Hector for President and Other Silly Ramblings

Vegan week 4

I am still on it and plan to continue.  Still feeling so much better, more energy and not so much pain, plus I have lost 5 lbs.  I cooked all morning though - Happiness Soup and faux chicken salad for sandwiches.  The Nayonaise is not my favorite, but dressed up with a little vinegar, mustard and lemon it is palatable.  I made a really good eggplant pesto yesterday - lovely over whole wheat fettucini but also on a pita pizza.  It is very hard to go out to eat - I don't think I ever really understood how meat and dairy centric we are til I looked at an average menu for something I could eat besides a salad.  Oh and the other surprising dish - black bean brownies.  No sugar in the ones I made and not the usual substitution of black beans for oil and egg in a mix.  This was from scratch, used agave nectar and mashed banana and oats, cocoa, black beans.....pretty good, but not really brownie texture.  It would be better if I'd had more walnuts. I'll try the mix version next - maybe for group on Friday night and see how they like them.

The Garden

is loving the rain.  There are so many tomatoes right now.  The chard from the spring is still producing and my new planting of potatoes is already up.  I still get some peppers and the basil & lemongrass are booming.  I do need to harvest the dill seed and the fennel seed too (they taste yummy as a breath freshener after a meal)

I think I saw the aruglula sprouting but then we had all that heat and torrential downpours and I probably have to replant.  I ordered several varieties of garlic to plant in October and  some Red Russian Kale.  Doyle has dug up the corn and squash and replanted in turnips and curly kale.

I have been giving lots away and still have a ton of butternut squash which I need to store cause I totally love the stuff and if I can find somewhere cool and dark it'll keep a while yet. 

About the Veganism - I have had to learn whole new ways of cooking but it is great and I will continue with it.  I know it has been less than three weeks and I am not sure if I have lost any weight but I feel SOOO much better.  The pain in my joints that I had all the time is mostly gone and I have more energy.  My blood pressure is lower too. We even went walking yesterday at the battlefield.  I could not have done that a few weeks ago.

Yeah Rain

Saved me from having to water much.  Really the square foot garden thing has been great.  I have hardly had to water at all. I spent three hours cleaning it up and trimming and tying up tomato vines and it is ready to plant for fall.  I did put in some more chard and some arugula.  Later in the month I'll put in lettuces and greens.  We'll be doing turnips in the big garden - lots of greens to get us through the winter.  Doyle has gone back on the Adkins diet.  I am doing Vegetarian - and pretty much vegan.  Thought I'd do a 30 day trial of pretty strictly Vegan and see how I feel.  Got to stop gaining weight - pretty soon I won't be able to walk otherwise.  It requires drastic measures.  Since I was once vegetarian before for 3 years with no problem this is easier for me than eating all that meat.