Vegan Week - Day 5 (The Finale)

Mexican-Inspired Salad.

Well, today was the last day of my being a vegan lab rat, a plant-based diet guinea pig.

I brought a tote-able breakfast of applesauce and trail mix (almonds, walnuts, berry-flax granola, dairy-free dark chocolate chips, and dried cran- and blueberries) to work. It was quick, it was easy, it was good. It was really good. As someone who has a tendency to graze, it was a perfect snack.

Trail mix and applesauce.

For lunch, I'd made some Italian-style vegetable soup filled with lots of wholesome vegetables: mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomato, carrots, celery. To go with it, a couple of slices of the ciabatta loaf were easily packed up. But since I had such a late breakfast, eating at work rather than at home, I wasn't actually hungry for the soup before I left to go on my Friday afternoon schlep through Kroger.

Italian-Style Vegetable Soup.

As I'd reviewed my groceries and my menu options before heading out for the day, I wasn't sure what I was going to do about dinner. Then my friend Olivia posted a picture of a salad on Facebook, filled with avocado, corn, lettuce, tomatoes ... all items I had on hand! She and I both planned to make this tonight.

Sure, the original salad contained chicken; but I could simply leave that out. So, I set out all the ingredients around a scoop of the leftover beans from Monday night, drizzled salsa over everything, and enjoyed an exceptionally nice dinner. A few crumbled corn chips on top didn't hurt, either ... :)

So ... my thoughts after five days as a vegan?

First and foremost, I'm looking forward to eating cheese. I want parmesan on my pasta, feta on my spinach, cheddar on many, many things. I want to be able to use eggs again. I want my Coffee-Mate, which offers no redeeming nutritional value along with the richness of cream.

It seems as though I've been snacking more, as though I'm feeling some sort of loss on a cellular level. It's not as though I've deprived myself of calories or protein or fats or sugars or anything else fun. But there must be some sort of recalibration going on. Ordinarily, if I have a big lunch then I only need a salad for dinner. I found myself still nibbling beyond that, though.

Of course, we can thank the Fritos and the faux-reos for that, singing their Siren songs to me in the night. I bought them so I wouldn't feel deprivation, to be able to have treats and not just denial, to show everyone that a vegan diet doesn't have to be just about rice, beans, lettuce, and tofu. But it's so much easier to resist that kind of stuff at the store, rather than at home! I usually don't buy those things, when I'm on my own. I know I'm weak. I proved that once again, these past few days.

I do think I'll be a mostly-vegetarian after this. My personal feeling is that cows are producing milk, chickens are laying eggs, and bees are making honey whether we eat and drink those products or not. As long as the animals are treated humanely, living happy lives, then those items should be a part of our diets. Veganism is simply too extreme, and unnecessarily so.

And while one might adopt a vegan diet for health reasons, bulking up on fruits and vegetables and whole grains, that gets very boring very quickly (for me, anyway, as someone who constantly craves variety). And it's also potentially expensive. I could have special-ordered vegan "cheese" from L.A., and "meat" from Minneapolis. I could have gone to various markets and restaurants around Toledo to get vegan dishes. I could have made "cheese" from cashews.

Really, that's just excessive. Be conscientious about what you eat - for political, ethical, moral, health, financial, and other reasons - but exercise moderation.

The thought of eating some chicken that's in the freezer, though ... I'm not so keen on it. Or the sausage that I'd intended to use in making red beans and rice on Monday.

The seed for this week's experiment was planted at an event a few weeks ago: braised veal cheeks were on the menu.

I was uncomfortable as they were presented to me, even as they smelled divine and were tender enough to melt on the fork. I tasted them, out of politeness (and for work); they were wonderful. I felt guilty.

And yet, I'm debating whether to grab a burger this weekend. How is it that I can eat the mother but was uncomfortable when the baby was on my plate? Because I knew which part of him I was chewing on? Because I buy the mother wrapped in plastic, displayed on styrofoam?

Once again, as I've done many times before, I'm hanging my head in shame and disgust as a hypocrite. I admit it, though not proudly. It is something I ruminate about, contemplate, grapple with, discuss, and consider at great length and with great frequency.

