Ethiopian Food

Thank you Jessica from the bottom of my heart!

My food world just got a little bit bigger. One small step from Capitol Hill, Seattle ; One giant leap for this girl!!

I have been waiting so many years to try Ethiopian food. Today was my lucky day! After a successful Costo run, a frustrating gas station experience, my running partner Jessica decided today was the day.

I was freezing, muddy, cranky & hungry. Perfect time for me to try new food. The utensil free cuisine has always intrigued me and the grey-hued Injera bread was a mystery ( made with Teff flour, which I now use on a regular basis). To my happiness, the restaurant was not only was friendly, but VEGAN friendly. Woo-Hoo! Apparently Ethiopians have an Orthodox Muslim tradition that forbids them from eating any animal products Monday, Wednesday & Friday, as well as on certain holidays.

Jessica ordered the vegetarian platter to share and we each got Ethiopian tea. The service was fine, the food prepared quickly. Nom Nom! I think we will have to make a date to eat here at LEAST once a month.

This is what I think I ate.
terkik Alitcha - split peas prepared with light sauce
Atkilt Wot - cabbage, carrots, potatoes simmered in sauce
Atkilt Salata - boiled potatoes, jalapeno mixed in salad dressing
Buticha - chickpea dip mixed with lemon juice

Gomen - collard green cooked to perfection with spices

Misir Wot - pureed split red lentil are simmered berbere sauce

Misir Alitcha - pureed split red lentil are simmered in mild sauce Shimbra Asa - chickpeas flour dumplings & cooked in wot Shiro Alitcha - mild split peas are milled together & slow cooked

Do Vegans Smell Better?

Several times last week I received random, unsolicited comments about my (non) body odor. This isn't the first time it's happened in the last 30 days. Not sure if it's the Bikram or the veganism, but something flushed all that bad juju out of my body.

1. While Biking with a friend last week, she comments on my wonderful "perfume" as she sped past me. Huh?
2. While out at a club with friends getting sweaty on the dance floor, someone commented that my sweat smelled nice. Say What?
3. While waiting in line with my friend at a bar, several people asked me what perfume I was wearing. Again--duh?

Eau de Bikram? Very Vegan?

Lock Your Knee

Lock your knee! I think I have heard this phrase about a gazillion times in the last 4 months. I often fantasize about locking my knee. Since I have been unemployed, I have committed to deepen my Bikram practice by attending every day! I think I am on day 100+. The amazing thing is that I don't even keep track anymore. The first 30 days were a struggle. But as Bikram says: " Give me 60 days and I will change your life!" It wasn't a joke.

Bikram's yoga has made me feel so good both mentally & physically that I have become completely obsessed! I often find myself google-ing postures on the internet into the wee hours of the morning. My husband suggested that I should teach. After much self-reflection and many locked knees later, I just sent in my completed application to Fall 2010 Teacher Training!!

Woo-Hoo! I can't wait! I just hope I will be as excellent of a teacher as the my teachers at the Sweatbox.

Soygurt!!!

One of the things that was most difficult for me to give up was yogurt. Little did I know there is an entire world of soy yogurts out there!! Some are good, some not so good. My question is why would anyone want cow's mile ( ick!) when they can have a better product??

Here are two of my favorites:

Whole Soy & Co Vanilla Yogurt: Smooth creamy texture. Could easily pass for its milk based counterpart. Nom Nom!

Trader Joe's Soy Yogurt- all flavors. At 89 cents a tub, how can you go wrong??

What the hell does a vegan eat, anyways?

I am several years into my vegetarianism. After many years of flirting with veganism, seeing the movie "Peacable Kingdom" and meeting Howard Lyman www.madcowboy.com I made the plunge about 2 months ago.
Now that I have made the plunge head on, I am standing my ground and refuse to eat anything that has a face.
A few months ago I posted a disturbing blog about making eye contact with a cow on the freeway on its way to slaughter. TO my amazement, that exact image is brought up in Peacable Kingdom.
I plan to blog about those who make my food choices easy and those who give me a hard time.
So the answer to what does a vegan eat? I eat tons and tons of fresh, delicious food. I enjoy everything I eat in abundance, with little to no risk of food borne illness.
I hope you find my blog insightful, inspiring and worthy of sharing with others.

Most of all I want you to see the faces of veganism.