I'm feeling so great these days. Better than ever, really. I have decided in the future when Lent has ended, I will likely continue eating vegan at home, and vegetarian while out of the house-- but I'll always take the vegan option, if available. Who knows, maybe one day I will convert entirely. All I know is that this is getting easier and easier -- and tastier, too.
VegFest 2011 Expo
On Sunday, my mom, my sister and Natalie and I attended VegFest 2011 sponsored by VegMichigan. It featured chef Tal Ronnen, the man who catered Ellen's vegan wedding. When I asked the two of them to accompany us to the Expo, we were thinking there would be a few people there, but nothing crazy. We couldn't have been more wrong! It was insanity. Like, North American International Auto Show crowded. Like the mall on Christmas Eve. Wall to wall people.
At first, I was annoyed by how crowded it was (and all the people who just decided they were important enough to cut in line! But I digress...) Then I realized something. If all these people showed up to this expo, that means awareness is growing. It means more and more people care about their bodies, about the planet, and about the welfare of animals. It means the lightbulb is going off for more people than I ever imagined ten years ago when I was 18, a new vegetarian, and unable to find faux turkey slices anywhere. I used to think, "why am I bothering to do this? I'm not affecting change in the world. Animals are still dying. Nothing will ever be different." That's part of the reason I fell off the wagon for a good five years. But look! Things *are* changing, and I'm so happy I'm back a part of it, this time with my husband and baby in tow.
But enough warm fuzzies! On to the food.
Simple Lunches
This week, we tried BBQ Pulled Shreds Sandwiches and "Ham" and "Cheese" Sammies.
The BBQ sandwiches were out of control. Bonus, they were so easy! We used:
So simple and so yummy. Meat eaters would absolutely be fooled by this product. The chik'n texture was so similar to the real thing, and the flavor of the bbq sauce was delicious. During the 2 minute microwaving time, I prepped some buns with lettuce, tomato, and:
.. and just a tiny smear of..
The next thing you knew, we had:
A heck of a delicious sandwich!
I did add a bit of hot sauce to it, because I just love spicy things. When I went back to vegetarianism, this was one of the things I thought I would miss most-- shredded buffalo chicken sandwiches. Now that I know I can have it whenever I want, cruelty-free and super fast, I'm really stoked! My next project with this product is an attempt at a BBQ Chik'n Pizza... I can't wait to see how it comes out!
"Ham" & "Cheese" Sammies
The quintessential simple lunch: A cold cut sandwich with chips and an apple. Except it's (you guessed it!) totally vegan!
It's made with lettuce, tomato, the Vegenaise and Veggie Slices pictured above, along with:
(aka The Greatest Bread in the World)
and
along with an apple and some locally grown potato chips, we have:
A fantastic vegan lunch. :)
More to come, dinner posts are on their way!
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