Veg Food So Good Even A Meaty Will Eat It

One of the biggest challenges Meat and I faced on our journey together has been what we should eat. Being a firm Meaty meant that every meal should at least have one huge Slab O Animal included. Double bonus points for him if it was a restaurant or fast food. If you were ever a vegetarian before the late-1990s and/or a vegetarian in any meat-eating stronghold then you understand the dilemma. Aside from salads and a few vegetable dishes, eating out as a vegetarian or vegan wasn't much fun. And the worst part was that it wasn't something a Meaty easily understood. After all, the menu was fairly swimming...or gamboling...with choices so what's the Big Deal? Vegetarians love veggies so enjoy that salad. Yes, first hurdle indeed. My friends were concerned I was too thin and told me I should eat more. I had to sneak Real Food when Meat wasn't looking.

It might have worked better if Meat wasn't a culinary xenophobe for many years of our marriage. Yes, the man lived in Greece but he still ate foods he could recognise. Animal products, that is. One New Year's Eve we went to dinner with friends to a brilliant restaurant in Patrai. When I told the owner I was a vegetarian he beamed and proclaimed that he was going to make me the most delicious vegetarian meal ever. Indeed he did. A huge platter full of pasta, capers, olive oil, tomatoes, peppers, vegetables I don't even remember although my taste buds do. To this day I try to recreate that dish. Did Meat even venture a bite? What do you think? "I don't like capers" he said. Meat has never been good about taking "just one bite to see if you like it" which I was always encouraged as a child to do. If I didn't like it, or had a moral objection to the dish, I was never forced to eat any or any more but I was taught to appreciate a variety of foods that way. Oddly when I make my Pasta Patrai variations now, he happily eats them and even regularly makes his own versions (sans meat) himself.

Reasonable options Stateside would have included Indian, Middle East or African restaurants. Meat was frightened of all of those cuisines. Truly. He was scared he wouldn't like anything. He preferred to stick with what he knew and what was comfortable. Thanks to an Indian-via-Trinidad college friend I became enamored of Indian food and learned to make many dishes myself. These, Meat liked. Eventually. After many years of eyeballing suspiciously. Only within the last year has he become a fiend for coconut curry. He could eat it daily. Perhaps you're seeing the picture now. It's been about three years since Meat decided that felafel was yummy, within the last few months he's become addicted to hummus. Last year he couldn't get enough tabouleh. All foods which were my best friends in my early vegetarian years. Seitan is his True Love. Last winter miso soup was his passion. He joyfully eats steamed rice with kimchi. It's just taken him a while to get there.

So with lots of love and patience, it is possible to make vegan food even a meat-eater will love. I now giggle every time Meat bemoans the fact that he spent so many years without these veg staples, not enough time for so much good food. I'm very thankful for his now-open mind and love for (almost all) foods.

World Vegetarian Day

Although we joke in our house every day is World Vegetarian Day it's nice to know that WVD exists. It's one of those things I tell my kids, "thank your lucky stars because when Mama was a wee girlie, we didn't have any such World Vegetarian Day to make the path easier..."

Truly, World Vegetarian Day is a big deal to me. It's been the same while I have evolved...as a shy young woman it was easier to hide behind the banner of World Vegetarian Day to share the concept of vegetarianism with others. Now, everyone who comes within two miles of me knows that I'm a vegetarian (almost vegan, really) why and how well I eat. I credit World Vegetarian Day and the pioneers who have fought for vegetarian awareness that I have been able to get this far in my journey.

The reasons for eating vegetarian are as diverse as vegetarians themselves, although I believe that I have met more ethical or environmental vegetarians than those who eat veggie solely for health reasons. As one who turned veg during the days of Meat is Murder and Assault & Battery, I have seen art used well to bring vegetarian awareness. I wish I had the platform and the talent to reach many. But I do speak honestly and openly to anyone willing to listen. I don't know if it's my empathetic nature but turning veg was easy for me. I don't always understand why others don't see that cruelty isn't tasty but my mind is open and I hope that by simply being able to share the truth with others, I can make a difference for animals and the environment.

