Summer is Really Over Now

My boss found a few lonely beefsteak tomatoes in her garden, after she thought all the plants had stopped fruiting, and was kind enough to give me one:

Now that's  a tomato!  It was so juicy, with a really rich, complex flavor, sweet and umami.  We ate it for Sunday breakfast with some refried beans.  Later that day we were at a restaurant and I made the mistake of ordering salad.  It included tomato-like objects, which I probably would have thought tasted fine if I hadn't just eaten the ur-tomato.

The Cat Who Would Be Vegan, Part II

A few days ago I wrote about my kitten Newman and his devotion to carbs.  Today he continued to amaze me by showing his love for another vegan staple, refried beans.

Kitty crack -- who knew?

This morning I decided to include Trader Joe's refried beans in my lunch, and as soon as I got out the can opener Newman was right there on the counter.  You might think he was just responding to the presence of a can,  as cats who eat canned food will do, but no.  He wrapped his little kitten arms around the can, and eventually I had to shut him in the bedroom to get him to stop licking up all the beans.  He was  pretty excited about the kale and corn that weregoing into the lunch container, too.  That got me thinking -- if I weren't such a lazy bitch, maybe I really could turn this cat vegan.

Please don't troll me with how terrible a vegan diet is for cats, or what a hypocritical vegan I am for having cats at all, never mind feeding them meat food.  I've done the research.  I know it can be done.  I also know it's risky, especially for male cats because they are more prone to urinary tract problems.  And I have two boys.  And I'm a lazy bitch.  So this isn't happening any time soon, if ever.  But I do find it fascinating how excited these "obligate carnivores" get about vegan protein sources.

Here's what I ate for lunch.  I can't call it a recipe since it basically consists of opening packages and mixing the contents together, but it's fast, nutritious, and yummy, so I'll include it here.  All ingredients are from Trader Joe's:

1 can salsa-style refried beans
1 pound package frozen kale
About half of a one-pound package frozen roasted corn kernels

Nuke the kale and corn until completely thawed.  Put in a lunch container with the beans.  Nuke it again at work until hot.  Eat this with an apple and you've nailed all your vegan food groups.  Don't forget to floss!