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!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Recipe: RICE AND BEANS
QUICK AND EASY RICE AND BEANS
4 t olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 T onion (diced)
½ green bell pepper (diced)
1 cup rice (uncooked)
1 ½ cup water
3 T tomato paste
1 can black or red beans (14 ½ ozs)
dash of salt and pepper or dash of cayenne pepper (if you want more kick)
1. Heat oil in frying pan and sauté garlic, onions, and bell pepper until just softened.
2. Wash and rinse rice in rice cooker.
3. Add water, beans, tomato, sautéed vegetables, and seasonings to rice cooker.
3. Turn rice cooker on, and prepare other components of the meal.
4. When the rice cooker turns off, let rest for 5-10 minutes.
5. Mix and serve with tortillas, salad or fresh steamed vegetables (like carrots).
6. Add additional seasoning as needed or serve with guacamole and salsa.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Happy cow. Happy vegan.
In these past months, I really have enjoyed my vegan journey. It has not been as difficult as I thought it might have been, though eating out (especially with meat-eaters) has been my biggest challenge. I am learning, however, to navigate those dining experiences as I discover resources on-line, which are making it easier for vegan-me to find food anywhere. One important resource I recently discovered: HappyCow.net
HappyCow's Vegetarian Guide offers an international, searchable directory of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and natural health food stores, and includes recipes, cookbooks, and information on vegan and vegetarian issues related to nutrition, health, diet, and travel.
With reviews, ratings, and a brief description of the menu, the restaurant search has become the most valuable resource on the site for me. I used it to find Bean Sprouts, a Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Arcadia, when visiting a friend in Southern California last month. I used it to find Udupi, a vegan-friendly Indian restaurant in Berkeley, when friends from London were in town. And most recently, I used it on Thursday.
In a last minute decision, the camp where I live and work needed me to drive 2 people to Oakland airport through rush hour traffic. They offered to reimburse my gas expenses and dinner before I head back up the mountain. With a free dinner at a restaurant of my choosing, how could I refuse? I immediately logged onto HappyCow, and discovered Central Vegetarian Cuisine in Alameda. They had no link to a website or menu, but from the airport, I could get there via surface streets and avoid freeway traffic. With "vegan-friendly, Chinese, Thai" as the description, it seemed like it would be the right place for me. And it was.
A grand re-opening sign was still up on the front of the Park Avenue entrance, near Lincoln. Street parking around the corner was easy. Though the restaurant is a single store front and small, the décor was clean, contemporary, airy, and inviting. With only a few customers, I snagged a table with a view of the street and proceeded to enjoy my solo dinner down from the mountain, courtesy of the camp.
Though "fake meat" selections were listed throughout the menu (I don't do "fake meat" when I have the choice), there were plenty of other options. A note on the bottom of the menu ("Majority of our dishes can be made Vegan") made me smile. No worries about what I would eat here, even though the grand re-opening menu was more Vietnamese than Thai in its selections.
Since it was just vegan-me, it took a while to decide what one dish to order. I toggled between a few as there were many I wanted to try. I selected the Sesame eggplant tofu with brown rice on the side, and within minutes, it came out on a good size platter. The Japanese eggplant tasted fresh and was not mushily overcooked. The tofu was firm, lightly pan-fried and pleasantly seasoned. Though the sauce was a bit heavy in garlic, overall, it was a very nice entree. With good food and pleasant environment, I'll definitely go back to Central Veg in Alameda.
The best highlight of the evening, however (and another reason why I'll return), is the unexpected dessert on this ethnic food menu - Vegan mocha chocolate cake.** Seeing it, vegan-me was happy. Enjoying it with a glass of cold soy milk, vegan-me was VERY happy. Knowing the camp would reimburse me for it, priceless!
**THE CHOCOLATE CAKE REVIEW:
Though the vegan mocha chocolate cake at Central Vegetarian was dark and moist, it was on the lighter side and lacked the dense texture and rich taste I appreciate and prefer. It was not overly sweet, which was nice, but it did lack the subtle bitter chocolate bite that I associate with superior cake quality. It was a nice cake, but the cake needed the mocha and chocolate frosting to give it a full chocolate depth. My grade: B.
