jackfruit curry and breakfast smoothie

I am a vegetarian on purpose. I always hated pepperoni, pork chops, hamburger, hotdogs (even the vegetarian ones), and wasn’t a big fan of bacon. Then I went through a stage where me and the hubby would order Suicide Wings from Calz Pizza. It was more for the heat than for the meat. Caleb still loves bacon-and-bacon sandwiches, a thick brisket now and then, and some other dead animal carcass to get him through his cravings. But, he has indulged in my fruit and vegetable delight.

We have learned that he likes eggplant lasagna. I don’t like papaya much, perhaps it’s the frozen brand. There are a few vegetables that Caleb doesn’t like but he has a new-found love for peanuts. We went on a tofu binge for a while and then started exploring faux meats. We love black bean burgers and despise fake hotdogs and fakin’ bacon. Being vegetarian we can still enjoy cream cheese on our bagels or eggs with our pancakes. Lucky for vegans they have these same options with alternative products.

Pictured above is a recipe from Burmese culture; the other a Jessica Special. I like to try new things and hanging out with my Dad gives me that opportunity. I was able to try jackfruit curry over spring break ’11 and he finally sent me the recipe via Facebook a couple of months later. The special is a breakfast chunky (mine never come out too smooth) that I invented. It consists of an apple, banana, orange, tomato, some Brussels sprouts, and part of a large leek. Caleb doesn’t like the curry base, not because of the pounds of red onion or the tomatoes, but because he doesn’t like curry.

He doesn’t like my chunky either because he thinks that Brussels sprouts taste like dirt. I am glad that no matter how gross my next new concoction looks Caleb is still willing to give it a try. I recently bought some Veggie Cream Cheese and cold it seems better on an onion bagel, but warm it is delicious on a cinnamon bagel. I have been a fan of soy-milk ever since the day I tried it and could never go back to using some other animals calf-raising formula to attempt to get calcium that I can get from broccoli.

I look forward to continuing our path of foods that are new to us and great for our bodies. I enjoy a vegan meal now and then, maybe more on purpose in the future, in a meat crazed world. Feel free to make my chunky recipe and let me know what you think; perhaps you have a juicer for different texture. I have one on my shopping list. If you would like to try the Burmese curry recipe let me know and I will either post it or can email it to you. When is the last time you tried something new and what was it?