Day 18, or "Morally Allergic"

Yesterday I really needed to get a head start on the two final papers I have to write in the next two weeks (one week of which I will be out of town). But after getting just the tiniest bit of work done, I decided it was time for a break. A cooking break, that is. I had been craving Mexican food for a while and had most of the necessary ingredients lying around (fresh corn, avocado, black olives, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, and half a zucchini I didn't know what to do with) so I went to the store and got a can of kidney beans and some salsa and was ready to go. The results were delicious, and although the picture does look similar to the salad I made a few days ago, this dish was definitely a little more exciting.

Vegan Taco Salad

Ingredients:

brown rice (however much you want to make - I made about four servings worth because it stays good in the fridge for up to a week)

vegetable broth or bouillon 

1 can kidney beans, rinsed

1 ear fresh sweet corn, rinsed and cut off the cob

1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

4-5 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 handful of black olives

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 or 1/3 head romaine lettuce, washed and shredded

salsa

vegan plain yogurt (optional)

Directions: Cook the brown rice according to package directions, using vegetable broth and a pinch of salt for flavoring. In a saucepan, heat the garlic and olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini; sauté 1-2 minutes. Add corn and cook until veggies are tender and heated through, about five minutes. It's okay if some of the vegetables begin to brown. For assembly: layer rice, beans, and corn/zucchini mixture, and top with the chopped fresh vegetables. Serve with salsa and yogurt on the side. 

Yesterday was also our program's Fourth of July party at the university. Main dishes and drinks were provided, but everyone was asked to bring a dessert. Having no oven but wanting to be able to eat some dessert myself, I did what any good vegan would do: I made a fruit salad. I actually had to google "how to cut a pineapple" (pathetic) and thus stumbled upon the website www.howtocutapineapple.com (more pathetic). The instructions were good, though, and I ended up with a great fruit salad of pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, nectarines, and strawberries to bring to the party. The dessert buffet at the end almost killed me (TWO varieties of homemade tiramisu - one with raspberries! - my absolute favorite thing once upon a time). 

Dinner, however, was actually pretty good. Our program director had thought ahead and realized that there were no vegetarian options, so he brought along some veggie skewers to throw on the grill. Unfortunately, this resulted in my consumption of two mushrooms and a piece of zucchini (bell pepper allergies again). But the German potato salad was vegan (I asked, no mayonnaise - just vinegar) as was the coleslaw. So I got to eat a bit, after all. 

Over dinner, the topic of my newfound veganism came up. One of my other friends, Anya, is a vegetarian and has been since she was a kid. She said that sometimes she just says she's allergic to meat to avoid having to deal with people ridiculing her vegetarianism. "I am allergic," she said. "Morally allergic. . ." I like that. I think I might be, too.