Vegan For Lent: Week Three (or so...)

I've had several conversations recently with people wondering how "the vegan thing" is going. My husband has really been craving and missing the experience of eating meat- a big, fantastic hamburger, or grilled salmon. He's been a champ, but he'll be very ready to enjoy something of the meat-variety come Easter Sunday. I honestly haven't really missed meat. Granted, grilling season has yet to begin in earnest, and we can't afford to eat sushi anyway. But I really thought I'd be pining away for shaved parmesano reggiano or a giant dollop of goat cheese atop spicy italian sausage and peppers. Not so far, though Easter is still 3 weeks away.

What I have appreciated is the very thing I was hoping for- I really wanted to enjoy the abundance of plant-based food. Sauteed bell peppers and sweet onions with portobello mushrooms, stuffed into a tortilla with gloriously spicy guacamole. Delectable strawberries with coconut-milk whipped cream for dessert. And yes, french fries still make the vegan-table.

I've long since believed that, to experience beauty in its many forms is to experience GOD. And anytime we stop and recognize that beauty, when we enjoy it and give thanks for it, we worship GOD at a fundamental level. A communion of Creator and co-creator/created happens in a mysterious, but experiential way. I've continued to find this to be true throughout this Lenten season.

There's something more that I'm craving, though- something more that has compelled me to take this journey of Lent via my dinner plate. Of course, I haven't really known quite what that is. I was at Target this last week and on a whim picked up the book "Women, Food and God" by Geneen Roth. I was intrigued by the title and figured it'd probably be appropriate for the season.

I have to admit that I skimmed through quite a few pages, as compulsive over-eating hasn't really been my issue. I was surprised at how vague her notion was of God- or least, that's how she presented her notion. I found her references to God were more about psychology and ourselves, but OK- I can work with that. In fact, I could probably reinterpret that more easily than if Ms. Roth were a hyper-evangelical Christian. But that's a different issue I have. :)

What struck me about this book and the thing I have been considering all week is this: when I use food to meet an emotional or spiritual need, I am checking out of my body and excusing myself to be somewhere else- I become dis-integrated from myself. And this is something God has never wanted.

This idea of dis-integration is one that really resonates with me because for the last few years I've been on a quest to re-integrate the various parts of my life. I want what I believe to be true about God- about myself- about the world to be integrated (or in alignment) with the way I parent, the way I spend my time, the way I love my husband and friends. And I want that same integration/alignment with the way I treat my body- how I speak to it, how I feed it and how I use it to enjoy physical activity or to help others.

Vegan For Lent: Week Two

For lunch the other day, I prepared a breakfast bagel sandwich. Scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and four slices of maple bacon. I got through half of it before I realized, "Oh crap! This isn't vegan! And James is gonna know because he'll smell the bacon!"

And then I woke up.

Yep. Those are the kind of dreams I'm having these days. I always wake up with a chuckle.

Week two has included some superb food. James and I had a Groupon to Little India that expired last weekend. So, you know, we simply HAD to get away for dinner to use it before we wasted $20. I was skeptical, having only ever ordered chicken vindaloo when eating Indian (except when in India, of course). I wasn't super excited about what I feared would amount to stir-fried veggies in some tasteless sauce. (How I got to this conclusion, I have no idea. It can't possibly be based on any reality actually involving Indian food that I've experienced up to this point.) What we ate was, simply put, one of the best meals I have had in a long time- vegan or no. We ordered a chickpea masala and another dish that featured mushrooms, lentils, peas and a divinely inspired spicy sauce. The naan at this particular Indian restaurant had egg in it, and I was heartbroken. That is, until James introduced me to Puri. For my New Mexican friends, puri is akin to indian fry bread, only in smaller portions. So we mopped up every last bit of sauce-y deliciousness with deep fried, glorious bread.

I also happened to make the best pancakes AND the best banana bread that I've ever made this past weekend. If you know me, you know I'm not a good baker. I'm terrible at following directions. So this was really no small feat. I'm posting the banana bread recipe below.

