Appetizing Muse

I could live on chicken, fish and fresh vegetables. Pork is fine once in awhile, but I become less and less enthralled with beef as time goes on. I also dislike greasy food, or meats containing large chunks of fat. It's not just unhealthy, but simply unappetizing.

My favorite vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, green beans, cauliflower and corn. I prefer all of the above steamed if I can find the time, and try to avoid canned versions at all costs.

On occasion I watch cooking shows on Create TV, Food Network or PBS. One of the most common methods of cooking meat is often what turns me away because I cannot abide raw or undercooked meat. It turns my stomach. I've lost count of how many times I've watched a chef slice into blood-red beef or lamb, or raw-in-the-middle tuna. If I was served such a platter in a restaurant, I would probably get up and walk out.

I love salads with green-leaf lettuce and handfuls of goodies thrown in: garbanzo beans, black olives, sliced fresh mushrooms, cooked kernel corn, sunflower seeds, sliced green onion, small-cubed cheddar cheese, chopped hard-cooked egg and occasionally a bit of deli-meat sliced thin and then chopped.

Nuts are one of my favorite snacks, and I love adding them to salads and pasta dishes.