I don't like conflict, at all. I want to make people happy all of the time. Is this logical? No. Do I tend to put everybody else ahead of me? Yes.
But, this is a psychological post for another time. I'm here to talk about cooking.
Like I said here, I eat a mostly vegetarian (strongly leaning vegan) diet, particularly at home. But, when I'm out or at other people's homes for a meal, I try to just make wise choices. It's a stance that has been working particularly well for me.
Tonight, I'm having somebody over for dinner. I toyed with making a vegetarian dinner for us. And I decided to compromise and have a Mexican themed dinner. My plan is a taco bar - complete with meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, assorted veggies, salsa, chips and guacamole. That way, I can stick to the veggie stuff and he can load up on meat and cheese. It's my first time cooking for this guy and as delicious as I can make vegan food, I want to be a really thoughtful host for this picky eater and make sure that I am providing a good and healthy meal.
Would making a strictly vegetarian or vegan dinner be an issue for this person? Probably not. It would probably be delicious and he would love it and I did all this worrying for absolutely nothing, but in a way, I figure this is sort of a win/win - I can eat a really delicious vegetarian meal and he can have some meat.
It helps that this is probably the easiest dinner I could ever cook for somebody. I'm ready for a margarita already.
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Classification and Confessions
Confession #1: I used to follow a completely plant based diet.
It stuck for about 9 months before animal products started to sneak back in. I had gained a bunch of weight and my family was quick to point the finger at my newfound veganism as the culprit.
It wasn't.
It was my plant based choices. Namely eating at some seriously delicious vegan restaurants several times per week. And the French fries. And the coconut milk ice cream. And candy-cane JoJo's.
Instead of being logical that I needed to rework my diet and not eat junk food constantly, I started slowly adding some non-fat dairy into my daily menu and then fish and then cheese and then it was kind of a free for all when I ate at people's homes and at restaurants.
Confession #2: I didn't lose the weight that I gained.
In fact, I gained more. Much more. And again, it wasn't the introducing animal products back into my diet, it was my choices again. And suddenly they were worse. So much worse. Cheese returned with a vengeance. It was typically coupled with plenty of sourdough bread (which is vegan, most of the time and my favorite). I never bought meat or chicken to make at home (just fish), but I definitely ate it when I went out or ordered in. Which happened too many times to count. And the weight kept piling on.
Confession #3: After Thanksgiving, I decided to take control of my health.
For the past six weeks, I've been watching what I eat. I haven't felt this good in a year.
Confession #4: I stopped buying fish and eggs.
I still drink my dairy based protein shakes that I'm addicted to. I still have parmesan cheese in my fridge. But, I haven't bought my other two animal product staples: fish or eggs. And I haven't missed them. I have still had meat when I've gone out to dinner (I had bacon in a salad a couple of weeks ago).
Confession #5: I miss my fully plant based diet.
As much as I really love my protein shakes and cheese, I really miss the way I felt when I wasn't eating it. Even though I was eating crap ninety percent of the time, I still felt great. And I think that says something.
So what to do?
All my friends up here are meat eaters and big foodies. Translation: we go to fancy restaurants and cook a lot. Very little of this equals vegan friendly. My friends know that I dabbled in a plant based diet, they also know that it didn't really stick.
I also have a hard time declaring myself a vegan. It's a loaded, complicated term for a lot of people. And I felt like people were watching what I ate all of the time, to see if I would mess up or eat something that I shouldn't. It made me nervous and uncomfortable. I also felt like I was always explaining my choices to everybody (which made me feel elitist and preachy) and I hated feeling like I was putting people out when they invited me to their home for a meal.
That's where the classification gets really tricky and gray for me. Is declaring myself something necessary? Is it necessary to define yourself by your eating habits? Is it necessary to take such a hard line and say I'm never eating these food groups ever again? I know the answers to these questions are yes for most people. But for me, it's more of an I don't know stance.
I do have an issue with disordered eating and I wonder if going back to veganism will lead to more binging (you know, to balance with the fact that I'm cutting things out) or make me really too overwhelmed with what I can and what I can't eat.
But after an insane amount of thought and reflection and time in the kitchen (cooking is where I do some of my best thinking), I think I figured it out.
I'm going to finish my stash of protein shakes. They are expensive (about $35 a container) and I have about a 3-4 month supply left. No use letting them go to waste and I enjoy them. In the meantime, I will transition in some healthier smoothies to my diet, so when I run out, I won't feel the urge to replace them out of desperation.
I'll stop buying parmesan cheese. This might take a little mourning period.
I'll switch back to soy or coconut coffee creamer. Slightly more spendy, but I like it better and the switch will be no big deal.
Beyond that, nothing at home will change.
Going out and going to friends homes is a little bit more of a gray area. And required alittle lot more thinking.
I decided over the next few months, I'm going to ease into it and do what feels right. There will be no big announcements and no huge declarations. I'll politely tell friends that I am no longer eating meat and I'm trying to avoid dairy and I'll offer to cook. Plus, the lovely thing about Portland is the vast majority of restaurants are vegan friendly - so no real issue there.
