Vegan-ings

Somewhere in the middle of Montana, this vegetarian became a vegan. I am nearing 12 years of vegetarianism and have spent much of that time wishing I was a full vegan, arguing with myself whether or not to eat a piece of cheese, feeling guilty any time I ate something non-vegan. And so, while sitting shotgun in that godforsaken moving truck, I surprised myself at how quickly I exclaimed, "Yes!" when George asked me if I thought we should go vegan.

We thought, what better time, than when moving cross-country to change the routine and switch to even healthier habits? (Little did we know at the time that we would be stuck in Montana for 5 days, rather than promptly arriving in the most veg-friendly city in America.) For our first official vegan meal, we were forced to scavenge a Montana Wal-mart in the middle of the night for anything edible, settling for a parking lot tailgate party of cold soy-dogs, soy-cheese and ketchup. After a long day on the road, it was surprisingly good.

While stranded in Bozeman for nearly a week, the Community Food Co-op downtown appeared over the horizon like an oasis in the desert. Our moods drastically improved once inside the co-op, with plenty of "comfort foods" in full view. And yes, for us, comfort foods include Tofurkey dogs, fake cheese, organic cereal bars, vegan-deli-salads, and of course hummus. The hotel's minifridge was thus well-stocked and we got along just fine during our accidental vacation in Bozeman. Even Isa enjoyed a bag of organic mixed greens while hopping around the hotel room.

There have certainly been challenges, like trying to find fast food on the road, but as soon as we got settled in, the vegan habits became old hat. The new kitchen here is more conducive to cooking and general mess-making than the tiny, ill-equipped kitchens of our old apartments, and so I've been a bit more adventurous with our meals, trying to make more healthy, budget-conscious dinners at home.

When I began the blog, almost a year ago, my intent was to share more recipes and meal ideas because, surprisingly to me, I still get asked all the time, "So, what DO you eat?" The truth is, I eat a wider variety of foods now than I ever did as a carnivore. My eyes have been opened to more healthful cooking and a variety of ethnic cuisines. I don't see vegetarianism, or veganism for that matter, as a restrictive diet, but rather a new way of looking at food and a new opportunity to be healthy and guilt-free!

Just before the move, I picked up a new cookbook, Veggie Burgers Every Which Way and just last week, finally got to try my hand at made-from-scratch veggie burgers. I started with the simple black bean burger, forgoing the suggested parmesan in order to make them vegan. Served up with some oven fries, they got rave reviews. The extra-large batch made enough leftovers to keep us fed all week. Next up, Seitan burgers with mango BBQ, or perhaps Armenian lentil burgers? Stay tuned.

We've had tacos, or mock-os (as my sister so aptly coined them) on several occasions. Tonight, I used fresh jalepenos from our garden to flavor the boca-crumbles and black beans. I found a great recipe on Ellen's website: Soft Tacos with Avocado Salsa, which we sampled last week. We subbed in Morningstar black bean burgers for the Gardein, as that's what we had on-hand, and they were simply fantastic.

Last night, I made a veggie roast, a kind of "baked riff on ratatouille" that was delicious. I couldn't find the recipe online, but it was quite simple. Sliced summer squash, tomatoes, and yukon gold potatoes, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, and fresh rosemary from our garden, baked for about an hour. The result was a savory, tender dinner, and I'm told the leftovers make a great sandwich for lunch. I'd like to make it again for a fancy brunch and serve it beside a tofu scramble.

Finally tonight, an unexpected dessert: chocolate pudding. At first glance, this dessert looks, and tastes, like a creamy chocolate pudding. The surprise is it is actually whipped avocados that lend the pudding its smooth creaminess. If you can get over the mental block of eating vegetables for dessert, it's quite delicious, and healthy too! Vegan, organic, and raw!