Eatin' Vegan

Usually, my blog is dedicated to feminist issues and interests. I believe that I am just as worthy a person as any guy and I deserve to be treated as an equal. I also have this crazy idea that human animals are not the only creatures who have a right to live in peace on this planet. Yup. Go figure.

I recently committed myself to buying only cruelty free beauty products. I don't think little bunny rabbits and beagle puppies should have to suffer for me to have pretty eyeliner. (and yes, feminists wear eyeliner). ;p

Not long after, I started to think about what I was spending my money on at the grocery store. Did I really need to eat factory farmed meat? What was I supporting when I spent money on milk and eggs? The more I found out, the more I liked tofu scramble, soy milk and fresh veggies. So, these days I am trying for a mostly vegan menu at home.

Last week Marz, T3 and I had a little cooking party and made some loverly things. I was feeling pretty optimistic so, this weekend I bought my first vegan cookbook, Vive le Vegan by Dreena Burton. I've never really been much of a cook. I can bake like a pro, but cooking regular food always seemed kind of scary. When you bake, there are precise instructions to be followed. You put in the right amount of baking powder and flour and things turn out ok. Cooking is a lot more...well, free-form. I need my instructions.

I've found a lot of really cool vegan/vegetarian bloggers here that are so inspiring. After reading some of their posts (and drooling over their food pics!) and checking out some recipes on-line, I felt inspired enough to give this cooking thing a shot.

This cookbook is great. It has clear, easy to follow recipes and the food tastes great. No more bland steamed veggies! Hooray!

Here are pics of my very first vegan meal that I cooked all by myself. I did the Greek Basmati Rice (pg 94) and Lemon Herb Tofu (pg 65) and a salad. I loved getting to go shopping for my ingredients at the farmer's market this morning, too.



Here's the tofu. This was my favorite part of the meal. The tofu really absorbed all the flavors and baked up nicely. Very tasty!


And here is the Greek basmati rice. Yum! Next time I will remember to add the garlic (doh!) and maybe a little more water for the rice. But, even with my little mistakes, it turned out pretty good.



All in all, I was pleased with my first attempt flying solo. I love that I had a great, flavorfull meal that didn't support factory farming. Thus, doing my little part to help ensure that this planet is around for future generations of little girls and boys who will treat each other with respect and get equal pay for equal work.

Hey, a girl can dream, right?