Funny food lover quandries

OK - when you like food, you come up against some funny issues. For instance, we think we might be pregnant, but not sure. However, I am trying to eat as if I am. Since the meat eater is not here right now, I have been indulging myself in all sorts of things that satisfy me, but leave him hungry (personally, I think it is all in his mind :-))

I have been eating a spring mix salad, to which I add extra arugula (there is never enough in these mixes), goat cheese, artichokes (in the big jar, rinse so they are not so oily), oil-cured olives, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and some lemon juice. I do admit to one travesty, if I don't have fresh lemons, I will use the Realemon concentrate. However, we are looking at planting a Meyer lemon tree in the back yard, so that might solve my problem!

In addition, I made hummus the other day, so put some in a bowl, roasted some red peppers* (dressed them with a little EVO, salt and pepper), added those and added a few kalamata olives to round it out. Served it with a pita for dipping. Seriously, my last 3 meals have consisted of this medley. It is delicious!

Well, as I was making my salad, I started to wonder about the goat cheese, so go to Google it. No soft cheeses! What!! However, as my very wise hubby pointed out, in the US we can only eat cheese or import cheese that is made from pasteurized milk. Whew! So both cheeses in the fridge are made of pasteurized goat and sheep's milk.

Then I wondered about the tahini used in my hummus?? Raw sesame seeds ground up?? Googled again and found a vegan site that listed tahini as a good protein source for pregnant women. OK!

I actually have some vegan recipes that I am going to try one day. Spicy peanut stew and butternut squash rice paper rolls. They sound yummy and healthy which means the meat eater can eat all he wants! My husband didn't quite realize that I could easily be a vegetarian when he married me. Not a true vegan only because I love dairy and eggs. Soy cheese is just not the same as real cheese, even though I realize the benefits.

*if you need to know how to roast peppers, this is how the blog began.
http://i-love-costco.blogspot.com/2006/09/h-ere-is-how-to-roast-peppers-and-one.html