Macrobi-NOT-ic

Firstly and most importantly, let's reflect on unconditional sibling love of the fur-klan. This is sweet Megan (whom the menfolk of Moon are all intrepidly in love with) kissing and licking on her brother (my paramour), Little Lord Fauntleroy. One of my favorite meditations is to watch these displays of affection and wisdom; felines, I believe, coined the maxim "cleanliness is next to godliness" many a long time ago.

And a gorgeously blue morning glory on my balcony...

o.k... as far as the first week of my elimination diet went, I started out with a bang and went down with a sputter. Starting on Monday, I cut out wheat in all forms, corn, peanuts, and alcohol. Coffee was still in my "ok" list, because while I make mine half-decaf (and organic), the coffee detox/withdrawal is one of the hardest for me, and I couldn't handle that hullabahookie on top of any food reaction withdrawal symptoms I am having/may have. Unfortunately, by Friday, my resolve was not only broken, but crushed and ground a la mortar and pestle, when I went with friends to see The Decemberists at Chastain Park. With very noble intentions, I got a bottle of water for my imbibing pleasure, while everyone else bought oilcans of Fosters or bottles of vino. However, by the time we sat our rumps down on the metal benches and the first bottle was uncorked, I couldn't stand the idea of only having a "good time". I wanted the full experience, like everyone else! So, in compromise, I allowed myself a half of a small plastic cup-ful of the good red stuff. It was by the 3rd pour however (of only half a cup, mind you), that I had to finally admit to myself that this "counted", and I had broken my diet. When we left the ampitheatre, it seemed silly to get back on the wagon immediately after I had lept so valiantly-yet-foolhardily off, so we shimmied back to the neighborhood "Regal Beagle", where I faintly protested against the glass of merlot that was offered to me, and then vehemently demanded that I be served a carton of peanuts as well! (I won't even begin sharing details of the neighbor's yardsale the following morning, in which spicy bloody marys and mimosas were free-flowing onto the lawn...)

So without further ado, here are a few meal cut-outs from my weak week:

today's redemption lunch: rice, beans, and tempeh bacon atop mixed mesclun greens, finished with carrot almond sauce and whipped tofu "goat cheese"

Mid-week, I made something slightly off the plan, but still relatively healthy---->Eggplant Dharmasan with "nomato" sauce. It was scrumpdillyicious, and left my eating partner and me feeling fantastico afterwards!

some ingredients in the "nomato" sauce are below. Why not tomato sauce, you ask? The simple answer: because tomatoes, altho delicious, are nightshades; nightshades contain solanine; solanine is an alkaloid that can really mess with your joints and bones. Think "arthitis + rain". Here's a place to find

more info on the subject.

layers of the eggplant Dharmasan: nomato sauce, eggplant slices coated in potato chips (my favorite--->salt & pepper Kettle chippies), tofu "goat cheese", more of the same layers, with the option of topping it all off with FYH mozzarella.


ready to go in the oven


and served with a side of brown rice angel hair tossed with rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice,
capers, and pine nuts


tuesday's lunch: leftover long-grain brown rice, topped with water-sauteed kale and carrot-almond sauce, served with a mix of pinto and cannellini beans, suncheese,
and grated daikon (tossed with a touch of ume-zu).


On Monday, I made green rolls, and they rocked! they're made with steamed swiss chard, beet greens, and cabbage, rolled with flash-sauteed button mushrooms, diced stems from the greens, and suncheese (a combination of soaked sunflower seeds, lemon juice, garlic, and umeboshi vinegar, or ume-zu)

Starting tomorrow, I am cutting out all soy products as well (for at least a week). This will suck royally, as I am rather dependent on Silk soy creamer in my morning java, and almond milk, whilst good in its own right, just does not provide the thick velvety goodness of the creamer. Better luck to me!

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!

Interspecies Peace

It's not vegan, but I just had to include this photo of a raccoon on our balcony eating cat throw-up. That's little Megan under the table keeping a close eye on coonhead and secretly laughing her furry head off. (I wasn't present while this picture was being taken).





I still haven't quite gotten into the rhythm of blogging; in fact, I'm still trying to make sense of it all, so my posts are very picture-oriented currently. However, I used to be an avid journalist, and I've written plays, short stories, poems, the beginnings of many novels, etc....I don't know where all my words have gone. Perhaps I just need to do some inner-coaching and just coax out a sentence here and there for a while. I feel as if I've been brain dead for the past 2 or 3 years, a sad sad state of human affairs. Anyway, keep coming back; quite possibly you and I both will find out I have something to say after all!





Lookie! I made another pizza. This one has a whole wheat crust, chipotle "cheese" spread, sauteed baby spinach and scallions, artichoke hearts, portabella shrooms, deeeelish farmer's market tomatoes, and FYH monterey jack. Another mouth-watering meal, accompanied with budget-friendly TJ's Charles Shaw Blend Merlot.