Deconstructed Brown Rice and Avocado Sushi

Today, I really wanted Whole Foods' brown rice and avocado sushi for lunch, but I didn't really want to spend $6 on it. I had some left-over, cold brown rice, an avocado, and a cucumber. Figured I'd make my own, deconstructed sushi. It looks kind of funky, but it tastes just like the sushi I was craving.


Serves 2
9 WW points/serving

1 c. cold brown rice
1 medium avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 tsp wasabi paste (or more or less, to taste)

Combine soy sauce and wasabi paste in a small bowl. Toss rice, avocado, and cucumber in a large bowl. Top with soy sauce. Divide into two servings. Enjoy!

Efforts must be redoubled.

Day 40. It's been a while since I've blogged, but things have been going relatively well. About a week ago, I was on a pizza kick. For some reason, I decided that real cheese was acceptable. Urgh. It is not. I think I was just feeling lazy and overwhelmed both with work and cooking. I find that if I don't take the time to get ready for the week over the weekend, I tend to get off-course diet-wise pretty quickly. No excuse, I know. But it's all about progress, right?

On a positive note, I managed to stay vegan at a work happy hour, going away party for one of my best friends where the adult beverages were flowing a little too freely. The bar had some pretty yummy hummus, which I gorged myself on.

I'm planning our Valentine's Day menu. Chris and I are going to do small plates instead of a big meal. I'm thinking of making:

• Vegetable potstickers
• Basil and balsamic vinegar bruschetta
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Phoney-pepperoni rolls
• Chocolate Bundt cake

I've also got to do some menu planning for this week so I don't have a repeat of last week's laziness.

January - check!

Day 30. Made it to February with a renewed sense of commitment to veganism. I am really excited about doing this for another month, at minimum.

Last night, I was flipping through channels post-workout and came across Rachael Ray's "30-Minute Meals." I don't know what she was cooking; I don't really care. All I know is that I heard her say something about someone making candles out of bacon fat, and that she said the smell was "intoxicating." That is really disgusting. If I went on national television and said that I wanted a candle made out of bunny or kitty fat, they would throw my ass in jail or skewer me publicly. She should be ashamed.

It makes me really disappointed with mainstream America that it is not only acceptable to inhumanely slaughter non-human animals, but also that it is expected. We are raised to believe that, if you don't eat animal products, you are somehow weak, crazy, and strange. We are not raising our children to be compassionate; we are raising them to be carnivores. No one thinks about where their food comes from, or even what it is. The more I read and learn, the more the thought of meat makes my stomach turn.