Chewing The Polyunsaturated Fat

This week's DBAVT (don't become a vegan to) thought...

The point of the DBAVT drawing is this: If you want a weight-loss diet, there are much, much simpler ones. For weight loss, I strongly advocate the use of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meats and low fat dairy.
Pretty much, don't decide to go vegan to lose weight, then decide it's all too hard and give up on losing weight all together. If you've decided to lose weight, excellent!... but take baby steps.

Invest in good quality low-fat food choices. Sacrifice a small amount of flavour and extra money, and buy meat without the fat. (And preferably free-range)

Investigate portion control.

(How BIG should my serving size be?)

Exercise a bit more than you used to.

Identify the times and foods that are your weakness

and make a plan that lets you be strong

(ie. substitution or avoidance).

Learn about food and even aim for a few vegan meals a week... some are even listed on this blog to get you started.

This vegan blogger hasn't lost any weight since changing her diet - although there is a noticable change in fat and muscle distribution... that is, I now have more muscle and less fat!

There aren't too many vegan foods that are extremely high in fat content, but if you're worried that being a vegan will make you too skinny, then adding avocados, peanuts or unrefined oils to a dish is a great place to start.

Mum, Are Humming Birds Are Made From Hummus? Yes.

Possibly one of the world's simplest vegan dishes - with the exception of cutting up a few veggies and calling it done - has got to be hummus. The other day I made this is in about 10 minutes, from start to finish, because I'd promised a friend some hummus for his birthday and I possessed poor time management.

THROW INTO A FOOD PROCESSOR:
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

2 Tbsp tahini paste

3 garlic cloves

the juice of 1 lemon

100mL olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

BLEND.

Done.

Well, maybe you might need to 1/2 cup of water if you want a smoother consistency, or some paprika for even more exotic flavour, but pretty much, you're done.
Serve with crusty Turkish bread or chopped veggies.

The thing about hummus is, just like a teenage girl's break-up, it's much better the next day.

Freezes well, and I don't know, I'm pretty sure you can go nuts tweaking this recipe to suit whatever is in your pantry. Broccoli hummus? Well, I am always trying to hide broccoli in everything (cos it's up there for iron content, down there for taste), but maybe that's a bit far.

Turmeric, however, is great for your brain, and I've added that before to my hummus with joyous results.

Get cracking, hepcats.