I really want to stick to a plant based diet. I feel pretty strongly about this. I also know that drawing a hard line in the sand is not a reasonable approach for me. I need to approach this as something I want and something that I will do my very best at. Ultimately, I know I will make choices I feel good about. And if I do happen to eat something that is an animal product - I won't punish myself or feel guilty - it will be a thoughtful, informed decision and I'm actually pretty sure it won't happen often (once I polish off my protein shakes, that is).
I know that I will probably never be able to call myself a vegan. And I'm okay with that. Sometimes, you just don't need a label.
It stuck for about 9 months before animal products started to sneak back in. I had gained a bunch of weight and my family was quick to point the finger at my newfound veganism as the culprit.
It wasn't.
It was my plant based choices. Namely eating at some seriously delicious vegan restaurants several times per week. And the French fries. And the coconut milk ice cream. And candy-cane JoJo's.
Instead of being logical that I needed to rework my diet and not eat junk food constantly, I started slowly adding some non-fat dairy into my daily menu and then fish and then cheese and then it was kind of a free for all when I ate at people's homes and at restaurants.
Confession #2: I didn't lose the weight that I gained.
In fact, I gained more. Much more. And again, it wasn't the introducing animal products back into my diet, it was my choices again. And suddenly they were worse. So much worse. Cheese returned with a vengeance. It was typically coupled with plenty of sourdough bread (which is vegan, most of the time and my favorite). I never bought meat or chicken to make at home (just fish), but I definitely ate it when I went out or ordered in. Which happened too many times to count. And the weight kept piling on.
Confession #3: After Thanksgiving, I decided to take control of my health.
For the past six weeks, I've been watching what I eat. I haven't felt this good in a year.
Confession #4: I stopped buying fish and eggs.
I still drink my dairy based protein shakes that I'm addicted to. I still have parmesan cheese in my fridge. But, I haven't bought my other two animal product staples: fish or eggs. And I haven't missed them. I have still had meat when I've gone out to dinner (I had bacon in a salad a couple of weeks ago).
Confession #5: I miss my fully plant based diet.
As much as I really love my protein shakes and cheese, I really miss the way I felt when I wasn't eating it. Even though I was eating crap ninety percent of the time, I still felt great. And I think that says something.
So what to do?
All my friends up here are meat eaters and big foodies. Translation: we go to fancy restaurants and cook a lot. Very little of this equals vegan friendly. My friends know that I dabbled in a plant based diet, they also know that it didn't really stick.
I also have a hard time declaring myself a vegan. It's a loaded, complicated term for a lot of people. And I felt like people were watching what I ate all of the time, to see if I would mess up or eat something that I shouldn't. It made me nervous and uncomfortable. I also felt like I was always explaining my choices to everybody (which made me feel elitist and preachy) and I hated feeling like I was putting people out when they invited me to their home for a meal.
That's where the classification gets really tricky and gray for me. Is declaring myself something necessary? Is it necessary to define yourself by your eating habits? Is it necessary to take such a hard line and say I'm never eating these food groups ever again? I know the answers to these questions are yes for most people. But for me, it's more of an I don't know stance.
I do have an issue with disordered eating and I wonder if going back to veganism will lead to more binging (you know, to balance with the fact that I'm cutting things out) or make me really too overwhelmed with what I can and what I can't eat.
But after an insane amount of thought and reflection and time in the kitchen (cooking is where I do some of my best thinking), I think I figured it out.
I'm going to finish my stash of protein shakes. They are expensive (about $35 a container) and I have about a 3-4 month supply left. No use letting them go to waste and I enjoy them. In the meantime, I will transition in some healthier smoothies to my diet, so when I run out, I won't feel the urge to replace them out of desperation.
I'll stop buying parmesan cheese. This might take a little mourning period.
I'll switch back to soy or coconut coffee creamer. Slightly more spendy, but I like it better and the switch will be no big deal.
Beyond that, nothing at home will change.
Going out and going to friends homes is a little bit more of a gray area. And required a
I decided over the next few months, I'm going to ease into it and do what feels right. There will be no big announcements and no huge declarations. I'll politely tell friends that I am no longer eating meat and I'm trying to avoid dairy and I'll offer to cook. Plus, the lovely thing about Portland is the vast majority of restaurants are vegan friendly - so no real issue there.
I really want to stick to a plant based diet. I feel pretty strongly about this. I also know that drawing a hard line in the sand is not a reasonable approach for me. I need to approach this as something I want and something that I will do my very best at. Ultimately, I know I will make choices I feel good about. And if I do happen to eat something that is an animal product - I won't punish myself or feel guilty - it will be a thoughtful, informed decision and I'm actually pretty sure it won't happen often (once I polish off my protein shakes, that is).
I know that I will probably never be able to call myself a vegan. And I'm okay with that. Sometimes, you just don't need a label.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Carb Heaven
The weather here in Portland has started to get colder than this Southern Californian is used to. While I haven't been experiencing the snowpocolypse that many of my friends on the East Coast have been enduring - temperatures in the low 30's have been winter enough for me.
Immediately after my runs, I take a scalding hot shower and immediately brew a cup of coffee to warm up. But last week, I needed something more. The gloomy cold was getting to me and I need a serving of comfort food pronto.
