This past weekend I completed my second half marathon, Chad completed his fourth full marathon. It was miserable. It was 82°F and my shoes were too tight. The weather in West Palm Beach was unusually warm (while the rest of the country was getting blanketed by snow and ice.) It was about 10° warmer than normal. I can hear you all rolling your eyes as I am complaining about the heat- but really, 82° is just too hot to run a good race. This is why you will rarely find long races being held [continue reading...]
Beet Burgers
Another Monday, another meatless and Vegan recipe. Going Vegan on Mondays is a nice challenge for a Vegetarian the same way that Meatless Monday is a healthy alternative for meat-eaters. I’ve been playing it safe the past few weeks, making a kale and brussel sprout salad, a veggie ratatouille and a roasted tomato pasta dish. This week I am stepping up to the challenge and going Vegan and RAW. It is believed the benefits of a raw diet to be a greater ability in warding off disease, [continue reading...]
Cheese is not Vegetarian
I feel like a fraud. Although I am not Vegetarian (I eat fish but no other meat), I have often written about some of our meals that are strictly plant-based. Turns out I am a liar. A BIG ONE and I am devastated by it. Many of my "self proclaimed Vegetarian" recipes call for cheese and I just learned that most cheese is NOT Vegetarian. Did you know that? I am not even sure how I discovered this little known fact but once I found it I started doing a lot of research. LOTS and LOTS of [continue reading...]
12/6: Friday Favorites #4
The Holiday season is in full swing all around us which means red buckets and ringing bells at the grocery stores, company Holiday parties and endless Christmas movies on Hallmark and Lifetime TV! Here is my Friday favorites for December 6: 1. Christmas in Connecticut movie I only discovered this movie a few months ago but it is now being shown on the Hallmark Movie Channel for the Holidays. Made in 1945, it is the story of a popular magazine chef/ food writer who is asked to host a [continue reading...]
Shula Burger – Kissimmee, FL
Nothing is more insulting when a place claims to be vegetarian friendly then offers a mass-produced brand of a veggie burger. The same burger I can buy in a 12-pack at the Publix across the street. Only the restaurant offers to dress it for me and then proceed to charge me $9. How kind of them. That’s what they do at the new Shula Burger in Kissimmee. However, Shula does do a very good job at disguising the grocery store burger with a wide variety of toppings. Plus, there are a few sides on [continue reading...]
In praise of Nutritional Yeast
I wrote a post not too long ago about the benefits of using chia seeds. While chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein and calcium, there is another secret weapon many vegetarians use to obtain some of the vitamins they miss out on by eating a plant-based diet. I have started using nutritional yeast to season fries, veggies and salads. First of all, Nutritional Yeast is not active. It cannot be substituted for baking yeast and make your bread rise and [continue reading...]
Kale and Brussel Sprout Salad
I hope everyone had a wonderful and filling Thanksgiving Day. Chad and I stayed at a nice resort here in the Orlando area and enjoyed a relaxing staycation while Mom was in town. Though we had a very nice kitchen at our condo we ate out quite a lot. That’s what you do on vacation anyway right? So now it’s time to get back on track…. Welcome to Vegan Monday. A few months ago I made a Kale Salad with Peanut Dressing based off the Kale Salad found at the Houston's restaurants and it has [continue reading...]
Green Erth Bistro – Jacksonville
Green Erth Bistro is a quaint little restaurant in San Marco and specializes in organic, Persian and Vegan cuisine, according to them. Organic and Persian? Sure. Vegan? Well, they have a few Vegan dishes on the menu and if that means they specialize in it..well..OK. Jacksonville doesn't have a large offering of anything Vegan so I guess you just take what you can get. Not that we are Vegan, I just thought it interesting they claim the Vegan thing when about 90% of their menu are meat [continue reading...]
11/22: Friday Favorites #3
Here we go- round #3- of Friday Favorites: 1. Whole Foods Hummus Hummus is the greatest snack ever. Hummus is also so popular now that it can be found anywhere, however, my favorite is that from the Whole Foods brand. This hummus is made fresh at the store so it isn’t trucked in and left to sit in a stockroom before being sold. Love the Whole Food brand and their abundance of flavors. 2. Blueberry Yogurt Pretzels Seriously, who invented these things? I love [continue reading...]
Waffle House or Huddle House?
Those of us fortunate to live in the South know the meaning of the words scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered, capped, topped and country. At least how those words all relate to food or more specifically- hashbrowns. These are all words used to custom order those beloved Waffle House hashbrowns. Waffle House is a true Southern institution though there a few scattered as far north as Ohio and as far west as Arizona. However, down here in the South, especially in Orlando, there [continue reading...]
