BUT FIRST: WHY I’M NOT A VEGAN
(scroll to the bottom for recipe)
I can sit here and tell you that bacon tastes good, and I wouldn’t be lying.
However, I have more than the mental capacity of a spoon and understand that’s a ridiculous argument against veganism. As a PSA, I don’t eat bacon, nor do I eat red meat and I eat seafood maybe monthly, even less as this year has progressed. However, I have always and may always continue to eat eggs. I love them, my body (normally) loves them, and I trust who I’m purchasing them from the majority of the time. Over this past summer I spent weeks at my sister’s farm and watched her six ducks roam around the property only for us to have to have an egg-hunt that lasted all weekend - and omelettes that entire next week.
No one is perfect, people make slip-ups; at least the vegans I know do! But overall I do agree that veganism (done correctly for one’s body and mind) is an ideal diet. I believe that the majority of humans on this planet do not need any form of animal protein to survive, but there are always exceptions.
Three years ago I became vegan for a year, and as much as it taught me about this “fad” it also allowed me to realize the harm of the dairy industry not only on my body but on this planet. I’m sure eventually you will hear me talking about this but my body lost its tolerance for dairy. I cannot eat anything with milk, butter, yogurt, etc - and I’m so grateful for that. To me, the dairy industry engages in just as much pain, brutality, and torture and exploits the natural balance of the mother to child relationship.
tl;dr: I had a kit-kat bar last Halloween after some wine and spent the entire night on the toilet.
But let’s talk about veganism as a whole. Why do vegans get such bad reps as diet forcing kindness preaching yogis? Why did a movement so founded in something wholesome turn into a stereotype? When did being vegan become classist, elitist, pedestaled? When we think about vegan food, we think about colorful fruit platters, perfected granola pics, and like, totally the smoothie I had for breakfast. We think about being clear-minded, water-chugging freaks who spend their days at the gym. This lifestyle is incredibly unattainable for the majority of people and highlights the economic gap in the food industry.
If you’ve never heard about the concept of food deserts, imagine having to walk miles for fresh produce, just to be able to afford the bare minimum. In communities that are impoverished, families struggle to keep food on the table every day, and more often than not they don’t have access to fresh, organic produce.
Why has food, IN GENERAL, become so classist? So perfect, so pretty, so barely feasible? Meals like this are a result of social media and advertising, and it shows. Why do we need to buy peonies for our pictures of pancakes?
Why do we take vegan-ism, try to shove it down the throats of others, then focus on making it incredibly unattainable? Do you actually enjoy following that girl on Instagram that you will never look like, or do you use it as a guilt mechanism to eat a salad?
If we want to come together, as all humans should, we should be focusing on minimizing the gap that divides us, not allowing it to grow stronger. Don’t you want to encourage people to become vegan?
News flash: A lot of people think it’s not possible if you can’t afford a Vitamix.
I mean, not really, but I can’t watch another smoothie bowl video on instagram.
We’ve created such strict labels on what veganism “should look like”, but F*CK labels! Your diet is a personal experience and journey and you were never made to fit in one specific box.
What I eat and how I eat is for my body and for this planet, above all else. What are you to say about someone who only eats Oreos from Wal-mart (i.e. the “beige vegan”) but refuses to support their local farm? Every diet has its pros and cons, and I am just trying to find my own balance between my body’s needs and eating altruistically. I firmly believe that we should really be focusing more on what we do eat rather than what we don’t eat. Focus on the food that goes into your body and you will be happy. That’s my advice. Be less afraid of that gap between who you are and who you want to be. Success, diets, our bodies, nothing moves on a straight line - and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
I am just as guilty in wandering blindly through the dark, I do not claim to know ANYmore than my colleagues, I’m just encouraging people to be open-minded and work together, and to realize the incredible strength in that. We are raw and beautiful and our food can be too. Let’s be less wasteful, more realistic, and more open about our experiences in food. Next time you cook, shoot for beautiful but sustainable, exquisite but affordable; life’s crucial balances.
Regardless, this post is not to attack anyone, compare my diet with someone else’s that very much works for them, or to force my diet down anyone else’s throat. I’m simply starting with this so YOU GUYS know what to expect from me! I’m aiming to portray a sustainable, realistic portrait of what it’s like to eat as (mostly) a vegan. Will my recipes be majorly vegan? Of course, I just don’t need a team of defenders to break down my door the second I post a poached egg.
VEGAN BUTTERNUT MAC + CHEEZE RECIPE!
¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
¼ cup soaked OR boiled cashews, drained
1 medium russet potato
½ medium butternut squash
~1 cup unsweetened unflavored alternative milk
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
Salt + Pepper to Taste
1.Coat squash in spice mixture and half of nooch and roast at 350f/180c for roughly 25 minutes
2. During this time, start preparing the pasta (I used fusilli, go ahead and freeball it)!
3. Begin to boil cashews and peeled chunked potato, about 10 minutes
4. Blend the boiled cashews and potatoes, if the mixture is too thick add a small amount of milk (or your pasta water). Continue for about 5 minutes or until you have a thin, cream-cheese like paste.
5. Add roasted squash and remaining liquid.
I added some sauteed spinach and threw it all over some whole wheat fusilli, for a pungent fresh tasting vegan version of mac and cheese.
Add as much salt, pepper, and nooch as you please to the finished product!
TIPS, TRICKS, AND SUBSTITUTES:
ANY variety of non-dairy milk will work, as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored. With curry, I prefer to use coconut milk as those flavors mesh together the best!
You can prepare this sauce ahead! But be warned the type of milk you use will have an effect on how it holds.
When gutting the squash, be sure to get a clean cut as any stringy bits in the core will prove a grainier sauce.
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