HappyCow's Vegetarian Guide offers an international, searchable directory of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and natural health food stores, and includes recipes, cookbooks, and information on vegan and vegetarian issues related to nutrition, health, diet, and travel.
With reviews, ratings, and a brief description of the menu, the restaurant search has become the most valuable resource on the site for me. I used it to find Bean Sprouts, a Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Arcadia, when visiting a friend in Southern California last month. I used it to find Udupi, a vegan-friendly Indian restaurant in Berkeley, when friends from London were in town. And most recently, I used it on Thursday.
In a last minute decision, the camp where I live and work needed me to drive 2 people to Oakland airport through rush hour traffic. They offered to reimburse my gas expenses and dinner before I head back up the mountain. With a free dinner at a restaurant of my choosing, how could I refuse? I immediately logged onto HappyCow, and discovered Central Vegetarian Cuisine in Alameda. They had no link to a website or menu, but from the airport, I could get there via surface streets and avoid freeway traffic. With "vegan-friendly, Chinese, Thai" as the description, it seemed like it would be the right place for me. And it was.
A grand re-opening sign was still up on the front of the Park Avenue entrance, near Lincoln. Street parking around the corner was easy. Though the restaurant is a single store front and small, the décor was clean, contemporary, airy, and inviting. With only a few customers, I snagged a table with a view of the street and proceeded to enjoy my solo dinner down from the mountain, courtesy of the camp.
Though "fake meat" selections were listed throughout the menu (I don't do "fake meat" when I have the choice), there were plenty of other options. A note on the bottom of the menu ("Majority of our dishes can be made Vegan") made me smile. No worries about what I would eat here, even though the grand re-opening menu was more Vietnamese than Thai in its selections.
Since it was just vegan-me, it took a while to decide what one dish to order. I toggled between a few as there were many I wanted to try. I selected the Sesame eggplant tofu with brown rice on the side, and within minutes, it came out on a good size platter. The Japanese eggplant tasted fresh and was not mushily overcooked. The tofu was firm, lightly pan-fried and pleasantly seasoned. Though the sauce was a bit heavy in garlic, overall, it was a very nice entree. With good food and pleasant environment, I'll definitely go back to Central Veg in Alameda.
The best highlight of the evening, however (and another reason why I'll return), is the unexpected dessert on this ethnic food menu - Vegan mocha chocolate cake.** Seeing it, vegan-me was happy. Enjoying it with a glass of cold soy milk, vegan-me was VERY happy. Knowing the camp would reimburse me for it, priceless!
**THE CHOCOLATE CAKE REVIEW:
Though the vegan mocha chocolate cake at Central Vegetarian was dark and moist, it was on the lighter side and lacked the dense texture and rich taste I appreciate and prefer. It was not overly sweet, which was nice, but it did lack the subtle bitter chocolate bite that I associate with superior cake quality. It was a nice cake, but the cake needed the mocha and chocolate frosting to give it a full chocolate depth. My grade: B.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
For the love of chocolate cake
With the start of the new year, I officially passed the 6 month marker in my vegan journey. My decision to begin down this path was not motivated out of "necessity" (aka "poor health") but a desire to live in compassionate care for all that God has made. Every dining decision thus represents my commitment to live in harmony with creation. There are times my decisions reflect that commitment better than others. I call those non-vegan decisions my "exceptions". They are the handrails I initially placed along the edge of my planet-friendly plan.
While my exceptions are "non-vegan" indulgences, they do fall in the realm of a vegetarian diet as they are foods, which contain animal products like eggs, milk, butter, honey, and yogurt. I have 4 exceptions:
1. Dining out because (as I blogged last month) I don't like being the "high maintenance one" who comes with a laundry list of questions about what is in a vegetarian entry and how it is prepared.
2. Indian buffets because of the ghee (butter), cream, and other dairy additions in the dishes, especially my favorite, Saag Paneer. (I do however stay away from the meat entrees.)
3. The "celebration dessert" because when at a special occasion, like a birthday, it seems rude not to partake of the special dessert that has been prepared. And of course...
4. Chocolate cake because I developed a craving for it after losing weight, and now love indulging in a slice with a glass of cold (once cow, now soy) milk.
