I was just thinking of this last night while making dinner, a meal I would have most likely never made when I ate meat. Not because I didn't like certain things, there were just so many food items not on my radar screen.
So I took our cast iron skillet, put in olive oil, heated it up. Meanwhile, I boiled some quinoa (so easy). As the skillet heated I added mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. With the quinoa finished, I plated it and topped it off with the veggies. Delish is an understatement, plus I felt WAY healthy.
I have been vegan so long that I don't even remember what it's like to eat meat or any animal product. I remember "testing" my veganism during the 1996 Philadelphia to DC AIDS Ride, which was 270 miles. I figured if I could do that ride as a vegan, and only eating vegan during the ride, then veganism was healthy for me. I did it. It wasn't easy but that had more to me not being inshape than being vegan!
I always go back to why I am vegan, which is because I do not want to be part of the cruelty that a meat-based lifestyle supports. I just can't. It's not who I am on any level. And when it is so easy being vegan, and when it opens so many culinary doors, there is just no reason for me not to be vegan. As the 12 year old daughter of a friend says,"I love animals, and that's why I am veg."
I know that many of our blog readers are not vegan, and I am so glad that we get so much support from those curious about veganism. It is very easy to try, and if you'd like to begin by simply eating vegan one day a week or committing to a specific period of time, there is a ton of support for you. We have several people and groups here on our blog with links to their websites. You can even order a free Veg Starter Kit from Mercy For Animals right here! And if you want to go a little further, Colleen Patrick Goudreau has a new book out titled "The 30 Day Vegan Challenge". I have read through it a couple of times and totally wish it had been around when I first became vegan.
And we'll be by your side every step of the way!
More to come!
Thanks for reading!
Great post, Dan! I've been sending info to my sister and my niece, and both are trying their best to be at least vegetarian. Thankfully, there are tons of Web sites and cookbooks out to help. When I did a Barnes and Noble search on their site for vegan cookbooks, more than 700 came up! If you want to throw something "meaty" into any stir-fry or sandwich, just toss in a portobello mushroom. Mushrooms, in general, are great additions to a vegan diet. ~ Val Traina, Centennial, CO
ReplyDelete<3 it! Being vegan is easier now than it ever has been before, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI'm older than 12 but loving animals remains my reason for being veg. Thanks guys! Xo
ReplyDeleteClear and concise. Well said and I couldn't agree with you more. There are many reasons to be vegan, but it was the cruelty to animals and the factory farming practices which finally motivated me a couple of years ago. Thanks and keep up the great work!
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