Living (truly) in a Meat-Free Zone

I have been in my condo now a little less than a month, and among all the other emotional rides I have been experiencing the last few weeks with this situation, it struck me the other day as I was staring at my Meat-Free Zone magnet on my fridge that I am now truly living in a meat-free zone.

I have had that meat-free magnet for years on the fridge at the townhouse that my soon-to-be-ex husband now owns. I had stuck it on the freezer door even though it really wasn't a meat-free zone at the time. So many times I had to reach over cellophane-wrapped fish corpses to get to my Gardein chicken scallopini. Or worse, freezer-bagged sausages a.k.a. pig body parts, set aside for my husband's favorite dishes. I shudder just to recall those moments.

Perhaps I am just desparately seeking a bright side to this dark, painful process of marital separation and divorce, but it does give me some pleasure to see in my freezer only veggies, Gardein beefless tips, Candle Cafe entrees, leftover veggie chili...not a single animal part or entrail to be found. I wish that fleeting pleasure was enough to lift me from the sadness that permeates my soul every day as I look around and see how alone I am. The constant ache of aloneness can hardly be eradicated by the vegan inventory of my fridge (and my cabinets for that matter.) But it is something, I suppose, and the rebuilding of a life, and the search for happiness must start somewhere, even with trivial matters such as the contents of my pantry.

World Vegetarian Day

delicata squash stuffed with quinoa, cranberries and walnuts, Swiss Chard sauteed with garlic and grape tomatoes, steamed baby carrots and zucchini


Today, 1 October, is World Vegetarian Day and kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month. It should be pointed out to those of you who still hesitate to even try going veg that this way of living is getting cooler by the year, and by that, I mean hip, not temperature. Mario Batali, famous chef, is said to be working on a vegetarian cookbook. Jamie Oliver is also said to be coming out with his own vegetarian work.

It is also easier than ever before to go veg, easier than even five years ago. For example, for those devoted carnivores who think fake meat is just too awful to contemplate, please keep an open mind. Clearly you haven't tried any of the Gardein products--the chicken scallopini, the chipotle lime chicken fingers, buffalo wings, beef tips. When I first made chicken piccata from the Gardein scallopini, my first thought was there is now officially NO good reason for ANYONE to eat chicken anymore in this world. Also, check out Field Roast items if you think you can't live without sausage. You WON'T live without sausage with Field Roast - you will only be without the cruelty that real sausage represents.

It is also fall, and you know what that means. SQUASH!! Tons of it and in infinite varieties! You can stuff squash in so many ways and it makes such a pretty dinner entree. There are so many great meals you can make, especially those of you who insist on resisting faux meat (Check out your farmers markets to see the variety of foods you have to work with, if you don't believe me). The possibilities are endless, as the hundreds of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks out there attest. Research! Google! Experiment! Cook and taste and savor. You don't have to eat meat to be a foodie. No need to fear, vegetarians eat well--vegans eat even better. So come on. Give it a try. One day, two days, maybe three days a week, go a day without animals on your plate. You will feel better for it in more ways than one.

Food, tedious food

You know, sometimes I just get so sick of food.

An odd thing for me to say, not just as a vegan but as someone who used to live to eat, rather than the other way around. I am in one of those moods right now where I am just so sick and tired of planning meals. I feel a constant pressure by the need to put together a perfect meal of protein, carb, green, and I sadly am NOT one of these gifted people, true chefs who can look into their cubbards and make something out of any three ingredients. If I don't have a recipe in front of me, forget it. When it comes to food, I am just not impulsive or creative enough to take a chance and just whip something together.

And sometimes I just want the odd, whatever-is-there-in-the-house-that-is-the-easiest-to-put together meal. I can make do easily some nights with a plate of steamed broccoli with salt and nondairy butter, some bread, and a small spinach salad. Or maybe just some Gardein chicken wings cooked on the stove. Maybe just a cup of Leahey's vegan chicken noodle soup. Unless my hubby is away, I don't have the luxury to do that too often.

I guess what also makes food planning such a chore is the fact that I live in a bi-nutritional (is that the word?) household, by which I mean I am a vegan and my husband is a devout omnivore who also happens to hate most vegetables and ALL faux meat (even apparently brands like Gardein which he has never tried). This rather limits my options, as you can see, and that gets tiring. Some nights I have made two different meals for us, and let me tell you, that gets old very quickly.

I really do love to cook and bake and have many cookbooks to prove it. But I go through times like right now when I am just sick of it all, when just once, I would love to come home, knowing that someone else is cooking dinner tonight (and by this I don't mean take-out--we do a lot of that too.) To be able to sink into a chair and inhale the aromas of food someone else is preparing--THAT to me would be bliss. It is also NOT reality. I just will wait for this mood to pass. In the meantime, I am settling for Imagine Butternut Squash soup and salad tonight (and feeling guilty for being so chintzy about this meal too.) Just don't have the energy--and creative juices--to come up with anything else.

The Hoppy Vegan

Wish We Could All Have a MOM Around

My Organic Market (MOM), that is! MOM is a supermarket which is heaven for any vegetarian and vegan to walk through. I had a lovely afternoon yesterday in the sole Virginia location in Alexandria--a very rare treat, since Alexandria is not at all convenient for me to get to. The bliss of being able to find everything I need in ONE location is hard to describe to anyone who just goes to one shop and gets everything at one trip. Imagine, a place where they sell Beauty Without Cruelty hair products AND lusciously flavored agave nectar. Or the most delectable vegan peanut brittle under the sun. A four-pack of Pacific brand almond milk--I haven't seen THAT at my local Whole Foods. There are Gardein products up the wazoo in the freezer section, so nice compared to the one or two kinds I see at my local market (usually the ones I am the least enamored of.)And ice cream made of hemp milk! Who knew? Thank you, Living Harvest for making it, thank you, MOM, for carrying it.

I am not saying that Whole Foods is all bad, but people don't jokingly call it Whole Paycheck for nothing. MOM is much more reasonable in their prices. I am so determined to get a MOM closer to my home that when I am out, I keep my eyes peeled for vacant business lots. If I see one in a location devoid of other grocery stores, I intend to write the info down and send it off to MOM's administrative offices. Bring more MOMs to Virginia. Maryland has quite enough of them, thanks.

My Organic Market http://www.myorganicmarket.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=A6B40AE98C7842A98FC8DE4784880288