Day Two

I woke up bright and early this morning with visions of cheesy scrambled eggs dancing in my head.  Normally, this would be great, as they're one of my favorite breakfast foods, easy to make, and Natalie loves them too.  I could almost smell them as I was getting out of bed, but by the time my feet hit the floor, I remembered:  It's Lent, and I'm a vegan.

What to do?  Well at first, I won't lie... I was really, really bummed I couldn't have my cheesy eggs.  But then I remembered why I chose to do this.  The conditions most chickens are kept in and treated like machines.  To be grateful for the food I do have.  To remember the sacrifices Jesus made for me.  To honor the earth.   So I felt a little more on track after that, and I sent a quick morning prayer of gratitude toward the sky.

After my morning chores and getting Natalie situated, I made myself my breakfast:  A strong cup of Newman's Own black coffee, brewed piping hot in under a minute thanks to the Keurig we received from my parents for Christmas (thanks mom & dad!!) along with sprouted wheat toast covered in Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese and topped with homemade red raspberry jam, made by my best friend's mom.

Now if that doesn't scream "good morning," I don't know what does. :)  It was great.  I love, love, love cream cheese, and I can honestly say the Tofutti had me satisfied.  The jam took me back to a time and place that brings me a lot of happiness (love you CBU and Carol!)  And the coffee?  Well, it was strong as all get-out, just the way I like it. 

I noticed the same issue with the cream cheese substitute as the sour cream one:  it has a bit of a "funny" aftertaste when sampled alone.  But, they both taste identical to the real thing when ON something or mixed with something. 

On to lunch!  

So I finally got the kiddo down for her afternoon nap and I was famished!   A mediterranean lunch called my name:  Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, tabbouli salad, couscous, and pita.  (I meant to have hummus but Walt ran off with it today in his lunch bag!)  Everything here was what I expected it to be-- tasty, but not AS tasty as when you get it from a restaurant.  However, I think we're pretty spoiled in these parts due to the large amount of outstanding Middle Eastern restaurants.  I liked the grape leaves a lot, and the pita was very good.  The couscous did nothing for me, and the tabbouli is better from Trader Joe's, but you win some, you lose some.  BONUS:  All of these products were made locally in the Metro Detroit area! 

And on to dinner.

This is actually a favorite around our house:  Vegetarian Tortilla Stew with Sweet Corn Cake on the side!

Recipe: (adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com)

1 large or 2 small cans green enchilada sauce (you can also use red enchilada sauce, but be warned-- this makes it much spicier!)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (with or without green chiles, your preference)
1 can corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything into a crock pot or a stock pot and heat through-- it really is that easy!

Toppings:

While eating vegetarian, we topped with sour cream, Mexican shredded cheese, and crunched tortilla chips.

To veganize, I substituted with Tofutti Sour Supreme and Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds on top of Baked Tostitos Scoops, crunched up a bit.

The sweet corn cake is so easy and made with 1 can of cream style corn and 1 package of this:

Substitute margarine instead of the butter in the instructions on the back, and voila:  a delicious and decadent vegan treat!

Although I started the day with a brief craving struggle, I have to say I really didn't want for anything by eating vegan today.  I feel great about making it another day in this adventure!