had everything else I needed except the tarragon, so I did without that particular flavor. The stew was so rich and warm and silky and full of flavor and sustenance. Perfect cozy food for our snowy night!

While a stew like this would be lovely with polenta or rice, I served it over my own recipe, "Easy Mashed Roots". This can be made with any root veggie, but it's important to use mostly potatoes. This is my favorite combo:

Easy Mashed Roots
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks of about an inch
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into same size chunks
a large handful of Italian parsley, washed and minced
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance Butter
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

Boil the roots for 13-15 minutes, then strain them and transfer to a large bowl. It's okay if a little bit of the boiling water remains since the roots will become drier as they cool. add the other ingredients except the parsley, and use a hand masher or pastry-chopper, or a large fork to mash it all together. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add parsley and fold into the mash.
Serves 4 as a side dish.

I wait for the mashed roots to cool a little before adding the parsley since I only want the greens warmed, not cooked. I prefer the parsnip with the potatoes because it is so mild and only subtly different from traditional mashed potatoes, and goes with so many different flavors. Depending upon which roots you choose, you can play with the seasonings, though I'd avoid adding sugar as some people like to do with baked sweet potatoes. This is a savory dish, with only the natural sweetness of the roots themselves. If you use a sweet potato you may like a little cinnamon or even a squeeze of lemon. If you add a carrot maybe powdered ginger would be good. Just have fun experimenting.

While we are enjoying being snowed in (after a few hours on the road which should only have been 10 minutes) our hearts go out to those folks who have still not made their way back home after being in the car since yesterday afternoon. Many people abandoned their cars, which had either run out of gas, had spun out and were undrivable, or were simply at a standstill on the highway along with all the other vehicles with nowhere to go since exit and entrance ramps were often completely impassable due to wrecked or unmovable vehicles. Some children were even stranded on buses, or at school overnight. After leaving their cars, some people walked miles to get home. One guy tweeted he had walked 11 miles after being in his car for 15 hours! People slept on the floor at Whole Foods, Publix and CVS, and some were lucky beneficiaries of good-hearted strangers who took them into their homes.

Atlanta is the butt of many jokes today for falling to pieces over 3-7 inches of the white stuff, but bear in mind that the budget does not include much salt/sand or road crew and equipment, since this never happens. Unfortunately the Department of Transportation got it wrong this time and sent all the resources to the wrong part of town. Also, the departments were not communicating and workers and schoolchildren were sent home at the same time, so all of Atlanta was on the road at once. Not many of us have snow tires, and even transplants like we haven't driven on the ice in a long time. We all know how one car wreck can affect traffic on a highway. Imagine 200 wrecks happening simultaneously in a small area (and many times over in other areas too), involving mostly entrance and exit ramps because that's where the slippery hills are, and you get an idea of what we are up against. Abandoned cars still litter the streets, which now cannot be cleared as a consequence. The roads are still too dangerous for the drivers of these vehicles to make their way back to them. We are sending prayers to anyone still in danger, and are counting our blessings to be snugly at home.

The Very Best Chocolate Milkshake!

We've all had great success experimenting with juices and smoothies, but this smoothie was so simple and delicious I'm sharing it. It was the most satisfying chocolate milkshake I've tasted -- pre- or post-vegan.

My Functional Medicine M.D. has prescribed supplements to help  me manage my MS, and one recent addition is Dr. David Perlmutter's "Brain Sustain" It's a vanilla powder featuring lots of healthy fats with plenty of DHA -- the kind of fat the brain needs to regenerate. Since we have eaten high on the figurative hog these last few days with my Dad here visiting, I wasn't very hungry this morning, so instead of having breakfast, then swallowing the supplements, I elevated my supplement powder to the status of breakfast thus:

The Very Best Chocolate Milkshake

1 Scoop "Brain Sustain" or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Raw Cacao (not cocoa)
1 banana (frozen if you plan ahead)
1 c. dark chocolate almond milk
1 large leaf of kale, stem removed
4-5 ice cubes, if the banana's not frozen, fewer if it is

Blend on low speed in a Vitamix or other high-powered blender. Enjoy.