While I don't want to say I'm ruling out meat - or that burger - entirely (especially since I'll be judging a chili cook-off in two weeks, and there are only two or three vegetarian options being served), I can see myself becoming more of a vegetarian. Not that I eat meat all the time, but I can certainly feel comfortable eating it even less frequently now. Until temptation, like barbecued ribs, lures me in, I'm sure.

So, after all the thought and planning I put into Vegan Week's menu - and I probably have another two weeks' worth of meal suggestions that didn't get eaten - I have no idea what I'll have for breakfast tomorrow morning. It may be more Elvis-style oatmeal. It may be bacon and eggs. I might even go all-out and have a steak, which is usually a once-in-a-decade option.

The point is that I'll have a choice. I'll have lots of choices, rather than having entire food groups eliminated and having so many options taken away from me (or, more correctly, taking them away from myself).

Vegan Week was definitely a worthwhile experiment. It fed me, my blog, and also my column for this Tuesday. And it offered food for thought.

But now it's time to go back to eating whatever I want whenever I want. Time to go back to being an omnivore ... except for tofu and sushi!


Italian-Style Vegetable Soup

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large mushrooms, caps removed, sliced
1/3 cup sliced zucchini
1 small stalk celery, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
A very generous splash of red wine
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A generous handful of baby spinach
1/2 cup water
Pinch of sugar
Italian seasoning

Place the oil into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat with the red pepper flakes. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms; cook for 2 minutes, until mushrooms are softening. Add zucchini, celery, carrot, and scallion; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, spinach, water, sugar, and Italian seasoning; bring just to a boil, then cover partially and lower heat to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Source: Mary Bilyeu


Mexican-Inspired Salad

Oil
Corn kernels
Shredded lettuce
Chopped avocado
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Chopped red onion
Leftover Pinto Beans with Rice and Quinoa
Fresh salsa
Sprinkle of cilantro
Corn chips, crushed

Quantities are variable, based upon number of people being served and ingredient preferences.

Place the oil and the corn into a small skillet; stir together. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until corn is toasted and golden.

Place lettuce on a serving plate. Place corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion around the circumference of the plate, on top of the lettuce. Place the leftover beans in the center of the plate. Drizzle salsa over the salad, then sprinkle with cilantro and the crushed corn chips.

Source: Mary Bilyeu (Adapted from cleanfoodcrush.com)

Thai-Style Peanut Cole Slaw

Each Friday evening, I try to stop by and visit with my friends at the Dixboro Farmers' Market. I schmooze, I shop ... it's a good way to end the week.

I bought some baked cinnamon honey almonds from Nana's Nuts, which donates some of the profits from sales to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan to help provide some fun and diversion for sick kids. I bought a beautiful loaf of sourdough rye bread - complete with caraway, which makes it an authentic rye (to my mind, and to that of Jeremiah, the baker) - from The Mother Loaf, which specializes in "naturally leavened breads made with locally sourced, organic ingredients." And I bought some healthy fruit-based snack bars from Motor City Munchies, which are "organic, local, gluten free, raw, vegan" ... and delicious.

I'd been craving cole slaw, so I made sure to buy a cabbage from Ferris Farms, which always has such lovely vegetables (kale, potatoes, carrots, lettuces). But I wasn't in the mood for either a creamy cole slaw or a tart, vinegar-based one; I specifically wanted one with a peanutty Thai influence.

So, that's what I made. And it was so, so good! This was just an inspired concoction, and it turned out perfectly on the first try ... what serendipity ... :)


Thai-Style Peanut Cole Slaw

Salad:
1 small head cabbage, cored, quartered, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
generous pinch of kosher salt
generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Dressing:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the vinegar, oils, and teriyaki sauce in a small bowl; whisk in the peanut butter until the dressing is smooth, then pour over the vegetables. Stir to combine, then let cole slaw rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Black Bean 'n' Beer Soup

It's cold out, so hot soup makes a perfect light lunch or dinner.

