(no subject)
i've eaten some cactus since i last posted. i had eaten cactus before, but what i did was cut the cactus in half and scooped out the inside, which doesn't provide much. i made a ensalada de nopales with a prickly pear pad from my yard, but i think it was too mature, and it was certainly very slimy. i cooked it according to instructions on the web, and rinsed it, but it was still so slimy. in the process of cleaning it up, i got some glochids in my fingers, but nothing long-lasting. after eating the salad, my throat was a bit irritated but i don't know if i got glochids in my throat or maybe some reaction to the cactus or something else in the salad- either way, that didn't last long either.
the other day, i got a younger but perhaps still too big pad off a cactus in an empty lot near my house. this one i made fajitas with, which were good but probably needed more flavor. they were not nearly as slimy, and i used a veggie peeler to clean it which seemed to work better, although i think there just weren't as many glochids on this one. i didn't have and trouble while cleaning it, but later after i had cooked it and was eating it, i discovered a couple glochids in my fingers. i'm not sure how that happened.
i've been eating a lot more salads lately. i don't know if already mentioned the salad made from lettuce, mango salsa, and avocado? i used to dislike salads because often that was all that was available for vegans where i lived before moving here. but even a basic lettuce and tomato salad can be good with the right dressing. i would like to make more dressings. i was going to buy some annie's because it was on sale and there's a coupon, but i looked at the ingredients and wasn't impressed. i figure i can make something more nutritious for less cost.
i learned from a youtube video that you can make zucchini pasta by using a veggie peeler- you don't need a fancy spiralizer or saladacco or whatever those things are called. just use the peeler and then you can slice them thinner lengthwise. i made this with a peanut sauce and it was quite good. i still haven't investigated into what's cheaper: zucchini by the pound or quality pasta by the pound. obviously when you buy zucchini, you're also paying for the water weight within it, which you're not with pasta. the nutrient contents are different- so one is not necessarily better than the other depending on your nutritional needs. also, when i made the zucchini pasta, i discovered that cilantro really is good in peanut sauce. a friend had made some peanut sauce that i really liked- i remember it had a sweetener, lime juice, and cilantro along with some other things, and i was trying to replicate it except i didn't think i'd like the cilantro in it (although i didn't mind it much at the time)- plus i never buy fresh herbs because i can never use the whole thing before it goes bad. anyway, now that i have cilantro plants, i can use it whenever i want. matt had gone dumpster diving and got some basil (my basil plant went dormant and is just now starting to make new leaves) so i put some of that in my peanut sauce the next time i made this. that was good too.
i have been eating a lot of young thai coconuts. i blend the flesh with the water and add a tiny bit of stevia. it's so good. i didn't used to like coconuts, but now i definitely do. i also have been making a smoothie from the coconut, a mango, and a frozen banana.
i made a coconut chutney (from shredded coconut) and it's so good with baked sweet potato.
because i was trying to eat more local, for a while i wasn't buying mango or coconut, but i figured that a lot of the other stuff i'm eating isn't local anyway, so why not enjoy a few exotic things here and there. plus i'll try to eat more really local stuff, like food from my own yard. the lambsquarter are kind of on their way out, i think, but they lasted quite a while. i'm looking forward to purslane, but i don't recall much growing in my yard. i have a wild mustard plant in my yard that i have harvested some seeds from. they weren't all quite as dry as i think they should've been, so i'm waiting a little bit longer to harvest more. those are actually pretty easy to harvest compared to chia or especially amaranth, but i want to get better at doing all of those. in fact, i'd really like to learn more about harvesting seeds from any kind of plant.
i tried to do some sprouting. the mung beans worked pretty well- although they weren't thick and long like the kind you can buy. i just don't think they grown that way all crowded in a jar. i sprouted quinoa too, but then i didn't know what to do with it. it smelled slightly off and so i didn't know if i should eat it. that has happened before when i've tried to sprout chickpeas.
the other day, i got a younger but perhaps still too big pad off a cactus in an empty lot near my house. this one i made fajitas with, which were good but probably needed more flavor. they were not nearly as slimy, and i used a veggie peeler to clean it which seemed to work better, although i think there just weren't as many glochids on this one. i didn't have and trouble while cleaning it, but later after i had cooked it and was eating it, i discovered a couple glochids in my fingers. i'm not sure how that happened.
i've been eating a lot more salads lately. i don't know if already mentioned the salad made from lettuce, mango salsa, and avocado? i used to dislike salads because often that was all that was available for vegans where i lived before moving here. but even a basic lettuce and tomato salad can be good with the right dressing. i would like to make more dressings. i was going to buy some annie's because it was on sale and there's a coupon, but i looked at the ingredients and wasn't impressed. i figure i can make something more nutritious for less cost.
i learned from a youtube video that you can make zucchini pasta by using a veggie peeler- you don't need a fancy spiralizer or saladacco or whatever those things are called. just use the peeler and then you can slice them thinner lengthwise. i made this with a peanut sauce and it was quite good. i still haven't investigated into what's cheaper: zucchini by the pound or quality pasta by the pound. obviously when you buy zucchini, you're also paying for the water weight within it, which you're not with pasta. the nutrient contents are different- so one is not necessarily better than the other depending on your nutritional needs. also, when i made the zucchini pasta, i discovered that cilantro really is good in peanut sauce. a friend had made some peanut sauce that i really liked- i remember it had a sweetener, lime juice, and cilantro along with some other things, and i was trying to replicate it except i didn't think i'd like the cilantro in it (although i didn't mind it much at the time)- plus i never buy fresh herbs because i can never use the whole thing before it goes bad. anyway, now that i have cilantro plants, i can use it whenever i want. matt had gone dumpster diving and got some basil (my basil plant went dormant and is just now starting to make new leaves) so i put some of that in my peanut sauce the next time i made this. that was good too.
i have been eating a lot of young thai coconuts. i blend the flesh with the water and add a tiny bit of stevia. it's so good. i didn't used to like coconuts, but now i definitely do. i also have been making a smoothie from the coconut, a mango, and a frozen banana.
i made a coconut chutney (from shredded coconut) and it's so good with baked sweet potato.
because i was trying to eat more local, for a while i wasn't buying mango or coconut, but i figured that a lot of the other stuff i'm eating isn't local anyway, so why not enjoy a few exotic things here and there. plus i'll try to eat more really local stuff, like food from my own yard. the lambsquarter are kind of on their way out, i think, but they lasted quite a while. i'm looking forward to purslane, but i don't recall much growing in my yard. i have a wild mustard plant in my yard that i have harvested some seeds from. they weren't all quite as dry as i think they should've been, so i'm waiting a little bit longer to harvest more. those are actually pretty easy to harvest compared to chia or especially amaranth, but i want to get better at doing all of those. in fact, i'd really like to learn more about harvesting seeds from any kind of plant.
i tried to do some sprouting. the mung beans worked pretty well- although they weren't thick and long like the kind you can buy. i just don't think they grown that way all crowded in a jar. i sprouted quinoa too, but then i didn't know what to do with it. it smelled slightly off and so i didn't know if i should eat it. that has happened before when i've tried to sprout chickpeas.