Day 8 One Week Down and Too Much Pepper

The first week has been a challenge but a fulfilling one.

Now I don't want to sound like a person from an infomercial but I feel pretty good! I feel healthier, I feel like I have more energy and I swear I feel like I've lost an inch or two on my waistline.

I'm sure it's related to the dramatic increase in vegetables and decrease of processed sugar.

I miss things but not as much as i though I would. Reading about a lot of the ethical and health reasons people choose veganism has been an inspiration. Also I try to keep myself occupied with thinking about my next vegan meal experiment rather than focusing on what I've excluded from my diet as much. Have I mentioned all I think about is food now, mainly because nothing good comes easy as a vegan. You've got to work at it to make it good and not boring.

A friend of mine who is a pretty strict vegetarian gave me good advice about this experiment.

She said, "remember... don't restrict yourself... just inform yourself & find your own balance. That's really what life is about."

And She's right, I know this experiment with my diet and lifestyle will help me find a healthier balance even one that may include ice cream again. But only once in a while.

Today was not the most successful vegan meal experiment. The down fall was too much pepper. Because I've been trying to post my recipes on here I've been better about measuring my portions of ingredients vs. just throwing in the amount that seems right to me.

On my lunch break from teaching I came home and started to make a Green Soup. I've made the soup before but usually added a little cream and cheddar cheese. So this time I did the same thing sans dairy.

It was going well till I tried to figure out the proper measurement for the amount of black pepper, and let me tell you 1 whole teaspoon of pepper is too much for anything.

So I recommend this recipe but from here on out I'm listing salt and pepper as "to taste".

Cheri's Green Soup

3 large heads and stems of broccoli

1 leek (just the white part, no roots or green leaves)

1 large shallot

2 medium potatoes

1 box of vegetable broth

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of sweet corn

1/2 cup of spinach

1 whole head of garlic (remember I like my garlic so you may want to change this)

1 tsp. of dried basil (fresh would be better but I was broke)

1/2 tsp. of dried sage

salt and pepper to taste

Wash all the vegetables well, chop everything up, and then put all contents into a large pot and simmer on medium heat stirring occasional for 35 to 40 minutes.

Check veggies if still firm lower heat and simmer until soft.

Use a ladle and remove some of the broccoli pieces into a bowl.

In batches puree the rest of the contents till smooth and pour back into the large pot. Add the bowl of whole pieces of broccoli and enjoy.

Now don't be discouraged by the fact it looks like the Toxic Avenger's blood, it's very flavorful and very healthy. Just not the prettiest soup you'll ever meet.

That may be why I forgot to take a photo of the finished product.