With holiday celebrations, travels to see family, dinners out, and other events with the obligatory cake, I've unfortunately made more "exception" decisions in the past few weeks than I've made in the past few months. In other words, I've had quite a few slices of chocolate cake.
I don't consider myself a "chocolate cake snob", because I will always give a piece a try (or a second try - we're talking Tower Cafe in Sacramento). However, I do have my preferences when it comes to the "perfect" chocolate cake. And when I say "cake", it also includes cupcakes, brownies, and other chocolate baked good.
My taste buds appreciate a dark, moist, subtly bittersweet chocolate cake, which is rich, but not overly dense, topped with a dark chocolate frosting which complements the simple beauty of the cake because it is the cake, not the frosting, that should be the star. I don't ask for much in my chocolate cake, really. Unfortunately, I have only tasted a few that measure up to my standards.
Though a friend has an excellent recipe from her sister, my favorite homemade chocolate cake was created by my godkids' aunt, who cut down the sugar in a recipe she had, played with some ingredients, adding yogurt for moisture. The cake is in a word, beautiful. Though she will often use store bought frosting, she once melted ganache chocolate for a homemade frosting. Oh my Jesus. It was beyond words. It was absolutely heavenly. One reason why chocolate cake is my exception.
When it comes to restaurant or store-made favorites, I have few, if any. Unfortunately, most restaurants have very little to blog about in terms of a good chocolate cake, and nearly all do not offer soy milk to accompany it. While some restaurants serve an excellent lava cake, most have a drier chocolate cake which is covered with a too sweet frosting, or a fruit filling which I do not like and will scrape off. (For me, it's really all about the chocolate.) If I had to choose a favorite restaurant chocolate cake, however, it would be the 6 layer Chocolate Chocolate Cake at Salt Grass Steak House (located primarily in the south and in Texas).
All the chocolate cakes I've really enjoyed have been "vegetarian", until this past Christmas. While all the other chocolate baked goods that have met my exacting standards have used animal products (eggs, milk, butter, cream, or yogurt), my cousin gave me a variety of VEGAN chocolate baked goods. It was THE best gift I received this year. Though my cousin bought them at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, they were made by Black China Bakery.
The vegan chocolate cupcake and brownies were simply excellent, beautiful -- dark, rich, moist, not overly sweet - heavenly - everything that I ask for in my chocolate baked goods, and more, in that no animals were exploited for my chocolate pleasure!
As I savor the last bites of my last vegan brownie and wash it all down with a glass of cold soy milk, I am rather sad as I finish up this blog. I am not sure when I will indulge in vegan chocolate baked goods again. Sigh. Too bad there's no home delivery up here in the mountains.
While my exceptions are "non-vegan" indulgences, they do fall in the realm of a vegetarian diet as they are foods, which contain animal products like eggs, milk, butter, honey, and yogurt. I have 4 exceptions:
1. Dining out because (as I blogged last month) I don't like being the "high maintenance one" who comes with a laundry list of questions about what is in a vegetarian entry and how it is prepared.
2. Indian buffets because of the ghee (butter), cream, and other dairy additions in the dishes, especially my favorite, Saag Paneer. (I do however stay away from the meat entrees.)
3. The "celebration dessert" because when at a special occasion, like a birthday, it seems rude not to partake of the special dessert that has been prepared. And of course...
4. Chocolate cake because I developed a craving for it after losing weight, and now love indulging in a slice with a glass of cold (once cow, now soy) milk.
With holiday celebrations, travels to see family, dinners out, and other events with the obligatory cake, I've unfortunately made more "exception" decisions in the past few weeks than I've made in the past few months. In other words, I've had quite a few slices of chocolate cake.
I don't consider myself a "chocolate cake snob", because I will always give a piece a try (or a second try - we're talking Tower Cafe in Sacramento). However, I do have my preferences when it comes to the "perfect" chocolate cake. And when I say "cake", it also includes cupcakes, brownies, and other chocolate baked good.
My taste buds appreciate a dark, moist, subtly bittersweet chocolate cake, which is rich, but not overly dense, topped with a dark chocolate frosting which complements the simple beauty of the cake because it is the cake, not the frosting, that should be the star. I don't ask for much in my chocolate cake, really. Unfortunately, I have only tasted a few that measure up to my standards.
