How Laura Got Her Foodie Back – Day 3

So this morning I woke up exhausted.  The dog had to go out three times last night and my kid was way too chipper this morning.  I ate an egg with hash browns, which was actually pretty delicious and about all I really wanted.  I didn’t bother with coffee, so I drank water instead.  I packed a lunch, I thought pretty delicious looking, but once I arrived at work it was announced we were getting pizza for lunch.

Here’s the thing.  I am literally the only vegetarian where I work.  It is constantly pointed out and talked about because we get lunches a lot.  Everyone usually invokes me as the deciding factor whether or not there is something I can eat.  People act like it’s the dark ages and NOT ONE RESTAURANT serves a salad without some kind of meat in it.  I’m finding my food is more interesting to everyone else than it is me.  So today was pizza day and they got me a small vegetarian one loaded with olives.  

I love pizza.  Really do.  But I am way over cheese pizza.  I make it once a week for my kid, who scrapes off the cheese.  So, I pay for her to eat bread with sauce on it.  I personally think the cheese is the most important part, but that’s just me.  So it was nice having a hand tossed crust loaded with mushrooms and peppers and a generous abundance of olives.  Black and green olives, mind you.  So delicious.  This part is strictly for my beloved D – yes, I cheated and had a Diet Coke, but I’m only human!

Dinner time I found myself not that hungry.  I found these asian veggie burgers  and made one.  It was pretty good for a burger of that sort.  I know a lot of  vegetarians like tofu, but due to my thyroid, or lack thereof, I can’t really eat a lot of soy.  But soy is literally in everything we eat, sort of like corn.  For a side I had a big salad with feta and sunflower seeds.  I’m actually finding I prefer them to croutons.  

I did find something today though.  A perfectly salted caramel, so delicious and soft.  Nothing like the kind that sticks to your teeth.  I was going to take a picture of it, but I ate it instead.  It was EXACTLY what I had imagined in my mind when I wanted one.  So tomorrow, I’ll ask myself.  What do you really want?  Maybe I’ll be surprised.

Potted Meatless

Lentil burger with horseradish and fresh cucumbers

I’ve gone without red meat and pork for nearly half my life.  I saw an expose on meat factories and could not quell the queasiness of tainted meat.  It’s a personal choice, I’m not against anyone else enjoying a steak or burger.  For years I still ate ugly chickens with glee and nibbled on seafood, even if in my heart I was a closet vegan.  I’m not a Peta die hard, even though when gifted with a fur coat, I politely gave it back.  In my circle there has not been one instance where my choice has not been looked upon as being utterly weird with the exception of a handful of friends.

I am a descendant of cheap meat eaters who fry everything in bacon fat and believe fried chicken on Sundays is a religious experience.  When I stopped eating steak, my grandfather would sit at the table shaking his head and declaring I would die of starvation.  He ate a steak every single day and his breakfast consisted of sausage gravy and bacon.  He hunted squirrels, rabbits and deer and would fry up hunks of unidentifiable meat to serve with potatoes fried in lard and butter slathered bread.  He also rolled his own cigarettes and rarely ate any green vegetable.  So, he lived until he was 79 and seemed to be happy and healthy until a sudden heart attack took him.  Maybe he had the right idea and I’m wrong.

At work, my not eating meat has captured the attention of my co-workers.  Curiously, they’ve tried my stir fried tofu and quinoa salads and not all of them have wrinkled their nose in disgust.  When going out for a business lunch, they agonize over whether or not there will be a vegetarian option on the menu.  I have assured them time and time again, I’m not the only non-meat eater in the world and more often than not a restaurant will have something I can eat.  When I ate a portabella burger with fried green tomatoes, they commented it looked delicious.  Yet, there’s always a comment or two about our monthly pot lucks and what I will bring and eat.

As I sit here simmering lentils to form into delicious burgers, I physically feel better forgoing any meat.    I don’t mind the attention or the comments it draws.  Even as I struggle with pangs of cravings for deep fried chicken, I know for me it’s a healthier alternative not to eat it.  I’m looking forward to a Spring and Summer of fresh vegetables and fruits and new recipes I’ll try out.  I’ll share them as I go along.  Maybe one or two of my readers will want to tiptoe into the world of a meal or two without meat.  If not, it’s your choice.

The one thing that does keep me grounded in veganism is my luffily D who sends me pictures of the food he eats.  We share an affinity for all things food related, and he reminds me with pictures of avocado sandwiches and bright green salads, that a person can eat well without the necessity of meat.  I aspire to his dedication and his ability to seek out new things.

I welcome your feedback and your recipes!

Veggily Yours,

Cold Dead Hearted