Soy to the World, the lard has come!

Here's what happened:

On October 1^st, we dutifully went to the lab, donated three (!) vials of blood and drove straight to Starbucks without passing GO. We scanned the menu, knowing we could get anything- gobs of whipped cream, steamed cow's milk, strong coffee with half and half, pastries made with butter- the works! Instead, the “new brain” kicked in and two seconds later, we were sipping a delicious foamy soy latte, which is slightly sweet from the soy vs. cow milk flavor. Turns out, “anything can be made with soy milk” (barista quote). But before you get too excited, the day didn't continue in the soy lane, and by dinner, we were ordering pizza from Mombo's, as cheesy and greasy as possible. For several days this week, while waiting for results from the lab, anything was fair game. Potluck at work with chicken and carnitas, after work party with tuna tartar and triple cream brie, salmon on the grill at home served with mashed potatoes and caesar salad. Oddly enough, there were no adverse effects on the body at all from 30 vegan days to 4 glory days.

And then the lab results came; a dramatic shift downwards in all important numbers- total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL- the bad guy. We are buoyed into getting back on the wagon,especially the second place winner who is basically competitive and wants her total cholesterol reading to be below 200 before the end of the year! So, with some less restrictive options, the games will go on!

But the blog will not, at least in it's current form.

The author is considering other topics to blog upon: tanorexia, Gen x observations, Waldorf toys, the reality show obsession, the art of thrifting, preparing 20 minute dinners, planning family vacations, and much, much more.

Please offer comments and critiques about our Vegan blog to help with decision-making about whether to continue bloggin' or not.

Thanks for reading!

The Results are back!!!!!!

The labs are in, it's all there in black and white, factual conclusions based on real numbers. The two adults in the family took the challenge primarily for cholesterol reasons, and therefore, did the lab work at the end of 30 days. The teenagers took the challenge for “fun”- huh? Really?

First, the emails from our doctor based on the results- for one of us :

“Your results are now available and you should be able to see them online. Your cholesterol is now normal, and EXCELLENT! Good work; it appears that the vegan diet really did the trick for you. You should continue on that, because it seems to be the answer, unless you decide you can't stand it, in which case we'd want to discuss medication.”

and for the other one of us:

“So your numbers did improve; your total is still elevated but that's ok given the great HDL. Your LDL is now normal (goal of less than 130 for people who don't have heart disease or diabetes).
Good work! Looks like the vegan diet is the way to go if you want to avoid medication.

Wow! It worked!

So here you go:

The Wisconsin cheese eater won the contest!! Her total cholesterol went from 227 down to 196 and LDL went from 122 down to 107!

The second place prize goes to the New York born pastrami lovin' gal whose total cholesterol went from a whopping 242 down to 215 and LDL went from 141 to 119!

We can bore you with more juicy details like Triglyceride and HDL numbers later.

So, where do we go from here? Part time vegans?  Statin consumers?

More tomorrow and also some thoughts on a new blog topic- feedback appreciated on this one!!

When To Say When

Today is the last day of the challenge! Tonight, the last supper.
At midnight tonight: Game Over!
Enough is enough!
I give.
Lab reports will be posted as soon as possible; PricewaterhouseCoopers will be tallying the totals.
Stay tuned for results throughout the week: which vegan meal was indeed the best, which contestant will continue on the vegan voyage into October, who swerved into to the local grocery store today to pick up "local salmon" for tomorrow night's meal, who actually still liked soy at the end of the month, and yet untold, unedited, behind the scenes stories of what really went on all month long.
More will be revealed.  

Fun Vegan Facts to Know and Tell

 

Coming into the last three days of this month long challenge is bittersweet; we've had many moments of frustration and even disgust with the whole process, but also patches of joy and harmony at the physical and psychological gains.

Check out some of these factoids :

*Vegans on average live 6 years longer than non-vegans.

*In general, dogs are much easier to maintain on a vegan diet than are cats.

*One Chicago University study found that changing to a vegetarian diet was more effective at reducing the carbon footprint than driving a Hybrid.

*Vegans have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians.

*Red Meat and dairy are responsible for nearly half of all Greenhouse Gas emissions from food for an average U.S. household.

*Amount spent annually in US to treat cardiovascular disease: $135 Billion

Most common cause of death in US: Heart Disease

Risk of death from heart attack for the average American man: 50%

Risk of death from heart attack for the average American man who consumes no meat, dairy products or eggs: 4%


Hmmm...Next week, when we “can” buy whatever we want, will we?

