New Year....let's roll

Back from the road trips (Lovely view of nowhere Nevada, left) and home in Strawberry.
What's up in 2010...wait, how did it get to be 2010 anyway?
Moving on:  I got my food handler's card, so I'll be making some hummus, and (later) some crackers at my favorite veggie stop, the Vita Mart. 


Since it's been chilly most places, how do you stay warm and eat raw?
Do some soups in your blender or Vitamix, and let them blend until they are warm. My soups start to steam a bit, after about 10 minutes. It's noisy, but it works. 


Here's a great, fast and easy, blender soup: (adapted from Alive in Five by Angela Elliott)
(serves 2)
Put all this in your blender or Vitamix:
2 cups of chopped zucchini
1 avocado
4 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup warm water
2 tblsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon (or, if you're out of lemons, use 1 & 1/2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, but lemons are in season)
2 tsp dried dill weed
1 garlic clove
1/4 (or so) tsp of sea salt.
Blend, blend, blend, blend...until it's warm and serve in a warmed bowl.  Sometimes I put in 1/2 jalapeño to spice it up. 
A note, too, for those who just put mostly whole stuff in your Vitamix...be sure to cut up the celery so the celery strings don't wrap around the blade - celery strings have been known to kill a Vitamix. 



My wonderful spouse once said it was difficult for him to become a vegan because of image. Many vegan and vegetarian men have been portrayed as wispy, eyebrow pierced, purple haired folks - not something my husband can identify with. I mean he is a vegan now, but it took bad health to come to the change. If some of you have men friends with the same vision of vegan, take a look at this article (thanks Denise) about this vegan athlete:  Vegan Ultra Man. There are many more out there. Some of the top Ultra runners are vegans.

Have a great beginning in 2010.

DJ