I’m in a phase of fussing over nutrition and what we eat.  I have decided that we don’t eat enough leafy greens.  It would actually be closer to the truth to say that we almost never eat leafy greens - this needs to change!  Those leafy greens are so full of good nutrients that there’s really no excuse to avoid them.  I even like them but tend to be lazy about washing and using the greens I buy.

I got started this morning by eating some lettuce wedges.  I had some iceberg lettuce in the fridge from the tacos we had earlier in the week (I know it’s mostly crunchy water but nothing is better on a taco!), and I discovered today that you can just chop it into big wedges, and hold the wedge like a wedge, and dip it into some salad dressing and eat by hand!  It’s not the best of the greens but it’s a start!  I bet this would be good in salsa too.  Or tzatziki if you’re a yogurt eater.

Next project: adding pureed kale to tomato sauces.  And adding a side salad to all my meals other than breakfast. Just some leafies on the side with a bit of dressing and maybe some chopped veggies. I like some fresh lemon and a bit of balsamic vinegar as a simple, fresh dressing over, say, baby spinach leaves.

Also: I just discovered liquid smoke.  It comes in a jar.  Mine is hickory flavoured.  You add it to stews or whatever to give it a smoky flavour (obviously) - and it’s actually pretty good!

I also just discovered Vegeta, which is a salt and dried veggie spice that is like Mrs Dash except Mrs Dash tastes gross and Vegeta is good (note - it contains MSG, in case you’re one of those people who gets freaky about MSG - you should know it’s in there).  I would throw Vegeta into a soup if it needed some more punch, or onto steamed veggies, or mixed in with baked potato flesh all mashed up in the skins, or in place of salt in home made fries, or maybe even on a salad?  I’m in love with Vegeta and am using it like a mad person.

I also went grocery shopping today, and will be making the following dishes over the next few days, all from Dreena Burton’s great cook book Eat, Drink & Be Vegan:

Chipotle and lime two-bean hummus (served with toasted whole wheat pitas and crunchy veggies for dipping)

Chickpea and wild rice soup (served with whole wheat buns, toasted and rubbed with raw garlic)

Cashew-ginger tofu, served with Teriyaki quinoa

And from Nava Atlas’ The Vegetarian Family Cookbook:

Navy bean soup with corn and red peppers

In all cases, I’ll be making simple salads of leafy greens to accompany.  Nummers!