So, any significant revelations? Nah. But we're eating well, and enjoying it for sure.

Rachael's Vegan Banana Bread (1 loaf)
(adapted from her mother's delicious recipe)
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. Earth Balance butter
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 super-ripe, mashed up bananas
3 TBS non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
semi-sweet chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat to 350*. Cream sugar, butter & vinegar together. Add bananas and milk, and stir until well blended. Add baking soda, baking powder and flour. Stir until completely combined. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 45min to 1 hour.

Vegan For Lent: Week One

It's funny how we venture just a few steps at a time, and after a few years, realize how far down a path we've come that we never intended to go. This is certainly the case for me with food. I would have never thought that I would even consider eating a vegan diet for six weeks. Anyone who knows me would know that my love for cheese would have surely trumped that idea. It's interesting how it's usually the small steps that take us the farthest. 

In this case, I'm not sure exactly where I am headed. Looking at it from the outside, it seems a very strange thing to me to look at food as a potential source for spirituality. And that source having less to do with exactly what I eat than simply the thoughtfulness behind it. As I get older, though, I find that it's increasingly important for me to see an integration among the daily activities within my life. I don't really have time for superfluous- I'd rather expend my energy doing things that are integrated within the values I hold in life. I think about this a lot when it comes to how I parent my kids, or the kind of wife I try to be. I think about it with my job. Those are the biggies, of course, but that intentionality is starting to trickle in to some of the other daily, but less obvious activities of life. Activities such as eating. Exercising. Practicing hospitality. 

I'm not interested in spiritualizing something, simply for the sake of it. I've been around those sorts of folks who insist on placing a sort of "godliness" about everything they do... and I guess if that leads them to a place of gratitude, so be it. I'm simply trying to understand the inherent interconnectedness within what we do with our bodies, our emotions, our intellect, and our soul. It's no secret that sex, for example, isn't simply a physical act which doesn't impact the other areas of our being. And so I wonder, does the same go for the way we eat? 

I didn't begin a vegan diet because I believe that to tap into the spirituality of eating requires a moral stance on the content of our plate. I truthfully began it because a good friend suggested it. And when she suggested it, she put it in the context of being conscious of what we are preparing, and enjoying the abundance of great flavors the earth has to offer. So for me, Vegan For Lent isn't about deprivation or fasting. I'm certainly not approaching it as such. God knows this week I've enjoyed the silkiness of avocados, the sweetness of slowly roasted bell peppers and the satisfying earthiness of portobello mushrooms. I'm simply looking to prepare our meals thoughtfully, and wondering aloud how what I eat impacts all the layers of Me. 

That... was not good.

Ever have one of those meals when you sit, post-mastication, wondering what in the hell just happened? I mean... how could you go wrong? Mushroom ragu (with real cream and parmesan cheese)? GOOD. Fresh spinach? GOOD. Polenta? GOOOOD. But somewhere in the mix, something went horribly array. It's a damn shame, too, considering all the calories. Sigh. Oh well.

On a different note, my friend Joy (who I swear I am not stalking, though I do reference her a whole lot) is introducing Vegan For Lent as a spiritual practice this year. Eating a plant-based diet as part of a lenten practice is a historical tradition starting back a few centuries after the time of Jesus. Here's a snippet of her Vegan For Lent guide, which will be downloadable at www.highlandschurchdenver.org after Sunday, March 06. Included are nutrition guidelines, Denver-area restaurants, food substitutions and over 40 recipes.

Room at the Table

The idea of abstinence is not based on what is lacking, but on what fills the space.  When we remove things from our lives, it creates room for whatever we choose. And when we abstain from elements of our meals, we create room for God at the table.

How many meals are eaten in a blur of activity, in the quick pause of a lunch break, or as we rush off to the next activity? These practices are far removed from the feasts of the Hebrew Bible or the table fellowship of Jesus’ time. It’s no wonder we seldom consider where our food came from, or what effects our food choices might have. Use this time not only to enjoy meals and those we share them with, but also to consider with an open mind what we are consuming, and to do so mindfully.