This version is a different spin on traditional black bean soup. Sure, it contains the usual ingredients like beans and salsa. But it's thickened with pumpkin, adding flavor, color and nutrition. It also benefits from the addition of beer, rather than using just only plain ol' water.

This is vegan, but is substantial enough to satisfy even those who think they'll miss having some meat (i.e.: salt pork or bacon) in their bean soup. Served with some good crusty bread, you've got an ideal comfort food for a chilly day.

Black Bean 'n' Beer Soup

2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/2 small yellow pepper, chopped fine
2/3 cup salsa
1-1/2 cups beer
1 cup water
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained, rinsed
juice of 1 lime
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablepoon sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Add the salsa, beer, water, beans, lime juice and salt; bring to a boil, then cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

Whisk in the sugar and the pumpkin; continue cooking for 15 more minutes. Stir in the cilantro, then serve hot.

Serves 6.

Dalat and Dresses on Date Night

Tom and I planned a “date night” for this past Thursday, the 1st -- opening day for the Docent Invitational exhibit in which he is showing 3 photographs at the Riverside Arts Center (76 N. Huron in Ypsi). We tend to be a couple of homebodies, so we have determined that it is important to go out and experience the world on occasion rather than simply isolating ourselves peacefully with our various creative pursuits of digital photography, writing, and cooking. We may not need to hire a sitter to watch any children -- his daughter being 25 and living in Philly, and Jeremy being 19 -- but we do need to take time for ourselves just to have some fun and to find new diversions. Daily life can become too routine without deliberate efforts to seek new stimuli.

So we started with dinner at Dalat (100 Michigan Avenue), conveniently located across the street from the Arts Center. I had heard of it -- and even driven past it countless times -- but never eaten there before … provincial child that I am, as a product of NYC and its neighborhoods, I tend to stay very much in Ann Arbor with its multitude of offerings. I also like to cook, so obviously I spend more time in my own kitchen than I do in restaurants.

I really do enjoy Vietnamese food, though, despite not eating it very often. Therefore, as you can well imagine if you know me -- or know of me -- at all, I was overwhelmed by a menu filled with 59 listings of different salads and soups and entrees PLUS desserts and beverages. Fortunately Tom has a favorite dish which we knew we would share, and we decided to try a new option, as well, in addition to that.

The favorite is #14 -- Bun tom thit nuong cha gio: “Rice vermicelli, grilled shrimp & beef, cut eggroll, bean sprouts, cucumber, topped with cilantro and crushed roasted peanuts. Served with sweet and sour sauce.” Oh, the mundane details of this ingredient list do not begin to evoke the beauty of the dish! Before you even see the large, deep bowl you can smell an extraordinary fragrance; and then the food is so beautifully, artfully arranged … it entices, and yet it almost seems sacrilegious to disturb the array. On top of the rice noodles and bean sprouts there are bite-sized pieces of meat and of small (but not baby) shrimp, each with a dusting of the nuts and a drizzle of both the nuoc cham -- chili-garlic-fish sauce -- and sweet-and-sour sauce that Tom had added judiciously. The egg roll was sliced into not-quite-1” pieces -- perfect for eating, but without making the mess oneself of either cutting or biting into it -- and carefully placed around the circumference of the bowl. Truly it was a thing of beauty to behold, and a labor of pride and love.

But that’s not all, oh no! We also ordered -- after much deliberation over hunger levels vs. desire for too many delectable options -- #32: A nameless entrée described simply as “A steamed rice plate of grilled basil chicken breast with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber.” Zzzzzzz, right??? It sounds like a grilled chicken sandwich from McDonald’s or something! Oh, but let me assure you -- this dish had an even more fabulous aroma than the other. The rice had an indistinguishable hint of spice that did not impart much flavor but which seduced with its fragrance. It was perfectly cooked -- each grain distinct, and yet with just enough cohesion (rather than actual stickiness) to be easy to eat without losing stray grains. And then there was the chicken breast -- so tender, so moist, so full of flavor, but not overpowered by either basil or cilantro. And mixing/matching the rice with the beef and the noodles with the chicken … these two dishes were perfect complements to each other.