When freezing bananas, peel them first and make sure to use a freezer bag, and squeeze most of the air out of the bag. This is a great way to avoid wasting overripe bananas. If you don't have a supplement or protein powder, you may want to add more substance to this shake with a tablespoon of almond butter.

Besides being decadent, this milkshake provided grounded energy, strength and focus.

P.S. -- I refinished those kitchen cabinets several years ago -- I'm still proud of myself. It was quite a feat!

Sustenence + Odds-n-Ends

Just a couple of weeks out now, when fueling body, mind and spirit, it behooves us to choose wisely. This Italian preparation of one of my all time faves -- broccoli rabe -- fit the bill perfectly this morning. This was lovely with a tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar (a little goes a LONG way!) but it would also be great with nutritional yeast on top. Here's my simple recipe:

Italian Broccoli Rabe

1 large bunch of broccoli rabe, washed and trimmed roughly
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 can of chick peas, rinsed (you may choose white beans instead)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. earth balance "butter"
a pinch of salt

On medium high heat, quickly saute onions and garlic in the oil, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add chick peas and salt, stirring frequently for a couple more minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium high and add the tomato and the broccoli rabe, stirring constantly as the greens wilt. You may need to add the greens in batches since they take up a lot of room when raw. Don't worry, no need to remove the original batch before adding the next. The size will quickly dramatically reduce, and the next batch can be stirred right in. I use two wooden spoons to more easily keep it all in the pan. Once all the greens have begun to wilt, add the earth balance to temper the bitter greens and silken the texture. Stir for a couple more minutes and remove the pan from heat, covering so it can continue to steam  until you plate it. This would be perfect with polenta, pasta, brown rice, quinoa or amaranth.

Incidentally, my sweet Mom made that pretty plate! I have mugs to match. I don't use her homemade pottery often because I would hate to break it, but I do feel closer to her when I use it.

For the odds-n-ends portion of the post, here are a couple of photos from the last few days --

The other night we attended a "white elephant" party where you bring an anonymous gift, pick a number and either choose a gift from the pile or steal one from someone else who has already opened it. The party goer whose gift is stolen then gets the same choice, and so on. When it was my turn, I stole this blooming tea system from a very sweet lady who is married to one of Andres' coworkers. Luckily, since I was the 11th chooser, I had already witnessed the sometimes ruthless nature of the game, so I didn't feel too bad about engaging in the shenanigans, myself. I love this! Isn't it cool? You boil water, put a little dried tea pellet into the teapot and then add the water and watch the tea bloom into a lovely flower. There are about 8 other pellets of different flavors and colors, so if I bloom any more pretty ones, I will share photos. I'm not competitive by nature, but I do enjoy this game.

My brother and his family sent us this beautiful  holiday arrangement all the way from Kazakhstan! Thanks, guys! Enjoy the season.

Homegrown

Here's a recent harvest from my garden, for which I am grateful, neglected as it's been this year. Look at those furry, knobby little carrots! There are also onions and yards of Chinese longbeans. Together these made a lovely veggie dish.

Ordinarily I'd have been all over these carrot greens, which dwarf the carrots themselves, but they were too strong in flavor, probably because it has been so hot here lately. I passed on the greens this time, but  they are making a nice contribution to the compost.

Here is the finished product. It was a little tricky as I started cooking before driving Wynne to band practice, came back while she was there, worked on it some more and then left it on the warm burner as I went to pick her up. I didn't throw the smallest, tenderest beans in until the end. The veggies were simply sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with a tiny pinch of salt and curry powder. Wynne LOVED these veggies. Score!

She said, "These are really good, what are the orange things?"
When I told her, she said, I've never tasted carrots like these before, this is really, really good!"  :)

I had a hankering for a pot-o-lentils, so I made some to go with the harvest. Here's the recipe:

French Lentils

1 C dry lentils

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

2 C water

1 Tbsp Shoyu or Tamari

2 Tbsp Dry Sherry

1 Tsp. dry thyme or 5-6 stems of fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste 

Saute the onions on medium heat until they become fragrant and almost transluscent. Stir periodically to  prevent burning. After rinsing lentils, add them to the pot along with the water and Shoyu or Tamari and thyme. If you have fresh thyme, you can put the whole woody stems in, then remove them later. The dry herbs are stronger in flavor than the fresh thyme. It would be fine to add more fresh thyme than I have here if you like the flavor, but be careful with the dry herbs. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer 25 minutes, covered. 3-4 minutes before the end of cooking, add the sherry, stir and simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Season to taste. Don't forget to remove the thyme stems before serving.


