Free food whore

I believe I have gone two days without eating any meat. I have not, however, purchased any meat products. I told myself at the beginning that I would not turn down meat when in someone's home etc. Hm... what i've learned is that i'm offered meat EVERY DAY!!! Well, 7 out of 10 days anyway! So, i'm committed to uisng my purchasing power and shocked at how much people like to feed me!

Curious to hear more about Jeni's weekend.... need more recipes!

Solidarity and a fact-finding mission

Since Seth started reading Eating Animals a couple weeks ago (and certainly since he finished it, several days ago), we've really been on the same page vis a vis our meat intake--or rather, lack thereof. While I really never anticipated Seth seriously cutting back on (let alone eliminating) meat, I've really enjoyed the feeling of household solidarity that comes with not buying, cooking, or eating meat. True, I do the buying and cooking, but Seth has not made a single comment (read: complaint) about the lack of meat in our home diet. Last night, he very sweetly said, "It's so easy to be a vegetarian when you're cooking." While I love a good compliment--especially when it comes to my cooking--I was more touched by the gesture of solidarity. Like he's good with it.

Funny, as our first in-person meeting with the Rabbi who will likely co-officiate our wedding lead to a conversation about kosher law and meat eating, which lead to a conversation about where to buy reliable kosher meat, which lead to a suggestion by Seth that we Go to There. For Seth, this has been much more about the environmental impact (first) and humane treatment/slaughter aspects (second) of factory egg/meat production. So, we've agreed to investigate. BUT (and yes, the caps are meant to show this is a big "but"), I'm not completely sold on the reliability of any meat labeled "kosher" or "halal" and not sold at all on whether kosher/halal rules satisfy my personal comfort level and various reasons for currently not eating meat. Still, the possibility of getting "better" meat (another concept I'm really not sold on) is appealing to Seth.

For dinner that same night, we went to a great Mexican restaurant where pollo and carne asada sizzled away at the table next to us and those smells filled the entire place. We shared guacamole, quesadillas con rajas, and margaritas. We laughed and talked and ate and ate. And the meat was not missed. Or maybe it was, a little, but that's okay too.

I Cheated

This weekend I went to Napa. I ate wild boar, fish, a few bites of steak, and even allowed ham to enter my omelete while I gorged on lox and bagels.

Now why in the world would I do this? Granted all the meat I ate came from pretty stellar sources (as listed on the menu) and really I think wild boar is probably a good meat to eat- it's wild right? So while, I'm fine picking out vegetarian meals by myself I have a hard time telling other people what they can or cannot eat. I spent the weekend sharing meals, trying to get both the sweet and savory breakfast entree, and maximizing my culinary experience. I didn't want to tell my dining partner that we had to choose only meat free products. So I didn't.

I gave in.
I gave in for a boy.
Cheating never feels good.

I promise it was just this once. I'm committed to this month long experiment. I can do this. I can.

I tried...

Well I was vegetarian for a whole week. I did good, cooked some yummy meals. But I started feeling really lethargic and just completely rundown. I think I have decided that when you are pregnant is not the time to start messing with protein intake and trying to start completely new eating habits. I think maybe when the baby is born I might try again, but for now I am just going to be more conscious of the meat I do eat.

So I give into the Pregnancy gods and am gonna eat meat when I feel like I need to...

But on a good note - I showed my classes Food Inc. and I have 5 students who are trying to be vegetarian - so cute.

I made it...

Through a weekend (in the midwest!) without eating meat. It meant:

* eating a nasty veggie burger in the denver airport
* eating some suspect tofu in the minneapolis airport
* sending back the fish and getting the veggie lasagna at the wedding (I have matt to thank for that, actually). nobody thought i was crazy..... :)
* eating veggie sushi for dinner tonight
* eating the couscous out from under a giant plate of family style salmon (slightly embarrassing)

BUT i did it, very proud of myself. And P, before I actually read the comment along with those pics, i totally thought that was a real burger! It looked pretty good!

Also, just as an aside, Matt and I watched "Everything is Illuminated" on the plane, in which Elijah wood plays Jonathan Safran Foer, who goes on a trip to Russia to find his ancestors. In one part, he tells his Ukranian guide that he doesn't eat meat, and they ask him, "Why? What's wrong with you?" And then bring him a single boiled potato on a plate. Very funny :)

Vegan Hash

It's Monday morning, no school, and I want a yummy breakfast hash to fill me up. So, being the good Vegan I am, I have cooked one without meat or eggs but very satisfying nonetheless. Try using the meatless ground turkey by YVES. I even made fingerling potatoes to go with it (and I have honestly never made potatoes before except baked)

I really like being Vegan. It's keeping me away from crappy food in general.

