The One With the Photo of the Day (May 14th)

I don't know why. But that tomato just struck me as really pretty, so I had to take a picture of it. This was while I was preparing vegan Yumm Bowls (just forget the chicken... certainly not necessary) with my new favorite ingredient: celery. Celery is so awesome because it isn't extremely flavorful (therefore, there are usually no strong objectives to it), but it is nice and crunchy. I think that crunch adds a very nice element to vegan and vegetarian meals especially. And, in Yumm Bowls, it's a nice alternative to tortilla chips.

This week I'll be sharing all vegan recipes with you! I've been so excited about trying new recipes and trying to figure out how to cut meat out of our diets. Now, I'm not a full fledged vegan (I love things made with eggs and butter far too much for that), but I have decided that I would at least like to know how to cook meals without meat in them. Is it just me? Or does it seem like it's been drilled into our heads that we much have meat at dinner if we want protein and flavor?

I'm learning that is far from the truth. Some of the most delicious meals I've made recently have had no meat, but plenty of protein and flavor. They're actually so good that I am starting to prefer dinner to dessert lately. WHAAAT? I know... crazy. But don't worry. I still have a plenty big sweet tooth to satisfy, and therefore plenty of sugary sweet recipes coming your way. But for this week, a brief hiatus from sweets and an adventure into the world of fresh, mouth watering vegetables.

If you are like me and have been intimidated by the idea of going meat-less, I would really suggest trying some of these recipes. They are super basic, really quick and easy and surprisingly good. Really good. I've even had my husband admit that he's a fan. And believe me, when I first informed him of my plan he was not too excited about it.