Vegetarianism was the first step for me on a wonderful life-path. Although it's taken years to figure out what I believed and where I belonged, I am thankful for all that I have learned and all I'm learning now.

1001 (or fewer) Things to do With Milk Kefir (part 1)

It's summertime which means that although I'm feeling really lazy, I need to be incredibly creative with my meal preparation. Summer also means that the milk kefir grains do their thing a little faster than in the winter so I have lots of it. If you're new to milk kefir, hopefully these ideas will help you branch out. If you've never tried fermenting with your own grains, maybe this will encourage you to give it a try! If you look hard enough, you'll probably find someone locally who's more than happy to pass on some of their surplus, otherwise it is possible to buy them. I do discourage folks from using the packet kefir starter because it's not the same in taste and benefits as it is with using the grains, but if it gives you a start, hey, rock on.

Honey Kefir Drink

This is simple and delicious. It makes a nice breakfast, good sweet-tooth filler or easy meal when you're too hot and not really peckish enough to have a real meal.

Milk kefir: any amount you choose, let's say 12 oz
Honey: again, you know what sweet is to you. I use 1/2 - 1 dessert-spoon
Cinnamon: sprinkle *see note

Put the kefir in a glass, add honey and cinnamon; stir with fork or spoon until combined.

*Note: I don't use the cinnamon that's sold in tins or plastic jars in the supermarket. I buy mine freshly ground from a groovy local place. I also have cinnamon bark that I grate myself as needed. If you use supermarket cinnamon, you may need a little more than I suggest to get some flavour.

Variations

Change yer spice: instead of cinnamon, try freshly grated/ground nutmeg, freshly grated ginger (or a sprinkle of powdered) or allspice.

Get filled: You can add any fruit you like to the kefir! Some of my favourites are peaches, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. For soft fruits (like the ones mentioned) simply cut the fruits up small, or even roughly mash them and add to the honey-spiced kefir. You can take firmer fruits (apples, melon, pears, etc) and give them a short visit to the blender to make them choppy. Firm fruits don't seem to have the intense flavour that the softer ones have so you may be disappointed or find you need more to taste them. But if you feel the inclination, try what you like - you may discover a new masterpiece!

Add more flavour: It's very easy to add quick flavour with a bit of extract. Almond, rum, vanilla and mint are all good. Just use a tiny bit though, they go a looong way.

So nice to meet you...

I lived a little and then I began cooking.

Cookery is a journey for me, every time I think I know what I need to know I realise I don't. It may seem odd, but I'm not really into food, I can go for days without eating and not notice. I don't obsess over food. However, eating and food experimentation has been an integral part of my life since I was a small child so while I may not be a food junkie, I value a tasty meal and like the challenge of making new dishes.

I baked my first food offering when I was four, a lopsided, pathetic cake for my father. I owe so much to my father, not only did he bestow his zest for learning and love of life on me, he encouraged my brother and I to try new foods and to not accept simply “what was going”.

In 1985 I began flirting with vegetarianism and settled down to a commitment in 1987. At times I've walked the vegan side of the fence, mostly I've remained a lacto-veg. Vegetarianism brought new food challenges since health food stores and ready-made veggie analogues were not as ubiquitous as they are today. Becoming a vegetarian meant making a commitment to preparing more of my foods than I had previously. New skills were learned and my mind opened up just a little bit more.

And then I got married.

My “let me introduce my food world to you” offering to my husband-to-be was tofu manicotti and an apple pie. Despite the fact that he was a full-fledged member of the Meaty Man Club, he loved it. We were so different in so many ways, that diet was only a minor consideration. That was before we spent almost 20 years finding a compromise for our food tastes. My beloved had grown up in a home in which fast food meals and packaged food were de rigeur. O so different from my early childhood in Japan and America and the home-prepared, fresh, ethnically-diverse meals that my father relished. It has certainly been a challenge to please two palates, and those of our young'uns, but a fun journey. Thank you for stopping by my kitchen and sharing a little of life here with Meat & Three Veg.