Keep On Eatin' On

I'm now three weeks into my no-meat-no-dairy experiment.  The novelty is has mostly worn off, which is on the one hand kind of nice, since it means I'm coming to terms with the limitations of the diet, but on the other hand can signal a certain complacency which is not in keeping with my goal of learning more about veganism.  Fortunately, Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats just started a similar experiment.  His (decidedly more thorough) discussion, along with some vegan recipes, can be found here.

Ongoing observations:

- Navigating restaurants with these diet restrictions remains difficult and tests my flexibility.  I try not to be a spoilsport when going out with friends, but it's obvious that I need to be proactive about pushing vegan-friendly restaurants, and/or flexible about eating ahead of time, when making plans with friends.

- Even when I do find vegan options at restaurants, I often still leave less than satisfied with the value I'm getting.  At restaurants I generally try to order dishes that are difficult to make at home, or that involve specialized ingredients (often meat, which I cook relatively rarely myself).  Certainly there are vegan dishes which fit those requirements, but there are also plenty that don't.  $8.50 for a peanut butter sandwich seems a bit exorbitant  (Iota, in Arlington - which is curiously thin in veg options given its cultural niche).  On top of that, at many mid-level restaurants, the vegan option is just a regular option with certain elements removed (like the Federalist, where I requested my admittedly-delicious potato and leek tart sans goat cheese).  In both cases I ended up feeling like I'm paying the same amount for less.

- At-home cooking takes more thought/time while I have fewer protein sources at my disposal.  My go-to couscous/pasta/rice + poached/fried egg + whatever veggies we have in the fridge + parmesan/hot sauce is a no-go until February.  Avocado, hummus and beans fill the egg/cheese void, but not perfectly.  More seasoning helps too (I'm enamored of the combo of garlic powder & pimenton right now), and I've even found some actually vegan shredded cheese that doesn't make me barf.  But when I'm really hungry RIGHT NOW, I'm still resorting to PB&J (or, on a bad day, Tofutti Cuties) to tide me over after work while the beets roast or the beans soak. Not exactly top-notch nutrition.

Tonight I made a tasty casserole while grazing through my quick-pick vegan options (grapes, prunes, pb on a spoon).  It doesn't look like much but it turned out well and I'll likely revisit the recipe in the post-vegan future.  On the other hand, I've also picked out the first two recipes I'll be making in February: yum and double yum.

Vegan Bake**

Leftover rice
Fava beans, cooked until they're barely recognizable (ideally the day before. GEEZ beans require planning)
3 cloves garlic, minced
head of chard, sliced & lightly sauteed
pureed tomato (from this summer, by way of the freezer)
chopped dill
garlic, pimenton, salt, pepper
bread crumbs
Daiya vegan cheese (to sprinkle on top)

Layer to your liking, bake for 40 mins on 350, eat with your face.



*An exception: the menu at Zaytinya had a number of really, truly delicious, totally vegan small plates.  Although their pita inexplicably include dairy, they brought me cucumbers to dip in the rich hummus.

**Thanks to Bill Bryson, I now know who to thank/blame for precision measurements in recipes, a practice not popularized until 1845 by Eliza Acton and Isabella Beeton.  I am also much better acquainted with how to properly berate my servants.