 

Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit

      Tonight we had homemade vegan chili; chock full of beans and tomatoes, and lots of wonderful savory seasonings and herbs. We served this over rice- both brown and white options, with guacamole, chips, and soy cheddar cheese. It was superbly flavorful and totally filling and satisfying! Guess who made this? The Wisconsonite, who's cooking repertoire consists of three things, one of which is chili. The other two are noodles with butter and nachos.

      A week from today, we will be free of the constraints of this self-imposed bizarre ordeal. I have been forewarned not to go into a mad frenzy on Day 1, after the lab work that is, eating all manner of cheesy fries, ribs, fettuccine alfredo, and meatloaf. Turns out that none of that appeals at all any more. The empirical evidence shows that if you want to break a habit or create a new behavior, do it for 21 days and you've got it! Turns out the brain is as malleable as a lump of wet vegan dough.

The Seventh Inning Stretch

      We are on Day 22 out of 30; 8 more days of fish free, dairy deprived, eggless existence. Not a drop of honey nor whif of whey has passed through our lips in over three weeks. We are cleansed of even a fleck of milk product used to fortify almost everything you buy and eat. We have read thousands of labels, checking and rechecking to make sure there is not a kernel of cholesterol to be found.
     We are armed with our lab slips in hand, ready to charge in, Monday October 1^st at 7:30 am when the doors open. 

      Now the pressure is really on; only a week left of meals to go. So many recipes, so little time! We haven't made the polenta with ratatouille yet! What about the eggplant adobo we wanted to try? (thanks Ryan!) The vegan chili is just waiting to be created! Agh! Are we abandoning the project before it's time? Will we actually choose to eat this way after the 30 days are over? (NO!)

Bring back, Bring back, Oh bring back my butter to me!

 

So, the name of the book I am reading right now is Blood, Bones and Butter, a wonderful New York Times best seller by and about Gabrielle Hamilton, restaurant owner,chef, and food writer in New York. Blood, bones and butter, perhaps not the obvious literary choice for a person shunning dairy products and meats to curl up with at night. But wait, if you think vegan can't be chic or sophisticated, you are dead wrong! Inspirational and gorgeous fruits and vegetables shaved, julienned, pureed, minced, and morphed into elegant concoctions fit for any discerning palate. Here's a menu to drool over: Bruschetta with diced tomatoes, basil chiffonade, extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. (Make sure you use good Village Bakery type baguette to make the toasts); grilled vegetable platter of asparagus, portobellos, yellow Finn potatoes, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, peppers with two sauces: cilantro pesto and Thai peanut; spinach salad with black beans, red onion, avocado, and meyer lemon vinaigrette; wild mushroom risotto; and flat bread with hummus. Voila! You will never miss your milk or meat. A meal fit to serve the Obamas at their re-election banquet! Victory vegetables!

The Mom who Mistook her Woof for a Ham

We went out to breakfast yesterday, and most of the group ordered poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, toast with butter, and ham. How to do a vegan brunch? Potatoes are good, but then it ends. Scrambled tofu and assorted veggies like spinach, mushrooms, and a spice mixture called zaatar- what is that?????? And last week, we had a bagel brunch with tofu “cream cheese” and vegetables on top. Pretty good, but lacking lox and his friend, real cream cheese.

So, here's the trick: stop trying to do imitation meats and cheeses! Embrace the total vegetable vacation! Grill eggplant, saute zucchini, roast portobellos, bake brussel sprouts, boil beets, and mash those terrible turnips until you get from the inside out that the wild vegan rumpus is really about vegetables!

Having said that, tonight's meal included soy mac and cheese, pretty decent, but I swear we are done with that track. We are in the Veggie Lane now, eschewing faux dairy products of all kinds. We are whizzing into overdrive with beans paired with grains like an old married couple, complementing each other, but still outstanding in their own right. I am looking forward to the next chapter.

Vegan pizza and salad!

The Half-Way Mark

      We have two weeks under our hemp belts, and two weeks more to go in the 30 day vegan challenge. Ironically, the Wisconsin cheese head may be doing the best with the psychological part of the contest. The other two standing are admitting to intermittent uphill battles with the dairy demon, the butter beast, and the claw-footed cream creature. But many days or parts of days are truly fine, good, even excellent in terms of how cleansed we feel, and how good simple vegetable-based food can taste.

      One successful new meal we had this week is: pizza made with purchased Vicolo cornmeal crusts available in two packs at Whole Foods or other similar stores (thanks Liz and Kate for the idea!) topped with home made tomato sauce (see below), mirin and herb sauteed mushrooms, wilted greens ( baby spinach and kale), sliced olives, artichoke or eggplant tapenade (you can buy pre made or make it yourself), roasted fingerling potatoes, soy mozzarella and whatever other veggies you want to throw on there. Baking directions are on the crust package.

