Author: Lisa@ThoughtsLikeBirds

VeganMoFo Day 4-Eat and Run

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VeganMoFo caught me at a bad time. I’m a much better cook than these early entries would lead you to believe. Lately, though, I’ve been relying more on prepared foods for dinner and sometimes breakfast (I’ve always been a bit of a spendthrift when it comes to eating lunch out during the work week). I’ve been meaning to do some bulk cooking on the weekend, or at least make a big pot of something that will last a few days, but I just haven’t managed to set aside time to do so. Lately I’ve been trying to fine-tune my eating to support my running. While I recognize the importance of a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, I’ve learned that I need to back off a bit on anything with too much fiber or fat a couple of days before my races, lest I spend race day preoccupied with bathroom availability. So leading up to a race I allow myself a modest amount of carbo loading, usually in the form of white pasta …

#TBT–Breakfast for Dinner

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For VeganMoFo Day 3, here’s a post I wrote two years ago but never published. As the French say, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. October has been a bit of a blur, and a lot of my meals have been on the fly. Last week I made a pot of vegan chili and ate chili for five nights straight–chili over polenta, improvised tamale pie with chili, polenta, and Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds, and chili in a bowl straight-up, with toast for dipping. This week, my spouse is away and given that my child pretty much eschews everything I cook, I’m cooking for myself. I had to quell an initial impulse to eat nothing but Earth Balance Vegan Aged Cheddar Flavor Puffs for dinner. Despite being fired up after attending the inaugural Triangle VegFest and sampling many a tasty vegan item, I haven’t had the time or motivation to do much cooking this week. Fortunately, this recipe for Grits Casserole posted by Triangle Chance for All, a microsanctuary in the heart of North Carolina, …

VeganMoFo Day 2–Down with OPC (Other People’s Cooking)

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Yeah, you know me. Some days just get away from me. Today was a couple a ticks above the usual level of dukkha. It was an instant oatmeal in a paper cup at work kind of day. By lunchtime, I was in need of some Southern comfort. In my case, that translates into the #8 at Banh’s Cuisine, a veritable institution in our fair city. Don’t bother Googling their website–they don’t have one. What they do have is a devoted local following that packs the tiny joint, particularly on Wednesdays and Saturdays when they feature Vietnamese specials. Banh’s has always taken good care of their veg customers, with regular specials like the beloved #8–Black Bean Tofu with sticky rice, broccoli, and baby bok choy–Banh Mi sandwiches with tofu and eggplant, Vegetable Wonton Noodle Soup, Ginger Tofu (my favorite), and salad rolls. As with Wednesday’s lunch, dinner was courtesy of other people’s cooking. Yesterday I bought these lovely sweet potato “steaks” and garlicky mustard greens for lunch at Whole Foods, but hadn’t gotten around to eating them …