But seriously- one day I was sipping coffee on the bed and reading a Vegan cookbook. The husband was lounging and looking at some of the pictures. As I read aloud some of the recipe titles, he kept saying-
Gross.
Who eats that shit?
And my personal fav- That's some nasty business right there.
Over 200 pages and not a single recipe that I would make. Not. A. Single. One. And that made me stop and think- is the husband right? This stuff looks gross. It's sounds gross. It takes a shit ton of time to make, has ingredients that even Google has no clue what to do with and no one in my family would eat this.
No wonder more people aren't vegan.
So what's a normal Mom to do? You want to reduce or eliminate the animal products because you know they are harmful to your health but who is going to eat Tofu Bacon? Heck- where do you even buy Tofu Bacon?!? Tempeh. Soy. Tofu Eggs Benedict? Umm...no. Just no.
The solution. Oh. My. Gawd. You guys the solution is so freakin' simple!
Make real food. With real ingredients. Leave out the meat. Don't sprinkle it with cheese. Use plant based substitutions.
I know, right? It really IS that easy.
Now, sure- I've learned a few tricks. My favorite is that you can cook and blend cauliflower and it will take on a "creamy" consistency. Same thing with raw cashews, so when you're faced with a recipe that calls for cream- try one of these tricks instead. I've also had a few epic fails. Coconut Bacon anyone? Yeah- I tried it. No, it doesn't take a thing like bacon.
So what I've learned is ridiculously simple. If you want to make vegan food that your husband and kids will actually eat- it needs to resemble the food they are used to eating. Do not waste your time and money trying to turn coconut flakes into bacon- it's just not gonna work. Take a recipe that you like and convert it to a version that is vegan. For example, Split Pea Soup. Most times, it starts with ham. News flash- you don't need the ham. You don't. Saute your veggies, add in your spices and bag of dried peas and you're good to go. No need to find some vegan alternative for ham, weird soy based meat (which is NOT good for you either!) or some rubbery product to make you think you're eating ham. Just leave it out.
Dude. It's that easy.
Chicken noodle soup? Umm, leave out the chicken and use veggie broth instead. BOOM- vegan.
Enchiladas? Use beans, veggies and salsa for your filling instead of meat and cheese. BOOM- vegan.
Sloppy Joes? Try it with lentils instead of ground beef. BOOM- vegan.
A few things that I want you to take away from this post-
#1- It is THIS easy.
#2- For the love of God, do not buy fake "meat" products. These are SO bad for you! I'm talking; Morningstar, Gardein, Quorn, Tofurky etc. On a side note, you should also be checking the ingredients labels of anything you're buying. Lots of hidden animal products and other nasty ingredients hiding in foods you would normally consider vegan or vegetarian.
#3- You can substitute and leave ingredients out. Meat is not always necessary. Replace animal products with plant based ingredients and NOT with fake food.
#4- It needs to resemble the food your family is used to eating, otherwise they will never go for it.
#5- Some things you simply CAN'T make vegan. A vegan grilled cheese is NOT the same as a real grilled cheese. I'm sorry- but it just isn't. So either resign yourself to this fact, give it up entirely or just use real cheese. It is what it is.
#6- It's OK to experiment. Did you know that carrots taste amazing in chili? And further more, you can swap out the ground meat for lentils? Oh yes....yes you can.
#7- Fill up on real food. Being a vegan (or even a vegetarian for that matter) is not just about avoiding animal products. It's about eating a healthy, well rounded diet. If you're doing it right, you won't be missing out on any much needed nutrients. Iron and protein anyone?
#8- You will feel SO good. The real benefit to eating a vegan diet is that your body literally heals itself from the inside out. I feel so good and I'm not even 100% vegan or even 100% vegetarian. By simply eating more fruits, veggies and grains and less meat and animal products- your body will heal itself. You'll feel better and younger and healthier than you've probably felt in the last 10 years. Trust me on this last one.
Well- I've hoped you've learned a few things today. Most importantly that Coconut "Bacon" doesn't taste a darn thing like the real bacon. I knew it was too good to be true! And of course that vegan food doesn't have to be gross. But seriously you guys- if my family can do this, anyone can.
You got this.
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