OMGoodness! Recipe You Must Try. . .

. . . Unless you hate chicken picatta, which in that case, you won't like this recipe.  Gardein's Chick'n Scallopini is so close to the real deal that I suspect you may be able to pass this one off to the most voracious chicken lover without his or her knowledge.  I do alter this a bit by serving over Japanese rice noodles (I am playing around with wheat-free pastas and hate most of the subs, but the Japanese rice noodles don't have a weird flavor or mushy texture) and leaving out the shallots, among other very minor adjustments.  Very tasty and a fairly easy weeknight dinner solution.  We had it with roasted Brussels sprouts as a side.  Go forth and enjoy!

http://www.gardein.com/recipe_detail.php?r=2

Off My Blog Hiatus

I am consistently inconsistent.  I blog with the intent of regular posting and then the months fly by.  But here I am now.  Back and riding the veggie train once more. 

So, after my last post I found out that I have all these crazy food allergies. Dairy I totally knew about already, but wheat and soy blind-sided me along with a couple others (Oysters?  Wtf?  I have only eaten them twice in my life but good to know).  I didn't know how to maintain my quest for vegdom and avoid allergens at first.  Truth be told, avoiding my laundry list of foods didn't make me feel any better.  And grocery shopping turned from a fun adventure to a chore that pissed me off because I had to read every label.  It got easy to slip back into my carnivorous cuisine of a youth spent in Idaho.

I noticed something too as I was avoiding allergens.  First of all, the recipes I found at first sucked.  Which made me not want to abide by my avoidance.  Eventually I gave up and just started fixing whatever was easy.  Hanging my head in shame here because I also ended up gaining just under 10 pounds over the summer as a result.  I woke up a week and a half ago and decided that I am just going to eat what feels best for me (keeping Benadryl in my purse just in case) and what feels best for me is vegetarian.  That being said, I am trying to transition to mostly vegan, because all allergies aside I really do need to avoid dairy.  I get hives and feel nauseous and turn into a mucus factory in my sinus cavities and that's just not good.  I found some cookbooks that don't suck through much trial and error (thank you, local library, for having such an extensive collection) and they are on the way (thank you, Amazon, for also having such an extensive collection).  I figure as long as wheat and soy aren't a staple in what veg products I do consume then I should be okay for the time being until I get even more skilled in my culinarian quests.

My point in sharing this is that someone out there who eventually reads this will relate and understand that we don't have to be perfect all the time.  We just need to be proactive.  I didn't want to keep up on a vegetarian themed blog if I was not hard-core vegetarian.  But it's not about that.  It's about being healthy and trying to make the world a better place one little bit at a time.  So this is my contribution today.  I am embarking on more than a 30 day challenge at this point, I am embarking on a challenge to feel awesome.  I may slip up along the way and have a slice of pepperoni pizza (followed by 4 Benadryl), but as long as that is not the norm, I'll be okay and you will too.  It's about doing what feels good and what works for you and minimizing our impact on our resources.  Plus, I just watched the documentary "Vegucated" (highly recommend) and the thought of eating something that I could potentially have an emotional bond with makes me sad.  Of course, I watched the movie after the emotional roller coaster of my cats being lost outside for several hours when the house cleaner accidentally let them out.  I was so devastated by the thought of losing my fur babies permanently that when I saw the scenes of sad cows, cannibal chickens, and abused pigs I also lost my appetite for a bacon wrapped filet mignon because the animals that produce that meal have feelings and potential to bond with a human if given the chance. 

My other point in sharing this is that I am looking for input from others who have mastered the delicate balance of vegan living and an avoidance diet.  Recommendations, recipes, comments, whatever are welcome.  That's my soapbox for the day.  If you need a reminder as to why we choose to eat a plant-based diet, watch that movie (preferably not while eating lunch at work like I did----just take my word on that one). 

To whoever reads this, thank you for connecting with me.  Namaste!

Products I Am Totally Crushing On Right Now

Here are my top picks so far of items that made my 30-day vegetarian challenge easier as well as items that helped me become sneaky with the veggies for those dining at my homestead. They are not in any particular order either lest someone think I am showing favoritism or ranking. If it made the list, it made my day.