Though a friend has an excellent recipe from her sister, my favorite homemade chocolate cake was created by my godkids' aunt, who cut down the sugar in a recipe she had, played with some ingredients, adding yogurt for moisture. The cake is in a word, beautiful. Though she will often use store bought frosting, she once melted ganache chocolate for a homemade frosting. Oh my Jesus. It was beyond words. It was absolutely heavenly. One reason why chocolate cake is my exception.
When it comes to restaurant or store-made favorites, I have few, if any. Unfortunately, most restaurants have very little to blog about in terms of a good chocolate cake, and nearly all do not offer soy milk to accompany it. While some restaurants serve an excellent lava cake, most have a drier chocolate cake which is covered with a too sweet frosting, or a fruit filling which I do not like and will scrape off. (For me, it's really all about the chocolate.) If I had to choose a favorite restaurant chocolate cake, however, it would be the 6 layer Chocolate Chocolate Cake at Salt Grass Steak House (located primarily in the south and in Texas).
All the chocolate cakes I've really enjoyed have been "vegetarian", until this past Christmas. While all the other chocolate baked goods that have met my exacting standards have used animal products (eggs, milk, butter, cream, or yogurt), my cousin gave me a variety of VEGAN chocolate baked goods. It was THE best gift I received this year. Though my cousin bought them at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco, they were made by Black China Bakery.
The vegan chocolate cupcake and brownies were simply excellent, beautiful -- dark, rich, moist, not overly sweet - heavenly - everything that I ask for in my chocolate baked goods, and more, in that no animals were exploited for my chocolate pleasure!
As I savor the last bites of my last vegan brownie and wash it all down with a glass of cold soy milk, I am rather sad as I finish up this blog. I am not sure when I will indulge in vegan chocolate baked goods again. Sigh. Too bad there's no home delivery up here in the mountains.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
On the road
I spent the week after Christmas in Los Angeles. To get there, I traveled from Nor Cal to So Cal and back with family along Highway 5. Heading south, I caught a ride with my parents, and a week later returned with my sister, nephew, and nieces as they headed north for a wedding. (My brother-in-law would fly up and meet the family 2 days later.)
This was my first Highway 5 road trip since choosing a vegan diet. While I knew my options would be few, I didn't know how challenging it would be to eat a healthy vegan meal at a "fast food" restaurant. After reading Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation, I definitely would not choose such an eating establishment if traveling alone. However, with my parents driving one way, and with kids in tow on the return, "fast" was the priority for lunch "food" options for these trips. (Whether "fast food" is really "food" needs to be the subject of its own blog entry, but I digress.)
My parents have their routine stops when they drive south to see the grandkids. This trip was no exception. Our south-bound lunch destination offered 3 fast food options: (1) Pizza Hut, (2) Burger King, and (3) Taco Bell.
Based solely on the posted menus in this mini-counter travel center, I assessed my options. For vegans, Pizza Hut has ZERO choices as all the posted items are pizza, and pizza has cheese. Though most of the salads at Burger King have meat, there are three items for vegans = a side garden salad, a veggie burger, and French fries (though fast food fries for me have no health value as they destroy a perfectly good potato).
Since my parents decided on Taco Bell, I decided that 2 bean burritos would work for me for this fast food lunch. The total: $1.98 - not bad! Unfortunately, I forgot to request "no cheese" on the burritos -- so much for eating vegan that meal! But fortunately, Taco Bell's beans do not contain lard (the polite way of saying "pig's fat"). Thus, along with an apple I brought in the car, it was a fairly healthy lunch.
Heading home with my sister and her kids, the options for lunch were: (1) McDonald's, (2) Wendy's, and (3) Subway. (It's all about the kid meal deals!)
For a vegetarian, McDonald's has yogurt parfait as an option, but for a vegan, the options are fries and a side salad. All other salads have meat, like at Burger King. Wendy's menu options are the same - fries and a side salad. I decided that Subway would be the best option.
