"You're a Vegan?! I Feel Like I Don't Know You Anymore!"

Day 20. I've been a little bad about keeping up with the blog this past week. There have been a few misses this week:

• I made broccoli mac-n-cheeze on Monday; the recipe was heavy on the nutritional yeast, and I really didn't like it. I ended up having a PB&J sandwich for dinner instead. Chris was more kind and actually had seconds.
• On travel in Tampa Tuesday, I went to Publix to get something to eat. They didn't have any veggie sushi, so I ended up with brown rice-California rolls.
• Last night, I went out with my co-workers for happy hour. When I got to the bar, they had already ordered some cheese dip, which I turned down, explaining that I'm a vegan now. One of my dear friends looks at me and says, "You're a vegan?! I feel like I don't even know you anymore!" All kidding aside, by the time I got home, I was feeling naughty, so Chris and I ended up getting a cheese pizza from the store. Oops.

A few successes, too:

• Chris' grandmother's birthday lunch was actually a buffet with a respectable salad bar, tomato-basil soup, and some rice and broccoli. I didn't have to explain to the hunting, Republican contingent that I no longer partake of the animal flesh.
• In Tampa, I had Greek for lunch. I ordered a grilled vegetable-and-baba ganoush wrap and Greek salad, hold the cheese on both. (Funny, though: I tell the waitress, "No cheese, please." And she replies, "But you want feta, right?" I felt like I was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, when Toula tells her family that her fiance is a vegetarian, to which the aunt replies, "Okay. I make lamb.").
• Also in Tampa, I had a post-meeting, late-night dinner of miso soup, salad, and veggie sushi. Yum.
• Resisted the urge to have meat on Thursday, and instead, made whole wheat penne with non-meatballs. Disaster averted!

Hoth-lanta

Day Eight. It snowed about 3 inches in intown Atlanta last night. My work is closed for the day. The frozen rain started at 8:00 a.m. this morning Chris and I took Kayla (our dog) for a 4.5-mile walk around town to survey the situation. After that, we dropped her off, and headed back out on foot to meet up with some friends for drinks and lunch at a local burger/beer joint. I figured a veggie burger and salad would be a safe choice. I asked for no mayo on my burger, and no cheese on my salad. Sadly, the kindly cooks did not get the message about the mayo, and slathered it on my burger anyway. I don't like mayo on my burger in any case, and especially not as a vegan. I was annoyed, but way too hungry to send it back. Foiled again!

We finished up there, then walked another 2 miles down the road to our local pub to watch the BCS National Championship. They weren't serving any food (remember: at this point, there is about an inch of ice covering all the roads in Atlanta), so a friend walked to the only pizza place nearby to get pizzas. I was starving at this point, and had partook in a few adult beverages. So with fuzzy judgment and hungry belly, I had a piece of vegetable pizza. Drats. Cheese wins again.

Chris and I left the pub at halftime of the game and trekked the 3 miles back to our house. I figure that, in all, we walked almost 9 miles in snow and ice. I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

Vegetarian Chili

WARNING - NOT VEGAN!

Makes 6 (1-c.) servings
5 WW points/serving

1 tsp olive oil
1 c. yellow onion, finely diced
2 c. zucchini and yellow squash, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (12-oz) package Quorn Grounds or Morningstar Farms Crumbles (contain egg products)
1 (14-oz) can black beans (do not rinse or drain)
1 (29-oz) can tomato sauce
2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 c. frozen sweet corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat a slow cooker over HIGH heat.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini, and garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent. Add Quorn Grounds; cook until heated through. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.

In slow cooker, add remaining ingredients, stirring well. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or LOW for 8 hours.

Note: can be made ahead and frozen.

"We Might Be Snowed in for a Few Days - Better Go Out Tonight!"

Day Six, continued. I un-Christmas-ed the house today. I always hate how bare and boring it looks after we take the tree down. I have a really crazy tree with colored lights and ornaments we've collected from our travels. I love it. And now it's back in storage for another 11 months. I'm sad.

The news is still calling for a major snow storm to start Sunday night. I had planned to make Indian tonight - red lentil and cauliflower curry with garlic naan and basmati rice. But considering that we'll likely be stuck at the house for at least a day (things shut down here in the Dirty South when it snows, unlike where I used to live - Colorado, Minnesota, and central NY), Chris and I decided to go out. Besides, it IS Saturday night.

We decided to go see "The Social Network" at the Plaza Theatre. I was pretty hungry beforehand, so we went to the Righteous Room for a pitcher of beer and some snacks. Salt and vinegar potato wedges - yum. "The Social Network" wasn't bad, just not all it had been hyped up to be. None of the characters were particularly likeable, so I didn't really find myself rooting for anyone to succeed. Afterward, we grabbed some Indian at Desi Spice. Like the movie, not bad, but not quite as good as it smelled when we walked in. We split a vegetarian dinner with garlic naan, vegetable curry, dal, aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), and saag paneer. Okay, I know that the saag paneer totally has cheese and cream in it, but I ate some anyway. Again, no judging.