These lentils aren't really French. They were born in the USA. I just call them that since I was inspired by some wonderful flavors I tasted while driving across the French countryside in the winter, so very many moons ago. Good stuff!

Avocado Aioli For Cinco De Mayo

Alright, kids, here it is! It's so lazy and easy. You may want to double the recipe because this goes away very fast.

Avocado Aioli
1 ripe avocado
3 Tbsp. Veganaise
juice of 1/4 lime
3-4 shakes of Chipotle powder plus more on top to make it pretty

Just mash and stir it all together! 

You can play with the amount of the Chipotle powder, which is very different in flavor from Cayenne or other chili powders. Chipotle is smoky and rich, not hot and biting. Avocado aioli is a nice departure from the predictable guacamole, which I also love. These are healthy fats at their finest. Here's how we ate the aioli:

We had tacos the first night: black eyed peas, cabbage and cilantro with lime, tomatoes and salsa, and of course, the aioli. You can see I am generous with my healthy fats!

Then for lunch the next day I had a taco salad. Here, the vehicle for all that yum is a bowl of spinach instead of a tortilla. The chips are brown rice. Ole!

Never Enough Kale + Odds-n-Ends

I created something fabulous to eat recently -- one of those recipes that continues to call to me from its shelf in the 'fridge. The good news is there was very little guilt associated with succumbing to its pull. Here's the recipe:

Spring Puttanesca

1 bag of brown rice pasta, prepared (I used Tinkyada spirals)
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 leaves of kale, roughly chopped, tough stems removed
1 pint of mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped if large
1-2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
2-3 Tbsp. capers
2 Tbsp. Shoyu or Tamari
3 Tbsp. Olive oil, plus more to finish
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, quickly cook onions and garlic in olive oil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms, tomatoes and chick peas, stir and cover for about 3-4 minutes. Stir a couple of times so the veggies don't burn. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and quickly add the kale and the shoyu, and a little water if the mixture seems dry enough to burn. Stir, cover and steam for 2 minutes, then stir in the cooked pasta, turn down the heat and simmer until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in capers and additional olive oil to make the pasta unsticky. Don't add too much oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir.

This makes GREAT leftovers, but this post is called "Never Enough Kale" because no matter how much kale I prepare, once it cooks down I want more!

I cannot imagine ever thinking to myself, "Oh, I just ate too much kale," --the idea is laughable.

So, with each reheating the kale/other ratio increases, and the capers increase too. I don't heat the capers because I like them sharp in flavor and firm, but that's my preference. Obviously, the quantities needn't be precise in this dish. There's a lot of room for creativity with a puttanesca, which features antipasto flavors like capers or olives or marinated artichoke hearts -- you get the idea. Just choose your favorites!

And now for the "odds-n-ends" portion of the post, which is really just a lightening-round, stream-of-consciousness report on various and sundry items which have caught my attention over the last week.

This is a roasted cabbage "steak" as I've seen here and there on vegan menus. It is simply a 1/2" slice of cabbage, dipped in oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. It's supposed to be an "impressive presentation". At my house, I was the only one impressed with the presentation, but upon sampling the "steak" I became unimpressed. It was dry and devoid of flavor. I sprinkled more salt, some dill and nutritional yeast --still unimpressed. Instead, I craved juicy, quick-sauteed slivered cabbage and onions with olive oil and earth balance, still green and fresh then brightened with a squirt of lemon {LOVE}. This "steak" (calling it that was actually the first turnoff) was a waste of a good cabbage, in my book. We only learn what we love by trying a myriad of diverse approaches, so I'll chalk this up to a learning experience.