• Daiya Vegan Cheese: for someone like me who loves cheese but not the hives that accompany the consumption, this is by far the best cheese substitute I have found that does not have soy in it. If you switch it out on homemade pizza, I bet no one would even notice. Yep, that's how awesome it is. http://www.daiyafoods.com/



• Gardein "meat": I switched out real chicken for one of their chik'n products in a korma and my fellow eaters had no idea until I told them at the end of the meal. Texturally similar, tasty, and convenient is how I would describe what I have tried from their line up so far. http://www.gardein.com/index.php



• Qorn: also another great chicken substitute and no soy! I highly recommend the Gruyere Chik'n Cutlet. Super yummy! This makes an easy weeknight dinner idea as well for those of us that have crazy schedules. http://www.quorn.us/Home/



• Tofurky: yes, I snicker too when I think of tofurky. This product has come a long way though and there are many options under this label that are good, convenient, and easy to sneak into recipes to unsuspecting meat eaters. I like using the Tofurky Italian Sausage and Tofurky Peppered Deli Slices. I look forward to trying their Maple Tempeh Bacon if I can find it in the store. http://tofurky.com/index.html



• Vega: I will admit to being super skeptical when I bought this powdered nutritional "shake" mix. Especially when I shook it in the water and it was green. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the natural flavor I opted for actually tastes good. Also, it didn't make me feel bleh after consuming it like some of the nutrition shakes I have tried in the past. What drew me to this is the fact that it is dairy free, soy free, and doesn't have unnatural sweeteners added to make it not taste like licking a pasture. Highly recommend trying this in spite of the cost as a means to supplement your quest for health. http://myvega.com/



• Amy's Kitchen: Especially the Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Soy-Free Rice Macaroni and Cheeze (made with Daiya's "cheese" by the way). Amy's products are not only healthy, but consistently taste good. I like to keep a variety of Amy's on hand to bring to work for lunches. http://www.amys.com/



• Theo Chocolate: located in the lovely northwest city of Seattle, Theo Chocolate makes some damn good vegan dark chocolate, so good in fact that I felt compelled to type the word damn in front of describing how good this chocolate is just to get my point across. With options like Fig, Fennel, & Almond, Toasted Almond, and Cherry & Almond you can't go wrong. And by consuming Theo's, you are helping others since they are both organic and fair trade certified. Eat chocolate for a cause and support a local business in the process. http://www.theochocolate.com/

Some Advice

If you decide to embark on a similar journey of trying to transition to a more plants-based diet but don't know where to start as far as cookbooks are concerned then hit up your library. I always recommend checking a cookbook out prior to buying to make sure it is worth the space it is going to take up on your shelf. My theory is that if I am interested in trying at least 5 of the recipes in the cookbook, then it may be worth the investment depending on if those recipes turn out well during the trial run while the book is checked out. If that doesn't apply but there is a recipe to be had, then i simply right it down and put it in my recipe box or binder. That way I have it without having a book collecting dust.

An example of why I encourage this. I found a vegan cookbook, clever title, awesome pictures, sounded lovely. . . Checked it out at the library and it turns out there is not a single recipe in it I would have actually wanted to make. Don't get me wrong. The food looked and sounded quite delicious. The recipes were more complicated than what I was looking for on top of having ingredients that are harder to access when you aren't a private chef in someplace like Los Angeles where the authors are from. On the other hand, back in my veg-curious days I found a cookbook that at the time I merely checked out, wrote down a few recipes from, and returned. That same book is now an integral part of my collection along with 4 others by the same author because the recipes are consistently tasty, have accessible ingredients for the most part, and are not overly complicated to make on a regular basis. Had I not been wandering that section of the library to try to find healthy recipes to use at the time, I might never have discovered the book that would show me how "easy" a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle could be should I ever go that route entirely.

While the vegetarian/vegan cooking is still just a hobby of mine for now, utilizing my resources available for free at my local library has helped me do research, discover new ideas to implement, find out more about food substitutions, and develop my own ideas to try out. In essence, my library is helping me on my quest to become my best version of myself.

