I have been on a cooking jag lately…it is quite strange for me to cook so much when it is so warm, but I guess the way I cook is casual enough that it isn’t very stressful.  Plus with our “mystery project” I am staying home more to be available for questions and to manage the dogs.

At the top of the post is my first pot of peruano beans.  I made them with onion, carrot, garlic, and yellow pepper.  They were wonderful, creamy but held their shape. Do you see the jalapeño in the picture?  I read somewhere that if you make a number of slits in the sides and leave the seeds in you get a lot of flavor without too much heat.  Unfortunately, we like more heat than it gave!  These were for dinner last night with a flour tortilla and a glass of wine.  Today for lunch I had a small bowl with my vegetable juice.  I also froze several portions to add to the pan when I do my vegie “scrambles.”  I plan on trying all the different beans I see at the store, one by one.

I told you a couple weeks ago that I had started a diet and exercise program.  I have been doing quite well – so far have lost 8 pounds and have tons of energy.  I have been working out on the Nordic Track most days for thirty minutes, and that along with some sweat inducing projects around here keep me pretty positive.

But with all the sweating, both from exercise and heat, I need to make sure I keep hydrated and healthy.  I have a vegie drink almost every day. Check out my meal sized drink from today:

Carrot – Cucumber – Celery – Spinach – Parsley – Onion – Tomato – Zuchinni

I dump it all in the Vita Mix with salt & hot sauce and three ice cubes and some ice water.  It made a lot, but I drank it all!  Yum.

Below, take a look at the chart with calories (you may need to click to make full size)  108 for the whole drink! What a bargain! (I always look at food in terms of money…is it cheap or expensive…)

Right now I am waiting for the tofu to cook (the recipe from Beth in the comments section to a post is here), and also the roasted broccoli (recipe here.) But the ridiculous thing is, I’m already thinking about what I’ll make tomorrow!