Simple Abundance

A diet based solely on plants might appear very austere at first glance, but consider the abundance found in nature and in the plant world. Think of a perfect plum, a garden-ripe heirloom tomato, or a rich, fatty avocado. These are the foods first given to humanity to eat, and they represent a simplicity we don’t often experience.

Jesus’ time in the desert was not about deprivation, but transformation. Likewise, this Lenten practice is not based on deprivation, but on the transformation that can occur when we find abundance in the midst of simplicity. Eating vegan creates the space for us to discover it. God is in the simplicity. God is in the abundance.

James and I will be doing this for Lent this year. If any of you are interested and want to dialogue about your experience, please let me know. We don't have any intention to permanently venture into vegan-dome, but at least for me, I just intend to enjoy the food provided by the earth. I hope to challenge my creativity in preparing meals without cheese (my staple and thigh-unfriendly ingredient). And I hope that in the process, I'll experience GOD in a new way. 

For any questions you might have in entering this journey, you can email Joy at veganforlent@yahoo.com.

Mmmmmm.... Sooouuup -Joey Tribiani

I'm not sure at what age it becomes acceptable to adore soup... but I'm pretty sure this launches me into the middle-aged category somehow. But who cares, because I really do like soup. The nostalgia of hot soup on a cold day is enough to keep me coming back for seconds.

I mentioned in a FB post that I'm fairly certain GOD makes Creamy Green Chile Soup on cold days- that endorsement seemed enough for some of you to want the recipe. So here it is- it comes from my sister Anna's kitchen. Other soups that I mentioned are listed in the side bar of recipes- I think the Butternut Squash/Pear Bisque is outstanding, so definitely give that one a try this fall! Because of the calories, I usually reserve the GC one for special occasions- it has become our Christmas Eve tradition.

You'll need:
1 stick of butter (real butter is better than margarine, but you could use margarine if you want)
3/4 C. flour
2 C. (fat free) half & half: (fat free works perfectly and it saves a few calories)
        or you can use 2C whole milk (skim milk will probably not work but 2% will likely be fine)
3 C. chicken broth
2 C. cooked, chopped chicken (rotisserie chicken works exceptionally well!!)
2 C. green chile
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
salt & pepper, to taste
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and warm, buttered tortillas

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk over medium heat for 5 minutes. The roux will get a nice golden brown. As you continue whisking, slowly add the chicken broth. Once this is fully incorporated, add the half & half (or milk) and continue stirring as you bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add in the green chile, chicken and seasoning. Once the chicken is heated through, the soup is done. The taste only develops as it sits, so be sure you make enough for leftovers!

Veggies, With A Side of Veggies Please

I think I am somehow going to have to figure out how to grow my own vegetables next summer. Let it be known now that my thumb is actually black. My dear friend Kristen planted lambs ear in my backyard garden and assured me it was impossible to kill. Well, it took 3 years, but I have managed to do the impossible. It is 100% dead- and that's with me watering the garden and attempting (however slightly) to maintain it. Sigh.

I have found that eating vegetarian dinners on a regular (4-5 times/week) basis has actually been much easier than I anticipated. It took a few weeks to get into the groove. But I will say that it hasn't improved my budget- I haven't actually done a cost comparison (because I'm too lazy) but the amount of vegetables it takes seems to cost about the same as the meat I'm replacing. Bell peppers are ridiculously expensive at at least $1.25/each (and that's extremely cheap compared to the regular grocery store)- portobello mushrooms are about the same. We easily go through 12 bell peppers and 8 onions a week. I roast 'em together with a bunch of carrots and toss it in to just about every recipe I can think of (and they are DIVINE).

But I'm cheap, dammit, and need to figure out ways to cut down the grocery bill. So I may have to figure out how to find the discipline to actually tend a garden next summer. Like, really, not just theoretically.

