Photoblog 2: Delightful Dishes

Just recently VegLiving had its first (what I like to call) photoblog, with a collection of pictures of some scrumptious dishes I’d made that month, located here. I liked the way that it turned out and I really hope it inspired others to be creative in their cooking and maybe document and blog their culinary masterpieces, too.

So, I’ve made a new little category of posts here at VegLiving for these photoblogs. This post is the second one which includes some dishes I’ve been documenting over the past couple weeks. Enjoy, and let me know if you’d like any recipes, information or have any comments.

As always, all photos are © Brian Greco 2009 using a lovely Samsung SL820 12.1 MP Camera. Do not copy or re-upload without credit. I will hunt you down  .

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Dish 1: A tasty little vegetarian afterschool snack with a salad, some edamame and a Trader Joe's Veggie Hummus Wrap.

Dish 2: Simple perfection. What more could want for a snack? Whole sprouted wheat bread with extra virgin olive oil.

Dish 3: Now this one's interesting. I was looking up raw food desserts (inspired by Ani Phyo) and I concocted these somehow. A mixture of many many many ingredients, including a lot of butters, nuts, dried fruit and cocoa. Very tasty, actually.

Dish 4: Some Indian food tofu mix leftover thingy I made (lucky I take these photos, I'd forget), with a simple salad and bread. yummy.

Dish 5: One of my favorites. This scrumptious salad features the usuals with fresh vegetables. A nice couscous mixture bean corn thing I made out of nowhere to accompany. See, I don't really use recipes... made this one up on the spot.

How’s my food photography skills? 😉

Dish 6: Made this before swim practice for some energy. Can never go wrong with some fresh bread, olive oil and grapes. Very Roman-inspired.

Dish 7: This one looks weird, but tasted pretty good. Was bored and wanted something quick, so I tried polenta (the non-refrigerated kind) with some beans and things. Polenta is an Italian corn paste-like substance that is very versatile in cooking. Tasty.

Dish 8: This one is one of my favorites I've done. Ah, simple perfection! I love salads, if you haven't noticed. Eat one every day. Salad post coming soon... but anyway, made this this afternoon and it is truly the perfect, healthy, vegetarian snack. Mmm.

So, that’s that. Yummy, I hope. As you can see I really like salads.

Anyway, sorry that I can’t link within the captions — it kinda bothers me. But I will be updating these soon with links to other posts about some of the foods and recipe inspirations mentioned in this photoblog.

I truly hope everyone is enjoying the blog and if you haven’t already, subscribe for email updates (with new content delivered to you) and spread the word!

Be well,

Brian

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Granola bars to live on

I don’t know what I would do without granola bars. For any snack, breakfast, lunch or meal… while traveling, at school, touring the city, or just at home… before, during and after exercise …they’ve always been there. And I’m sure many other vegetarians, vegans, non-veg’s will all find that granola bars have always been there for them as a healthy, tasty, convenient, easy-to-find, non-perishable treat that can, if chosen right, pack in great nutrition.

I’m sure you all have your favorites but in this post I want to share some tasty and trusty choices in the granola bar field that will be a beneficial addition to your nutritious diet. Always remember to go for fiber, protein, whole grains and good fats, and to avoid too much sugar or bad fats and carbs.

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1. Kashi TLC granola bars are without a doubt number one. Longtime readers of this blog will know that I have a religious obsession with Kashi products. What a lovely selection with fiber, whole grains, omega-3‘s and much else. Tasty, too.

2. Läräbars are my recent love. Raw, vegan, soy and gluten free, fiber, protein, good fat. And usually only made with like three ingredients: dates and nuts most of the time. Tasty. Fun. What more could you want?

3. Nature’s Path, another favorite company, makes some tasty granola bars, especially the Pumpkin Flax Plus ones. Probably my second most-loved brand for lots of great products, along with Kashi.

4. Kind bars are a creative one. Great for healthy fats and things. Usually made with nuts and seeds and fruit, and support good organizations.

5. Clif and Luna bars I have known about for awhile but have recently very much began to like. They are great for the busy person as they come in great flavors with great nutrition. One of the most widely available I’ve seen. And please, people. Luna bars aren’t just for women. Men need Folic Acid and things too. C’mon.

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So, those are my top 5 for today. Maybe some more soon. Check ’em out; I know you’ll love ’em. They’re the perfect snack and meal accompaniment and if you haven’t already looked into buying granola bars, I definitely encourage it as part of a vegetarian diet. Oh, and fruit leathers are yummy too. Two of my favorite stores to get these at: Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

Be well,

Brian