Good morning. I politely interrupt the 4 weight loss myths, to bring you our regularly scheduled Vegan Thursday. Later today, Mitch and I will be picking up a friend at the airport, coming in from NY. We haven’t seen Karen in about 30 years! She was my best bestie when I worked in Manhattan at the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We worked together, played together and did most everything together and then, when I moved away, we just lost touch. Ironically, she and my sister, Arlene (who also worked with us), ran into each other only to learn they live right near one another. It’s been a reunion for them, and now for Karen and I.
So yesterday, I was in the kitchen making some goodies so today can be carefree. It used to be challenging to think of things that I can eat and non-vegans enjoy as well. The more you learn, the easier things get. As I always say, there are so many foods that are fabulous, and vegan by coincidence. I whipped a bowl of northern bean hummus and with some pita bread chips, it will be a great snack. I baked a bunch of the vegan, no flour, no sugar, no dairy, cookies and made some dark chocolate covered strawberries, which, by the way, came out beautiful. So the sweet tooth is taken care of and today I will fill in some blanks with salad, veggies and ??? My point is, there is NO challenge figuring out what everyone can enjoy together.
To make the hummus, all you need to do is rinse and drain a can of northern beans and put it in the food processor with about a half a clove of chopped garlic, the juice of half a lemon and enough olive oil to make it the creamy texture you would want. Always start with less and add more. I don’t measure—sorry! I add some red pepper flakes which gives it a nice kick. For under 1.50 you have a nice size bowl of yummy, homemade hummus. Sure, you can use chick peas or cannallini beans or even black beans, but I am stuck on the northern because of their creaminess! Try it and let me know what you think!
Ellen is on the mend and will be at the gym for her 10 am class this morning. She is unable to teach her 8:30 low impact class on Fridays for a few weeks but will be there tomorrow for her 10 am class and for all her regularly scheduled SilverSneakers classes. I am unable to sub for her on Friday mornings as it conflicts with my own work schedule, but it was nice to catch up with all her students earlier this week, and I am sure they will be thrilled to see her back, today.
I hope you will consider a meatless meal or 2 or 3 today. The more we learn about the negative impact on our health from too much animal protein, the more it makes sense to at least limit the consumption. Every single time you choose to avoid the animal protein, you make a positive impact on your health, your furry friends and your Mother Earth. That’s a triple win, in my book. I will be back tomorrow with the 4th, final and hardest to admit myth….until then make it a great day. Namaste.