     Here's how I made the sauce: Saute sliced or diced onion in garlic oil (see previous blog) until soft and translucent. Add a little red wine and dried herbs and cook until wine is reduced. Throw in washed chopped tomatoes of all kinds- so plentiful right now in gardens and produce stores. I used some Romas, heirlooms, sungolds, beef steak, whatever. Add one can of tomato paste; I love Muir Glen organic paste (and all their tomato products!), some veggie broth or water, but not too much because the tomatoes juice out their own liquid while cooking, and a little black pepper. Cook gently for a couple hours till all the flavors have melted together, and the mixture is very soft. Blend with the blender stick or in a food processor until soft and then quickly put through the Mouli food mill so that your sauce has no pieces of tomato skin.

      And right now, we have a cauliflower and potato soup bubbling on the stove; outside it's foggy and cool, fall knocking on summer's door. And here in our cozy home, we are doing the Funky Chicken substitute dance to celebrate that there are only 15 more days of this extreme sport.

Vegan lentil soup with pasta and salad

V is for Vegetable

And valiant, virtuous, or Velveeta.
Update on the family vegan voyage- the 16 year old got sick this week and has dropped off, the 19 year old is embracing her veganhood but hey, she has been a lifelong vegetarian, so, easy for her to say. The moms are intermittently struggling and accepting that it is only day 12 in a LOOOOONG month of 30 days.
We did make a delicious vegan lentil soup two nights ago- sautee onions in garlic oil (the little bowl of extra virgin olive oil mixed with crushed garlic you have sitting on your side board at all times).Add dry herbs like thyme, basil, oregano, one bay leaf, summer savory,etc. but not too much.  Deglaze with wine- white or red, it makes no difference. Dice carrots and celery (maybe thee or four stalks/whole carrots)  into small cubes or whatever bite sized pieces you wish. Sautee those in the onion mixture. Measure 1 and 1/2 cups of dry lentils. Pick over and then rinse with water. Dump into the pot with the other veggies. Cover with vegetable stock- I like the Rapunzel vegan cubes you can buy at Whole Foods or other similar stores. One cube is good for two cups of water (or so). I used two cubes- the kind with sea salt and herbs. Cook gently for several hours until very soft and tender. I pureed part of it with my trusty blender stick. Add more liquid as needed. Garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy with a big salad and good bread.
See- that's not so bad! 18 days to go.

On the tenth day....

On the tenth day of veganhood, my true love gave to me...

10 gourds a roasting,

9 hemp belts dancing,

8 seitans steaming,

7 boca burgers,

6 piece o' soy cheese

5 tempeh wings!

4 veggie dogs,

3 true cleanse,

2 carob doves,

and a parsnip in a pad thai.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

   We started the day yesterday with Smart Bacon; if that cardboard salty strip is smart, then I am really dumb. Some things just shouldn't be imitated. After that, we put on our leather shoes and belts, grabbed our leather purses, and ran off to work. The day ended at a local restaurant which happened to have vegan carrot cake, another serious food problem, unless you are a termite and enjoy sawdust. Perhaps “cream cheese” frosting is one of those things that shouldn't be tampered with.

   So, it turns out that there are a whole slew of vegan variants, from diet only vegans to “ethical” vegans who embrace a philosophy and lifestyle incorporating cruelty free clothing, toiletries, food stuffs, you name it. It puts us to shame. We figured that unless you eat your belt, it would be OK to go ahead and use the thing that holds your pants up. Some people even stick to an entirely raw vegan diet, eating only unprocessed foods which have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. These raw foodies believe that we lose the important enzymes and nutritional value by cooking our food. Wow.

So where does that leave us? Somewhere between a Big Mac and a kale chip.

Middle East Madness

Newsflash! Many dishes you already know and love are vegan! The wonderful platter easily found at your local East/West or La Mediterreanee type restaurant houses oodles of vegan options. Baba ganoush, hummus, dolmas,olives, falafel... which brings me to our dinner last night. We made falafel with pita, hummus, a cucumber/dill raita (made with vegan sour cream); a wonderful white bean and tomato salad (with fresh herbs, olive oil, etc.); and a little grain mix we bought at TJ's with Israeli couscous, red quinoa, baby garbonzo beans and orzo made with a vegan bouillon cube- good to go under any circumstances! We promise to start including photos soon; the tide is turning from resentment to excitement! Tonight brings tofu and tempeh curry over rice with broccoli and potatoes, a veritable vegetable feast.
 It's hard not to think that this 30 day voyage could alter lifelong personality traits- maybe I will become more like some of the notable famous people who have been vegans at some point in their lives: Avril Lavigne, k.d.lang, (no comment), Cesar Chavez, Ellen DeGeneres (no comment), Bill Clinton, Coretta Scott King, Peter Max, Thich Nhat Hanh, Portia de Rossi (what the hell is with all these lesbians?) and Weird Al Yankovic. It could happen.