Unfortunately, since the photos on the menu looked so gorgeous and the offerings were so unique (i.e.: “Red beans, yellow mung bean and green jelly. Served with coconut milk and ice”), we were too full for dessert … sounds like a future adventure to me!

Then we meandered through the neighborhood for a bit, as Ann Arbor’s pre-Yuppified (too many hair salons, phone stores and chain restaurants these days for my personal liking) character has clearly wandered down Washtenaw and into downtown Ypsi. There was an alternative art gallery that Tom wanted to show me; but it has apparently been displaced by my new favorite clothing shop, which is saying something considering that I am the Queen of Thrift Shops and never buy anything but shoes and underwear new or at retail prices : Lezley Anne’s. It is at 128 W. Michigan Avenue, and is worth going to even if you have to crawl in torrential rain on blistered knees; I am completely and utterly enamored!

There are dresses and more dresses, each one more colorful than the next … well, how could a girl like me, who wears gold and purple nail polish and sprinkles glitter into her hair for special occasions, resist??? And Lezley, herself, is just the kindest, warmest hostess you can imagine, placing no pressure upon customers as she shows off her amazing artworks (that’s really what they are); she seems far more intent upon making new friends and sharing her pride in the neighborhood than she does in making a sale.

But oh, it was hard not to become her new best customer as I perused the beautiful clothing, fabulously sensuous fabrics (Tom even took a picture of one gorgeous cream-colored skirt with pink and green dots, to use as a photographic texture), and vivid colors. I tried on several dresses, completely abandoning my usual stoic ability to resist full-price items (even if “full price” is only $35 … $35 for a brand new dress!!!) only to become utterly infatuated with several options, including some I could’ve/would’ve worn 20 years ago before age and gravity wreaked their miserable havoc upon me. But there was a clear winner among the contenders, which I will wear for the April 10 reception for the Docent Invitational at Riverside. Tom’s face lit up when he saw me in it, which meant everything in the world to me and made me feel beautiful as I twirled around in the full and flirtatious skirt.

As we talked to her, we learned that Lezley actually designs some of her own fabrics and is delving into organic cottons; the printer across the street lets her create her designs there, before she then cuts and trims and sews her one-of-a-kind dresses. Lezley told us that she’s never felt such a strong connection among neighbors and pride in a community, such that the shopkeepers and restauranteurs along Michigan Avenue are like members of an extended family. Tom and I were proud to support a local artist, as well as a collective spirit such as the one we were welcomed into as we ate and shopped and just immersed ourselves in the ambiance.

But there’s more -- don’t forget the art exhibit, which continues through April 24! We meandered into the nearly-empty room to revel in seeing Tom’s pieces, which brought me enormous and indescribable pride, without the noise and bustle of crowds intruding upon the experience. The reception for Tom’s (I call it his, even though there are 15 other artists involved!) art exhibit is on Saturday, April 10 from 5-7 p.m., and everyone is welcome to attend and to schmooze with the artists. (I’m bringing food, too, with a plan “du jour” of baby bagels with cream cheese and lox, a spicy dip with chips and vegetables, and a chocolate dip with cookies.)

There is an extraordinary variety of works being presented by the docents who work at the Arts Center, as well as by the guests that each docent was permitted to invite -- everything from paintings to sculpture to photography, with the simple listing of each of these media really seeming inadequate. Tom’s works are stellar, of course, with one of them -- twin, though not identical, images of a mannequin no longer able to maintain a public façade -- being a particular favorite. His friend Tara -- one of the docents, who very graciously invited Tom to participate in the exhibit -- also has some photographs on display; the one of an abandoned armchair in an alley with a vibrantly colored "Jesus" graffiti-ed in the background, and another very peaceful one of lovely pink flowers, are two that I found particularly distinctive and touching.

So come on down to the Riverside Arts Center on the 10th to see Tom’s work, to meet the artist (and later say “I knew him ‘when’!”), and to watch me giddily spin in my beautiful, sassy new dress ….