Why I* became a vegetarian.

My number one reason for turning towards a plant-based diet is my health. I'm kinda fat. I'll say it. I know that vegetarians can be fat too (but let's save that for another post). But I figure if I start getting a handle on the biggest danger foods full of fat and cholesterol it will be a downhill jaunt to ultimately cutting out all things artificial and processed. Pretty much anything rumored to cause cancer. I know, that could rule out breathing eventually, but I'll take my chances for now.

Notice in the Skinny-Tobie picture I have collar bones. I really look forward to the day I have them again. Oh and I see vegan me as having crazy long, curly hair. Cause that's what happens you know; turn Vegan and your hair will get curly**.

Whenever I even think of cheating, which I can thankfully say hasn't happened yet, I just think about my pets. I can't imagine serving up a hot dish of puppy for dinner***. What make them any different than a cow or chicken? I raised animals growing up. Animals have brains, they can express affection, enjoy pleasure****, solve problems... Why would you eat another living creature if you didn't absolutely have to?

Vegetarianism is good for the planet. Less people eating meat means fewer cows need to be raised for slaughter, which in turn means less water being used in the meat production plants, less corn being used to fatten up the cattle, less corn having to be produced, less fossil fuels used in farm equipment, less topsoil erosion from frequent working of the soil... you get the idea.

* Not trying to preach or convert, just want to share why I've made this decision.

**This is obviously not a certified fact, just my own hopeful delusion.

***Even typing out that sentence made me a little but queasy.

****Try feeding a horse some watermelon and see how he or she reacts. It's awesome!



Veggies on my doorstep!

Yesterday I rushed home from work excited to see if the veggie delivery service I signed up for last week had made the appointed delivery. And guess what? They had!

You'll have to excuse the rather uninspiring look of the package because what was inside totally makes up for it!



Just look at all those colors! My delivery consisted of: baby bok choy, arugula, assorted chard, radishes, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, pears, plums and broccoli rabe. I'm a little concerned with the amount of greens as I've never really cooked with them before. Some friends have already offered some suggestions on how best to prepare the chard and Cook's Illustrated has some seemingly easy ideas for the rest.

You're probably wondering what I made for dinner last night with such an abundance of yum just waiting to be chopped up and put in my belly... Well, to make room for it all in the crisper drawers of my refrigerator I had to use up some of the older stuff already in there.

I had a ton of leeks starting to go limp so I chopped those babies up and made a super simple potato leek soup.

Potato Leek Soup Recipe (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

5 leeks chopped into 1/2" rings - use all of the white part and a few inches of the green.
5 large red potatoes
5 1/2 cups veggie stock (you can use chicken).
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of flour
6 tablespoons of butter
1 splash of olive oil - to help keep the butter from burning
2 cloves of garlic minced

Instructions:
1. Begin by melting the butter & olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot.
2. Add the chopped leeks. Cook covered until soft about 10 - 15 mins.
3.Throw in flour and stir to dissolve.
4.Add stock and bring to a boil.
5. Add bay leaves and chopped potatoes.
6. Cook until the potatoes are to your desired tenderness.
7. Enjoy!

Of course I was too hungry and my kitchen too messy to take pictures, but it was yum and only took about 30 minutes (minus chopping time) to cook.

Hi.

I'm Tobie*.

I'm almost a vegetarian**.

I'm quite lazy***.

I love Jesus****.

Those are the basics. Stay tuned for more exciting(ish) developments.

*Female, just in case you were wondering.

**I'm also poor so rather than throw away the almost full bag of frozen chicken from Costco, I'm finishing it off.

***Maybe someday I'll show you Mt. St. Laundry that lives in my guest room. Maybe not.

****Christ, not the Mexican dude next door.