At Subway, there is only one non-meat option - the "Veggie Delite". Because I was not in a bread mood, I decided for a wrap, and requested from the "sandwich artist", all the veggies, but no cheese, mayo, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, please. The total: $5.17 for lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, olives, and pickles in a tortilla. I was flabbergasted. Even now, I still feel like I got the raw end of that meal deal! I ended up munching on nuts I had in the car to balance the meal with protein, but I still felt hungry.
The $1.98 Taco Bell lunch filled me up and was definitely the better "fast food" meal on this road trip. The $5.17 Subway Veggie Delight wrap was a disappointment. I probably would have done better spending $5 at the Food Mart at the gas station! But that is for another trip, and another blog entry.
END NOTE:
As I reflect on this experience and research for future reference the ingredients and nutrition facts of the menu items from the fast food restaurants I mention above, I realize that knowing what I need and being prepared are key as a vegan in the "fast food" world.
My $1.98 Taco Bell lunch of 2 bean burritos may have been cheap, but it cost me 650 calories, 14 g of fat, for the 23 g of protein. No wonder it filled me up! Next time, I probably should order 1 bean burrito without cheese, and a side garden salad from one of the other establishments.
My expensive Veggie Delite wrap from Subway had 330 calories, 8 g of fat, but only 9 g of protein (8 of which were in the wrap!). Not enough protein for my health needs. If they added some hummus however, we'd be talking!
For vegan-me, the best one stop fast food meal is now going to be Burger King and the BK Veggie Burger, ordered without mayo and cheese. It has 340 calories, 8 g of fat, and 17 g of protein. And if I don't have an apple in the car to add more "health" to the meal, I can always add some strawberry applesauce (80 calories, 0 fat and 0 protein) and I would be good to go.
This was my first Highway 5 road trip since choosing a vegan diet. While I knew my options would be few, I didn't know how challenging it would be to eat a healthy vegan meal at a "fast food" restaurant. After reading Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation, I definitely would not choose such an eating establishment if traveling alone. However, with my parents driving one way, and with kids in tow on the return, "fast" was the priority for lunch "food" options for these trips. (Whether "fast food" is really "food" needs to be the subject of its own blog entry, but I digress.)
My parents have their routine stops when they drive south to see the grandkids. This trip was no exception. Our south-bound lunch destination offered 3 fast food options: (1) Pizza Hut, (2) Burger King, and (3) Taco Bell.
Based solely on the posted menus in this mini-counter travel center, I assessed my options. For vegans, Pizza Hut has ZERO choices as all the posted items are pizza, and pizza has cheese. Though most of the salads at Burger King have meat, there are three items for vegans = a side garden salad, a veggie burger, and French fries (though fast food fries for me have no health value as they destroy a perfectly good potato).
Since my parents decided on Taco Bell, I decided that 2 bean burritos would work for me for this fast food lunch. The total: $1.98 - not bad! Unfortunately, I forgot to request "no cheese" on the burritos -- so much for eating vegan that meal! But fortunately, Taco Bell's beans do not contain lard (the polite way of saying "pig's fat"). Thus, along with an apple I brought in the car, it was a fairly healthy lunch.
Heading home with my sister and her kids, the options for lunch were: (1) McDonald's, (2) Wendy's, and (3) Subway. (It's all about the kid meal deals!)
For a vegetarian, McDonald's has yogurt parfait as an option, but for a vegan, the options are fries and a side salad. All other salads have meat, like at Burger King. Wendy's menu options are the same - fries and a side salad. I decided that Subway would be the best option.
At Subway, there is only one non-meat option - the "Veggie Delite". Because I was not in a bread mood, I decided for a wrap, and requested from the "sandwich artist", all the veggies, but no cheese, mayo, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, please. The total: $5.17 for lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, olives, and pickles in a tortilla. I was flabbergasted. Even now, I still feel like I got the raw end of that meal deal! I ended up munching on nuts I had in the car to balance the meal with protein, but I still felt hungry.
The $1.98 Taco Bell lunch filled me up and was definitely the better "fast food" meal on this road trip. The $5.17 Subway Veggie Delight wrap was a disappointment. I probably would have done better spending $5 at the Food Mart at the gas station! But that is for another trip, and another blog entry.
