Tastes Just Like Chicken

One of my pet peeves is when people claim that something their eating claims to taste just like something else.

“This veggie burger tastes just like a real burger!”

No. No it doesn’t.

First of all, the person you say that to is going to find out pretty damn fast it’s a lie. And then where’s your credibility? Shot.

I tell anyone who chooses to eat a vegan dish, try not to think about the meal it may be mimicking. Instead, try to just close your eyes and taste the dish, decide whether or not you like it.

It’s funny how people assume if you eat a vegan diet that you have such limited options. Or maybe that’s just the way I used to think. But it’s really amazing how a whole new world of food opens up to you when you think outside the box. If you’re reading this and not on a vegan diet, I’m curious to know the last time you ate nutritional yeast, flax meal, chia seeds, cashew cheese, or even kale.

When you let go and just taste, you’d be surprised at how tasty vegan food is!

 

 

Quesadilla with Cashew Cheese

Making Vegan Look Good

I couldn’t be prouder of myself! When adopting a vegan diet, there is a very healthy way to go about it and a very damaging way. You have to pay close attention to your body, give it what it asks for, make sure you are incorporating more plant based foods than overly processed, and be willing to throw the ‘portion control’ idea out the window with a lot of foods you eat (unless what you’re daily diet consists of is Double Stuffed Oreos. There is a little common sense involved).

It was suggested by the Nutritionist that I saw to eventually get some blood work done, just to make sure there wasn’t anything I was depriving my body of (B12 and Iron tend to be the big ones). Annnnnnnnddddd…..(drum roll, please)…..EVERYTHING came back GREAT!!!

There are so many reasons I am thrilled about this: Showing that a proper vegan diet *can* be healthy, knowing I am feeding my family well, feeling like the information I have gathered on this journey has been on the right track. It’s just a great feeling overall! Go me!

 

toe MAY toe, toe MAH toe

Some of the people I work with are very patient and sweet to listen to me gush about different meals I make. They usually lead to good, quick conversations that I really appreciate and help me to think further into the choices I’ve made.

Co-worker: It must be really hard to grocery shop and find the sort of foods you need to eat. Where do you shop?

Me: I just shop at the normal grocery store. I go to the health food store to get a lot of things in bulk just because it’s cheaper.

Co-worker: So, you said last night you made a version of Eggplant Parmesan…I guess it’s just about making the type of meals you normally would eat and just learning to substitute out certain ingredients?

Me: (thrilled) EXACTLY!!!

It's the little things, isn't it?

Dried Tomato Skins

Tomatoes are a precious food to me, so when I get the opportunity to use fresh tomatoes to make my marinara, I hate throwing out the skins. Instead, I lay them out, dry them in the oven and grind them up to use later as a garnish or mix with olive oil to create a tomato paste.

 

 

Sharing the Love

My dear girlfriend that is ultimately responsible for kick starting me into my vegan diet has started her own blog, 'Mindful Living'. She focuses on small changes that make huge impacts and are very realistic. I admire her thoughtful words so much, I hope you enjoy her posts as much as I do!

http://peacefulcoexistence.wordpress.com/about/

Boundaries

Claiming to be ‘Vegan’ in itself is pretty broad: Do you only apply your veganism to diet? Purchases? Drinking? Every second of every day? Or do you give yourself ‘cheat’ days?

For myself it’s truly been a day by day experience. People like to ask me a lot of hypothetical questions, such as ‘But what are you going to do if someone holds you hostage and says the only way they would free you is if you ate chicken??? Would you eat it then???’

Sigh.

Everyone’s boundaries are totally different and personal. I know people who are strict with their food consumption and others who are a little more lax. For me, I understand that going out to eat or eating at someone else’s home will provide certain challenges and I’m ready to accept those challenges with a little creativity and reasonable compromise. Sometimes I may just decide to throw in the towel, though.

Today we went out to eat for lunch, which is a HUUUUGGE event for us. My husband suggested a place we love and I knew would have extremely limited vegan options. In the end, I decided on a crab cake. The horrors, right? And guess what – it was delicious. Not in that, ‘What have I been missing?’ way but ‘What a nice treat!’ sort of way.

That is another misconception – just because I choose not to eat dairy or meat doesn’t mean I suddenly think it all tastes disgusting. Shrimp tastes good. Chicago style pizza tastes good. But they make me feel so bad. And obviously there’s a reason for that.

I didn’t physically feel horrible after my meal but I didn’t feel great, either. Honestly, I like having a time or two like this, few and far between, and think is good for keeping me on track and reminding me why I love eating the way I do. I also know that I’m doing more good than bad in the overall scheme of things, which is the most important thing.

Pick Up Lines

Lately I’ve had a few conversations about my vegan eating that have had me walk away incredibly frustrated. Not because the individual had been argumentative or unwilling to listen to what I’ve had to say – rather, I had a few precious moments where another person was genuinely interested in learning more about an issue they had a differing opinion on and I came up shamefully short.

Nothing makes my day more than someone interested in my ‘alternative eating lifestyle’. I know people are especially intrigued because I am not what you would expect of a Vegan – I am not the red paint throwing, animals rights screaming, angry activist so wonderfully painted by previous extremists (because nothing makes someone with an opposing view want to listen to what you have to say like acting like a screaming nut). I love country music, drink my fair share of a variety of alcohol and work in a seafood restaurant.

Whenever someone asks me why I choose not to eat any meat or dairy products, I freeze. I just can’t find the words. Not because there are so few, rather because there are so many. Health. Politics. Environment. My daughters bodies. My Boys bodies. Self healing. Narrowing the chance for disease. I could elaborate on all of these and more. But I don’t have all day, and neither do they.

I feel like I need that ‘hook’…that line that keeps them wanting more, piques their interest and continues wanting to hear what I have to say. That line that allows me to sum up 5 months of research in one sentence and prove why that ‘health bar’ their eating isn’t so healthy. That line that makes them think, ‘Huh, maybe she’s on to something…’

Needless to say, it’s a work in progress. While I certainly don’t expect every single person to eat 100% vegan 100% of the time, I wish safe eating for everyone and wish more people had an interest in understanding where their food comes from. I can only imagine how much I *still* have to learn and hope to share these things with others down the road.

 

Black Bean and Quinoa Burger with Portabella and Cashew Cheese Sauce