Tofu is so gross, especially when you don't know it's there

by Anne

I really hate tofu. People who are all "TOFU IS SO GOOD IT CAN BE ANYTHING!" are just wrong. It's gross. It looks gross, it tastes gross, it's texture is repulsive and it just isn't worth the protein it gives you.

Therefore, I was less than thrilled to discover when I heated up my lunch today that there was tofu in it. I should've noticed it on the package and in the ingredients but I was in a hurry when I grabbed it and didn't think to look closely.

I give it two thumbs down. It was only just so-so as far as frozen meals go, and then the chunks of tofu just sent it off the cliff. No good. I don't recommend it. Amy's makes a LOT of really really good vegan products so I encourage people to try them, but I will not be buying this particular product again.

I'm trying this new non-dairy macaroni and cheese tomorrow. I'm a little scared, to be honest. It's made mostly with rice, and is soy free so I'm giving it a shot. My expectations are low already because it's a frozen meal but we'll see how it does as a macaroni and cheese substitute.

Lunch tomorrow?

Tonight for dinner was Pseudo-Burritos. It was a huge hit with everyone who tried a "bite" going back for several more bites or a bowlful. I wasn't sure there'd be enough for me when I was ready to eat dinner, haha.

Here's the recipe:

15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz can ro-tel, DON'T drain it (I used mild because Mom is a spicy food wimp)
2 1/2 cups of corn ( the original recipe calls for a 15 oz can but everyone agreed it needed more corn)
1 C uncooked barley
2 1/4 C vegetable broth
2 T lime juice
2 t cumin
1 t chilli poder
2 T minced onion (original recipe called for a whole chopped onion but I didn't have one and didn't want to go back to the store)
1 clove garlic, minced

Toss everything into a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. I pan-fried a couple of tortillas with  a little non-stick cooking spray and ate it that way. It was deeelicious and filling and definitely reminds me of the vegetarian burritos at Chipotle.

A usual day of experimental vegan eating: some ups and some downs. They can't all be good.

Day #3

by Anne

Today I had some Boca patties that aren't officially listed as vegan, some frozen french fries which are also not necessarily vegan. I'm lame.

For dinner I headed to the Lexington Co-op which has lots of vegan and organic foods. For dinner I had a wheatberry salad, some tea, some baklava (is fillo dough vegan? I'm sure it's not), and half of a vegan oat bar.

The wheatberry salad gets two thumbs up, but the vegan oat bar gets two thumbs way down. Texture, flavor, calorie count, it wasn't very good, AND I was starving when I was eating it which shows it wasn't that great.

I'm a big fan of HonestTea, and I like the Acai juice I just bought, but the mango acai tea wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. That will get one thumb up and one thumb down. According to the HonestTea website, they're coming out with a Half & Half (tea and lemonade) which is just about my favorite bottled drink there is. I'm excited about that.

As far as the non-dairy rice milk ice cream, it was... gross. I'm sorry, I wanted to like it, but it was just yucky. I might have to try another flavor. I think it was the peanut butter that killed it. Next time I will try to get vanilla or something a little simpler to try.

If anyone ever reads this and wonders: I am currently just focusing on veganism as it relates to food, I'm not quite going into the anti-leather phase. I don't own much leather to begin with, and own no fur, so that might come at a later date.

A lot of the recipes I'm coming across rely on tofu and I just flat out refuse to eat tofu. I have eaten it before and the texture makes me gag. Therefore, I will have to get creative with these recipes and my protein intake. I ate waaayyy too many almonds yesterday, I think my body was craving protein.

I have never found a food that will accurately replicate the taste and texture of beef. I just don't like veggie burgers, lentil burgers, or anything like that. Can I live the rest of my life never tasting red meat again? I think so, but I KNOW I can live the rest of my life and never eat another veggie patty.

Tomorrow: Seeking out a few new vegan foods to try. Making a list as we speak.