Animals are Tasty, Especially Bacon (An Intro to my Blog)

You are probably surprised at the post title if the blog name "The Sneaky Veg" is what drew you in. Before you click backspace or try to turn me over to PETA as a charlatan, let me explain the purpose of this blog. I am not an actual vegetarian, or at least not full-time. Normally, I am probably about 80-85% vegetarian by chance alone, meaning because of my food preferences. For the month of January (starting on the 2nd) I decided to try a 30 day vegetarian challenge in which I would go completely vegetarian until the last day of the month and assess how I feel at that point. I thought it would be more of a challenge, but actually it hasn't been that hard.

You see, it all started back in 7th grade science class when my Life Science teacher thought kids needed to know more about salmonella, e coli, trichinosis, and other assorted bacteria found in our food supply. Without going into all the gory details, I had zero desire to eat the grilled chicken my mom had cooked that night for dinner and I made up my mind to become a vegetarian. Unfortunately, that only lasted all of 15 minutes as I argued with my mom and she threatened to call my science teacher at home (nothing is more mortifying to a 12 year old than the thought of parents calling teachers). We compromised, meaning I ate the stupid chicken while saying, "I hope all the bacteria on this are dead so we don't all die" and my declaration to be vegetarian ended as quickly as it had begun.

As an adult making my own choices, I found I finally had control over what I consumed. Initially though I didn't "know how to cook". In all actuality, I had no drive to be domestic and had a crazy work schedule that helped me rationalize why I avoided cooking for myself. "It's cheaper to eat out." "It takes too much time." "I hate leftovers and it's just me." Up until recently, there weren't many good tasting options out there for vegetarians either. I flirted with it by trying soy cheese and eating lots of salad, but ugh, it was so boring and didn't taste good.

Upon entering into a relationship with a total foodie who has a very adventurous palate, I realized I was probably going to have to suck it up and learn how to cook. I started with childhood classics like spaghetti, meatloaf, pot roast, chicken. I typically avoided making anything pork just because pigs gross me out, but for him I have been known to fix the occasional pork chop and bacon. I also ended up working at a couple of different schools with culinary programs. Now, as an artist I find it difficult to be around fellow creatives and not be inspired. Couple that with the realization that it helps to know what you are talking about when trying to convince people they need to complete a culinary program to get to where they want to be in their career and the creative juices started flowing freely like wine at an Italian family's dinner table.

I took my cooking to a whole new level thanks to the students and chef instructors I had the opportunity to connect with. Ideas were exchanged along with tips and recipes. And I made a discovery: Not only do I enjoy cooking, but I am skilled at it as well. Hooray! The only problem is, I am still grossed out by meat so I would intentionally choose to make dishes that were primarily vegetarian, knowing that my significant other could get his meat on during lunch and when we would go out to eat. Then I got the bright idea to start looking into using substitutes in meaty dishes to see if it was obvious to the diner that there was no meat or if it "ruined" the integrity of the original dish. My boyfriend and his brother were unknowing but willing guinea pigs for this experiment and The Sneaky Veg emerged. I sneakily made the spaghetti sauce with "ground beef", "chicken" korma, "italian sausage" and pasta, "beef" tibs in some sort of African sauce I found at Cost Plus, and, well, you get the general idea.

I discovered the joy of Qorn Chik'n Patties, Gardein "chicken", Smart Ground "beef", and most recently Tofurky slices (which are awesome by the way). Because I have a weird dairy allergy sensitivity break out in hives thing going on with my body, I gradually switched out our milk to Almond milk, the yogurt to soy and almond yogurts, found Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese (which lives up to its name), and tried Daiya Shreds. It is amazing how many good vegetarian meat and dairy substitutes there are out on the market right now. Being veg has come a long way in the past 5 years and it is good to know I can find tasty alternatives. Still haven't found a good fake bacon, or facon as I like to call it, but I am not feeling deprived. Also, because I limit my interaction with dairy products (I still use real butter and some real cheese), I haven't had an intense hives spreading down my torso and legs situation in a while.

