Eat Like a Rabbit

The first time Paul bought couscous and served it to me, I was so underwhelmed. I even threw most of the remainder of the container away. (Yes! And I believe in no waste!) But I learned it was just because I didn't know how to cook it. Now, granted, I only know three ways to use it now--this one, tabouleh, and Mexican-style. But I know that I'm broadening my horizons, and each time we eat it we are doing our bodies good.

I've made this recipe before, but with "white" couscous. The recipe in Mollie Katzen's Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less called for whole wheat. Because this is an effort to lose baby-weight, I'm all for sticking to the more healthy option. surprisingly, I couldn't tell a difference in the taste--unlike when we tried whole wheat pasta. I'm all for switching to whole wheat couscous permanently, even in my tabouleh.

I got my November Gourmet Magazine this week. The fact that I found this edition meeting my vegetarian creativity needs head-on makes the receipt of this last issue of the famed 60-year-old magazine more distressing.

For the first time, I came across a vegan dish-Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake. There's even a complete menu for a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. I'm intrigued by the carrot and beet soup that is made with water instead of chicken stock "so it's a delicious alternative to your vegetarian guests." And totally unrelated to Thanksgiving is the tempting pizza topped with yellow potatoes, yellow onions, and rosemary.

The November Gourmet will find itself being used often over the holidays and likely for many winters to follow. Might I suggest either researching some of the recipes on Gourmet.com or actually acquiring a copy of the mag at the newsstand? Keep in mind not all the recipes in the magazine are available online, and I am not sure I've seen all online recipes in the magazine. Do your research now as the website may not be available someday.

So long, Gourmet. What a fabulous finale!

Eat Like a Rabbit celebrated its ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY while we were in Seattle! We were so excited and as a reward to ourselves, we agreed to go on a shopping spree to Trader Joe's, an unusual grocery store that has locations where everyone else we know lives--except there's none in Orlando. We did a lot of testing with our product selections and hope to have a set grocery list for any future visits. Perhaps they will go faster in the future, but I doubt they will be as much fun. Thanks to Leann and Jeremy who shuttled us around and waited patiently while we filled up our basket. In fact, I don't know the last time I've ever made a grocery cart that full! But honestly, a good bit of it was purchased for gifts, and we ate a good bit of it while we were still in Seattle, too.

Once again, I am confessing that I read magazines at work. But, who could blame me? There's a wealth of information free to me; and since I can't sit still at lunch, I am productive by researching facts and recipes. Let's face it, if it weren't for my reading magazines at work, Paul would not have an absolutely fabulous Christmas present, which I am proud of finding. Sadly, some of Paul's friends read this blog; so, I cannot share the details until after the 25th. Therefore, we must return to the topic of the cake.

VegCooking has a great selection of vegan recipes with fabulous photographs to make you want to try every recipe they throw at you. The recipes are categorized by I love the thought of adding cranberries to green beans. I found it ironic that the side dish was recommended to go with hazelnut and rosemary encrusted seitan, which was the entree that sounded the most tempting to me.