A Delicious, Nutritious Day!

It's a little slow at work today, so I have a moment to create a post!  

I think about food a lot, not constantly, but quite often, when I'm not eating and when I am!   Sometimes, even while in the middle of a delicious, satisfying meal, I start contemplating the next one!  I'm not proud of that, but it's the truth.  :)

So as you may have guessed, I'm thinking about food right now.  :)  I am hungry.  (The organic grapefruit I had at 7 a.m. is long gone now!)  But I'm also looking forward to certain edible plans I made for the rest of the day...  Marcy and I are going out to eat for lunch!  Yay!  I love spending time with my sister.  But a Cutler's veggie sandwich is also a treat in it's own right!

classic Cutler's goodness...

Later, for dinner, I think I'll whip up Fantastic brand's falafel mix and a large kale salad.  I've been craving leafy greens lately, and for this I am grateful.  It's rather refreshing!  But this will be my first time trying falafel.  I'm excited!
 

I just peeled an organic banana and am now typing one-handed so I can hold it with the other and munch...  mmmm...  nom-nom...  This makes for extremely inefficient blogging, but it's a setback I'm willing to take!  :)

(These apricots look like a sunset!)

I also brought along some local, hand-picked-by-me, apricots and plums.  The apricots are from my generous neighbors, Blake and Nancy.  The plums, a gift from my dear childhood friend, Marinda, and her husband, Jamey.  (Thank you!  Thank you!)  I'll make a dent in these morsels when I get done with my banana.  Even though my breakfast is sort-of spread out, it is filling nonetheless.

Straight from the tree...

...a polished plum...

...is now a bitten plum!  :D

Looks like it's turning out to be a delicious, even nutritious, day, if I may say so myself, and I can't help but feel giddy about it!   

Yum-YUM!  :D

"Tuna" Salad Sandwich

The other day, I found myself dearly wishing for something tuna-fishy.  Not actual tuna, no no, but just something similar, to soothe my cravings.  Enter blogger, Zucchini Breath, at "Big Raw Vegan Blog".  She is full of earthy, tasty, raw, compassionate goodness over there!   While roaming her web address, I found a wonderful adaptation on this old classic.  Sometimes I get scared off by recipes that appear difficult to put together, but her chickpeas formula looked simple enough, even for timid little me!  :)  And it was well worth the easy effort!  I didn't have any nori, nor dulse, available for my first batch, but still, it was tasty.  For my second trial, I made certain to include the seaweeds and also a dash of relish--it was even more delish than before!  Sandwich heaven!  I admit to using more Vegenaise than some people might like, and I did leave out the vinegar, but really, this recipe is ready to go, hardly an adjustment needed.  I hope you give this "tuna" salad a try-- it doesn't disappoint!  For the ultimate sandwich, pair it with a couple of whole-wheat toasts and some freshly cut, organic tomatoes and lettuce, even cucumber!  Or wrap it up in a leaf of collard greens along with some thinly-pared veggies and homegrown alfalfa sprouts!  Enjoy!  Makes two large servings.

"Tuna" Salad Sandwich

Organic Ingredients:
1 15oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 or 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup Vegenaise
1 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tbsp sweet relish
2 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 or 2 tbsp dill weed
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
pepper, to taste
2 tbsp ground nori (equivalent to half a sheet)
1 tbsp dulse, finely chopped



Instructions:
Open the can of chickpeas, drain off excess liquid, and pour into a large, wide bowl.  Use a fork or a potato masher to crush the beans.  Smash them to a consistency similar to tuna, or to your preference.  Set aside.  To finely chop the celery and onion, use a food processor.  If you don't have a fancy machine, no problem, just mince them down to size the old-fashioned way--with a knife!  Add these veggies to the chickpeas.  Now, measure in the Vegenaise, Bragg's, relish, lemon juice, dill, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and pepper.  Stir lightly; set aside.  Next, grab the nori and dulse.  Hopefully, you have these two seaweeds in a dry, flake form, already ground up, and easily measurable.  If not, here's what you do:  For the nori, take half a sheet, roll it up tightly, then gently cut away at the edges of the roll.  It will start to flake apart.  After a few minutes, you should have the approximate two tablespoons.  Add it to the bowl.  To prepare the dulse, pinch a tablespoon sized section from the dry, crinkled mass.  Rinse this small amount under gently running water, to wash away impurities.  Once wet, the dulse will start to break apart, even between your fingers.  Just chop it a little and manipulate it until it is mostly in fine pieces.  Or use your handy food processor.  Add it to the bowl.  Finally, give the mixture a thorough stirring.  Hooray, it's finished!  Ideally, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving to let the nori hydrate and the flavors blend.  But if you can't wait that long to enjoy your "tuna" salad, I understand.  :D