spicy lentil burgers and other ramblings...

I was looking for a way to use up the lentils, walnuts and flax in my cupboard...so, I searched on the Internet and found a recipe for spicy lentil burgers!!

When you look at them, you would think they are a regular beef patty. The texture is similar, but all the more savory!

I sorted of combined two recipes because I liked elements of both:

http://www.bing.com/search/?q=spicy+lentil+burgers&a=results&MID=2500

http://www.bing.com/search/?q=spicy+lentil+burgers&a=results&MID=2500

*what I'm learning is that when a recipe calls for breadcrumbs or flour...I instead like to use ground flax seed! It's a bit healthier and keeps you even more regular! Also, I didn't find this really needed eggs to bind the mixture, as when you blend the lentils they are pretty sticky anyways.

There are always vegan alternatives to things. I thought I would miss eggs and milk or get some crazy cravings in the middle of the night...but, I'm not. It's like my body doesn't even miss those things. I can't explain it!

This is my fourth week into this whole adventure and I feel really proud of myself. When I cook these vegan and raw dishes, I don't feel deprived or that the food is lacking something...I feel whole. Complete. I'll have sometimes 2 or 3 helpings, and not feel guilty afterwards. It's so freeing.

When I read these recipes, work with my hands to create something I know I'm going to enjoy...I feel happy.

I think I may have said this before, but I can't believe how much this food is impacting me. Before I started this journey, food was a source of shame and guilt for me. While I still am working through some of these feelings, I am truly starting to feel like myself again. Food is not my enemy. When I hand pick good ingredients, I feel a sense of pride and like I'm building myself up again. Restoring myself again.

raw chocolate

I spent an afternoon making raw chocolate with a group of friends in Shanghai for Chinese New Year.

The intoxicating smell of cacao butter, almond and agave nectar filled the air in my friend's downtown homey Shanghai apartment as we molded and shaped our various chocolate creations. And it's all raw and organic ingredients!

It's really great to have a network of people who are into raw food. It was an afternoon of celebrating Chinese New Year by having decadent delights and being good to ourselves.

mighty moroccan!

Moroccan Coconut and Chickpea Soup, from the Gluten Free Goddess! 

This recipe is a keeper! I've been wanting to make this for the past week This is a healing kind of soup. Garnished with mint leaves, this soup has everything you need to feel full, clean and healthy. Lemon, chickpeas  coconut milk and sweet potato...just what the soul needs. Oh, and did I mention Granny Smith apples?

Although this is a crock pot recipe, I dumped everthing into my wok, added extra garlic, cumin and chilies - and that is exactly what this soup needed.

It has a different texture than other soups I've had, and I like it.

I hope you try it too! (recipe in hyperlink above)

Lovely little wine bar...

I felt so good tonight...I mean, my friends and I were hoping to go to 'Kush', a posh vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai, but due to seating shortage, we found a cozy little wine bar right next to it. Vino! The owner was so welcoming in this place that could barely fit 15. Little did we know that we could still order food from next door! And vegan/vegetarian options. It was grand.

Along with my glass of their house red from Florence, I enjoyed a spicy seaweed salad and (no word of a lie) a dish entitled 'Awesome Curry'! And it was just that...awesome. Lemongrass, coconut milk and an assortment of veggies like pumpkin, asparagus and peppers. Perfect portions and a divine atmosphere to suit.

I shared my story from the past few months with this friend. I was able to articulate my recent preoccupation with nutritious foods and why I'm doing what I'm doing. Healing myself from the inside out. One spoonful at a time.

Tonight was the first time in months I laughed a little talking about my breakup in October. I couldn't believe what came over me. As I dished myself one more spoonful of lemongrass curry and spoke about 2012, I realized I was truly partaking in a new season. While I am still on the road to recovery, it felt so good to speak out my story with someone who was so willing to listen.

The curry was spicy, the wine comforting and my appetite for life...slowly coming back to me.