The Humble Vegetable

Have you noticed that when people are in raptures over food that nobody really says, "Wow, I just had the most delicious broccoli you've ever tasted!" Nope. You are much more likely to hear about how light the bread was, or how perfectly cooked the beef was, or how the fantastically presented dessert tasted like heaven on a plate. The humble green bean just sits quietly on the plate next to the steak and utters no complaint when it is swiped to the side in favor of it's giant protein buddy. Well, no more! It's time for the vegetable to stand in the spotlight and shine, while the protein is cut down to size, and given a backstage role. LOL, if my mother could hear me right now, waxing poetic about vegetables she would wonder what space alien had replaced her daughter. The truth is that I'm just excited about this new (for me) way of eating, because I know it is something I can use the rest of my life, and never have a problem with my weight again. Hallelujah, Amen! Yes, I am that passionate about it!

Before you start thinking that I'm some kind of crazy veggie loving fanatic, I should make it clear that in the past, I have never been a big fan of vegetables, unless you count french fries, or baked potatoes smothered with butter, cheese and sour cream. Part of that stems from growing up with vegetables cooked until they were mush, and the other part from not wanting to fill up on veggies when there was something more delicious (read fattening) available to eat.

Remember when we all thought eating a salad was healthy for us? Bacon bits, chopped egg, croutons, all slavered with Ranch dressing. Then we found out the true fat content of all that stuff, and we all had to switch to the low-cal, non-fat, fake dressings. Yuck! It left me feeling as though I would never eat salad again. Then I discovered Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette; low on fat, and big on taste, and it reawakened the salad lover in me. I seriously love this stuff. Be careful to measure by the tablespoon, we have a coffee spoon that measures out two tablespoons and keeps us on track. Grab your favorite bowl (mine has Mickey on it) and fill it with all your favorite salad fixings. My preference is to use a coleslaw mix (also known as cabbage) and add grated carrot, small pieces of cauliflower and broccoli, sometimes some sliced oriental pea pods. Cabbage makes up most of my salad as I love it, but you can choose lettuce and more traditional ingredients if that's your preference. Trader Joe's also has a Raspberry Vinaigrette that is really good too, if spicy isn't your thing. In the picture, you will see a package of Fresh Gourmet Wonton Strips, and if I'm making a meal of my salad, I use 1/4 cup of those instead of two slices of bread. It's kind of a cheat, but it's not a terrible one .. lol! Sometimes we add a small amount of chicken breast to a salad, instead of the wonton strips.