Jessica has a story to tell...

drunky blogging

Hi, I just got home from celebrating Katy's birthday. And aside from the heart break of meeting the most attractive guy I've seen in the Bay in years (thanks Jackie) and finding out that he was born in 1989 (!) I came home and gorged on my roommates left over Indian....crap. I think I just ate chicken..... :(

haha...

I was frowning at a kid's nasty chicken and noodle microwave meal the other day, when another girl sitting near me said, "Lia, don't yuck his yum!" which I thought was funny since I have definitely been yucking a lot of yums lately.

One day down!!!

Woo hoo I did it!!! I have officially gone one day and one morning as a vegetarian!!!! I'm on my way to Napa this afternoon and will be able to make good choices when we eat out! One night, my friend is cooking us chicken and Rissotto. I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it. Why though is it chicken, the most evil of all meats, that will be staring me in the face??? Also, I am having issues looking at eggs not as meats but i'm forcing myself to get over it!

Looking forward to trying some recipes from a vegan friend - maybe next week we should have a veg. recipe cook off!! Lia - eat the fish if it looks good - please don't be the crazy fish girl!!! Or, collapse of starvation on the dance floor and be the girl who collapsed. Eat the fish! Unless it looks gross... then make Matt eat it and steal his side dishes.

Blogging about being Vegan

Hey everyone,

I thought this might be good to share - Julie, my younger brother's girlfriend, used to keep a blog about trying to be vegan in LA on $35 a week.

Check it out - pretty interesting and some good recipes too!

http://onfoodstamps.blogspot.com/

Almost one week of being veg over - but I just realized that I ordered the fish for the wedding I am going to this weekend. Do I eat it, because, like Summer said, if I don't it will end up in the trash? Do I not eat it and walk around like a crazy person asking who wants my fish? Do I just eat around it and accept that it will go to waste? Do I force Matt to eat it?

What do you guys think?

L

An exercise in not being a Veg Bitch

Last night my roommate came home after stopping off at Safeway and said "I know it's bad, but I think I'm just going to have a hot dog tonight." I asked to see the package and of course it really was a six pack of Oscar Meyer Weiners- pork, turkey, and chicken parts! She knew it was bad, but I doubt that she understood HOW bad. At first I wanted to launch into a discussion on the hot dogs, but had to refrain when I realized that would have been really rude. It's her body not mine.

I had no idea!!!

Props to Lorna for the great meals - and Lia now I want to make the Pizza you made!!! So, this experiment is making me realize how much meat I seriously eat! At book club, I was convinced that I eat meat three times a week. However, we all know my sandwich debacle. Then, the next day Torres brought me lunch, a chicken dish called "Tinga" and my favorite thing!!!!!!! Of course, how could I say oops now i'm vegetarian when he was so thoughtful and brought my favorite food. I ate it. Now i'm facing my first seriously vegetarian day. Coffee and bran muffin to start the day and cup-a-noodle for lunch!! I know that's not healthy, but i'm going to Napa tomorrow so i'll be eating out rather than cooking. This means Monday i'm going to the grocery store and seriously trying out all of these phenomenal looking recipes. It also means i'm eating out all weekend and can choose vegetarian options. I feel refreshed as though i'm starting today... also as though i've been living in a cave when it comes to recognizing my own eating habbits!!!

pizza pizza!

Go Lorna!

Made some semi-professional looking pizza last night with some book club ladies....it came out awesome except that i seriously burned my tongue and now i can't taste anything. the key to the pizza was brushing olive oil on the crust pre-sauce, and buying fresh mozz rather than the shredded stuff (thanks Anne!)...we topped with goat cheese, mushrooms, peppers and onions, and it was awesome.

Damn, P, I am proud of you for going vegan - not sure I could do it. BUT maybe I could. This vegetarian thing isn't that hard....yet.

The pregnant lady goes veg

Okay... I am doing pretty good. I called my doctor and got the go ahead to try the vegetarian thing - she was not down for vegan, but I wasn't going to try that any way...what fun is being pregnant if you can't eat ice cream?

Two nights ago I cooked Cheese Enchiladas and Spanish Rice - a favorite from childhood. They turned out really good - even though they probably weren't the healthiest choice. We also had some beans and yummy avocado so I am making sure I get my protein and healthy fat.
I also made this really good cucumber salad:
Cut up 2 cucumbers, 2-3 tomatoes (or a box of cherry tomatoes), like six green onions, and a handful of cilantro. Mix in with black beans and corn (I used canned - but will try to use fresh next time). I then put a blush wine vinaigrette, but I imagine that raspberry would have worked well too.
It was super good. I am thinking about putting it on top of a tostada with some mashed beans, avocado, and cheese for a snack later.

