"Lazy" Sushi...and a Cookbook Announcement...

I'm excited to share that I have begun a project that, up until now, has been only in my dreams. Since I have discovered the joy and the benefits of eating plant-focused meals, I have dreamed of sharing my recipes with my people. My daughters keep asking me for recipes and, since I do not cook from recipes, this has been a 'back burner' (no pun intended!) project that, thanks to Dr. Scott Stoll and his lovely wife, Kristen (whom I had the privilege to meet in PA 2 weeks ago!), has become more of a reality than ever. They have asked me to help them to write a cook book that is plant-focused, specifically targeting PA Dutch flavors. Since I have had experience in that department, having had seven years of reworking heirloom recipes to bless my husband who likes his cultural flavors, I am excited to be getting to share the finished versions with the general public!

It's a daring adventure for me, tho. I confess that the Lord needs to continually flood my soul with peace about this because sometimes I face opposition. You see, we Dutch people (and I suspect every other culture as well!) don't want people messing with our comfort zones. We like what we like and we don't want someone coming in and changing it. But...after 7 years (so far) of trial and error, with a bit of success sprinkled in to keep me filled with the courage to move forward, I have come up with recipes that my family likes. I think our family's taste buds have adapted over the years to not eating much dairy, sugar, salt, oil and meat but even my staunchly Dutch friends who eat lots of those ingredients seem to enjoy sticking their feet under my table and eating the dishes I prepare for them. My family and friends have been (mostly) willing and gracious taste-testers.

Veggie Sushi Rice Balls

It is my hope that in doing this cookbook, I can show my friends and family and
people in my culture just how fun, filling and varied it can be to eat a plant-focused diet. I hope to share my story of what it has benefited me in health restored and in dollars and cents. I would like to share hope with my readers that most of our American diseases can reversed and prevented by eating plants as primary food and animal as secondary/flavor foods AND that you don't really need to give up every cultural taste to do it.

Dr Stoll and his wife prayed about many things with me before we parted ways, but one thing in particular stands out as I write: that I would have TIME to write. :-) That is a good thing to ask God for because it seems He always keeps my calendar full of serving opportunities. I'm looking forward to time this winter to write.

Today, I was inspired by this recipe and so I made my version of it because I love veggie sushi, but I don't like the work that goes into making it! I drizzled it with Sesame Garlic Sauce from my favorite local grocery store, Wegmans, instead of the sauce in the recipe.

I ate it as my breakfast, part of a 10 day 'veggies for breakfast' challenge I am participating in on Face book. I'm planning to eat some raw and some cooked veggies for my 10 days of breakfasts. Yesterday, on day 1, I had steamed broccoli topped with avocado and salsa, a similar version to what I threw together recently at a Chili's restaurant:

I would never have thought of pairing those things together, but 'desperate times call for desperate measures' and I needed a plate of good-for-me food that day. I am used to ordering from the sides these days, because I do not eat meat much in restaurants and little dairy at all, and most entrees on a menu include one and often both of these items. It was fairly easy, actually, to put this plate together and now I can recreate it at home!

Here's to thanking God for the joy of eating plants, and here's to hoping I have many more people joining me in discovering the blessing in this ancient way of eating. Feel free to join my 'veggies for breakfast' challenge. This is day 2 and we plan to go thru 10 mornings. If you do, I'd love if you could drop me a line in the comments, and even a picture of your creations, if you care to.