The Family Previously Known as Carnivores

There are good reasons my cholesterol was topping out at over 240- some of my earliest memories include eating plain butter right off the stick. Pot roast, meatloaf, and beef stew were normal dinners growing up, and have continued to be part of my cooking repertoire into my adult life. I worked as a professional chef for over ten years, honing the art of cream based sauces and cheesy toppings. Yum. A dollop of sour cream or a splash of half and half adds that little, je ne sais quoi, to whatever I am making.
That is, until September 1st, when all that changed. Now a shape shifter, I am a vegan for a month, embracing combinations of beans and rice, grains and nuts, soy and more soy. There are little bowls of sunflower seeds and mixed nuts all over my kitchen butcher block table. Whipped Earth Balance has replaced the stick of Clover salted butter which used to live in the cabinet above the toaster. A typical snack is now cut up teriyaki tofu into little cubes for easy access. We have 7 different kinds of hummus in the fridge. The "cheese" drawer has morphed into a sad empty place with a few tortillas and some cheddar flavor "Veggie shreds".
Stay tuned.

If you don't like soy, you're screwed!

Part of the transition to veganhood revolves around who you were before you "switched over", and how good you are at selective attention. We live in Sonoma County, the land of grass fed beef, fresh dungeness crab, speciality pork and bacon raised on a farm one mile away. The abundance abounds. We drive by our favorite nearby grocery store several times a day; their signs brag "fresh local salmon"- IGNORE! On the way to the dog park is a little Victorian house with signs offering "fresh eggs, cage free chickens, milk fed lamb"-IGNORE! On TV, the ads are loaded with sour cream, cheese, burgers, butter, fresh tilipia, ice cream, sausages, yogurt, pizza- IGNORE!
Before September 1st, I drank coffee every morning with about 1/4 cup of half and half in a large steaming mug of Joe. It was a ritual I cherished. Now, I am pouring "soy creamer" into my morning java, getting more and more used to the taste with each day passing. An old dog really can learn new tricks.

Have you ever met a vegan dog?

So, one of the big decisions that had to be made about this 30 day meat free vegan extravaganza was whether to foist the challenge onto our dogs. The basic diet of our two dogs, a pug and a lab, consists of dry kibble made with chicken, fish oil, dried beef pulp, and you get the drift..... combined with "mixins" like a little cheese, cottage cheese, cut up turkey, or whatever is around. They are ecstatically excited about every meal and treat as if it was their first (or last) and often wait at the snack door for a possible hand-out during the day. Enough said. No vegan dogs.

Coke is vegan, right? How about ketchup?

So, as a warning, you will be reading labels for many hours at the beginning of your vegan voyage. Things that "sound vegan" may really not be- filled with surprising additions like egg whites, dry milk, even powdered bonito (fish!).
We took a trip to TJ's about a week ago in preparation for the 30 day vegan journey, and $300 later, we walked out with bags full of meat subsitutes, which lo and behold, are not vegan. Friends who have done this vegan thing before scoffed at us for trying to subsitute tempeh chicken nuggets and tofurky for "real meat". They are kindly sending us recipes and suggestions of meals to make with combinations of corn and beans, and grains with names we have never heard of. Maybe in two or three weeks, we will get to those. For now, I will stick to my veggie burger.
Here's the real kicker - honey isn't vegan- the poor bee was just doing it's thing, but no, we can't eat it's delicious nectar for another 29 days. Go figure.

Vegan is not a four letter word!

Day One of our Vegan Challenge: a 30 day dairy-free, meatless, odyssey!
The four of us embark on an adventure, not for the faint of heart, each for different reasons- health, the pursuit of happiness, and just because we can. Who will cave in first? The Wisconsin cheese loving chocoholic? The one who covets meatball wraps and salmon teriyaki grilled to perfection? The previous restaurant chef who liberally doses cream and sprinkles pancetta at every opportunity? Or maybe it will be the lifelong vegetarian who just can't live without her daily dose of dairy? Stick around and see the journey unfold over the month of September; Results Show on September 30th!