#30daysofblogging Day 9: Eating Well: Goat cheese/spinach/olive ravioli + sauteed broccoli

I know, right?

I told you I've been a "bad vegan" for the last year and a half, but I haven't gone into detail because I know what happens to vegans who have cheese relapses: they get destroyed by holier-than-thou hardcore ethical vegans, who seem to not really understand that they should shut the hell up because they aren't living inside of someone else's life experience. I really don't care what you think of me, and I can't spend my life worrying about it, so all I'm going to do is present this delicious recipe to you, and tell you that guess what: you could easily use vegan ravioli, and in fact, I encourage it! I didn't this time, so what. This particular ravioli is seasonal (only around for two more weeks, at most) and comes from The Pasta Shop.

If you have any questions, of course, please let me know.

I love how I expect that people actually read this, and thus, will jump all over me.

I don't owe anyone an explanation, but my current situation is that when my life fell apart last year, I took a diet-related detour because I just didn't care anymore. And since then, I've been exploring various things, all the while knowing I'm going to end up being vegan again eventually. Thankfully, it's not your place to judge me. But I've been literally cowering in fear over expressing to the internet that I am not the world's perfect vegan, or a perfect person, because I know how things go. And I'm here today to tell you that I'm completely tired of it. Those closest to me in real life are very aware that this has been my reality for the last year and a half. They're also aware that I've been scared to be honest about it online. I'm nearly 33 years old, time to stop being scared of bullies on the internet...

And yet, I feel guilty about posting this.

....

So, let us get going on this recipe, shall we?


INGREDIENTS:
· 1 package ravioli (whatever kind you like, however, I recommend fresh pasta)
· Olive oil
· 1 head spring garlic, or a few cloves of fresh garlic
· Broccoli
· Salt + Pepper
· Red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:

· Cook ravioli according to directions.
· After it's done, drain, return to pot, add olive oil to coat, add pepper & red pepper flakes (if desired)

· As for the broccoli, wash & cut into small florets.
· Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add broccoli and stir.
· Really try not to let anything burn!
· Add a splash of water to aid in cooking/not burning.
· As the broccoli cooks, add garlic.
· When all of the water has been absorbed and everything is cooked: salt + pepper + red pepper flakes

Voila, you're done, and this was so easy! 

This has been my lunch for the last two days, and it's been absolutely fantastic. Other than the fact that the ravioli I bought was pretty expensive (but it was local ... it sounded so good ...), this is also a really super cheap meal to make. The ravioli has such wonderful, thoughtful filling that it doesn't require any kind of sauce, so I'd recommend you go with something of that type if you're going to attempt to re-create this. Let me know what you think!