I started to play around with straight up vegetarian and vegan recipes and was pleasantly surprised to discover some truly awesome food I could make at home. Better yet, the ingredients have become more accessible so tracking down things like tempeh, seitan, exotic spices (meaning not oregano), broccoli rabe, chard, et cetera were no longer impossible. You don't have to live in LA or New York to live this lifestyle anymore, which is good because the pollution in LA would kill me no matter how healthy I eat. Don't get me wrong, I still can't find all of my ingredients in one grocery store so I do have to plan my shopping accordingly, but I find that is getting increasingly easier and I suspect that within the next 2 years I won't have to rely on overpaying at the Whole Foods Market to get something like brown rice syrup. Along the way I have discovered some fantastic resources to help me keep my kitchen mostly veg. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison was a good investment. The cookbook is huge and was more than I would typically spend on a specialty cookbook, but it was worth it. My all-time go-to cookbooks for vegetarian/vegan cooking though are the ones by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. These ladies started out with Vegan With a Vengeance and now have eight books between them, 5 of which I own and use on a regular basis.

Over the past year, in my continuing flirtation with vegetarian food, I have read numerous books and watched the popular documentaries like Forks Over Knives, Food Inc., and the episode of 30 Days where a meat loving hunter lived with an animal rights activist family for 30 days. If he can go veg for 30 days, anyone can. Seriously, if you haven't seen that series you should Netflix it. All the episodes were very interesting. Anyway, I have taken into account all the information, weighed the options, rolled my eyes at the celebrities touting this lifestyle and "authoring" books with recipes they like (must be nice to have a nutritionist and a personal chef), and have decided to give this lifestyle a fair shot finally.

I am not one of those people who are trying vegetarian because animals have feelings too. No, I would not eat my cats or my mom's dog, but I would like a steak from the cow in the neighbor's pasture. I know they have feelings. I know they are cute. I know we have sold animals way short on their ability to process information, bond emotionally, and their intelligence levels. I get it. I love animals too. But that aside, there are some that taste pretty damn good. Wait! Don't leave. Here's where I justify my choice. I have struggled for years with the thoughts that I am potentially consuming poison. Bacteria aside, there is a whole new crop (pun intended) of issues with the modern food supply including antibiotics, hormones, unsanitary conditions in processing facilities, and disease. So while I would not venture to eat my pets, I also hesitate to venture eating that pumped full of antibiotics cow that has been standing knee deep in his own feces for his whole life either. I also don't want to eat cannibal chickens who have been also given antibiotics and because of the close living quarters, when one gets trampled the others feed off it. And pigs! Not even going to go there. You get the idea.

My issue with the meat supply has nothing to do with emotions, it's logic. Logically, I want my body to be equipped to fend off diseases and viruses and as it stands right now, our medicines are not even able to kick out some of the bugs going around because we have overly consumed the very things designed to fight them. That's why I am writing this blog and that's why I am on day 20 of straight vegetarianism. Oh, and I am not consuming eggs (gross and they come from cannibal chickens) or fish (poor fishies have been over "farmed" at this point and swim in contaminated water) during this time. So far, this is working. I am not sure if I will be 100% veg 100% of the time when the 30 days is up, but my 85% is going to go up to at least 98% because of personal preference and choice.

Also, as a somewhat spiritual/pseudo-hippie/yoga person I can't help but contemplate that when I eat animals that have been stressed out in poor living conditions and died under great terror, that I am partaking of that energy and entwining that energy with my own. I am already stressed enough. I don't need the added stress of Bessie's last moment on earth getting electrocuted to death right after her calf was dragged away added in. We already have so many energy suckers and negativity to contend with in our lives to overcome on a daily basis. Life is short and I want to do what I can to be as happy as possible while it lasts. If there is anything I have learned over the past couple years in couplehood it's that I want to enjoy my time here with the people I love and care about and who contribute to my well-being. If choosing Brussels sprouts over a chicken breast helps me extend that time and helps me stress less, then so be it.

I am not trying to convert, just explain my choice. Hopefully I can help others find ways to incorporate more non-meat items into their diets. In the meantime, I will continue to find clever ways to sneak vegetarian food on the table that is so yummy the people consuming it don't feel like they are missing out on anything (hence "the sneaky veg", get it?). I want to share my resources and what I learn along the way and in exchange get ideas from others, like if you have a great facon product you've tried let me know. I plan to share what I have used and what I have made so that if anyone else is teetering on the edge of vegetarianism, they can know they aren't alone. And in case you're wondering, yes, I get plenty of protein in my diet.

Namaste!