Wednesday I weighed in and I’m at 253! I’ve lost a total of five pounds! (Although I did weigh Thursday just to see how I did after a very hungry Wednesday.
I’ve decided that I’m going to also look into posting things about food so I’m going to start now with a recipe I’ve loved for a while… and I think you should know about it.
The first one is Vegan Nikujaga from Just Hungry.
Since I’ve linked to the recipe I won’t be posting it. However, I will tell you what I think about it and what changes I’ve made.
I love this recipe because it’s relatively easy to make and it’s got a nice savory taste. It’s especially nice on cool days when it’s not warm enough for something cool and sweet but too warm for a heavy, warm stew.
I also suggest waiting a day to eat it which does require a little forethought and planning–which I’m admittedly bad at. It’s worth the wait though. I promise. The flavor deepens and that savory flavor gets a little stronger since the simmering isn’t quite enough on its own to completely infuse everything with that delicious savory flavor.
It does call for fried tofu but I find that it isn’t necessary. I get the normal tofu and drain it really well and then brown it in a skillet before putting it into the mixture to simmer. If you want the tofu even chewier, definitely freeze it. I like the nikujaga made with the tofu frozen or unfrozen. You can try it both ways and see which you like better. If you’re not used to eating tofu, I’d try the frozen first since it does have a texture closer to meat.
One of the reasons I like this recipe is because it has relatively few ingredients and doesn’t require an obscene amount of work to make. I do love the more involved recipes but sometimes it’s more work than I’d prefer to go through when I won’t be eating it immediately–I try to make at least a few meals ahead so I don’t end up eating out a whole lot. That’s one of the things I’ve been avoiding since I’m trying to lose this extra weight.
The sesame oil is pretty important to the recipe but if you don’t have it and really want it (like I did this Tuesday) you can sub another oil but I would definitely make sure to pick some up prior to making it again.
I’ve used both regular green beans and haricot vertes for the recipe and both work well but I have found that I like the haricot vertes best for their subtle flavor.
I also suggest putting some sushi rice with it to soak up some of the broth that is left over (You definitely want some without getting rid of it all. I realized this this last time because I boiled off a little too much liquid).
You can also put other veggies in, but I would only use veggies that have a light flavor. Despite the fact that I love broccoli, this would not be the recipe to put it in because it will overpower the flavor of the nikujaga.
Yesterday I tried the Single-Serve Blueberry Muffins by Happy Herbivore. I made a triple batch because I thought that it would be good to have them for breakfast this morning. I tried one with some Earth Balance… and over the course of an hour ate all three. Yes, you heard me, all three. They were absolutely amazing and I can understand why they should only be made one at a time–because you will eat them all! They are a little heavy but that is good for me because things like oatmeal hardly ever stick for me. I end up hungry a couple hours later and that always frustrates me to no end.
I plan to experiment with some other fruits and see what happens. I think strawberry could be promising. 
Lastly, I wanted to post that Ganesha, the lovely webmistress, has become a writer at Vegan Mainstream. You should congratulate her! To go to her blog, definitely check my sidebar and you’ll be able to see her personal blog!
Okay, I need to get my bangs (fringe for those of you in Europe) cut so I have to get going. 
If you have any recipes I should try, lemme know for sure!
