I don’t really have a name for this dish but we made it a couple nights ago and it turned out great.

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2 Cups Brown Rice
2 Cups Spicy V8
2 Cups Water
2 15oz cans Black Beans
1 15oz can Whole Kernel Corn
1 Clove Garlic (minced)
1/4 cup Onion (finely diced)
1 small green Chili Pepper (diced)
1 Tomato (diced) (you can use a 15oz can of diced tomatoes if you don’t have fresh)
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt (more or less to taste)

Bring water and V8 to a boil and add rice, chili powder and cumin. Stir so rice will not clump and bring back to a boil then add all other ingredients. Cover and turn heat on low. Cook for about 45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or wrapped in tortillas.

This recipe makes alot. We had enough left over for lunch the next day and then some.

Has anyone tried a local CSA? I was thinking of picking up a basket from Delvin Farms just to sample the quality and selection but I haven’t gotten to it yet. If anyone has any experience with Delvin Farms or any other CSA that I may not know about please leave input.

This Sunday is Earth Day.  A celebration will be held at Centennial Park in Nashville for those who need greening or who are green to attend.   Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to attend.  If anyone happens to go let me know if it has grown over last year, it seems to progress each year.

On a related note, are you doing anything to make your life a little more green?  Improving your recycling efforts?  Switched to compact fluorescent lighting? Maybe walking or biking in your commute as opposed to driving? (With gas prices the way they are this will also help “green” your wallet!)

A first has happened. I was at a client’s house working and when I was about to leave somehow the subject of food came up. I told the lady I was a vegan and she asked exactly what that meant. After quickly explaining how I eat or use nothing that has any type of animal product she exclaimed, “God gave Adam and Eve animals to eat!” I then told her in short order that I felt that didn’t apply to me, but not really in those terms. I think I actually said something along the line of, “That’s another issue you really wouldn’t want to get into with me.” Of course that got the question, “Where do you go to church?” (on a side note, why do people ASSUME everyone goes to church?) Telling her that I did not go to any church she then says, “Well, you seem to have good morals.”

Yes, I do have good morals, ethics as well. Since when does one have to eat meat and go to church to have either or both? Morals and ethics are no more than human psychology.

So here I am, a Vegan non-church goer…the ultimate sinner!

I have a good feeling she won’t be calling me to do anymore work for her.

Being vegan is a little easier than I thought it would be when I started this almost two years ago. Being vegetarian for 5 years prior made it that much easier. Strict vegans, as you know, take it to the point of absolutely no animal product whatsoever in their daily lives. There are a couple things I ponder from time to time. If you are a vegan reading this, do you eat out? Do you eat anything prepared with sugar when you do, since that sugar will no doubt be refined sugar? How many of you would go to the point of not sitting in a leather seat when either in a restaurant or some other place? Since gasoline is a petroleum product partially created from the millions of years old carcasses of dinosaurs, do it detract from strict veganism if you drive a gas-powered vehicle?

Just things I ponder…