Oops, meant to link it. From Food and Wine: Maple Glazed Beans.

I have eaten this salad everyday this week it is so delicious.

As for the broccoli and all cruciferous vegetables, they are very gas producing and this is reduced by lightly steaming them. So I guess I should say, steaming it reduces this affect (the effect on me is akin to eating gluten, I get a big bloated belly after raw broccoli). There is a good deal of research out there that says that soy is not good for you in the amount people are taking it in. People drink soy milk, soy cheese, soy this, soy that. I don't eat an processed products, so I think a small amount of soy, prepared in the traditional manners is ok. I think it is making sure it is a small part of your diet. Moderation is key.

Thanks Glorybelle. Looking forward to a fun food filled new year! All the best to you!

Dan- Over the course of my blog, I have set out pretty clearly what my vegan diet consisted of (though I understand that you may not have the time to go through all the posts to establish the precedent). I don\'t eat processed products (now or when vegan). I cook mostly plant based meals (even when I am not vegan). I incorporate whole, real foods with a heavy emphasis on plants. There is little grains and I didn\'t try to \"fake\" meat products in my diet. I also noted that soy doesn\'t work for me. So when I was vegan, I was eating plants, nuts and seeds and some gluten free grains. Now that I am not vegan, I eat the same but with the addition of meat.

Thanks J.P.! Not better camera, just better light or maybe better skills. I want a new camera, like a Canon or something. Dream a little dream I guess!

Sounds like some great additions Cynthia. I had actually considered adding shredded coconut to it but didn\'t have any on hand! Awesome!

Ty B, thank you so much for your lovely comment. I truly appreciate what you said and am so pleased that I can bring joy and good eats to people. I am happy that I can share my journey with you and have it be useful to you. Thank you and please let me know if there is anything you'd like to see or prepared and I would happily try!

Thanks for the question Mike.
Sushi Ran is head and shoulders above Kisaku. In my visits (yes, I admit it, I ended up going back to Kisaku a number of times) to Kisaku I never found it to be anything but moderately good sushi. Sushi Ran had me swooning, the kind of place that makes you say: this is what good sushi should taste like as well as wow, I would have never expected that flavor combination. In the head to head comparison of unagi sashimi at each place, they were comparable. Kisaku does use quality fish. But in the creativity of the rolls and for the much more extensive selection of seasonal/available fish selection, Sushi Ran runs away with it. Within the Seattle area, I haven't found a sushi restaurant that would be comparable to Sushi Ran (though in the bay area, Domo is quite comparable) unfortunately. Maybe when I am back home to Seattle, I will spend a month going to every sushi restaurant in town to find out.

Danni- I definitely agree, it is not just veg/vegans/raw, it can be anyone that is for sure. I think that is what I like about his "healthy approaches", it applicable no matter what you choose.

Cynthia- Thank you for sharing that, in one of his articles Billings talks about changing your diet for weight loss and health and says that is NOT Orthorexia since the hyper-vigiliance is necessary only at the start and then you should seamlessly transition into being comfortable and moderate (though moderate does not mean eating everything mind you) in your head space. I too am not on the grain band wagon. I stick to mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and meat/fish. I also do more fat metabolism in my running and use VESPA, which completely goes against what most people are comfortable with. I like you are interested in performance and health and continue to be open to learning new information but also not getting caught up in any fad/crave. So for me what works is the things I mentioned above, but if my body/health ever indicate differently I will respond. I think more people need to. Thanks Ladies!

Thanks JP. I love your blog too. It was alot of (cold) fun to run around in the snow. I prefer it, over the rain for sure. We ran at Discovery yesterday! The roasted root veg were the perfect (healthy) comfort food!