Here are some recent indulgences I've enjoyed. The espresso grinds in the almond butter impart a gentle kick, and the Ginger and Orange Marmalade reminds me of something my Mom, the francophile, used to serve. The bitter candied orange rind elevates this one to a grown-up treat. There are worse lapses, of course, but I've still got to deal with that sugar monkey on my back again.

Speaking of detox, as my final odds-n-ends tidbit for today, I want to feature my old tried and true friend:

The Eziekiel English Muffin -- to my palate, king of the Eziekiel kingdom! My husband, the carnivore, asked me yesterday morning about the muffins. I told him I loved them, but since he doesn't care for most of my fabulous food, I couldn't predict whether he would or not. I was blasted back in memory, oh so many moons ago, to when my doctor, the late, great Christine Gustafson, MD, (RIP Christy) prescribed a cleanse to find any food sensitivities. The list of allowed foods for the cleanse was miniscule, and I remember asking her, "would Eziekiel bread be on my list?"

She nodded and said, "You can have sprouts,"

"That's what Eziekiel bread is?" I countered, incredulous.

"That's what it is!" she answered.

My carnivore loves the Eziekiel! It's going to change his world!

Happiness Is . . .

A watercress salad! You're laughing at me no doubt, but seriously, it's the little things in life . . .  I had a lovely morning today with my Mind-Body Group at Atlanta Functional Medicine and as I made my way out of the office the sun was shining and the air, fresher after last evening's shower. I stopped for a few things at Publix on my way home and I found this beautiful watercress. Watercress is always a treat for me. One comes across it so rarely in our area, and when I do it's usually in a pretty sad state -- tired and abused -- so I normally pass. When I saw this pretty tangle this afternoon, you can bet I snapped it right up.

This salad was just what the doctor ordered for perpetuating my "Mind-Body" happy. The fresh, tender, peppery shoots were perfect with only half an avocado, a few pine nuts, a squirt of fresh lemon and a scant drizzle of my favorite olive oil. The flavor of watercress is a perfect foil for buttery flavors like avocado and pine nuts. Obviously, this salad was so simple it doesn't even warrant a recipe format, but I'll label it that way so I can find it again if I ever follow through with a cookbook someday.

Though the salad was the lunchtime star today, I like to eat a lot, as you know, so I also enjoyed some leftovers -- a crock pot chickpea stew I made a few days ago. I'm sorry, I actually should have written this one down as I was making it, but I was in a hurry at the time and wasn't expecting anything fantastic so I didn't. As it turned out, this stew is really, really good and I'm not tired of it yet after three days. Trying to remember, I think I soaked a pound of dry peas overnight, then cooked them for about 5 hours with a strip of kombu, a handful of dried porcini mushrooms, a couple of squirts of tomato paste (from a tube I keep in the fridge), about 2 Tbsp. of shoyu and a can of organic tomato soup. I sprinkled a tiny bit of cumin, a couple of good shakes of chipotle powder and a couple of shakes of garlic powder as well, and as an afterthought in the last hour I chopped up an onion and threw it in there. I added more water as it cooked down. I will recreate it along with a pencil and paper sometime to confirm I'm telling you the truth here.  Today I warmed it with a big handful of spinach (never enough greens!) and a sprinkling of daiya. Delish!

In other news, yesterday I spent a bit of time working on the other blogs for which I write, among other projects, and as the afternoon wore on, my energy began to flag. I want to share a delicious boost which provided more hours of productivity:

It looks like Ellie could have used a little sip of my magic boost as well! She's such a sweet little ole' lady now. She's got so much gray around her face. A more soulful dog I've never known. I'm pretty sure she thinks she's a human being.

Back to my smoothie: you may say it's not too pretty, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say it's gorgeous. This qualifies as a dessert really, in my book, since I used a cup of Silk Mocha Soy Latte as the liquid. It also contains two big handfuls of spinach, a banana and a couple of tablespoons of cacao --pow! It's been over three years since I've had a chocolate milkshake, but to my memory this was every bit as luscious, and it did the trick!

These are a few of the little things which bring me happiness today.  What are yours?