Polenta, asparagus and grilled seitan
I haven’t been sharing most of my homecooked meals with you lately mainly because they would bore you to tears. I’m back to a pretty strict diet, so watching what I eat translates into some rather non-photogenic meals based more on their nutritive content rather than how pretty they look or amazing they taste. That said, this little number that I just made up on the spot came out much tastier and much more presentable than expected, so I’ll give you a little taste.
It’s a very simple saute of asparagus, green chard, tomatoes and grilled seitan in a bit of olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon and garlic. The seitan came pre-made from Whole Foods and the lovely tomatoes I grew myself. I also added a bit of sambal (chili paste), black pepper and nutritional yeast. This was served over green chili and cilantro flavored polenta slices (it’s the pre-made kind you can by in a handy little log). I was worried it would taste very boring but I somehow managed to add just the right amount of flavorings and spices to make it not only edible, but actually yummy.
It’s ironic to me that some people think vegan eating is boring and tasteless. It’s actually been the exact opposite for me. In the time since I’ve gone vegan (about 7 months now), I’ve encountered so many incredible new foods… some of which are hard to stop eating! It’s totally a myth that all vegans and vegetarians are skinny and malnourished. To the contrary, with the introduction of all these new and exciting foods I’ve managed to put on extra weight, and it’s been a struggle it to keep it in check. I’m back on the ball now, dropping the extra pounds and attempting to stay aware of the fact that just because something is vegan doesn’t mean it isn’t fattening. When you’re predisposed to gaining weight like I am, even lettuce can make you fat, so it requires constant vigilance. This is easy to forget sometimes when surrounded by incredible vegan restaurants and products at nearly every turn. The key for me is going to be finding a balance between indulgence and common sense, as well as eating more homecooked meals. So for now, it’s back to the kitchen and back to basics.
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“I haven’t been sharing most of my homecooked meals with you lately mainly because they would bore you to tears.” I’ve been thinking about this lately with regards to my own posting and cooking. I know I’m much more apt to post a dessert I’ve made than a healthy main dish, which leads to this sense that all I do is eat dessert when really I try hard to emphasize moderation in sweets and have lots of fresh veggies and fruits otherwise. Anyway… this dish looks amazing and certainly illustrates that you’re not truly deprived of delicious fare, even while dieting!
Comment by Emilie — July 16, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
Emile: Yeah, I mainly post the more exciting meals that I have at restaurants, so sometimes I worry that my visitors must think that I only ever eat out, and that I must weigh 500 pounds! Truth of the matter is that there’s a lot of boring, low-calorie meals inbetween all the fancy stuff :)
Comment by FoodEater — July 17, 2007 @ 11:08 am