For those of you who don't know, vegan is NO animal products. That means, no meat, poultry, fish, OR eggs, milk, butter, cream- even gelatin is off limits because it's made with animal products. Veganism promotes ethical and conscientious decisions about the treatment of animals, and most vegans won't wear leather either. Everything comes from the earth, and centers around a lifestyle of vegetables, grains, legumes, soy, and fruits. We have several friends who have been vegan for many years, and it's much easier to do here in NYC where there are tons of food options available.
I researched and put together 14 different vegan meals to try for the next 2 weeks. I copied all the recipes and compiled a shopping list. Then I ordered the groceries online and had them delivered on Friday. Beginning on Saturday- NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS. We've had friends who have done a 2 week or even 30 day vegan cleanse, and they claim that they lost between 9 and 7lbs just in the first week, as their digestive systems became better functioning and cleansed of all the animal product toxins that remain in the body long after digestion.
Dan and I are drinking plenty of extra water, and taking iron supplements, B12 supplements, and a daily multivitamin. It's also important to note that vegan diets need to be carefully focused on HEALTHY eating, because technically, you could eat french fries, potato chips, and beer and consider yourself "vegan!"
Check out the picture I took of some of the groceries for our 2 week vegan cleanse as I unpacked. Honestly, I've never cooked parsnips, tofu, or a lot of this stuff before, but it's kinda nice to open the refrigerator and see such a colorful spread of vegetables!
On Saturday morning, we had steel cut organic oatmeal (made with water, not MILK!) for breakfast, with all natural (Canadian!) maple syrup for flavor. For lunch, I made my first vegan recipe: Southwestern Pasta. Here is a picture of it on the stove- doesn't it look great? I love the colors! Check out the recipe below:
Southwestern Pasta
8 Servings
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound rotelle (wheel-shaped pasta or spirals)
1 16 oz. jar salsa
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely chopped
In large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to boil. When water boils, add salt and pasta, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 11 minutes.
Meanwhile in medium saucepan, combine salsa, chilies, and black beans. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture simmers but does not boil. Continue to simmer over very low heat. Scoop out half cup pasta water and reserve. Drain pasta and transfer to serving bowl. Add salsa-bean mixture and toss to coat. Add green onion; toss to mix. If it seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.
This was SUPER easy and fast to make, and Dan and I loved it! That's saying a lot, since Dan's known to be pretty picky! I also added about 1 cup of corn- VERY yummy! We ate this for Saturday lunch, then re-heated for Saturday dinner, and then again for Sunday! It's great for leftovers. I was also thinking that if you make the vegetable/bean mix, it would be really good over brown rice INSTEAD of the pasta.
I'll keep you posted on how the rest of the cleanse goes! FYI, don't start the vegan diet unless you're close to home for the first few days- we were GLAD we had 2 bathrooms, if you know what I mean! I weighed myself yesterday and then again this morning, but my weight was exactly the same. We'll see if the whole 7 lbs thing is true.
For breakfasts this week, we're going to continue with the oatmeal thing, or maybe fresh fruit salad or berries if we get sick of it. Lunch will be leftovers from the previous night's meal, and then dinner will be a new recipe each night! Snacks are easy: peanut butter and celery, chips and salsa, dried fruit and nut mix, guacamole and chips or baby carrots, etc.
Wish us luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment