adventures in veggie-land

as i mentioned in my previous post, health issues of my own forced me to take a closer look at my diet this past summer. i've always been a meat-and-potatoes kind of girl - my favorite dinner is prime rib and baked potato with extra butter. i dont eat my favorite dinner very often, but i WAS eating a lot of meat - nearly every night for dinner and at least six or seven other times a week for lunch or breakfast.

when my chiropractor told me, during an accpuncture treatment, that my gall bladder meridian was inflamed (that's the meridian that runs through the nerve involved in morton's neuroma), i decided it was time to change my diet.

for a long time now, i've been feeling the tug toward a more meatless diet. i've resisted because i really like meat. however, the more i follow the Angel Guidelines, the more sensitive i've noticed myself becoming to the vibrational energy in the food i eat. in meat that's been commercially - corporately - processed, there's a lot of residual pain. i prefer to eat meat that's been humanely raised and slaughtered, but that kind of meat is more expensive. so by cutting back on the amount, i can more readily afford the kind of meat i prefer to eat - meat that has a much clearer vibration.

the challenge for vegetarians and vegans, according to the Angels is to include a "white-light" food - ie a complete protein food at every meal. in the last few weeks, i've been experimenting with various vegetarian alternatives to the complete proteins found in meat. here's one of my favorites:

pasta n' peas rainbow primavera

2-3 tbs olive oil
1 small green onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 small green squash
1 small yellow squash
2 carrots, sliced in thin circles
3 cups fresh spinach
3 tbs fresh chopped sweet basil
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup of pinenuts
1 small bag frozen baby peas
1 box small shell pasta

in a skillet, preferably seasoned cast-iron, saute the onion and garlic until transparent. add the carrots and the squashs, saute a few minutes more, then layer in the spinach and the basil. allow the bottom layer of spinach to wilt, stir to combine, and add the peas. when the spinach is thoroughly wilted, add tomatoes and pine nuts. saute briefly until tomatoes are heated through and peas defrosted. meanwhile, prepare pasta according to directions on box. when pasta is ready, combine with the vegetables. garnish with black olives if desired for a true rainbow... or enjoy with lavender or blackberry tea. i've also substituted forbidden rice and french lentils for an alternative "white-light" combination.