Dinner tonight:
Stuffed Mediterranean eggplant and pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes.

Default Lunch- Yum

This has been my default lunch for awhile now. In fact just yesterday, I had a student come up to me to see what I was eating and her reply was "That's the same thing you ate last year". Yes, yes it is.

Israeli Cous Cous with onions, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, and feta.

It's super easy to make, yum to eat, colorful, and actually filling. I just cook the tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers in a pot mixed in with some oil and a bit of garlic (everything tastes better with garlic).


By the way today's Groupon is for Tokyo Gogo, and while I would love to partake in their Fort Point (asparagus and avocado topped with seared kobe beef, shallots, and garlic ponzo) I think I'm going to pass....and save myself $15!

Day 2 Vegan

I am feeling good. Just tried Tofutti's "Better Than Cream Cheese" on a bagel...mmm.. very good. Tofurky sandwiches have done me well at school ( I can't taste the difference with a lot of lettuce.) Making beans and rice right now... and vegan Thai curry is still bomb. Good luck ladies...hope you are doing better than Summer lol .

what's for lunch?

What have people been eating for lunch for the past few days? Mine was very teacher like today: yogurt, nuts, apple, string cheese, blah.

I'd love some more ideas....

-L

Protein! (yep, just a google search)

PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas

PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Quinoa, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black) PS I'm loving this blog- this is fun!

Getting scared

So - I did eat my sandwich at lunch. I rationalized that the damage was done and the meat industry had already been supported. However, I approached dinner feeling very committed to a vegetarian meal! I realized I don't have time to go to the store today, so while I was swinging by borders in Emmeryville I decided to walk through the food court. I've never noticed meat so much in my life!!! It was everywhere - staring at me - begging me to eat it.

Never fear, I ran for my life! I came home and ate tomato soup as I watched my roomies eat thai food full of chicken and schrimp. I thought I was less susceptable than this!

-Summer

P.S. Lia, i'm excited to try the soup!

Asparagus Soup

Here is my asparagus soup recipe - really, just eyeball it - it's easier.

2 bunches asparagus

2 leeks (white or yellow onions also work)

3 cloves garlic

1 quart veggie broth (by the way - found no-chicken imitation broth today at Felleti's - I will let you know how it tastes)

1 Bay Leaf

Salt and Pepper

Some kind of crouton (I love the Cheddar Cheese Pita chips from Trader Joe's crumbled on top)

So, you sautee the leeks (chop up the white part only) and the garlic together in a big pot with olive oil, until browned.

Chop the asparagus into 1 inch chunks, and toss those into the pot with the broth, and a bay leaf. Cover and let simmer for a while until the asparagus is soft.

Remove bay leaf and put the contents of the pot in a blender or food processor and puree. Add Salt/Pepper to taste.

Add whatever crouton you want on top - I think that something cheesy tastes best.

Enjoy!

Lia ;)

Grocery List

So while my students are working on their science fair projects I am trying to make a grocery list... Mostly I need sources of protein that aren't that fake soy meat stuff (I am not a fan!).

I'll let you know if I come up with anything good. So far... i just seem to keep wanting to make pastas...boring!

Sandwich

Okay, toast and blueberries for dinner last night. Avocado and cream cheese on toast this morning. Good right? But what about lunch? Then, I saw the chicken sitting in the fridge... I pictured it in the garbage or in my stomach... I rationalized that my stomach is less wasteful. I haven't eaten it yet and am having a guilt complex about it as we speak. I'll let you know if I give it away to a student!

-Summer

Talk about Fortuituos Beginnings

On my last night eating meat (little did I know that it would be my last) I managed to scarf down a hot dog wrapped in bacon...if that doesn't scream industrial meat I don't know what does.

In other news, meal one of "veg for a month" was avocado, asparagus, and cucumber sushi rolls. I like to think that last night I saved a sea horse, dolphin, shark, whale, and a slew of other animals. Woo hoo!

Meat-Free Night #1

Hi book club ladies,

Welcome to the meat-free experiment! Here on this blog we can post thoughts, recipes, struggles and anything else relating to our month living a meat-free life. Put this blog on your bookmarks bar and check back/post often - it would be great to know how everyone is doing with this.

p.s. Matt got spinach and mushroom pizza tonight just by chance to I got to partake. Fortuitous beginning!

Lia