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. 

Day 16, or "Eating on the Run"

The "eat and run" mentality is something I loathe about American food culture, but I think that no matter where you live, sometimes it just can't be avoided. Yesterday morning I was pressed for time, preparing for a presentation and trying to get to class by noon. Before I became vegan, Wednesdays were days when I would just grab a sandwich up at school. That no longer being an option, I made my own sandwich but had to eat it at the bus stop in about three minutes (there's a "no food" policy on the buses here, probably wise). The sandwich was delicious, but pretty ugly, so I've chosen not to feature it here. But so you have an idea: tofu, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and sweet mustard on a whole grain English muffin. 

Dinner was also a pretty snappy affair - in fact, it involved so much chopping that I almost ran out of time to eat it! The theme was southwest: romaine lettuce, fresh sweet corn, avocado, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and pumpkin seeds. Yum. . . 

Lastly, a note on chocolate: I googled dark chocolate to find out if it's vegan, and apparently there's a mixed opinion on the subject. Thus far I have been avoiding it, because although no animal products are listed in the ingredients, most labels say "This product may contain traces of milk." Some vegans appear to be okay with this 'compromise,' while others won't go near it. Personally, I'm going to do these next two weeks as purely as possible and avoid even 'traces' of milk. However, I did make one exception: at the Biomarkt, I found a bar of dark chocolate with hazelnuts that stated quite adamantly underneath the ingredients: "This product does not contain any milk. However, it is possible that minor traces could be detected." Sounds to me like they're just covering their bases. I'll buy that.

Day 15, or "I Got Skills"

Hummus-making skills, that is. But more on that later. 

Yesterday was another great day both in life and as a vegan. Armed with new a few new ingredients, lunch was a colorful salad oasis. Instead of using bagged lettuce like I usually do (it saves so much time, plus we don't have a salad spinner), I bought two small heads of romaine lettuce, which will double well should I decide to make a veggie sandwich any time soon (I'm thinking lunch Wednesday). 

Earlier, I also had my three pieces of fruit for breakfast (apricot, kiwi, grapefruit), purchased at the farmer's market right outside my house. 

For dinner, I was going over to Kathryn's house because Anya's mom was in town and cooking for us that night. I wanted to bring something that I knew I would be able to eat, and I'd been craving hummus for, well, since I got here in January. I also had a slew of diced broccoli and cauliflower left over from the curry (still) that needed to be used up. The only problem was that I didn't have a food processor, but I was sure it could still be done. After reading a bunch of recipes online, I made up my own using tips from each. And I must admit, it was completely perfect.

Homemade Hummus Without a Food Processor

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (do not drain)

3-4 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 clove garlic, pushed through a garlic press

lemon juice, for texture and taste (approx. 2-3 tbsp)

ground chili powder, to taste

fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions: Drain the chickpea water into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Discard the shells from the chickpeas, adding each pea to the saucepan as you go. This is a pretty time-consuming process, but mashing the peas by hand is much easier if you don't have the shells to work with. Transfer the simmered chickpeas to a bowl and mash with a fork, adding liquid from the saucepan as needed. Add garlic and tahini and continue mashing. Depending on the consistency and the flavor you are going for, add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time. Garnish with the parsley, and serve with diced vegetables and/or corn chips. Enjoy!

The appetizer was a huge success at Anya's dinner party. I had planned on making two cans worth of hummus, but the shell-discarding process took longer than I had anticipated and I ran out of time. Guess I'll just have to use the other can for myself. . .

Luckily for me, Anya's mom was very sympathetic to my "situation" and offered to make vegan versions of the salad and pasta she was serving (Anya is a vegetarian, so all that had to be omitted was the cheese). The beet and walnut (and bleu cheese) salad she served made me want to go out and buy my own beets for salad:

The pasta was delicious - tomato, basil, and sautéed eggplant (which I avoided like the plague - I'm allergic to eggplant). I played guitar during dessert, so it wasn't too painful to watch the little chocolate-marzipan cakes topped with chocolate chip ice cream go by. No seriously, it wasn't.