END NOTE:
As I reflect on this experience and research for future reference the ingredients and nutrition facts of the menu items from the fast food restaurants I mention above, I realize that knowing what I need and being prepared are key as a vegan in the "fast food" world.
My $1.98 Taco Bell lunch of 2 bean burritos may have been cheap, but it cost me 650 calories, 14 g of fat, for the 23 g of protein. No wonder it filled me up! Next time, I probably should order 1 bean burrito without cheese, and a side garden salad from one of the other establishments.
My expensive Veggie Delite wrap from Subway had 330 calories, 8 g of fat, but only 9 g of protein (8 of which were in the wrap!). Not enough protein for my health needs. If they added some hummus however, we'd be talking!
For vegan-me, the best one stop fast food meal is now going to be Burger King and the BK Veggie Burger, ordered without mayo and cheese. It has 340 calories, 8 g of fat, and 17 g of protein. And if I don't have an apple in the car to add more "health" to the meal, I can always add some strawberry applesauce (80 calories, 0 fat and 0 protein) and I would be good to go.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
What's a vegan to do?
I feel slightly devious, but what's a vegan to do?
I am visiting my sister and her family in Southern California. My sister and brother-in-law were to be at a party tonight, but because he is not feeling well, he stayed at home with me, my nephew, and one of my nieces while my sister headed to the party with the youngest of the three.
She fixed dinner before heading out - a pasta casserole with sausage topped with cheese, bread sticks, and an assortment of raw veggies. While the kids and their dad ate what mom prepared, I enjoyed leftover Indian saag tofu (a vegan version of my favorite Indian dish, saag paneer which I made earlier this week).
While my 7 year-old nephew began his meal devouring the fresh cut yellow bell peppers, my 5 year-old niece enjoyed her bread stick before tackling her raw carrots. When it came time to eat the casserole, both picked at it.
My brother-in-law made it very clear that he wanted both of his children to eat everything that was on their plate. My nephew wanting to get back to his legos finished the casserole, and ended his meal with the bread stick. My niece however continued to pick at the only thing left on her plate, the casserole. And as she picked, she picked out the sausage, much to the chagrin of her father.
- "Dear, I want you to eat everything, including your meat."
- "Daddy, I don't like the meat," she replied.
- "I want you to eat your meat."
As he walked back into the kitchen, that was that. As we cleaned around her, my niece continued to pick and sit there, and eventually she was alone.
My brother-in-law received a call from a friend who needed some medicine for their sick infant. Though he wasn't feeling well, he said he would drop it off. His last request before heading out the door = "I want you to finish everything on your plate. I want you to eat your meat."
An hour after dinner started, my niece was still at the table picking the meat out of her casserole. In between my lego creating with my nephew, I checked on her, and saw her neat little pile of meat grow. What to do?
- If I feed her (which I have done since she was a baby), she would eat everything, including the meat she did not want. Vegan-me would not feel comfortable doing that.
- If I let it slide and dismiss her from the table, I would undermine my brother-in-law's parental role and his desire for his daughter (who has never liked meat) to eat meat.
Though I love and respect my brother-in-law, I decided to intervene before he returned, and let my niece finish up the vegetarian meal she created by picking out the meat. I pushed aside all the rest of the meat, and separated out the noodles and sauce. "You don't have to eat the meat," I told her. "Just eat the noodles and you'll be done." And in a minute, she was ready to play.
During her 5 years of life, my niece has never liked eating meat, and she is not alone. ABC news reported this summer that an increasing number of young people are choosing a vegetarian diet, and research is showing that it is a healthy diet for growing kids.
Dr. Amy Joy Lanou in the Houston Chronicle (June 25, 2007) writes
.
I am visiting my sister and her family in Southern California. My sister and brother-in-law were to be at a party tonight, but because he is not feeling well, he stayed at home with me, my nephew, and one of my nieces while my sister headed to the party with the youngest of the three.
She fixed dinner before heading out - a pasta casserole with sausage topped with cheese, bread sticks, and an assortment of raw veggies. While the kids and their dad ate what mom prepared, I enjoyed leftover Indian saag tofu (a vegan version of my favorite Indian dish, saag paneer which I made earlier this week).
