Day 26-31

My final post regarding THE VEGAN EXPERIMENT!

Let me preface this by saying that even by my extremely lax definition of veganism, I totally failed my commitment in these last few days! Opps:( But, none the less, I have learned a lot and have created some new habits during this month.

Day 26: Potato & Garlic Soup

This recipe came from The Complete Vegan Cookbook and I will try to get a picture of it later to include because it was really good and extremely simple. I basically boiled potatoes, garlic, and seasonings in veggie broth and then pureed it. It was a little thick and turned out closer in consistency to mashed potatoes, but it was still really yummy and creamy (without any dairy) and had lots of flavor. I probably just didn't use enough broth (I didn't measure). The key is definitely to use a really full flavored broth or stock. I am in love with Trader's Joe's low sodium veggie broth, it is so much richer and flavorful than other varieties I've tried.

Day 27: Scott Hib's Whiskey Baby Back Ribs and Veggie Skewers

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/scott-hibbs-amazing-whisky-grilled-baby-back-ribs/Detail.aspx

Um yea, so thus begins my utter failure at any attempt of vegan eating... Sam had been talking about wanting ribs so I ate a vegan salad for lunch and ate vegan the rest of the day so we could have ribs for dinner. We had attempting ribs before and they never came out quite right but this recipe definitely hits the mark! The ribs were falling off the bones and the sauce was spicy with great flavor. Totally worth the rather ill feeling I experienced after eating so much meat when I hadn't had much at all over the past month...

In an attempt to still get our veggies in we grilled up some yummy veggie kabobs! Just sliced some mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, and red onion and skewered them and grilled them! Deeeelicious! No seasoning or anything... perfect!

Day 28: Kalua Pork w/ Jasmine Rice and Veggie Skewers

I guess due to my failure on day 27 I figured it didn't matter anymore so I might as well just go all out... haha! Again, due to Sam's request, we made our favorite Hawaiian dish. Easiest and most delicious recipe ever! Take a pork butt and coat it in hawaiian sea salt and liquid smoke and put it in your crock pot on low in the morning. In the afternoon, drain and reserve the fat/juices and shred the pork (discarding any fat) and return to the crock pot with the juice (pour off the fat before returning juices to the pot) and let it warm until you're ready to serve. Tastes JUST like kalua pork from an imu, only without the gritty pieces of sand:)

We liked the veggie skewers from the night before so much that we made them again!

Day 29: Camille's Veggie Enchiladas

It was girl's night for the ladies in our small group and my girlfriend Camille made some awesome veggie enchilada's with spinach, mushrooms, beans, corn, and a yummy tomatillo sauce! She promised to share the recipe so when I get it, I'll pass it along:)

Day 30: Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homemade-Black-Bean-Veggie-Burgers/Detail.aspx

We had some fellow submariner friends over for a fun memorial day cookout and I made these burgers for me and my vegetarian friend. (More accurately, Sam made these burgers upon my my request while I made him apple pie!) They are really yummy! I didn't miss eating beef burgers at all. The comments on the website offer some good suggestions like freezing the burgers before grilling to help them hold together better. We doubled the recipe and did everything in the food processor. I still have half the burgers in the freezer for a quick, easy lunch or dinner when I don't feel like having to cook.

Day 31: Falafel Sandwich from the farmer's market

Yum yum, I love me some falafel! And no body does falafel like "Mr. Falafel and Hummus" at the Monterey farmer's market! I brought at sandwich home for Sam too and he loved it as well:) I've looked up falafel recipes so I can make it at home, but it's honestly just so cheap and so good at the farmer's market, I think it would probably cost more to buy all the ingredients and not likely taste as good!

And that concludes my Not-So-Vegan Experiment:)

Now, as for what I will take away from this...

I plan to continue eating pretty much as I have been throughout this experiment (i.e.- not exactly vegan, but a little stricter than vegetarian) because I feel fuller and healthier than before I began this. I thought I would really miss meat and cheese, but I don't. I now sometimes want a taste of meat, but a whole meal of meat is not appealing anymore. My new "plan" is to eat meat at most at one meal a day and the same for cheese. This way I can still enjoy our favorite recipes and foods, but still benefit from the vegan lifestyle as well.

I also plan to continue sharing good, healthy recipes via this blog because I know at least a few people have been trying some of these and enjoying them! I doubt I will post every, single meal I eat... but I promise to share some of the good ones:) And as always... please pass your good recipes on to me too!

Thanks to those who have been reading and offering encouragement and accountability along the way, especially my hubby who has been enduring my new cooking habits without any complaint:)