Wednesday, June 20, 2012

secret society of vegans

Pants, Shoes, Denim Jacket & Purse- Thrifted; Bowtie- Shop of Worldly Delights; Tee & Buttons- Lava Vegan  

My health food challenge is now complete and I have been eating and living as a vegan for just over a month now, thanks to the support and expertise of Ottawa's own Wellness Warrior! The transition from vegetarian to vegan was easier than I thought, having previously coated everything with excessive amounts of cheese! I've had a slight intolerance to dairy products since I was a child, so I noticed that my stomach felt much better these past 30 days and I was able to digest food more easily.  I am very excited to continue with this whole foods, plant based diet as not only is it super healthy (when done properly), it also removes a dependency on factory farming and is kinder to the environment & animals (my original motive for becoming a vegetarian a few years ago was for animal rights reasons). 


Everyone always asks "what does a vegan eat" and assume it's mostly boring salads but I can assure you it's anything but.  Here are just a few of the dishes I created during the challenge (oh yeah, another great thing about this diet change was having to be more creative in the kitchen so I now enjoy cooking and eating food that is homemade, healthy and tastes great!)

{Lemon & raspberry cupcakes}

{Homemade pizza crust with baked veggies & nutritional yeast 'cheese' sauce}

{Cornmeal crusted spicy tofu & a fresh garden salad}
{Homemade black bean guacamole with veggie chips}
{Protein salad with marinated tofu & homemade orange juice, hemp hearts and miso dressing}

{Maple marinated tempeh soft tacos with Laura's homemade mango pico de gallo}
{Bananas, dark chocolate chips and hemp hearts muffins}
{Smoky tempeh baguette with edamame hummus, served with organic veggies & fruits}
"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man." -Darwin

17 comments:

  1. hooray emily! all these foods you prepared look gourmet. :)

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  2. Congratulation!! I'm amazed by everything that you created during this month - everything looks delicious!

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  3. WOW..I can hardly wait to sample some of these wonderful looking items! Emily, I am so thrilled to see your interest in cooking such nutritious, delicious looking food! FORMIDABLE! love, maternal unit xoxo

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  4. wow, Emily, all the food looks like it came from food heaven. and of course I happen to be extra hungry right now which is not helping at all because your photos make me even crazy hungry, haha. anyway, I'm really happy for you!

    Maiken,
    Maikeni blogi - part of me

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  5. I'm drooling over all the foods you made! I'm vegan as well but also a terrible cook with zero kitchen patience so I never wind up creating anything as delicious as you.

    Courtney ~ http://sartorialsidelines.com

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  6. wow the dishes look divine! I am all about minimizing my carbon footprint but I fear I'd have a tought time letting go of cheese myself....

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  7. That all actually looks really, really good! I want to try eating more organic with less sugar, but I haven't taken the plunge yet.

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  8. Wow, everything looks so fresh, vibrant and tasty. I would love to try this challenge but do not know if my husband would be agreeable. We're attempting less processed foods and carbs at the moment.

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  9. Emily this post is so inspiring. Somehow I did not realize you were doing this. I am proud of you for being able to stick to it. You look fantastic and what a great cook you are. Food dishes look fabulous. dawn suitcase vignettes xo

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  10. Mmm, delicious dishes. When I moved from vegetarian to vegan, my health improved dramatically because I always ate too much cheese. You're right that there is a whole world of food out there.

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  11. Awesome! I love the shirt--but now it's not a secret! :)

    Thanks for sharing the delicious food photos. We don't just chew on a head of lettuce all day! You gotta check out the blog of my friend, Sarah. She even calls it "This Is What I Eat." http://thisiswhatieatvegan.blogspot.com/

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  12. I'd love it if I could become vegan, but I just can't resist meat. The food looks yummy, though :)

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  13. Emily, I'm so proud of you girl! You weren't kidding when you said you were cooking up a storm. All this food looks healthy and delicious. I want to reach into my computer screen! Great presentation too! I'm a bit hopeless with tofu; can you share your crusted spicy tofu and marinated tofu recipes?

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  14. all that food looks so delicious! congrats on the milestone!

    dash dot dotty

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  15. oh my gosh, Emily! you are amazing! You make such delicious-looking food! and the presentation is awesome too!!!

    ♥ laura
    the blog of worldly delights
    the shop of worldly delights

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  16. i think that is awesome!!! and you feel better! WTG girl!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  17. Well now I have to ask... what's "hemp hearts" and what does it taste like? Akin to artichoke hearts?

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One of my daily joys is reading the lovely comments you leave. It may take a day or two (or three, depending on how hectic life gets!) but I will stop by your slice of the blogosphere soon! xo Emily