While my 7 year-old nephew began his meal devouring the fresh cut yellow bell peppers, my 5 year-old niece enjoyed her bread stick before tackling her raw carrots. When it came time to eat the casserole, both picked at it.
My brother-in-law made it very clear that he wanted both of his children to eat everything that was on their plate. My nephew wanting to get back to his legos finished the casserole, and ended his meal with the bread stick. My niece however continued to pick at the only thing left on her plate, the casserole. And as she picked, she picked out the sausage, much to the chagrin of her father.
- "Dear, I want you to eat everything, including your meat."
- "Daddy, I don't like the meat," she replied.
- "I want you to eat your meat."
As he walked back into the kitchen, that was that. As we cleaned around her, my niece continued to pick and sit there, and eventually she was alone.
My brother-in-law received a call from a friend who needed some medicine for their sick infant. Though he wasn't feeling well, he said he would drop it off. His last request before heading out the door = "I want you to finish everything on your plate. I want you to eat your meat."
An hour after dinner started, my niece was still at the table picking the meat out of her casserole. In between my lego creating with my nephew, I checked on her, and saw her neat little pile of meat grow. What to do?
- If I feed her (which I have done since she was a baby), she would eat everything, including the meat she did not want. Vegan-me would not feel comfortable doing that.
- If I let it slide and dismiss her from the table, I would undermine my brother-in-law's parental role and his desire for his daughter (who has never liked meat) to eat meat.
Though I love and respect my brother-in-law, I decided to intervene before he returned, and let my niece finish up the vegetarian meal she created by picking out the meat. I pushed aside all the rest of the meat, and separated out the noodles and sauce. "You don't have to eat the meat," I told her. "Just eat the noodles and you'll be done." And in a minute, she was ready to play.
During her 5 years of life, my niece has never liked eating meat, and she is not alone. ABC news reported this summer that an increasing number of young people are choosing a vegetarian diet, and research is showing that it is a healthy diet for growing kids.
Dr. Amy Joy Lanou in the Houston Chronicle (June 25, 2007) writes
According to the American Dietetics Association, there is no need to introduce any meats, eggs or dairy products into an infant, toddler or child's diet. Well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets not only provide all the nutrients necessary to support growth, they also promote good health in childhood and start disease prevention early.Sounds pretty responsible to me, too. So, I undermined my brother-in-law tonight. But when my niece doesn't want to eat the dead animal flesh on her plate, it's the only responsible thing a vegan can really do.
Just think about the advantages of raising a child on a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains & legumes. Limiting or avoiding consumption of fish sticks & tuna sandwiches reduces mercury consumption and the resulting risk of cognitive and behavioral problems. Choosing nondairy milks such as rice, soy or oat milk significantly lowers consumption of saturated fat and growth hormones given to cows to increase milk production. Substituting vegan sausage for bacon or pork sausage increases healthy fiber & sidesteps fattening & artery-clogging animal fats.
That all sounds pretty darn responsible to me.
.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Dining decisions
Before choosing a vegetarian diet (let alone a vegan lifestyle), I never enjoyed eating out with the "high maintenance" foodie, the picky person, who won't eat this, or isn't in the mood for that, for whatever reason. Typically, the "high maintenance one" becomes the default, determining factor of where a group will eat as all attention is consumed by his or her dietary needs or concerns.
Personally, I never liked being the center of that much attention, especially when it comes to food, and for that reason I spent half a year as a "closet vegetarian". I would eat as a vegetarian on my own and would only cook veg meals, but when out with friends, whether in a home or at a restaurant, I would eat as a carnivore, if needed.
Though that is no longer the case since I "came out" of the vegetarian closet, I still do not like being the "high maintenance one" and the center of a group's restaurant decision. With the holidays upon us, friends wanting to eat out, and folks trying to understand vegan-me, more and more I am getting pigeon holed as the "high maintenance one" and I don't like it.
With my diet the center of the decision, I now hear deliberations like:
- "Wait, we can't go there. There may be no vegetarian options."
- "If we can go here, there may be nothing for you to eat."
- "Are you be OK with (fill in the blank)? We don't want you to starve."
My "broken record" response: "Don't worry about me. I can always find something to eat."
