Our family has hit the 6 month mark of our foray into vegetarian living. In the kitchen, we have experienced some wonderful surprises. We have also experienced some horrible surprises. I thought I would take this morning and recount a few of my most notable lessons.
First: Why did we quit eating meat? I think this was due to education, really. I scoured books, watched documentaries and looked at the facts. Over time, the change just made sense for us. One Friday I looked at the hubbo and said, "why don't we just try it for the weekend?" After that, we just never really went back.
It is a standing caveat at our house we are both allowed to pick 2 times a year when we plan to enjoy a good old meaty meal. That said, we made it through Thanksgiving and Christmas without the traditional turkey or ham. I'm still unsure about St. Patrick's day; I do love me a reuben.
So here's what worked: This sounds silly, but we really embraced the fruit and veg. I know we're all supposed to be eating something like 5 of those a day anyway, but that wasn't happening in our house. As a bonus, we got to know our local farmers. They were generous this summer in measuring our pounds and pints and quarts; the freezer is still full of ziplocked portions.
Whole grains became our BFFs. Lentils and beans, too. My favorites are germinated brown rice, quinoa, French green lentils and Ezekiel bread (it's chock full of grainy, bird-food looking stuff). We discovered cool foods like seitan (aka wheat meat), tempeh, tofu, brown rice syrup and umeboshi plums. My kids still think Gardein's seven-grain "chicken" fingers are better than McDonald's, and Boca Burger's Vegan Burger night is always a hit.
Ok, I still haven't made it to vegan status, although in the future I wouldn't mind being that disciplined. Some vegan products are slowly working their way into my kitchen, and nobody seems any the wiser. I love almond milk (but I never enjoyed lactose much before anyway). The whole family thinks Veganaise tastes even better than our old favorite mayo. I use flax oil in place of butter to finish off couscous dishes. Last week I finally picked up some vegan butter...this was the hardest change for me. Few things in the kitchen are as tasty and versatile as a stick of pure, fresh creamy butter. I've never liked cheese much, but everyone else in this house could be mice for their love of it. And baking is just hard without eggs. Not impossible, but difficult for sure.
A short list of loves:
- open faced marinated artichoke heart sandwiches with garlic & veganaise
- tofu fried brown rice with veggies, soy sauce and ume vinegar
- French onion soup made with vegetable broth
- veggie burgers
- country fried (or baked) seitan with vegan gravy
- sliced oranges in mint marinade
- Italian tortellini skewers (I still eat some cheese, people!)
- snacks of pickles, sauerkraut, carrots or celery
- any vegetable with garlic
- Panera's Sierra Turkey sandwich without turkey
- veggie wraps made in whole wheat tortillas
A concise list of yucks:
- Tofurkey hot dogs & brats (that texture...ugh)
- millet bread
- cheese-less pizza (I mean, what is the point??)
- daikon
- quinoa flakes "oatmeal"
- rice nog
- red lentils (mushy, mushy)
And now you know why we so love our veg!
Obviously, none of these companies paid me to endorse or criticize their brands. This is just a bonus little list from me to you!