Unfortunately, the carb and cheese heavy comfort food I was seeking (lasagna anybody? macaroni and cheese perhaps?) just didn't seem like a healthy enough option when I have been so dedicated to running outside in near freezing temperatures. I know I could lighten those dishes up considerably, but I wanted something new and something that I knew wouldn't taste like diet food.
Brussels sprouts were shredded and sauteed with Earth Balance and whole grain mustard. Yukon potatoes and pasta were cooked perfectly, layered into a pie dish with the mustardy sprouts. Parmesan cheese and fontina cheese were sprinkled on top of each layer and then the casserole was baked to perfection. It was a winner and exactly what I had been craving after my runs. It also quickly became a crowd pleaser amongst friends - pair with a stout beer and you'll be in comfort food heaven.
Baked Pasta
Adapted from 101cookbooks
1/2 pound small waxy potatoes, for example Yukon gold, fingerling, Yellow Finn
Fine grain sea salt
Cooking spray for the pan
1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or unsalted butter)
2 medium leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced, well washed
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 pound brussels sprouts, cored and shredded
1/2 cup / 120 ml vegetable broth or water
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces / 340 g dried whole wheat pasta, broken into 3-inch segments
2 ounces soft-rind, creamy cheese, cut into tiny cubes, for example, I used fontina
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta.
In the meantime, in a separate pan, cover the potatoes with water and a few big pinches of salt. Simmer until just tender, somewhere between 30 - 45 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Drain well, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds, toss gently with a bit of salt. Set aside.
Melt the Earth Balance in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until soft, a few minutes. Stir in the garlic. Stir in the Brussels sprouts, and then the broth. Season with salt and cook, covered, for a few minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Remove from heat and stir in the mustard and then 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, and set aside. It should taste good on its own, with an assertive mustard flavor at this point.
Cook the pasta in generously salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Coat a pie or casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange 1/2 of the noodles evenly in the bottom of the dish. Layer half the sprouts mixture, half of the potatoes, 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, and half of the cubed cheese on top of the noodles. Arrange the remaining noodles over the cheese and cover with the remaining cabbage, potatoes, and cubed cheese. Finish with the remaining Parmesan.
At this point you can cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to a couple days, or bake in a 400F degree oven for 45 - 60 minutes - until the top is nicely golden, and it is hot throughout. Serve hot.
Serves 4 - 6.
Prep time: 45 min - Cook time: 60 min
Immediately after my runs, I take a scalding hot shower and immediately brew a cup of coffee to warm up. But last week, I needed something more. The gloomy cold was getting to me and I need a serving of comfort food pronto.
Unfortunately, the carb and cheese heavy comfort food I was seeking (lasagna anybody? macaroni and cheese perhaps?) just didn't seem like a healthy enough option when I have been so dedicated to running outside in near freezing temperatures. I know I could lighten those dishes up considerably, but I wanted something new and something that I knew wouldn't taste like diet food.
Brussels sprouts were shredded and sauteed with Earth Balance and whole grain mustard. Yukon potatoes and pasta were cooked perfectly, layered into a pie dish with the mustardy sprouts. Parmesan cheese and fontina cheese were sprinkled on top of each layer and then the casserole was baked to perfection. It was a winner and exactly what I had been craving after my runs. It also quickly became a crowd pleaser amongst friends - pair with a stout beer and you'll be in comfort food heaven.
 |
| I personally think these little guys make the entire recipe. |
Adapted from 101cookbooks
1/2 pound small waxy potatoes, for example Yukon gold, fingerling, Yellow Finn
Fine grain sea salt
Cooking spray for the pan
1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or unsalted butter)
2 medium leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced, well washed
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 pound brussels sprouts, cored and shredded
1/2 cup / 120 ml vegetable broth or water
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces / 340 g dried whole wheat pasta, broken into 3-inch segments
2 ounces soft-rind, creamy cheese, cut into tiny cubes, for example, I used fontina
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta.
In the meantime, in a separate pan, cover the potatoes with water and a few big pinches of salt. Simmer until just tender, somewhere between 30 - 45 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Drain well, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds, toss gently with a bit of salt. Set aside.
Melt the Earth Balance in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until soft, a few minutes. Stir in the garlic. Stir in the Brussels sprouts, and then the broth. Season with salt and cook, covered, for a few minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Remove from heat and stir in the mustard and then 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, and set aside. It should taste good on its own, with an assertive mustard flavor at this point.
Cook the pasta in generously salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Coat a pie or casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange 1/2 of the noodles evenly in the bottom of the dish. Layer half the sprouts mixture, half of the potatoes, 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, and half of the cubed cheese on top of the noodles. Arrange the remaining noodles over the cheese and cover with the remaining cabbage, potatoes, and cubed cheese. Finish with the remaining Parmesan.
At this point you can cover and refrigerate the casserole for up to a couple days, or bake in a 400F degree oven for 45 - 60 minutes - until the top is nicely golden, and it is hot throughout. Serve hot.
Serves 4 - 6.
Prep time: 45 min - Cook time: 60 min
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