And thus far, that has been my reality. As a vegan or a vegetarian when dining out, I've learned that a combination of appetizers does make a very good meal, most anywhere you may go.
This week, for example, Japanese was the plan, as the conclusion of my friends was: "You should be able to find a vegetarian entrée there." The sad reality: No. Other than vegetable tempura (which is too fried for my healthy taste buds), there were no other vegetarian entrees. But appetizers do make a good meal, as I enjoyed Oshitashi (cold Japanese spinach salad), edamame, and a garden sushi roll with mango, avocado, radish. Pretty yummy, especially with my "heavy on the wasabe, light on the soy sauce" mixture.
When creating a meal out of appetizers, knowing what your body needs for a healthy diet is the simple key. For me, it is typically a ring of 3: a vegetable, a carb, and a protein. And at most restaurants, I can usually find appetizers that have what I need to make a meal, even at a Texas Barbecue!
To celebrate my dad's birthday, my family wanted to celebrate his 70th at a restaurant we knew he would enjoy. My mom's recommendation and thus our choice: the newly remodeled Back Forty Texas BBQ restaurant in Pleasant Hill.
I checked out the on-line menu and knew what I would order even before we arrived at the restaurant and were seated in our own little private room for this special occasion. My family was happy as they enjoyed an assortment of barbecued dead animal flesh, and I was happy with my appetizer meal of vegetable soup, BBQ beans, and sweet potato fries.
I am learning that appetizers can and do make a yummy meal when eating out with non-vegetarian friends at MOST restaurants. But sometimes, when the crowd is craving L & L Hawaiian Barbecue (like my friends were on Thursday), thank God that there was a Chipotle and a vegetarian burrito next door!
Personally, I never liked being the center of that much attention, especially when it comes to food, and for that reason I spent half a year as a "closet vegetarian". I would eat as a vegetarian on my own and would only cook veg meals, but when out with friends, whether in a home or at a restaurant, I would eat as a carnivore, if needed.
Though that is no longer the case since I "came out" of the vegetarian closet, I still do not like being the "high maintenance one" and the center of a group's restaurant decision. With the holidays upon us, friends wanting to eat out, and folks trying to understand vegan-me, more and more I am getting pigeon holed as the "high maintenance one" and I don't like it.
With my diet the center of the decision, I now hear deliberations like:
- "Wait, we can't go there. There may be no vegetarian options."
- "If we can go here, there may be nothing for you to eat."
- "Are you be OK with (fill in the blank)? We don't want you to starve."
My "broken record" response: "Don't worry about me. I can always find something to eat."
And thus far, that has been my reality. As a vegan or a vegetarian when dining out, I've learned that a combination of appetizers does make a very good meal, most anywhere you may go.
This week, for example, Japanese was the plan, as the conclusion of my friends was: "You should be able to find a vegetarian entrée there." The sad reality: No. Other than vegetable tempura (which is too fried for my healthy taste buds), there were no other vegetarian entrees. But appetizers do make a good meal, as I enjoyed Oshitashi (cold Japanese spinach salad), edamame, and a garden sushi roll with mango, avocado, radish. Pretty yummy, especially with my "heavy on the wasabe, light on the soy sauce" mixture.
When creating a meal out of appetizers, knowing what your body needs for a healthy diet is the simple key. For me, it is typically a ring of 3: a vegetable, a carb, and a protein. And at most restaurants, I can usually find appetizers that have what I need to make a meal, even at a Texas Barbecue!
To celebrate my dad's birthday, my family wanted to celebrate his 70th at a restaurant we knew he would enjoy. My mom's recommendation and thus our choice: the newly remodeled Back Forty Texas BBQ restaurant in Pleasant Hill.
I checked out the on-line menu and knew what I would order even before we arrived at the restaurant and were seated in our own little private room for this special occasion. My family was happy as they enjoyed an assortment of barbecued dead animal flesh, and I was happy with my appetizer meal of vegetable soup, BBQ beans, and sweet potato fries.
I am learning that appetizers can and do make a yummy meal when eating out with non-vegetarian friends at MOST restaurants. But sometimes, when the crowd is craving L & L Hawaiian Barbecue (like my friends were on Thursday), thank God that there was a Chipotle and a vegetarian burrito next door!
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