Snack Attacks!

So the rest of the work week did not lend to the delicious dinners (and subsequent leftovers) that I had been spoiling myself with at the starting line of this experiment, but I quickly discovered/concocted the ultimate vegan snacks for all shapes and sizes of cravings. I stocked up my office with tamari roasted almonds, dried apricots, and ginger granola. that has taken care of me throughout the day but I found out very quickly that a hearty breakfast is vital to maintaining happiness throughout the day.

Playing directly after work (disc golf, racquetball, puppy park, etc) makes that big shebang dinner thing a little difficult not only because I cook slowly, but when I get back to the house I am mega-hungry. I think I really need to commit to prepping the night before (after eating and playing).

Friday and Saturday were the first moments of "damn, i wish i wasn't vegan right now" tempted with bar food put in front of me (on zero dinner) and free barbeque luncheon that smelled SO GOOD. It made it easier not to give in to the meaty goodness by telling people that I was vegan when they asked if i was eating or not. It was really interesting to hear other people's reactions, especially those who had gone vegetarian (and couldn't eat much of what was served) or kosher. Since I didn't eat anything at all- I feel like it allowed them to "complain" to me about the difficulties of dietary restrictions, especially in social situations and how much more aware they are of their food in general under these restrictions!

Going out may be one of the hardest things to do as a vegan, but it reaches the most people. Even our waiter last night was asking about the project after overhearing why I would only have chips and salsa!

Yum-Town USA

Grocery shopping is easier and more exciting under dietary restrictions, especially those as strict as veganism and 100-mile diet. It truncates impulsive purchases of unhealthy snacks by the register at Hobby Town USA, or that huge block of cheese that's on sale, and keeps you meandering through the produce section much longer. So far, vegan is awesome- we'll see how long I can keep that up.

Recipe searching through cookbooks on the other hand is not so much fun. Every time we think we hit the dinner jackpot- we spot one or two restricted ingredients that just don't translate with their vegan substitutions. Ergo, I broke down and purchased The Whole Foods Way (100% Vegan) by Christina Perillo. There are tons of well organized recipes wrapped up in a not-so-flashy package. Three hours after purchase, I was SO glad I listened to the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover" as I was scraping every last gram of pasta sauce onto an amazing dish of fusilli. 

Below is her original recipe (copied from her website) but we used oil packed sun-dried tomatoes (because they were considerably cheaper that day) and only cut them in thirds. We saved the oil it was packed in to have a tasty infusion on hand and sautéed the garlic in with the tomatoes instead of using the olive oil. Also- we used what we had for substitutions; sherry for mirin, almond milk for soy milk, firm tofu for solken tofu. The almond milk made the sauce a touch sweeter which paired awesome with the tomatoes but my arm is still a bit sore from whisking the firm tofu into a saucy texture! 

The professors of manhood couldn't handle two meatless dinners in a row so I marinated chicken breasts in olive oil, lime juice, cumin, oregano, fresh chopped parsley, and salt for 20 minutes before baking them at 350* for 30 minutes. I would have like to have marinated them longer, but time flies when you're young. 

Fusilli with Mushrooms, Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomatoes - Series 5  A curly pasta is ideal for a dish like this one because it stands up well to the vegetables and traps the creamy, rich sauce in all its little nooks and crevices.  What You'll Need 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 2-3 cups mixed wild mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, button), brushed free of dirt, then thinly sliced sea salt 10-12 asparagus spears, sliced into 1-inch pieces 4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, not oil-packed, thinly sliced 1/4 cup mirin 1⁄2 cup soy milk 4 oz. silken tofu small handful fresh parsley, minced 1 pound fusilli Instructions Heat oil in a deep skillet and saute garlic for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Saute until tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add mirin; boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Combine tofu and soy milk with parsley until blended. Stir into skillet and season lightly with salt. Simmer until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente. Drain well; do not rinse and transfer to a large bowl. Spoon sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Makes 4-5 servings. Our Meals, Ourselves

Day 1 of Vegan-Off = Great success

Day one was pretty exciting because I got to talk about eating more than the physical act. To keep me accountable, and minimize external temptations I filled in my office, my roommates and my best friends about the experiment- all of whom are excited and supportive. The same conversation that started this whole thing spun around each of these circles with similar conjectures and opinions about the two "lifestyles." 

All of those comments are exactly why I'm so committed to doing this, because you really never know until you try it. I am not trying to get attention, or make money from this experiment like my inspiration, No Impact Man, but I do believe that the best way to learn about these lifestyles is to jump in head first like he and his family did. 

When I play tennis, I always hit better shots when I have to run to the ball. When I play disc golf, I throw farther uphill between two trees than I do on a straight fairway. I am just the kind of person who excels when given obstacles and constraints to aim through and I am excited for the personal growth to be found on this maze of a journey through the Omnivore's Dilemma. 

As for the food!

I sadly realized that honey is not vegan and will have to put that one away for the next 30 days but got the day started right with a bowl of oatmeal and crunchy sprouts. Having that added green boost helped keep my focus throughout the day. 

I thought dinner was going to be more of a challenge because I was preparing and eating with the "professors of manhood" whose lessons range from off-road scootering to steak & fries pizza. They are both supportive of the experiment, but much more excited about the local portion. After keeping the dogs out as long as the sun was, we were too hungry to wait for the squash to roast so I leaned on an Andrea Reusing (chef-owner of Lantern, Chapel Hill) favorite- apples, onions, and garlic sauteed together with a splash of olive oil to warm us all up. 

From there we powered through to a Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole (recipe below) that left the professors of manhood satisfied and leftovers for lunch! The spaghetti squash provided a very unique texture that was reminiscent of how shredded chicken or beef would thicken up the dish even though the winter wonder is pretty bland in and of itself. Next time, i would choose to add tomatoes and more spicy awesomeness. I would also change up the crust to make it more crumbly and tasty by using a more coarse corn meal, a dash more salt, and a cayenne kick! Live and learn, cook and eat, share and save!

Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole (with complements to SusanV)

Preheat the oven to 375* and stab your medium spaghetti squash victim in several places so it doesn't explode and place it in the middle of the over to bake for 1 hour (if you want to cook it faster, you can steam it in the microwave- google it) 

Sauté 1 cup diced onion, 1 1/2 cup of diced mixed bell peppers, and 2 cloves of minced garlic until tender. Add a can of black beans, chopped green chiles (or substitute fresh chopped chiles to your firey heart's delight), can or cup of corn, 1/2 tbsp of chili powder, and for an added boost of green goodness 1 pound of fresh chopped spinach and allow to heat through until all of the spinach is cooked down. ***I didn't have any, but would have liked to add a can or one diced tomato. 

Once the spaghetti squash is ready turn the oven down to 350* Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop the goop (you can save the seeds to roast like pumpkin seeds!), fork the stringy awesomeness into your sauté, squeeze in a lime of lime juice and salt and cayenne pepper to taste. 

Transfer the mixture to a lightly oiled casserole dish and make the crust by mixing 1 cup coarse corn meal with 1 1/4 cup warm water and salt, sugar, and pepper to taste. It should create a crumbly texture to spread over the casserole. Sprinkle the top with chili powder and bake for 25 minutes or until crust is beginning to brown around the edges. 

NOM NOM NOM. Serves well with tortilla chips and salsa. Keeps great for nummy lunch leftovers!