...in your diet. No, unfortunately this is not a post about making more money. It's about salad!
Usually, before you become a vegan, you're not some kind of health guru. Some people switch with health in mind as well as ideology, but most of us are in it for the animals and aside from that don't really know what we're doing. Because of that, adjusting to everything is a huge learning experience and we end up way more knowledgeable about health than the average bear. However, it still doesn't make eating healthily very easy.
Some changes are easy enough - switch to whole grains, eat fruit as a snack, etc. - but how do you incorporate the massive amounts of veggies (particularly leafy greens) that are so healthy into your diet? When society teaches you that vegetables are regulated to the role of side dish/afterthought, what do you do? Fortunately, constant experimentation and supreme laziness have led me to some quite easy answers.
1. Whatever you're making, dump it on a bed of greens.
Beans and rice for dinner? How about beans and rice and spinach? The easiest way I've found by far to make salad is to simply make whatever you're usually making and eat it with lots of greens. It's usually tastier than trying some new recipe with ingredients you don't usually work with, and if you're the type who likes a hot meal much better than a cold one it is really satisfying. You don't even need to worry about salad dressings, as long as the meal you were going to eat alone is seasoned well.
2. Use large leaves as "tacos" or wraps.
As a professional burrito eater (not a high-paying profession, but certainly a fun one ;D) as well as a vigilant label-reader, the least healthy part of a burrito or a taco is usually the tortilla. It has so many unpronounceable ingredients, bleached grains, etc. You can go to the health foods store and get something fancy and confirmed vegan, but why not just use greens as the wrapper? For more bendy greens, like collard leaves, it is easy to wrap them up like a tortilla. Crunchy greens, like lettuce, make "tacos" that are really delicious; just load them up and fold in half.
3. Throw a handful of baby greens into whatever you're making.
The wonderful thing about baby greens is that they don't require any chopping. Much like pre-chopped veggies you can just toss them into your food and they will come out great.
As for other veggies, I really just operate on a "the more the merrier" policy. When I make beans and rice, for example, I throw in onions, garlic and whatever's in my pantry at the time - could be jalapeno, peppers, carrot, celery, mushrooms, potato, you name it. Soup is just a means for me to come up with new veggie combinations. The wonderful thing about healthy eating is that there needs to be no formula; just incorporate abundant plant foods and take basic precautions to make sure that your diet is adequate. Happy eating!
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