30 Day Vegan - Day One

Yesterday I did some “prepatory” cooking; beans, white and black, for future dishes. I could have just bought canned beans, but I want to do as much from scratch as possible.

Did a bit more organizing; putting stuff into jars. I’ve seen photos of some of the other participant’s pantries with nice labels on all of the jars and containers, but I’m just writing on them with a sharpie. (If I need a different label, I can just take it off with SolUMel). I’m also including carb counts for each item on my “label.”



Michael was my kitchen helper, and he made whole wheat spaghetti with marinara for lunch. Everyone pretty much played along with the vegan thing by skipping the parmesan topping without complaint.


I realized I will have to go back to the store because I’m missing some ingredients. Some I’d neglected to put on my list, and some had been scarfed down by certain children who shall remain nameless, but whose initials begin with M, S and G. We’re going to have to make a new rule along the lines of “If you need to climb on a chair (or your buddy) to reach it, then you have to ask first AND LISTEN TO THE ANSWER!”
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I took a break and dropped Thomas off at John’s house for an overnighter; Nic was to join them later in the day. I would have gone by the store on the way back, but I left the house in my slippers, and Michael had no shoes at all.
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Back home, and back into the kitchen, I whipped up a batch of granola and a batch of cookies, and jarred my beans (got two quarts of each black and white beans for later use). And, made up a batch of vegetable broth (tops of leeks, a couple of carrots, the tops and heart of a bunch of celery (the “good” parts went back into the fridge snack drawer), the outer leaves of a cabbage I’ll be using later this week, an onion (the only “virgin” veggie going into the pot) and the end of a bunch of parsley that wouldn’t be lasting much longer).

For dinner I used some of the white and black beans for the Veggie Wrap with Tahini Sauce (thank you, Margaret, for the loaner!). The sauce is very flavorful, and a little bit goes a long way. I really liked the combination of cold beans and veggies. We did cucumber, red bell pepper, tomato, avocado, and carrot.

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*****

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So, a few thoughts and observations from Day One.

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I can’t believe how often I’m taking out a full bucket of kitchen waste to the composter since we've been eating semi-vegan. I'm probably making at least one full bucket of scraps per day, and happy to be doing so. David brought Margaret’s tumbler over, so I’m hoping to get a load “started” in the next day or so.

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Carb counting for William's insulin doses is going to be a real trick. I could meticulously calculate all of the carbs going into any given recipe, and then figure out his portion from there, but I think a lot of these dishes William is not going to be terribly interested in. And, my experience with this type of calculating "scratch" dishes has not ended up being terribly accurate (I swear some dishes add or loose carbs during cooking!). So, I'll be relying heavily on my "guestimating" skills.

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I spent just about the entire day in the kitchen. The time was enjoyable (though I was tired by the end of the day), and I did at least as much "puttering" as "cooking." I’m not sure I can be this focused on cooking, spending this much time in the kitchen, for 30 days, much less for the rest of my life. But, I have a feeling that once I get into the mindset and rhythm of whole-food, vegan cooking, it will take me much less time to whip up meals. I’m mostly experimenting right now, and am unfamiliar with the ingredients and how to use them. I think it will get more stream-lined with time. I feel a bit like the movie “Julie and Julia”. Just not all year.

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Today, I'll be pre-cooking some rice and other grains, and am planning on Quinoa and Black Bean Chili for dinner...my first foray into the mysterious quinoa grain. Wish me luck!