Three months after our BBQ wedding, my husband came home from work one day and announced that he was going to be vegan. Starting right then. (For those of you who may not know, vegan means eating NO animal products. No meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs.) Why and how he came to this life-altering decision is a story for another time- one my incredibly private husband has not yet given me permission to write about- but the short version is for ethical reasons. The treatment of animals in our food supply is appalling.
His announcement was tough for me to handle, as I am a dietitian (and his wife!) and he did not consult with me before making this major decision. Plus, many of my nutrition clients have disordered eating. I've always promoted moderation and balance and the idea that "all foods fit." And let's face it, veganism is a form of extreme eating.
I've had friends say, "I could never marry a vegan." And my response is always, "I didn't." My friends, you just never know what you are getting into when you say, "I do."
In the almost five years since we got married, I've gotten used to cooking vegan dinners. But people are
always asking (even my dietitian friends) what exactly do I make each night. So for all of you who've asked and for those who are just curious, this post is for you.
For the past several months, I've been taking photos of our dinners. I'll be posting photos of our vegetarian meals regularly. And warning: I am not a food stylist but I swear that these meals look better in person than in these photos!
Here are three of our favorite vegan meals:
Black Bean Taco Night
Veggie Burger Night
We love Dr. Prager's California Style veggie burgers. They don't contain any processed soy. The soy veggie burger we like best is Morning Star Farms Vegan Grillers. I cut up tons of fresh vegetables for toppings (even shaved carrots and avocado). And we always use baby spinach instead of lettuce in our house.
Asian Night
Edamame, vegetable gyoza with lots of dipping sauces,
and Asian veggies.
PS: I say "Vegan Freak" as a term of endearment. He made this decision based on compassion for other living beings. How could I not respect and support that?
PPS: I
know people think vegans are freaks, because that is what we both thought before he became one!
PPPS: I'm not vegan but a year or so after his conversion, I became a ovopescolactovegetarian (that's dietitian talk and means I still eat eggs, seafood, and dairy.)
PPPS: What are the odds? My sister is married to a vegan freak too.
