Recipes...

   When I first started on my quest to be a vegan, I was eating some pretty boring food. I would sit down for dinner with brown rice and broccoli, thinking I am never going to make it eating this food everyday. I had gotten in a rut in the first few days of starting ( I actually think that I started in a rut). Not exploring any creative options and only doing what I knew. I think that is what diets have always been to me, ruts that don't ever get better. All I do is think about food on a diet, thinking about the food that I am not suppose to eat. I finally convince myself that I can have a bite of something that is bad and yummy all in the same bite and then it's over. I have fallen off the diet wagon and from that point on my diet is over.
   I made a decision to be a vegan for 30 days. I figured that I could do anything for 30 days and so I started. I wasn't eating any meat, animal protien, dairy, white flour, sugar or caffine. I am a couple weeks over my 30 days commitment and have decided I am going to take this day by day. I honestly have never felt better and this is something that I want to inspire others to feel as great as I do and enjoy a healthy eating lifestyle. I have come up with some staple recipes that keep me going in the right direction.

Here are a few of them:

Plain Granola

All my recipes arent measured out completely bc I kind of just throw stuff in as I go. So, I will try to give you the correct measurment.

4 C. Oatmeal (not instant)
1 or 1.5 C. Almonds (sliced)
1 C. Coconut (shredded)
Cinnamon to taste

Put on a stovetop
1 C. Honey
1/2C. peanut oil (this tastes much better than vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Heat the honey and peanut oil until have really mixed together and then add your teaspoon of vanilla.

Pour over the oatmeal mixture and mix until everything is pretty wet. Spray pan and put in oven at 350 degrees. Stir every 5 mins for 25 mins or so. Take out when brown and and let cool. If it is a little to chewy for you put back in oven but remember to stir. Cool completely before storing.

Sun dried Tomatoes

Take your tomatoes and deseed and core them. Then cut them up into pieces and spray your pan. Sprinkle salt over them before putting them in the oven and put them in the oven at 200 degrees. Depending on how many tomatoes you use, depends on the amount of time. Mine took 5-6 hours.

Pesto

This is my most favorite thing that I eat with the homemade sun dried tomatoes.

2 C. Fresh Basil
2 teaspoons minced garlic or 2 cloves
1/2 C. Pine nuts (they say you can use almonds also if you dont have pine nuts. I have never done this.)

Put in a blender and slowly pour olive oil in until the consistancy of pesto. Salt to taste.
Make some whole wheat pasta with pesto and sun dried tomatoes. YUMMMM!

Quick 30 second Salsa

3/4 of a can large tomato sauce
1 yellow can el pato (in hispanic aisle)
2 large slices of red onion
1 bunch of cilantro
Put everything in a blender except for cilantro. Mix together and add cilantro in the end and blend for a few pulses.
You can add chopped tomatoes and red onion if you like chunky salsa.

I use this salsa on quesadillas. I make myself cheeseless ones but my family has cheese.

Veggie Quesadillas

Zuchini
Black beans or pinto
Cheese (for my husband)
Guerro whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas

I cut the zuchini in spears and sautee them in a little olive oil and season. I use a seasoning that has everything combined, but this is what is in it. Salt, garlic, onion and light with the red chili flakes. Sautee until you can put a fork in them, but not too easily. You still want some crunch to them. Put beans and zuchini and (cheese if you are eating dairy) in your whole wheat tortillas and grill them. Then mash up some avocado season it with some salt and garlic powder and serve with the quesadilla and salsa. What I do if you don't have cheese is I fold one grilled tortilla in half filled with the veggies and beans and then dip in the sauce.

  Here are some recipes to try. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I am not use to writing my recipes down, so there might be something that doesn't make much sense. Remember, nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. And this is a double bonus because you are eating amazing tasting food and losing weight all at the same time!