I can’t stand raw, plain broccoli.
It’s tough and bitter and whenever I eat it raw and plain (on those rare, unfortunate occasions) I have to just keep reminding myself that it’s “good” for me as I continue to force it down my throat.
(Do you have foods like that?)
I like steamed broccoli. That might be an overstatement. It’s tolerable, but by no means is it my favorite veggie, and I definitely reach a saturation point where I say, “okay, no more broccoli!”
There are other foods, on the other hand, that I cannot get enough of. That I can’t live without. I asked you all what food you can’t live without and I was delighted with your responses. I thought I’d share my response.
So.
Food I can’t live without:
It’s a tie.
1) Bread.
Whole-wheat, whole-grain, or corn, bread. All faves. And please make it home made. But if that’s not possible (which my whole-wheat bread making sessions are pretty far and few between nowadays), I opt for Prairie Mills bread, which nearly tastes home made and is very clean. Nothing but wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt.
On a side note, when we did gluten-free for a time, the one thing that made it teeth-bitingly difficult was the fact that gluten-free bread tastes like Styrofoam. I tried many different brands and they all tasted the same. My kids wouldn’t touch the stuff.
So I’m glad I can do gluten, cause really, this would be one thing I would REALLY have a hard time giving up. Because there are many things to make with bread. Obvious are sandwiches and toast. I like open-faced sandwiches with hummus and salsa, maybe some shredded carrots or sprouts as well. Toast is great with apple butter, mashed banana and cinnamon, or if I’m feeling like I want something a little more rich, a slice of avocado, spread thinly over the toast sometimes topped with a tomato. I like dipping toast in soup or eating it with oatmeal (my kids and hubby make “oatmeal” toast–toast topped with a generous amount of oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon). And stuffing (not stuffed in a dead animal, I might add) is one of my favorite holiday foods. French toast. Also delightful. This is nothing to say of bagels, english muffins, breadsticks, and pizza crust. But my ultimate favorite form is probably just plain whole-wheat bread.
Really, I could eat bread, with every meal. I don’t, because, well, I think it’s important to get variety.
This need for bread, perhaps it comes from a childhood of bread making. I never made the bread. My mom didn’t really either. But my aunt did. I still remember going to her house, a cabin nestled up in the Cascades. She’d pull a fresh loaf from the oven. Circular, warm loaves (she baked her bread in #10 cans, giving her bread a unique round shape). She put sunflower or pumpkin seeds in her bread, adding a little texture and more flavor. We’d spread ample amounts of home made jam and eat ’til we reached delighted and full contentment. Bread making is artistic and soothing, very nourishing on so many levels.
At home, toast was a part of nearly every meal. Maybe this was a way of “stretching” each meal. My parents did have nine mouths to feed after all. And toast was the one thing my dad knew how to make. That and open-faced broiled sandwiches, which one out of every two times he forgot was in the oven and burned to a crisp, causing our kitchen to billow with smoke with my dad grabbing the charcoaled remains and tossing them outside.
2) Salsa and Tabasco sauce.
My other food I could not live without. My favorite brand of store bought salsa is Pace. I haven’t found a brand that I like as much and it is so good mixed with hummus. I also make a killer pate with sunflower seeds and cashews and salsa.
And Tabasco sauce. I love original and chipotle flavors and put it on everything. Particularly good on scrambled tofu, hash browns, soups, mashed potatoes, really anything that is not sweet!
So there you have it. There are no secrets now. It’s true, I can’t live without bread and salsa.
On to more important things, the winner of the book giveaway is….
Okay, I wish I could give everyone this cookbook. Dreena’s publisher is “donating” one freebie, and I decided to also chip in and give one away from my Amazon store. So there are two winners. If you didn’t win, you can still purchase this cookbook at a very reasonable price (it’s worth EVERY penny) from my Amazon store.
So the winners of the giveaway are:
1) Elise
&
2) Bridget!
Please send me an email with your mailing address and a copy of Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan will be sent your way shortly!
Thanks to all who participated. Look for another giveaway, coming soon!
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