I know I wrote recently about transitioning into a vegan lifestyle. Even I thought that meant I would do some reading, listen to my favorite vegan podcast on iTunes, start making vegan meals here and there and chilling out if I wanted to go somewhere to eat that could only serve a vegetarian omelette... but, that's not how it's worked out.
After making my decision, I couldn't touch the stuff. I had an episode one evening when I was cutting some peppers... not realizing I was cutting hot peppers with my bare hands. Around 8pm, my hands started to burn. I kept dipping them into ice water until after midnight. When I removed them to prepare for bed, the burning only got worse. As I lay in bed, clutching a bag of ice, David reminded me that there was still left over milk yogurt in the fridge. That finally broke my resolve, my steady ujjayi breath wavered, and I began to cry. It was pretty pitiful. I just couldn't use the suffering of dairy cows to stave off my petty, physical pain. I fortunately remembered we also had plain coconut milk yogurt. On a whim, and in an attempt to prep me for the vegan experiments ahead, I bought some pre-made provisions at the local health market earlier that week. In that intense moment, I figured if coconut milk was used in Thai iced tea to reduce the burn of spicy food on the tongue, surely there would be a similar cooling effect on my skin. I dipped my fingers into the white goop and practically fell asleep two minutes later. It worked. No animals were harmed in the making of my relief.
That episode made me realize I was too devoted to the concept of veganism to bother transitioning. Come to think of it, transitions were never my strong suit in life. Once I make a decision, I pretty much dive in (which is why it can often take me quite some time to make a decision).
In celebration, I made my own vegan brunch, to see if I could pull it off.
What you see in the picture above was my attempt on a Sunday morning to recreate, with some alterations, the glorious brunch we had at the vegan bakery in D.C. A pot of cinnamon and blood orange tea, pumpkin scones, and tofu scramble with a side of tempeh bacon.
Vegan baking just takes a little rewiring. After that, it's very simple. I've never considered myself much of a baker... I never liked it because my results were rarely tasty. Chemistry was never my subject. But, somehow, without the milk and eggs, I'm getting quite adept at creating satisfying baked goods. I keep a batch of something filling around for my breakfasts in the morning. Those pumpkin scones were the essence of autumnal comfort food.
Tempeh bacon is remarkably easy to make. Liquid smoke makes lots of things amazingly rich tasting. It doesn't have the same crunch as bacon, but the taste of hickory smoke and a pinch of salt make this a tasty alternative. Worked excellent for TLT sandwiches as well as breakfast burritos filled with tofu scramble.
Tofu scramble is also a simple process. Sauté some vegetables, add crumbled tofu, mix in some spices, and there it is... deceptively filling!
I did have to adjust my eating habits. Because my meals are so much lower in calories, I've had to eat more food during the day to feel satisfied. I have since leveled out a bit, getting accustomed to the feel of my new eating habits. I am definitely prepping and cooking more. I bring suitable snacks to work for an energy boost between classes. I bake at least once during the week to keep more breakfast, snack, and dessert options around. I buy different foods to help bind and fill in the spaces... tempeh, more grains, ground flax seeds, etc.
But, more remarkable than how I learn to cook and eat is how I feel. As I've mentioned in this blog before, I have FMS. Since I was 17 years old, I've had trouble getting up in the morning. For Lent this year, I chose to "give up" my troubles with waking up by training my body to wake up earlier and go to bed earlier. I wasn't entirely successful. However, since I cut out the dairy and eggs, my energy level has changed drastically. For the last several mornings, I have woken up at 7:15 am at the latest, in bed between 10:30 pm-12:30 am. A large low pressure system has also blown through recently... the kind that used to knock me flat with back pain, headaches, fatigue, and confusion (also known as "fibro fog"). While I felt some minor discomfort in my low back, I was functional, and awake. I felt normal despite the rain.
I'm willing to believe that part of my ability to quickly jump into veganism is rooted in my heritage. Dairy is not really present in the Asian diet. My genetics, perhaps, picked up on my grandmother's distaste (and difficulty digesting) milk, cheese, etc. I've not been this... can I say un-sluggish?... in a very, very long time. I'm even calmer and more at peace than I was when I started on this path. Not only have I ceased contributing to things I cannot ever again support due to my ethical understanding, but my body just agrees with this kind of eating.
Overnight, I found a beautiful thing... a lifestyle of gratitude, respect, and cookie dough I can eat with no fear!
