Days 18-20: Carb Confession

I cannot believe that the 21-Day Kickstart is almost complete! Wow have these past 3 weeks flown by or what? Technically I've been eating vegan for about 4 weeks, but still, it's kind of incredible how quickly it's passed. I plan to do a lovely Day 21 finale blah blah post and well, answer all the questions everyone keeps asking me, (like, "So... are you going to eat cheese after the 21 days is up?") but for now, let's recap the past few days...

I've been on this insane, um, bread kick. First it was sourdough and then French batard, all of which I toasted and ate with a delectable smear of Earth Balance (which, btw, I didn't think would taste good on toast, but it is surprisingly just as comforting as butter). For a few days there I was eating toast with every lunch and dinner. Now before some of you haters play your "vegans only eat unhealthy carbs!" card, let me assure you that with those meals included plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and protein. I simply added toast because, well, why not? Anyway, the point is, I may need to go on a toast & EB cleanse along with my sugar cleanse. Eek!

But enough of my carb confessions, let's talk about what's been cookin' in the vegan tomato's kitchen! This weekend I found myself with a fridge full of leftover veggies. An onion here, some asparagus there, and I decided I should make a "clean out your refrigerator" kind of meal. Now, I'll be honest with you, I'm not so good of a cook that I can throw together random dying veggies and create a yummy dish that I'll actually eat (unlike Lauren, who by the way, is nothing short of incredible). So I did what any normal aspiring-vegan-not-quite-yet confident-cook would do, I turned to one of my newest cookbooks - Vegan Yum Yum. And voila! What better dish to cook when trying to use up leftover veggies than fried rice?

{photo credit: vegan yum yum}

Now, her fried rice is gorgeous and colorful. Mine was... not. But that's because I worked with what I had, and that was: asparagus, broccoli, and corn. I bought a portobello mushroom to add some meatiness, but sadly forgot to buy some sesame seeds for garnish (I love me some toasted sesame seeds). Nonetheless, it turned out pretty well!

Kind of looks more like risotto than fried rice, huh? That's because I used short-grain brown rice because I like the stickiness of it. Now, as good as this was, I will say this - it lacked... something. And maybe that something can only be achieved with the salty, flavorful pork that I'm so accustomed to adding to my fried rice, but then again, maybe not. I'm going to experiment more next time. Any thoughts/tips/suggestions?

Since I'm into this whole "don't waste your produce" thang (I've been known to throw old lots of veggies gone bad... no bueno), I've been trying to find a recipe that incorporates some campari tomatoes that my Mom bought me last time I was in Dallas. Earlier today I stumbled across this post by Shelly of Green Chic, and I knew that would be the perfect way to use my tomatoes. And the mac and cheese of choice? None other than another one of Lolo's from Vegan Yum Yum. How good does that look? Now imagine it with roasted tomatoes on top. YUM YUM! (I couldn't help myself.)


One last thing - I've noticed that my dessert-y sugar cravings have dramatically subsided. I used to want dessert after lunch and dinner, but not so much anymore. When I do crave something sweet, I whip up my cherry chocolate bomb shake, and I'm set. Now, if only I could explain my Mexican Coke obsession...

P.S. Merci for all the sweet words on my last post. You guys are my heroes, and I love you all!