Herbavoric Carnivore

Months ago Jen and I tried this thing where we fasted for 21 days. It was something we learned about at Fellowship Church. It was meat free, caffeine free, wheat free, blah, blah, blah. Of course this meant ALOT of changes. I was so used to eating meat that eating one meal without meat was like missing a meal altogether. I would get light-headed and dizzy enough to eat a whole summer sausage roll by myself (I know…not healthy at all!)

So looking for recipes that would make eating just as fun was hard to find, but we did. We also found a couple of things along the way that helped. Going completely natural & organic in the process was a huge change, but the result was to detox from all the bad stuff we were eating.

Natural meaning that all the food is completely without preservatives. If you are reading the label and see things that you can say or don’t recognize as animal, vegetable or mineral – forget about it. Mono…nitrate…chloro…gluta…blah, blah, blah…do not consume!

Organic meaning that if it has had any type of pesticides or other type of treatment on it that is not natural – do not consume! There are plenty of websites on what is completely organic and natural – you don’t have to read it from me. But just so you know, it will get plenty expensive. You will most likely pay 3x more than you would for vegetables and fruit at a Whole Foods or a Vitamin Cottage than you would at King Soopers. Also, there are alot of freaks out there that will judge your ‘vegetarianism’ because of some things that you may or may not consume according to their supposed lifestyle…I don’t always follow the fools rules.

So if you read the fast correctly, you will see that you spend the first 24 hours on a liquid diet – fruits and vegetables. I think I drank a quart of spicy tomato juice for each meal. I will tell you that the first meal you eat after is just about heaven – Thanks God!

Breakfast: Soyrizo, black bean and potatos with red and yellow peppers. The Soyrizo is actually quite good! We were not just hungry…I am still quite the discriminating food critic!

Did I mention that I am addicted to my first cup of coffee each and every morning? I started the fast without coffee and I think my body was reacting to that more than the lack of meat. I pray about it…and prayed…and prayed….and prayed. I took Ibuprofen, got adjusted (chiropractor), ran…did as much as I could to get my mind off of the coffee. Nothing! I remember sitting at my desk and my body would just stand up to head to the coffee shop. Over and over this would happen. My body was seriously jonesing for coffee.

I went to Vitamin Cottage to look for a Celestial Seasonings alternative and I came close. Roast-aroma was about the only thing that came close enough to just make me mad. I expect a full bodied, full flavored, full caffeine cup of coffee to get me going. Roast-aroma gave me a cup of brown water. Grrr….

By the 8th day on the fast, I broke down and gulped a Venti at my local Starbucks! Thank you God! I am weak for my coffee….please don’t make me go without it again!

Okay, so now for the good stuff! Here are the things that I found that were great on this diet.

Buckaroo Black Bean Chili is an awesome awesome cup of chili! I was trying all things organic and vegetarian so I was consuming alot of different types of foods on this diet – my list of good things is shorter than the things that were actually good. (Hey vegetarian food makers – make it good and I will consider it all the time, okay…until then, yeech!)

Surprisingly, almond cheese and almond milk were actually really good. Brown rice, portabello mushrooms*, black beans and sweet potatoes were what made the rest of the fast go…well, fast and delicious.

There are two recipes that come to mind when I think of portabello mushrooms.

First is the Portabello steaks with Coleslaw and Sweet Potatoes: (keep in mind, while we did do the fast, there are some things that snuck back into menu)

2 large portabello mushrooms
olive oil
mesquite seasoning
kosher salt and black pepper
steak seasoning

Cover the mushrooms with olive oil, the seasonings, salt and pepper to taste. Let them marinate for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare coleslaw (which is taking the coleslaw mix and mixing it with some Miracle Whip, Apple Cider, vinegar and kosher salt and pepper and giving it a whirl.) Oh yeah, pop the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 55 minutes (poke the pots with a fork about 12 times and then cover with olive oil, salt and pepper – do not cover!) and place a pan underneath since they will drip! Grill the mushroom steaks on a very hot BBQ for about 3 minutes on each side – you will be surprised that they don’t have to be cooked all the way through to still enjoy them! With the mesquite seasoning and steak seasoning – you will find that this is an EASY alternative to real steak. I was surprised at how much this tasted like steak to me. Serve it up – Steaks, potatoes and coleslaw and you are ready for some football!

Second, Big “A” salad: you will notice the appearance of portabello’s again, but this time sliced. They will take the place of meat again but this time used as a replacement for fajitas.

Sliced portabello mushrooms
Red and yellow bell peppers
Sweet Vidalia Onions
Lettuce
Tomato
Limes
Almond cheedar cheese
Tortilla Chips
Refried Black Beans
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Fajita seasoning
Mesquite seasoning

Slice mushrooms really thin, as well as the peppers and onions. Nicely coat veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper and the seasonings. Place in broiler and let them cook for about 3 1/2 minutes at a time – stirring the veggies around each time for a total of about 4 stirrings. The veggies should be nice and cooked but still kind of crisp. Once they come out spritz them with lime. Again, tasting the mushrooms you will be surprised at how much they actually tast beefy. Cook the beans, cut up the lettuce/tomatoes, get the cheese ready, heat up the chips from the residual heat from the broiler (place them in a pan and let them sit in the oven after you turned it off for about 5 minutes)…and then start building your salad. Start with the warm chips, ladel on the beans, spread out your veggies on top of the beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese (add salsa to this as well; 505 makes a great medium and organic too!) and spritz again with lime and then enjoy. (If you eat this right and pile it on just right you will see why we call this the big “A” salad!)

So, its been months since we did the vegetarian fast diet – how are we doing since then? Our menu’s now consist of the rare meat additions, but we have found that its not always necessary like it was before. I still love hamburger, ribs, steak and chicken – but I am still good with a salad nowadays for dinner!

And the coffee…touch my coffee and I will break one of the commandments!!