i was a vegan in my former days.

with all the high protein and carnivorous meals i eat now, it's hard to believe that at one time i was an all veggies-fruit-grain eating vegan. if you've read the book, you should understand why the girls from skinny bitch sparked this veganism.

{skinny bitch}

not only did they make me seriously disturbed by the meat industry but they made me realize {i sort of knew already} just how good veggies, fruits and grains can be for our bodies. aside from food, it was also the chemicals they picked on. from saccharin to coffee to aspartame and soda - they really don't hold back. so in hopes of getting pregnant {or maybe BEing pregnant right now} veryVERY soon, i went ahead and bought 'skinny bitch: bun in the oven'. it brought me back to my former vegan days. while i'm not going to take the plunge into that vegan pool any time soon, it did make me realize that i just might be eating TOO much meat and have become TOO concerned with the amount of protein i consume.
as a person who exercises strenuously nearly everyday and is seriously concerned with lean muscle mass/loss, you can definitely understand my predicament. how can we go wrong if lean protein is involved??? on this note, i'm incorporating a much higher veggie to protein ratio than i have recently been doing. hence this heaping batch of tofu.

this is the simplest stuff to make, it's vegetarian, still high in protein and takes great with ANYthing.
i use the extra firm organic variety, marinate it in a very small amount of sesame oil, bragg liquid aminos, pepper, and dried garlic flakes. leave out overnight draining over a cooling rack then stick it in the oven the next morning. i really feel that the cooking time/temp is based on your tofu preferences. some people don't mind the gelatinous texture while others can't get past it. if you're like me and sorta sit in both camps- bake it at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. but for those that need some more firmness, increase the bake time and check on it every few minutes by pressing it with your finger.
hope for all of you meat eaters that this allows you to reflect on the amounts of veggies and fruit you're incorporating into your diet and possibly make a few tweaks!!
j