Lots of home cooking :3

This week has been so much better. I am not feeling sad anymore but really excited about new challenges and new recipes. Here a few of this past weeks new meal adventures! 

Butternut Squash sautéed with maple syrup, brown sugar, dash of salt and olive oil 

Tacos! This is firm tofu pan fried with taco seasonings --- daiya cheddar cheese in the background. I made a cool dipping sauce with Franks red Hot sauce and tofutti cream cheese--- 

Final product, lettuce daiya cheese, refried beans and tofu. Hard shell on the inside and soft on the outside of course. 

Refried beans and daiya cheddar and mozzarella taquitos!! Best damn taquitos I've ever had. Franks red hot sauce with tofutti to dip in.

Home made seitan shepherds pie. This one wasn't perfect. I need to find a brand of Worcester sauce that's vegan. It really needs that flavor to compete with its non-vegan counterpart. But a solid meal and the seitan came out great. Thanks to Nathan Winograds recipe in his All American Vegan cook book :3

Vegan take out

Splurged and picked up from vegan restaurant Angelica's Kitchen! The mashed potatoes were good but I didn't love the gravy--- a bit too much herb flavoring for me-- perhaps dill?

Loved the chai tea, the sesame noodles and tempeh Reuben sandwich!

So much food, it'll hold me over for a few more meals at least :)

There's hope 

Vegan noodz & breakfast

Ramen!

Sun noodle ramen (the best)

Boil for exactly 60 seconds and immediately run under cold water.

Corn and carrots (raw)

Hiyachuka sauce-

Sesame oil (1 tsp)

Rice vinegar (2 tbs)

Soy sauce (2 tbs)

Sugar (2 tablespoons)

Hiyachuka spices 

Breakfast - hash browns & sausage 

Taco Tuesday can still happen!

Tonight I made vegan tacos! Avocado, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes and vegan cheddar cheese :) 

Vegan Snacks

Today I'm feeling a bit emotional. I feel great about what I'm doing, but I feel sad for the things I know I won't be doing-- eating my favorite candies on halloween, drinking my favorite hot chocolate on cold wet days like this, and not knowing how to tell my friends theres nothing on the menu for me anymore at our favorite restaurants. Not to mention telling my parents...!

So I decided to first stock my apartment with delicious vegan snacks that will satisfy my sad sweet tooth. (My vegan friend, Logan, told me that Oreos are vegan! Thanks so much, I'll be stocking up on those to dip into some almond milk before bed. :) )

Both of these are great. I do like the top brand a bit better, https://www.facebook.com/vanleeuwenartisanicecream/timeline

I felt like the texture was more in line with what I am used to. Although, they use coconut milk, I am concerned about the monkeys... I dont know if their coconuts are from a farm that utilizes monkey labor. :( So I'm hoping to find that answer soon.

Organic Nectars was great. It was a bit "icey" which some people really like so this one could be for you. The flavors were good, and I'll likely buy another!

My favorite vegan ice cream though is https://www.facebook.com/DfMavens

I havent been able to find it in any stores, but thankfully I live really close to their retail location. If you're in NYC, I highly recommend stopping by.

TRY TRY TRY

Yesterday I made a bluberry, almond milk and tofu smoothy. I was NOT a fan. The tofu flavor was a bit over powering for me, I was hoping it would make it a bit more creamy, but I'll probably be sticking to ice, almond milk and fruit smoothies from now on.

Behind my disaster is my every morning coffee--- trader joes fair traded coffee, double brewed, put into ice trays over night, then added to a cup of water and almond milk. Add some agave for sweetness, and you'd never know you're missing something. I've been drinking my coffee vegan for over 2 years now and its great, I drink so much of it and I never wish I had milk or whole milk in it. Soy or almond milk works great. 

A few vegan snacks I picked up. I was so surprised by how much I loved the Spiced Chai Go Raw snacks! I almost ate the whole thing in one go. I am a bit concerned about the monkeys and the coconuts that are in it.. I am hoping to figure it out..

The TruJoy snacks were also great, basically vegan starbursts!

I made it over 48 hours.. onto the next. 

Vegetarian Going On Vegan

I've been a vegetarian my entire life. The decision to cut out animal meat was really easy for as a child. Pretty much as soon as I put two and two together I made the decision, much to my parents dismay. I had a few reasons at the time, but the biggest one was that I loved animals and I don't believe you can truly love them and eat them at the same time--- I just don't.

I also had a problem with the whole "God created animals for us to eat". That drove me mad, and drove me away from religion permanently as well. Not that I dont consider myself spiritual, in fact I do, but I do not subscribe to human religions. I much prefer the laws of nature and Mother Nature for that matter.

So aside from a few regrettable drunken nights in college, I havent eaten a mammal since I was 12. And I don't miss it at all. Bacon to me is repulsive and whenever I see a commercial (and there are a TON) that compares bacon to some godly experience I have to hold back my urge to vomit. To be honest the only thing I truly ever crave or miss is White Castle. I know, gross, right? Well, its a nostalgic thing because whenever I would win a soccer game my dad and I would go and eat a sack of sliders together.

I have been teetering on the edge of vegan and vegetarian since high school. Sometimes I made it almost a full month as a vegan before I caved and had some Nutella, or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or some other dessert with dairy.

As I make the difficult and life-changing alterations to be a vegan I think about sushi nights with my best friends. We always split 3 or 4 specialty rolls, with some wine and catch up with one another. I think about making Turkey-Shepherds pie with my boyfriend. I have so many fond memories surrounding food that I am ashamed of. And now I have to alienate myself from the experiences and hope that it won't affect the relationships.

Ultimately, I feel good when I go vegan. I dont feel guilty, I dont feel gross, and I usually feel more awake. Each time I slip and eat something I know I shouldn't it gets harder and harder, and I am hopeful that eventually the need to slip will go away entirely...

But until then, I want to log my vegan tail so that I can proud of what I accomplish and admit when I've done something wrong and grow from mistakes and hopefully come out of this a happier, healthier, more compassionate person. I will also review all the vegan goodies I come across. I using Nathan Winograd's All American Vegan Cookbook for guidance, and I'm with him--- I dont think being vegan has to mean I can no longer eat unhealthy fun foods. So I've got three pints of three different brands of vegan ice cream in my fridge--- lets see whose the best next time. :)

Wish me luck!

Day 1 (probably the 10th Day 1 in my life, but lets make this one count.)

Fried Tofu!

Ingredients:

Slightly Firm Tofu
Coconut Oil (not from farms using animal labor)
Potato Starch

The Sauce:
     Soy Sauce (vegan-- some are not)
     Sugar
     Sesame Oil
     Mirin

How To:

Press the tofu until mostly dry
Cover in potato starch
Put in pan with hot coconut oil
fry until golden brown on each side

Dip into the sauce to eat! Enjoy a guilt-free deliciously savory and protein-packed dinner. Serve with a side of steamed veggies with melted Earth Balance "butter" (my favorite brand of vegan butter) and a dash of salt!