Here's a veggie recipe I'm trying this week:

Veggie Enchiladas (Green Chile)
3 bell peppers
3 onions
3 carrots
1-2 zucchini
2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach or 1/2 6oz pkg frozen
2-3 oz goat cheese
1/2 c. grated cheddar (reduced fat is better)
12-18 corn tortillas
1 can hatch green chile sauce + extra fresh green chile
OR 1-2 cans Hatch red chile sauce, if you prefer

Slice bell peppers, onions and carrots. Toss together on a cookie sheet with 2 TBS oil. Roast at 425* for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Cook until caramelized and gorgeous. Set aside. Dice zucchini into small bites. Brown in a skillet with 1TBS olive oil. Set aside.

In a 9X12 baking dish, spray with cooking spray, spread tiny amount of chile sauce and lay down first 4-6 corn tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 the goat cheese and all of the zucchini and spinach. Spread a bit more sauce and top with next layer of corn tortillas. Sprinkle the rest of the goat cheese, all of the bell peppers/onions/carrots. Top with almost all the sauce, reserving enough to cover the final layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining tortillas, then the remaining sauce, and top with the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes. It should be hot throughout and the cheese should be brown and bubbly on top!

The Journey To... Where, Exactly?

I nearly started this blog out with a sentence in reference to this journey of food discovery, when it occurred to me, I'm not actually GOING anywhere. And while I view spirituality as being a journey of discovery without really having much of a tangible destination, I at least had to stop and ask, is that what this is, too? I'm so goal-oriented in most things, it sure would be nice to think of changing my family's diet as something more of an adventure to be enjoyed, rather than a mark I'm not quite hitting...

I was feeling a little down the other day because our actual meals haven't exactly been what I had planned- particularly in the area of sugar-consumption. (I'm afraid homemade lattes are quickly replacing my mid-morning soda fix. And blessings on the Eat-Clean Diet Lady, but I'm just not to the no-sugar place yet, as is evidenced by my just-too-tight pants...) But then I started thinking back to what we had been eating lately- and I realized that nearly all of our dinners the last 3 weeks have been vegetarian. And hey, coming from a rather carnivorous, that's not something to sneeze at. (Wait, is that how that expression goes?)

So I've decided to let myself off the hook a bit and continue with our destination-less journey of discovering good, healthy food. With that in mind, I'm posting a recipe from a delightful dinner I made last weekend for my sister and my vegetarian/vegan friends. It was 100% vegan, and lacked absolutely nothing. Don't believe me? Try it!

Grilled Portobello Sandwiches and Green (Ridiculously Good) Salad
for 4 people

For the Sandwiches:
4 large portobello caps
2-3 bell peppers, roasted (jarred or roast ahead of time- any color)
2 yellow onions, caramelized (you can either roast these with the bell peppers, or if using jarred bells, cook these in a skilled with olive oil until brown and oozey.)
4 roma tomatoes (you can either roast them on a cookie sheet to make them sweet, serve them raw or use sundried tomatoes)
4 green chiles, diced or just sliced in half, and seeds removed
1 large foccacia bread (buy high quality bread, and skip the baked-in cheese- you won't miss it)

Preheat your grill. Brush both sides of the portobello mushrooms with olive oil, salt & pepper. Grill mushrooms for approx. 10-13 minutes, turning once. (Alternatively, if you prefer, you can slice the mushrooms into long slices and cook them in a skillet- the sandwich will look beautiful either way.) If your bell peppers and onions are not already hot, warm them in the microwave just before mushrooms are done. Slice the foccacia into four portions, and slice open. Layer each sandwich with one portobello, bell peppers, onions, 1 tomato and green chile. Serve with salad on the side.

For The Salad:
4 C. favorite lettuce (I prefer plain baby spinach)
2 granny smith apples, diced
1 C. walnuts (I cook about 2 c. walnuts in 1/3c. pure maple syrup in a skillet over med heat, stirring until the syrup has caramelized into utter deliciousness)

For the Dressing:
1 C. olive oil
1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
1/2 C. sugar
1 garlic clove
1 small package fresh basil (about 1/3c.)

In a small food processor, chop up the garlic and basil. Add the other ingredients and blend well. Store in a container that has a tight lid- as it sits in the fridge, it separates, so you'll need to shake well. Will last about a week.