Totally Posthumous Cleanse/Detox Wrap

First off - ah quit a day(ish) early. Thar was a halloween party @ my work on the 29th, n ah totally drank a beer n ate some junk. But ah still made it four weeks.

Tha big thang(s) ahm takin from this experiment is a) it DAES make you feel bettah but b) it's nawt a way ah NEED ta live my life just yet. Also that ah don't like havin ta spend all my time thinkin about what ahm eatin, what ahm gawna make, what needs ta be bought, etc.

Ah dae like that a few newer ingredients gawt introduced ta my routine: quinoa, flaxseed, etc. Ah also am very thankful it inspired me ta attend my local farmers market (or markets sometimes) n try ta git tha majority of my foods thar. Ah realized at some point that ahd basically been cookin entirely from scratch in many cases, minus some spices, n that tha most cheatin ahd done was some beans er grains (specially durin my cleanse phase), otherwise it had all been bought at a local market.

It also forced me ta stop dependin on a few non-local products: especially bananas. Ah love bananas - thar easy, tasty, cheap, n good fer ya. Ahd basically been eatin a banana every mornin fer a long time - it was a jump-start to my day, ah could eat it while waterin tha plants, it gave me just a lil energy ta ride ta werk. But thar nawt native. Those bananas come from far far away. So instead, ahve been eatin an apple er pear er persimmon bought from a local vendor. Nawt quite as easy, but bettah fer everyone (specially tha local vendor ah suppose).

So ah believe thars compromises ta be made. Ah love bread n cheese n eggs - thas fine. Ah currently dont eat TOO much of eitha, but ah should be more mindful about those products. Ahve also been good about nawt dependin on tofu fer protein - which is good fer a lawt of reasons. N ahm still gaein to tha farmers market - ah love it. Ah hafta wake up early on my Saturday, but it really is totally werth it.

But ah did miss tha occasional junk food. Ahve definitely snacked a bit now n then since, n haven't felt bad about eatin chocolate er chips er drinkin beer. All in moderation ah figure - n tha more aware of it ah am, tha bettah off ahll be ah think. Right?

All in all, ahm glad ah did it. Ahll prolly dae somethang similar again. Its good ta escape ones comfort zone - specially when you feel awesome durin it. N ah took some good thangs away.

Here's my most recent expedition intae cookin local food:

Attempt at Thai Curry
- Jasmine Rice - cook in cooker

In saucepan, heat olive oil (ah always cook w. olive oil), sesame oil, n soy sauce. Chop 7-8 spicy red peppers (From farmers market of course - $1 a huge bunch ahll nevah use). Sautee in sauce with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and ginger.

Add diced potatos and water. Cover and simmer.

5 minutes or so later, add green beans. stir and simmer. add more ginger.

a few minutes later, added chopped mushrooms and yellow/orange bell pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, then add 30+ thai basil leaves. Stir basil leaves in until wilting, cover for a few more minutes. Squeeze lime over, stir, and serve over jasmine rice.

How'd it come out? Tasty as hell, but a bit spicy. Ahd really thought ah had some coconut milk that ah was gaein ta add, but couldn't find it. Also, ah lost my fish sauce a few months back n haven't replaced that yet either. Ah think w. tha addition of one, er both, of these, it will be pretty fawkin good. Altho all tha recipes ah looked up called fer eggplant, so maybe ah should incorporate that next time.

Ah make Ragu that RAWKS!

Fuck yeah ah dae!

This is a recipe that my mom gave me when ah moved out here - actually she makes twice as much as this when she daes it n then freezes it. I find this makes two big batches, so ah generally make a few lunches with one of them n then freeze tha rest. Every couple months ahll make this - it makes my house smell like my rents place. Ahm gaein ta share in case anyone is interested - this is a watery ragu type of sauce, not the chunky kind that many people think of.

Ingredients
6 oz. tomato paste
28 oz cans crushed tomatoes (ah use the muir glen fire-roasted, they make a great sauce)
28 oz water
~1 teaspoon salt (could add more)
pepper grinds
parsley (at least tablespoon)
oregano (at least half tablespoon)
1 bay leaf
at least ½ tablespoon sugar
veggies
addtl spices (chili)
1 Veggie Bullion Cube

The veggies ah used this time were:
1 shredded carrot
1 Portabello mushroom cap cut into thick-ish chunks
1 Green pepper, sliced thin



Making the sauce is easy - put everything in a big pot, bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for at least an hour (I do it anywhere from 1./5 - 3 hours, although I don't think thars much difference between 2 hours n 3 hours).

Ah was especially happy with tha most recent batch, which was full of flavor. Also, even tho tha sauce is somewhat watery, it has plenty of consistency because of tha big chunks of veggies. MMMMM!

WE COOK!

Yes, ah forced my house ta have dinnah togetha. N they LIKED IT! Gawta love message boards.....

Ah stepped in ta make tha main course - stuffed shells a la my mom's recipe. It might've smelled like mom's cookin, but it has a way ta gae - both in terms of texture (ragu was too watery) n taste (BLAND stuffin - even w. spinach!).

Howevah, ah feel prety proud fer takin tha first step - cookin my mom's ragu from tha get-gae. Ah can't share her recipe (nawt that it would help much) but here's a glimpse at tha ingredients used:



That was mostly fer tha ragu - which ah multi-tasked on n also made lunches fer a few days. An ol' throwback to my bawstan/nova days, some SUPAH MAC N CHEEZ. This time includin:



At one point in time ah was simmerin tha ragu:



While ah was also steamin broccoli, fryin tofu/peppers/zucchini, n boilin macaroni:



Thas rite, ah ken multi-task.

Anyway, tha shells came out passable - lookin nawt TOO shabby:



Altho a lil shabby, ahll admit it.

We had tons of food, n people came ta visit! Then tha roommates posed (Cuz it was tha first time we've evah been in tha same room togetha, nae joke).

Say cheese Roommmates!



Finally, ah was extra happy cuz ah found Gallo, a Guatemalean beer ah enjoyed greatly, sold in my favorite container - tha LITER Bottle. Out here they call it Famosa, but it tastes tha same as cheap....



Updatin ken be fun!