I'm aLiiive!!

Ok, I'm coming out the other side of a black hole brain fog time warp, which caused a crash in my cognitive motor equipment (see above pic). There's still a lot of static in there, but hopefully by the end of this week (this is elimination diet week to determine FOD contaminants entering orifice) I will be seeing clearly again, and, perhaps, remember what the word "passion" means. Translation: I will begin posting again, in earnest, with plenty of tongue-teasing fotos. On the what-might-be-considered-to-some downside, since I am cutting wheat, soy, corn, peanuts, and WINE!! out of my diet for a little while, my meal concoctions may appear slightly less decadent, a.ka. Simple and Healthy.

The beauty of simplifying your cooking, however, besides the numerous health benefits = feeling on top of the world, is that your tastebuds begin to truly come alive, delighting in the subtlest flavors. What used to seem bland, due to extreme flavors (sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, salty) deadening your tongue sensors, suddenly becomes packed with exciting new taste sensations. Plain brown rice becomes sweet and nutty, and is perfectly delicious in its own right, without shoyu, salt, or butter. Vegetables steamed or slow-sauteed with just a pinch of sea salt need nothing else before popping into your mouth. Indeed, foods with added sweeteners (think cake) become so overpoweringly sweet, your tongue will feel as if it is going numb. If you have stopped eating sugar for a month, or even just a week, the negative effects of just one little bite of chocolate chip cookie will be immediate: muscles will feel suddenly weak and heavy, migraines will strike like a bolt of thunder, and your brain will fog over like the windows of my '73 bug.

It has been a while since my diet has been "pure", and I've paid the consequences: weight gain, acid reflux, chronic joint and muscle pain, depression, IBS---->to name a few. Right now I am reading The False Fat Diet, by Elson M. Haas (which I highly recommend for anyone who suspects they have food sensitivities), and it has given me the encouragement to track down and cut out the culprits, once again. I am not much good at fasts, even juice fasts, so I choose to do a limited elimination plan for a couple of weeks (and I'm fairly certain wheat is my enemy). I will keep you posted on the progress...

For now, however, a few pictures from lost weeks gone by, probably with minimal explanation :)

to satisfy the repressed carnivorous shadow in me, a little "kitty a la king". this is tomlucas, a defector from the 'hood, who decided the West End of Moon St. was a far more royal environment for his regal (and extremely demanding) bloodline.



errr, for some reason I have been on a total pizza kick over the past month or so.

One Saturday eve, when I was dining alone (well, just me, the 8 felines, and the tele), I decided to do it up right Japanese-style. Obviously, I went a little crazy and made 5 times as much food as one dainty little sprite like me could ever eat.

here is vegetable tempura, including baby bellas, red peppers, summer squash, and my favorite--->teriyaki tempeh wrapped in nori

cucumber and daikon salad, with a dash of ume vinegar

and toasted sesame oil, topped with toasted dulse

teriyaki tofu nigiri, topped with scallions and sesame seeds

(that's edamame in the background)

vegetable dragon roll (I can't remember everything I put in it), red pepper-

portabella-scallion roll, and inari nigiri

ahh, the infamous pizza, this time as a casserole. I wanted to try upside-down pizza bowl, but changed my mind at the last minute. sorry about the horrible picture quality;

I need to work on my lighting.

I took my morning's leftover coffee, and made this wonderful afternoon pick-me-up: cold coffee, frozen banana, vanilla soy ice cream, and chunks of dark vegan chocolate. eeeeeyyummmm.

super-groovy eggplant "cannelloni", with my fantabulous tofu ricotta, basil, marinara, spinach, and pine nuts. topped it off with some sourdough breadcrumbs.

I semi-promise, one of these days, REALLY SOON, I will start supplying recipes for some of these creations. Meanwhile, be on the lookout for an entourage of macrobiotic-y repasts. See you next time!