Go vegan!

After being a vegetarian for two years I realised that I consume way too much dairy products than I should. You know, oatmeal with milk, yogurt as a snack, pizza with cheese, and enormous amounts of cottage cheese. And despite the fact that I've always known that eggs and diary industry is even more cruel than meat industry I couldn't imagine my life without milk. It was okey for me to give up dairy and eggs for a week, but whole life? Yes, I wanted to be a vegan but in the future, very distant future. But visiting Warsaw a week ago, where I was trying new food in vegan restaurants, made me realise that eating plant based diet is not only good for the planet, animals, but also for me. I felt better, no stomach pains, no tiredness. And what's the most important, this diet is delicious. If you don't believe me check out few vegan restaurants in Warsaw. So on my way back home I decided. I will never contribute to animal cruelty, environment polution and my own health devastation. I just simply gave up dairy and eggs. And you know what? I do not miss it at all. Even my beloved cottage cheese and cheesecake. Tofu cheesecake is even more yummy. If some of you think that being vegetarian or vegan is stupid, unnatural or it's not worth to give up cheese, because what will you put on your pizza, watch some letures on youtube. Being vegan is just ligical. Cow milk is for cows and eggs are meant to be a new life. So I don't think being vegan is weird or extreme, it's more normal than "traditional diet". Eating meat, dairy and eggs is just a tradition. Unhealthy, violent and unnecessary tradition. And no, there's no protein, vitamins or minerals deficiency. As long as you make healthy choices, vegan diet is good, but the same thing goes for meat eaters. Belive me, vegans can eat junk food either. Also for me, consuming meat, dairy and eggs is just a habit that we were taught and people are too lazy to gave it up. They don't want to see the cruelty behind it, they don't want to feel responsible for it and very ofter they are not even aware of how meat, dairy or eggs indutries really look like. Anyway, if you want to change something in your life, go vegan. Some people may say it's boring or that we eat only lettuce. Wrong again. There are so many plants and herbs you can use which makes vegan diet very creative and for sure not tasteless. So I encourge you to try it, you will be surprised how good it is. Especially vegan mayonnaise (yes, there is vegan mayonnaise). Here are few photos of food in "Vege miasto", one of my favourite vegan restaurants in Warsaw.

                               

Fresh salad with vinaigrette, veggies with dill sauce, tofu and peas "meatballs", millet (or rice on the other plate).

                      

Rice with some seeds, fresh salat with vinaigrette, baked eggplant with tomatoes, olives, chives and vegan cheese (which was marvelous!), tofu with sauce.

                              

And these are my favourite desserts! The first one is something like a vegan banoffee pie with ice cream (i think it was mango and banana flavour), and the second one is a raw mango pie with coffee ice cream. I can say that I have never eaten better cakes and ice cream than these!

To sum up: go vegan ;)

Reflections on language.

I've always known that the language I use is very simple and poor. But don't deceive ourselves, most of us have poor vocabulary. Lately, I realised that I can't express myself like I want to, no matter if I speak polish or english. The only adjectives I use are fun, nice, awesome and cool. And where did other adjectives go? Delightful, magnificent, stunning, amusing, prodigious? Of course I know them, I know their meaning, but why they all disappear when I speak? Naturally, it's much easier using them while writing because you have some time to think, to choose the most appropriate word. It's sad and horrifying that the language becomes more and more blank and simplified. Simlpe vocabulary is useful in some situations but we should make our best to keep it rich, because it expresses our feeling, opinions and so on. Are sadness and happiness the only things we feel? What about dispiritedness, exhilaration or disillusionment? The richness of the language gives us a chance to emphasize and clarify our thoughts and feelings. And there is a question: what to do about it? First of all, beat laziness. Then, become more conscious and attentive of what you say. And obviously, read more. But not some trivial glossy magazines, grab something more ambitious. There are libraries and bookshops full of books, the Internet and magazines filled with wise articles. Not only is it immense and excellent source of new vocabulary but also a source of the new knowledge, Go and find something that you're interested in and just read, whether it's in your native or foregin language.

About my love for... oatmeal!

Yes, oatmeal. The simplest, healthiest, tastiest, cheapest and the most undervalued meal ever. I love it also because I can put into it literally anything I want. Starting with fruits and nuts and ending with beets and eggs. So if you hate eating oats, have terrible memories related to oatmeal or just find it's boring I will try to convince you to eat it once again. Maybe you'll fell in love with it!

   Firstly, it's nutritious. Oats are the perfect source of fiber and valuable fatty acids. They are also a wealth of vitamins and minerals like vitamin B6 or B1 and iron or magnesium. Moreover they contain proteins which makes you feel full for a long time, can help you lose weight and build muscles. It is obvious that if oats have a lot of nutrients they nourish your body very well. So if you're struggling with damaged hair or nails or have problems with skin there is one marvelous treatment. Oatmeal. It's also perfect medicine for many diseases. Did I mention about its positive impact on our brain? Oats will help you with studying and memorising things.

   Secondly, you can be very creative while cooking oatmeal! Every morning I wake up with a new idea for oatmeal (or different kinds of cereal). My oatmeal must be big, warm and packed with many stuffs. I always cook it with milk (almond, rice, soy or cow milk), banana, nuts, dark chocolate, seeds, spices and other fruits. You can embellish oatmeal in your own way to make it delicious and filling. Consistency it the next thing to choose. Extremely thick, creamy or runny. You can also eat oatmeal for lunch, dinner... the truth is that you can eat it anytime, anywhere and with anything you want. And keep in mind that a huge dose of this meal will give you energy and makes your mornings more positive.

  The next advantage of porridge is that it's very easy and fast to do. You don't have to spend ages in the kitchen to prepare it. Ten minutes is enough to make your bowl full of oats. Oatmeal is also very portable because it can be eaten cold as well as warm. So if you're in the rush just grab a lunch box and pour your homemade oatmeal into it. Don't forget to sprinkle some fruits or nuts on top!

So now I'd like to show you my recipe for oatmeal (every person is a different porridge :D).

Ingredients for basic plain porridge:
5 tablespoon of oats (you can use any type you want)
1 tablespoon of bran (of your choice)
1 teaspoon of flax-seeds (I add it because I prefer when it's thick)
cup of milk (my favourite is almond milk but you can even use water)

To  make it more delicious I like to add:
1 banana cut into pieces
piece of dark chocolate
a lot of cinnamon
handful of goji berries
handful of cashews on top
few dried figs or any other fruits on top

Pour milk into a pot and put it on the stove. When it boils pour oats and mix a little bit. Let it boils for few minutes and then add what you want (in my recipe I would add banana, goji berries and cinnamon.). I like to put the chocolate to the bottom of the bowl and pour hot oatmeal on it to melt it. Boil the porridge for the next 2-3 minutes and  turn off the gas. You can leave it for a couple of minutes to make it thicker or eat it like this. Of ourse throw some extra things on top. Enjoy!

Remember every person has their own way to cook and eat oatmeal. Go to the kitchen and find yours!

                       

                       

                       

                             
                                      These are my ideas of decorating oatmeal ;)