Family ties

One book I've nearly finished reading is Carol J. Adam's Living Among Meat Eaters. While an excellent resource (which I suggest), she however does not believe that being a vegetarian in a meat-eating family can work, as it requires a second-order (deep) change of the system. (See page 135).

While I know my family is still trying to adjust to my new food choices, I am thankful that I have not experienced the resistance and pressure she describes in the book, and prepares veg folk to endure when at home. I have been very encouraged these past months by the openness of my parents, especially my mom, to my vegan diet.

When I am with my parents, we typically eat out. But last month, I was home for the holidays, and the plan one night for dinner was to eat in. My mom had found a vegetarian recipe in a magazine she wanted to try. She had purchased all the ingredients, but when I arrived home, she had not begun to cook. She was waiting for me before she started to see if there was something in the dish that I couldn't eat, or if there was something special needed. As I looked over the recipe and explained to her that I would not want the cheese, she suggested that it may be best for me to prepare the dish as she watched and fixed something on the side with meat for my dad.

Though she didn't say it, this would have been her first attempt at cooking a "vegan dish" and I think she wanted to make sure it was right for me. Thus, at her urging to cook, I followed the rice and beans recipe she had cut out from a magazine, using the ingredients she had set out, substituting spices to make it less spicy so she and my dad could also enjoy it, and fixing the dish in her large frying pan. Unfortunately, the dish didn't turn out all that great as she wanted me to use her leftover rice. (The original recipe didn't specify.) Though it had good flavor, the texture was mushy and unappealing.

Attending a conference this week, I visited my parent's place for dinner. The minute I stepped into the kitchen, my mom wanted me to try the rice and beans dish she had made. She adapted the published recipe I had attempted a few weeks back, and was very excited about the results. It turned out great, and I could tell she was proud of it. I was proud of her! With her changes, using a rice cooker rather than a large frying pan, it was still very tasty, but this time, had excellent consistency, and was "press the button" easy. How cool is that! My mom's a genius.

Though I have a collection of vegan recipes I've wanted to post on this blog, in honor of my meat-eating mom, who respects my food decisions enough to work with a recipe and create a dish that I can enjoy, I've decided that her quick and easy rice cooker Rice and Beans will be the first recipe I post. Enjoy!