Eating by the book - cleanly and colorfully.
As part of my Christmas bounty (which was composed primarily of dishes and towels), I received two vegan cookbooks, both by author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: Color Me Vegan and The Joy of Vegan Baking.
Inspired by the veritable cornucopia of options in the texts, I rushed out last night and bought my own weight in produce. No meat, no eggs, no milk (just soy). I bought a weeny thing of sour cream (which I know for sure isn’t vegan) for a Pumpkin Black Bean Quesadilla recipe I’ve been hoarding away.
The point is - with much hesitancy and delight - I’ll be eating a very strict vegetarian/vegan diet this week. And that freaks me out a bit.
I was a vegetarian from November of 2009 to somewhere around the following holiday season (2010). By then, I’d burned out of Morningstar Grillers, cheese and tofu (something I never quite mastered). Essentially, I was a bad vegetarian.
Coming from a family that hunts for their own meat - which I suppose is minutely ethical in its own way - many of my childhood “staple dishes” revolved around an animal protein: grilled chicken tacos, steak and potatoes, carne guisada, grilled shrimp. Not that my parents didn’t advocate healthy eating - my folks encouraged my brother and I to consume vegetables at every given opportunity. My mother prepared a steamed or grilled vegetable with every meal and put a salad on the table, too.
And this is generally how I approached vegetarianism.
I’d have my “meat” as the centerpiece - some tofu or soy derivative - and then complement that item with whatever veggies or fruits sounded good. But that’s not really realistic, is it?
I mean, vegetarians and vegans eat plant-based diets. Not meat-replacing diets.
So here’s my do-over.
For breakfast this morning, instead of downing a bowl of processed cereal and coffee, I blended together an orange and a cup of frozen blueberries and raspberries. It made the most beautiful magenta juice that certainly perked up my tastebuds. Topped off with a cup full of piping hot green tea, it packed quite a punch.
As a tip for the smoothie-inclined: Mason jars will fit most standard-sized blenders. If you’re the kind of person that likes to dirty as little dishes as possible (like myself) and feels retro-chic drinking out of a Mason jar, just blend your smoothie together in the jar itself. Presto! You’re done! And you can take that sucker along with you, because it comes with a screw-on travel top. Cool, huh?
Since I have to eat more than one meal a day, I’ve composed quite the recipe list for the week. I’ll share what I can with you, so if you’re interested you can make some changes in your own diet.
Recipes:
Whole Living’s Detox Smoothies (seven types)
Tomato Basil Cream Pasta from Vegan Yum Yum
Mushroom Stroganoff from Shop.Cook.Make
Pumpkin and Black Bean Burritos from Closet Cooking
Tomato Basil Soup from Color Me Vegan
Beet Burgers from Color Me Vegan
Carrot Fries from Color Me Vegan
Wish me luck! I’ll be blogging as I cook through the list, and hopefully this week will offer some insight into whether or not becoming a strict vegetarian again (and hopefully a creative vegetarian) is a possibility. The lifestyle is something I’ve always vastly respected. I’d love to integrate it back into my own journey.
If you have any recipes you’d like to share or advice for a born-again veggie, please leave it in the comments below! As I always say, it takes a village.
