Back In The Kitchen!

So anyone who knows me knows that I love food. Like a lot. Some people don't get this, especially when I tell them that I eat a vegan diet. A lot of people think vegan food is simply salads or rice or bland, plain tofu, but that's not the case for me at all. Actually, my love of food really took off in January 2012 once I revamped my eating habits. 

You see, I've been a vegetarian for six or seven years, and for a year or two before I officially made the switch to vegetarianism I had eliminated all meat and seafood with the exception of chicken. When I was a vegetarian I lived off of cheese: cheesy sandwiches, cheesy pastas, cheesy salads. I used to drink a lot of milk, I made a mean scrambled egg, and I discovered my passion for baking with eggs, milk, and butter. Sure I ate tofu and loved my veggies, but I was stuck in a food rut, and after doing more research about the American dairy industry, I just wasn't comfortable putting milk, eggs, cheese, or butter on my plate anymore. 

Little did I know that my love of cooking and baking would only grow once I eliminated these things from my diet! I'm definitely a foodie now - I have a whole folder of recipes, a slew of food blogs that I follow, a list of must-try restaurants in various cities, and a total obsession with taking pictures of my meals. I know. It's weird. I briefly returned to vegetarianism for two months this past summer, mainly due to circumstances I couldn't control, and I couldn't wait to return home and embrace my tempeh, daiya, almond milk, and kale! 

I try not to be one of those preachy vegans that every meat eater can't stand, and I don't expect a lot of people to understand why I choose to eat some foods and not others. It's a personal choice, and I don't think that I am better than other people because of it. However, I wish more people were more informed about the food that they put into their bodies. The American food industry is fraught with issues and I don't understand people who prefer to close their eyes and cover their ears when they're presented with facts about their food. I'm not trying to convert everyone over to the world of veganism, and I'm certainly not trying to claim that I don't have weaknesses when it comes to food, but I just wish people shared my concern for what we're putting into our bodies. 

So if any of you do share my concern or want to learn more, here are my personal recommendations: 

Film: Forks Over Knives (2011)

Book: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (2009)

Cookbook: Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli (2012)

OK I can't limit myself to just one: Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (2010)

So today I put my apron back on! As much as I loved traveling for two months and getting the chance to eat at a bunch of really amazing restaurants, I really missed being able to cook and bake whenever I wanted. Sure I made dead people cookies in New York, Halloween treats in North Carolina, and crispy tofu and mac and "cheese" for Thanksgiving in Mississippi, but I definitely missed scouring the interwebs for new and exciting recipes. 

Lately I've been in a funk, partly due to being a little bit sick and partly due to the readjustment to life here at home. I haven't had much of an appetite and my taste buds are a little off, but I whipped up one of my trusty standbys last night: braised cabbage and seitan (from Appetite for Reduction). After a significant shop at Whole Foods yesterday, our pantry and fridge are stocked up with vegany deliciousness, so today I felt a little bit more inspired. For lunch I reheated some leftovers from last night, cut up some 'cado, and sautéed some kale with a clove of garlic and some olive oil. I threw some salt, pepper, and lemon juice on the kale too. It was really really good. 

For dinner I decided to make Chloe Coscarelli's vegan mac and cheese. Now, mac and cheese has always been my favorite food, and this recipe is the best vegan recipe I've come across. It's creamy and gooey and yummmmmm! I decided to steam some broccoli on the side and added some s+p, olive oil, and lemon juice again. It was the perfect comfort food and helped bring me back to the land of the living! 

These probably helped too: 

Another Chloe recipe, these "chlostess" cupcakes are to die for. I made them when I was living at home in September and my mother and brother gobbled them up. They were such hits, especially for two people who really do prefer to have their baked goods contain dairy and eggs. Baking is probably my first love - cooking came after - and as trendy as they are, cupcakes are my favorite things to bake. The chocolate cupcakes themselves are the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever made or had (vegan or non-vegan) and they don't even contain any "weird" ingredients that omnivores seem to freak out about. Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, coffee, canola oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. See! No hidden tofu or soy milk or flax seed eggs here. 

I know it sounds weird but I already feel better now that I've gotten my hands dirty in the kitchen again. I have a lot on my (metaphysical) plate right now and it's all pretty confusing, but making delicious food? Not confusing at all.