VeganMOFO-17& Vegan Yum Yum Tofu

Apologies for the lack of a post yesterday- the road work men decided it would be a good idea to cut off my power. Right in the middle of my morning shower! What else can you do but laugh? I should be happy, I got through bootcamp- it was another deep water running session but we didn't have the floatie waistbands- It nearly killed me. I will never look at the nannas doing water aerobics the same way again. Granted its not quite the same thing but still- its got to be harder than it looks. 

I thought today I'd just give an overview of advice for new vegans.
I want you all to be happy healthy vegans so:

• Make sure you eat enough volume wise- it will look like more but be less calories.
• Make sure you get enough omega 3's have some ground flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds or a supplement every day
• Make sure you get enough B12 through fortified milk/tofu/meat replacer/Nutritional Yeast or a multivitamin (Deva is a good vegan brand)
• Make sure you get enough healthy fresh food- there's millions of them- eating a range of fruit and veggies daily.
• Have a combination of wholegrain carbs, protein and veg at each meal to stay full and healthy.

Alrighty thats about all the important stuff. Now for some useful stuff:
For Aussies- Vegetarian network Victoria is a great resource- www.vnv.org.au They have so much awesome info- read the nutrition info and pantry list and the safe food lists and the suggested restaurants and the list of things to look for (heaps of additives aren't vegan). There will be resources like this specific to your area- just have a good search, they'll be there.
So basically, focus on the great new things you get to make and try, don't think of all the things you cant. Stay away from processed crap, most of its not vegan anyway but it will make you feel lousy. There is HEAPS of vegan junk food out there but most of it is not good for you and should only be eaten very occasionally, when you're really craving it. Cook for yourself, enjoy the process of finding new foods to eat and you'll feel better for it.

Plus you get to enjoy yummy meals like this one!

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu (from Vegan Yum Yum pg 76)

I decreased the sweetness because I was using stevia and didn't want it to be too strong and used millet instead of quinoa and switched up the veggies but this recipe is designed to be flexible like that- everything works and tastes delish! This was the first time we tried this recipe (only just got the book)- it was my husband's choice an anything that will get him eating veggies is good with me! 

Things I liked about this recipe:

The cinnamon cardamon lemon millet

How versatile it is- mix and match grains and veggies are a lifesaver for us!

How quick & easy it is

The mint! it really lightens this dish and cuts through the soy

It has no added fat :)

Things I wasn't so keen on:

The original is a bit sweet for me so I reduced it.

Serving size- it says it serves 2-3 but we got 4 big meals out of it. Perhaps the tofu quantity is for 2 but the grain portion is big. Next time I think I'll reduce the quantity of grain and increase the veg.

All together its a great recipe that is definitely going to be a regular at our place.

All the best xxx