With all of my travels, I asked my friend Chaya to write a post about being a vegan. She was happy to oblige. Thanks Chaya!
I have been a vegan now for over 17 years, and I can tell you that the first question people ask me after I tell them of my culinary choice is “So wait, what do you eat?” My stock answer is a chuckle and to reply “Food.” This also seems to baffle people. And so they press further, “well, what did you have for dinner last night?” For some reason people always ask about dinner, which I find strange, but we can discuss that in some other guest post. So I have come to demystify you. What are we crazy vegans eating for dinner?
Let’s first start by explaining what we crazy vegans are not eating for dinner. The vegan diet consists of the basic rule “don’t eat anything that is a by product of something which had a face/mother.” On my table you will find no fish, dairy products, meat, eggs, or honey. Before you decide that I am off my rocker let me offer up some foods you may easily find which are vegan. Oreos are vegan, Lays potato chips, Coca Cola, Barilla spaghetti, Luigi’s Italian ice, and when you ask for soymilk, even a Starbuck’s Frappucino is vegan and the list goes on and on. I admit that list is rather unhealthy, but you get the idea, none of us are starving.
Back to dinner. I menu plan pretty vigorously in my house. I regularly have to cook for myself, my husband, my three youngins, and my mother. Let me tell you, everyone likes eating something else, but in my kitchen everyone eats vegan. So I submit to you, gentle readers, my menu for the next week.
Sunday: Tofu stirfry with tons of vegetables from our CSA, brown rice, and melon smoothies. This meal makes everyone happy. My older kids love tofu, my baby loves rice, my husband will eat anything with soy sauce on it, and my mother will eat anything she does not have to cook.
Monday: Sourdough bread stew, and acorn squash bake. Monday I clean out the fridge because we pick up our CSA, and I need to use up that bread. I always make a big green salad. So we’ll have that as well.
Tuesday: Sheperd’s pie. Need I say more? Veggies with mashed potatoes on top, no one complains.
Wednesday: Rice and beans. This is a fast and cheap meal, two things I love. I’ll also sauté some kale.
Thursday: I’m out this night on a regular basis so I make dinner easy. Bush’s vegetarian baked beans, Lightlife hotdogs, and French fries. Not super healthy, but it is a special once a week treat.
Friday: Tempeh bake. I admit my kids are not super fond of this meal as I bake tempeh with potatoes and sauerkraut, but my kids love to pick out the tempeh and potatoes, so it isn’t that bad.
Saturday: My husband and son eat at synagogue for dinner, and I am too lazy to do anything by this point, so the rest of us eat cereal and soymilk.
I have more meals that I regularly cook: meatloaf, lasagna, quiche, tacos and a variety of other things, but this was just to give you an idea. So next time you meet a vegan, ask ‘em what they for lunch.