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5 posts tagged vegetarian
David and I made homemade vegetarian pizza last night! He made one, and I made one. Admittedly, his came out tastier.
Dough: c/o Trader Joes whole wheat pizza dough
Pizza on the left:
-Tomato basil sauce, pineapple pieces, meatless meatballs, shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza on the right:
-Tomato basil sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, sauteed spinach, red peppers
I Have So Many Regrets…
I was supposed to meet up for lunch with a friend of mine at PETA, who I first met after blogging about going vegetarian, and who has helped introduce me to some truly delicious veg food, including Flore Vegan in Silverlake.
Now, I said supposed to because I had to bail after looking at my bank account and realizing it was laughing at me.
A few hours after telling Joel, he emailed me this photo as a “punishment” for canceling:
Then another photo came:
Take note of this move if you ever want to make your friends feel incredibly remorseful and full of regret.
Vegetarian Diet Is Over (?)
So, technically my vegetarian diet ended over the weekend, but does that mean I’m over it?
This weekend was spent in Las Vegas with friends and, after an epic concert from Mumford & Sons on the roof deck of The Cosmopiltan Hotel, we decided to get some grub.
My friends have been very generous and forgiving of my diet, choosing to go to restaurants where there are veg options and bringing animal-free snacks for the roadtrip to Vegas. Only once did I get a question where I detected a hint of judgment. “You’re going vegetarian whyyyy?” With the last bit trailing up in tone at the end so you knew they were thinking what a putz I was for going sans meat.
But at The Cosmopolitan we wandered into a tapas-y place downstairs and set about ordering up some snacks.Everything was going well until Gabby saw bacon wrapped dates on the menu, to which she exclaimed, “BACON WRAPPED DATES!!” with the brightest of eyes.
I knew this would be trouble, as prior to my diet I had similar reactions to bacon wrapped anything. Except mine were also usually accompanied by drool.
To be fair, out of all the items we ordered, only that one was non-veg, and it was technically past midnight and my diet was officially over so… could one really hurt?
Okay, I had three. Three delicious bacon wrapped dates, after which I felt some pleasure, then remorse, then fear, and then denial.
I am still slightly in denial. I guess part of me assumed I might never eat meat again. but there I was, 45 minutes off my diet and a fistful deep into bacon wrapped fruits.
The next day I ate entirely vegetarian, and I have also continued this today. I also went food shopping, and decided that if I was really going to try and continue with the veg thing, I’d have to invest in some veg junk food.
Enter Tofutti Cuties! Adorable ice cream sandwiches that are dairy free. I’m hoping that these will help to keep me off the hooch that is meat.
Any other veg junk food suggestions?
Day 21 Of 30 Day Vegetarian Diet.
I haven’t written about my 30-day vegetarian diet since i started it so now I feel quite badly and would like to flood you with updates!
Firstly, it has been going well. I started on March 19th and now have 9 days left.
Things that have changed in my life:
-Going food shopping: instead of turkey sausage I now buy Trader Joe’s imitation sausage which, I was impressed to discover, is actually quite spicy and delicious and tastes like the real thing!
-Cooking: This has been upped for me. In order to accommodate a veg lifestyle I’ve made a point to try and cook more of my own food so I can control it. I even cooked David a veg dinner! We had fajitas with faux chicken strips and this super delicious vegan queso (it’s actually some of the best queso I’ve ever had). You can find my recipe here!
-M Cafe: This has become my sanctuary, haha. On days when I don’t feel like cooking, I go to M Cafe, which is down the street from my apartment. Previously I had never been, and now I’m there 2-3 times a week. I’m usually buying their curry tempeh salad and sesame soba noodles. I think I might treat myself to a BabyCakes cupcake from there on my last day.
Things that are difficult:
-People keep asking me why I am doing a veg diet, and I’ve found it’s hard for me to explain without sounding like a vigilante (though perhaps not a bad thing?). I’ve always wanted to try it out, and I think it’s great for the environment and animals. But I’ve tried not to get too in depth with these questions, as I worry I may come off as a nut.
-Sushi (how I miss you!!). Dying to find some decent veg sushi in Los Angeles, and trust me I’ve been looking.
-Making sure I get enough vitamins and all of my nutrients in has been a challenge but doable.
With all of the changes I’ve made and the harder parts of changing your diet, I’ve also got benefits. I do feel less weighed down, I don’t know exactly how to put that into words but my body feels lighter (lack of oxygen to brain?). And I have also been more aware of what I am putting into my body, which makes me feel a bit healthier and conscious.
In terms of what I will keep, I actually do think that I will continue to try and maintain my veg ways. But I do have the urge to eat fish… so realistically I’d say that I may be a pesco-vegetarian at the end of this.
I don’t think a veg diet is for everyone, but it’s not impossible and because I live in Los Angeles it has been more than easy to make the switch.
9 days left! If anyone knows of a great sushi option do tell?
30 Day Plan: Go Vegetarian.
I have been very hesitant to write about this because A) I’m afraid I’ll cave and fall off the wagon and B) I write for a green website and often about vegan issues, and I am fairly certain everyone I work with assumes I am already a vegetarian if not vegan.
But the truth is that the only meat not in my diet right now is red meat, and that’s only because I heard that it increases the risk of breast cancer— so I cut it out. But I’ve been toying with the idea of going vegetarian for awhile, because I really do love animals and would like something to hold over other peoples heads! Additionally, working at Ecorazzi has really shed some light on the benefits of nixing meat, so I decided that I should give it a try…eventually.
I’ve read that going veg for 30 days and setting a start and end date is the way to do it, I’ve just been looking for the right time to put down the turkey, cold turkey.
Enter the Genesis Awards! An event I attended over the weekend which honors celebs and media types for their work with animal activism. I got to sit in on the ceremony, which was catered by celeb vegan chef Tal Ronnen, and watch as presenters like Olivia Munn and Betty White awarded filmmakers and broadcasters for revealing the dangers of factory farming, or highlighting a story about a puppy mill, etc..
The thing is, this event was essentially like being forced to watch PETA videos for two hours while being served vegan ravioli. The footage that went along with each award included cows being beaten, monkeys dying in cages, baby chicks being thrown into grinders, that kinda fun stuff!
So, while nibbling on my vegan cheesecake (note: some things do taste better with dairy I’m sorry to say!), I decided that I would start my 30 day vegetarian diet that night. Meaning that from Saturday, March 19th until Sunday, April 17th I will be all veg all the time.
Today is Day 3 of being without meat, and so far so good. This morning I had whole wheat toast with peanut butter for breakfast, as a snack a banana, and my lunch (pictured) of hummus, pita, taboulie and falafel. Everything has been yummy, I don’t feel deprived (yet), and I’m pumping myself up with the promise of veggie burgers in the very near future. I’ve also started taking vitamins in case I’m not getting enough of something (though what, I couldn’t say).
Luckily I live in Los Angeles, and aside from all of the restaurants having veg options, I also am two blocks from a vegan Thai restaurant called Bulan, and four from a macrobiotic joint called M Cafe— going vegetarian looks like it will be pretty easy.
I’ve also promised David that if I went veg, I would cook a vegetarian meal once a week for us to try (yes, this is an easy way for him to get free food but I also suspect that he may be curious about going veg and eating healthy). So, every week I’ll be trying out a new recipe and seeing how I do in terms of cooking sans the meat, and I’ll provide David’s feedback on it as well!
If anyone has any recipes/tips/snacks that help make the transition into veg easier, I am all ears!