Let's Talk About Food
I like food. I'm eating as I type this. What am I eating?--Half an avocado, a handful of olives, fresh baby carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, and a few strips of tofu chik'n--all vegan. Earlier today I had some roasted almonds, Fritos, two honey crunch apples, brown rice with steamed vegetables, and a banana/berry smoothie. Sound good? Still vegan.
What I Eat:
I get asked this question all the time, and it's really very simple. Fresh produce is a staple of my diet. I have two fruit bowls in my kitchen, because my mountain of apples, peaches, pears, kiwi, and plums won't fit in just one. I also have a couple of bunches of bananas on a rack of their own which prevents browning (brown bananas are just gross). In my refrigerator, I have Rice Dream rice milk (way better tasting than soy), fresh vegetables, 100% orange and tomato juices (no added sugar, no HFCS), organic jam and organic applesauce. My pantry is filled with whole wheat Kashi cereal (I love Cinnamon Harvest), Amy's Kitchen (vegan) soups, egg-less vegetable-based pasta, cans of olives, jars of pickles, and a few cans of vegetables that aren't currently in season. I also keep some Amy's frozen dinners in my freezer in case I'm too busy or tired to cook, but I don't usually need them.
I've found the best meals are things I've just thrown together: egg-less pasta with tomato sauce, topped with lightly browned zucchini, olives, artichokes, eggplant, and asparagus. Steamed rice with a variety of vegetables. Organic peanut butter and no-sugar-added fruit jam on egg-less bread (really good). Last night I made a spinach salad with avocado, olives, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and tofu chik'n. I steamed some cauliflower to serve on the side, and finished with grapes for dessert.
Recipe Resources:
Overall, vegan food is surprisingly easy, but there are options for the more gourmet-oriented out there. I've found several blogs covering vegan recipes, and several other sites that show how to adapt almost any recipe to make it vegan. I'm not the most food-creative type, but I've been able to follow some of these to create really unique meals. More information can be found at:
http://vegweb.com/ - vegan and vegetarian recipes
http://www.goneraw.com/ - raw food recipes
http://www.laziestvegans.com/ - a blog about how to eat vegan with minimal effort
http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/ - another blog with some amazing gourmet recipes, all vegan
http://www.seedlingshowcase.com/cv08/cv.aspx - a vegetarian cooking school. Yes--you read that right. I've actually registered for a class here in March, so more on this later.
In conclusion, I am not starving on my vegan diet. I'm actually really enjoying my new-found recipes, and the freedom to create whatever I want from scratch. I'm healthier and happier, and as an added bonus, my waistline has begun to shrink. I love vegan food.
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P.S. I actually wrote this a few days ago and forgot to post it, so today's menu is incorrect. I've been experimenting with some new recipes, and tonight I had a really great casserole using a modified version of this recipe, which is amazing. My mods:
- Add fresh veggies to the sauce. My current favorites are zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli. This has the added benefit of making the dish chunkier without adding too many carbs.
- Nix the pasta and vegan cheese. While I'm sure vegan cheese is great, it is mostly unavailable in my current location, and is also full of calories. Also, since giving up cheese last month, I've noticed how many things taste really good without it. And the pasta is really unnecessary, and only takes away from the taste of the rest of the meal.
- Replace basil leaves with spinach. Basil is probably good, but I didn't buy any on my last shopping trip, and I had a full bag of spinach. Worked well.
Otherwise, great recipe. I feel full, and it's fairly healthy, too.
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