Hector for President and Other Silly Ramblings

I know it has been a while...

Italy was wonderful.  The wild plants there are similar to here and I have wonderful pictures of things that will inspire dyeing later this spring.  Some of it the stuff you see here, but in a different place you notice them more. The plants around the castle were amazing - old wisteria with trunks 8" thick and climbing three stories up a wall.  Cypress trees that look ancient and tower over the castle walls even when you are three or four stories up.  Old roses climbing every wall and lemon trees blooming with their sweet scent in the gardens.  Olive trees and grapes everywhere in the distance.  I was wondering why there were so many piles of olive branches around and being burned - Olives produce only on last year's growth so they keep older growth trimmed back and thinned out.  Grapes on the other hand produce on this years growth so they are trimmed way back every fall. 

One of the things we did was go to a weekly market in a smaller village - I love farmer's markets and this one was really wonderful.  I temporarily went off the diet.  I did eat cheese while there and found a wonderful one at the market.  The fruits and veggies were so colorful and vibrant.  Baby artichokes, fresh asparagus, the best mandarin oranges I have ever had - ever.  And I also had a taste of salami and one of proscuitto because I was sure it would be a mortal sin to be in Italy and not eat those things.  I discovered that they don't taste the same as my memory of them, can leave it there now without wanting more.  Cheese is a little more difficult and I have decided to eat it occasionally - if I find a spectacular one somewhere, or mozzarella in Caprese salad this summer.  But only on occasion.  Mostly I stuck to veggies there.  Riboletta is one of my new favorites that I will be making.  It is basiclly reboiled veggies - thick and full of lovely vegetables.  Sounds not so great but is truly tasty and wonderful.  Oh one more food thing - Spaghetti cooked in chianti is awesome, just saying....

The garden is booming already.  The peas are a foot high and appear very happy in their square foot garden space.  Doyle had the idea of tucking tomato plants in amoungst them so that by the time the peas are done the tomatoes will have a bit of a head start.  We'll see.  The garlic is tall - about 18".  The two chard plants from last year that did nothing have come back and I pretty much have to pick it daily.  I didn't know they would do that but it is a happy discovery.  Stuff in the big garden - peppers, squash, cucumbers and eggplant -  did not drown and appear, if not happy, at least okay. 

Random Ramblings

I was thinking of Hector the other day, remembering what a sweet soul he was.  He probably would not approve of the veganism - he liked meat, but he would have let it go without saying a thing. Cats are kind of that way anyway - Letting you be yourself and not trying to change you. I hope I can do that.  I know I have to bite my tongue sometimes when folks are complaining about how they feel, and I am sure that diet changes would help.  But unless they ask, I should butt out.  I try not to push it and keep my comments to a minimum, but it's hard.  I am feeling so much better, have comeoff one of my blodd pressure meds and even when I am not feeling well I have so much more energy than I used to.  I was reading Veganomicon  and Isa says everyone you know will eventually go vegan.  I'm not sure about this but maybe - it'd sure help the planet if it happened.  And Skipper - well he keeps begging at the dinner table even though he doesn't like anything I am eating - He's not a veggie sort of dog. 

I've learned a few things now

There is a really good recipe for mac and (not) cheese.  The only really edible substitute for cheese comes from online sources or Whole Foods Market - Teese is okay, the vegan cheese at whole foods - fake cheddar that I can't remember the name of is okay too.  The expensive cashew cheese I ordered online isn't good. Tofutti's Better Than Sour Cream really is - I can eat my traditional New Years splurge of onion dip and ruffles and not feel nearly so bloated after.  I love my newest cookbook - Vegan Comfort Foods by Alicia somebody - the really good mac & cheese comes from that, passable home made biscuits, fake tuna casserole, a really good spinach "omelette" made with a tofu mixture,several very yummy things.  What is also good about this cook book is that it tells you how to make your own Seitan, egg replacers and some other basics that get expensive to buy and are hard to find.

I've been making summer rolls lately and totally pigging out on them. Yesterday I had five for lunch - since it is just veggies and rice noodles rolled up in a rice wrapper and some dipping sauce I make, I have no guilt either.

And I have decided that I will eat Vegan most of the time - but that there are just times when I can't - It is so hard to find restaurants that serve anything more than a salad without eggs or cheese in it. The Mega Veggie Pizza at Mellow Mushroom is one of those things that has to have real cheese.  Mellow Mushroom is the only chain I know of that will substitute soy cheese on stuff and they have a great Portabella mushroom hoagie too, and the best hummus around.  If you know of others tell me please.

I got new Vegan Cook books

I've been working on some recipes out of them....The other day I had "sliders" made with mini "burgers" made from broccoli and sunflower nut butter - spices, sprouts, onion too.  They were interesting - probably won't happen again though.  Yesterday I used the leftover mix - rolled it up in a tortilla with some olives and salt - it needed salt - and cut it - made little pinwheels.  they were an okay snack.

I made chocolate pecan mini pies and they were way too sweet and rich for me.  good but even though they were only 3" across it was way too much sugar in a serving.  The mini pie shells will stay though - I got frozen ones and you could dump some apples and nuts and raisins with a bit of brown sugar and butter substitute and have apple pie in a few minutes.

I had the yummiest stew yesterday

and the leftovers will be over Polenta tonight.  (From stone ground corn from the Readyville Mill)  It was  a veggie stew - had eggplant, mushrooms, carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower and baby blue potatoes and I just simmered it all in a bit of red wine, veggie broth (really only a little - just to keep the whole mess from drying out) fresh thyme and rosemary from my herb garden and some garlic and herbs de provence.  I had seconds.  Of course Doyle didn't like it - oh well, he's back at eating meat & eggs.