Food(less) Journey

Pasta again??? Yes, pasta again. What can I say, I live in the North East United States. Its cold and I am stressed. Healthy carbs do wonders for the stress levels and a warm plate of pasta knocks the chill off almost as good as cayenne pepper. On top of that I will admit to having an inordinate passion for Italian food. And sometimes I dont want to wait for things to bake. I want to heat up a pan and cook so that I can eat sooner rather than later. So, I really like to deconstruct baked items. I've made pancakes in the microwave. Cookies in a pan. Casserole in a pot. And now it's lasagna's turn. Hello, my name is stephanie. Hi Stephanie! It's been 3 days since my last hit of pasta. The last time I ate it was as deconstructed lasagna. I wanted some so bad I couldn't wait for it to bake in the oven, so I made it stove top. And the next day I did the same thing. But now I'm determined to resist the siren call of blatant carbitude She's so brave! Deconstructed...

I often hear this question in two context: 1)a non-vegan being snarky about my unfamiliar looking meal 2) a new vegan befuddled by what rolls off my tongue as a somewhat experienced veg-head. I think the biggest mistake you can make in any new endeavor is immediately starting at level 3. Think of a brand new skier hopping on the slopes and immediately going for one marked with a jack rabbit. Stupid and disheartening when said skier is run over or simply out skiied. Food is the same way. If you are incorporating new vegetable based foods in your diet why not try decreasing meat intake slowly and simply eating more healthful plant based foods (i.e. Have a chicken salad for lunch instead of a burger. Have fish tacos for dinner instead of a steak.). Since meat is addictive it requires weaning for some. Quitting meat cold turkey (pardon the pun) and running to the store to buy tempeh and seiten is bold, but can be disheartening (i.e.gross) if you dont know how to prepare these items. To sta...