Vegan Challenge: The Dreaded Dinner Party

For me, being invited to a dinner party is a chance to catch a glimpse into other people's idea of good food (and their medicine cabinets - don't judge, we all do it.) For the new boyfriend or girlfriend, it's a nail-biting date; for in-laws, it's untimely; for grandkids, it's "What's in the jello?"; for co-workers, it's just more work...you get my drift. There's usually a love-hate thing going on with dinner parties where we kind of hate being invited, but we love free food. However, for a vegan, it's a nightmare.

Fortunately for me, I have really amazing friends. Both times I attended dinner at a friend's, my hosts more than compensated for my dietary restrictions. At each dinner, the bulk of the recipe was 100% vegan with just a few moderations, like omitting the cheese in a quinoa-stuffed pepper, or substituting tofu for beef in Vietnamese pho, in only my portions.

My block of tofu next to delicious, thinly sliced beef.

I did turn down a couple pizza parties and one chicken wing extravaganza, but I definitely lucked out in being able to attend dinners AND eat with everyone. I'm not sure exactly what it'd be like to be invited to dinner and not be able to eat. Oh wait, yes I do: horrible! I wonder if vegans just bring along their own meal, or eat before they go, or just stay home, just in case there's nothing they can eat. The whole point of a dinner party is to create a sense of community by breaking bread at the table together, no? I imagine there'd be a sense of ostracism when it comes to being vegan, or having any limiting diet, at a dinner party. For the few times I turned down party invitations, or couldn't share some plates at a restaurant, or when closing at work and my boss has made everyone cheesy fries or pulled pork nachos, I felt very frustrated. Not just because I couldn't eat the food, but because I couldn't join in with everyone. My extroverted personality is part of the reason I need to belong, but when it comes to food, I even more feel that desire to be a part of something special. When you can and will eat anything, the world is your oyster (mmm, oysters), and you can find a place almost anywhere.

This challenge has really opened my eyes to the idea that food really does create a common ground among our differences. When a group of people are eating together, it doesn't make us all the same or share similar beliefs, but it does mimic a feeling of a family, or less extreme, a club or society. Even just eating at a restaurant, everyone is sitting at different tables and eating different food, but they're still all sharing the same experience of eating out.

So if a group of people all eating different food at a restaurant can find a common ground, why as a vegan am I always feeling on the outside? I think it's because I often feel singled out. I'm constantly explaining - once people hear what I order at a restaurant or when I say no to something - that I'm eating a vegan diet to which most people's incredulous response is, "Why?" I then go further into detail about my 30-day vegan challenge and most people's incredulity turns to acceptance and sometimes admiration. I'm not really sure if it's because the diet is temporary or they really are impressed by veganism. A vegan couple I met immediately responded to my choice with, "Good for you!" At the time it made me really proud and glad they hadn't responded like most people did, but later when I thought about it more, I decided it was kind of weird. I mean, if someone told me they were gluten-free, I wouldn't congratulate them for their choice, or in some cases, their allergy. I then came to the conclusion that the question of "why" doesn't really bother me. In fact, I enjoy explaining the challenge and talking about all I've learned. It's actually inspired me to ask people more why they're choosing what to eat. We choose our beliefs and we talk about those all the time, so why not ask and talk about our food choices more? We might learn something about each other,or, better yet, discover something new and delicious to eat!

Next: "Vegan Challenge: Mad Cow Cravings"

Vegan Challenge: Hosting Dinner

About once a week some friends and I take turns hosting each other for dinner.  We aptly call it “Monday Night Dinner.”  Some of our most stand-out dishes include Alaskan salmon, pho with thinly sliced beef, and most recently, steak and cheesy potatoes.  So when it was my turn to host during my vegan challenge, I was pretty nervous.  I almost hoped my friends would forget I was forsaking meat and cheese and I could just trick them into thinking this was just like any other meal.  They all came in with their vegan jokes, however, so I knew I wasn’t going to be pulling any wool over any eyes. 

Fortunately, I live in Boulder, CO: the land of dietary restrictions including veganism, gluten-free, and granola-loving hipsters.  It wasn’t hard to find some help.  A vegetarian co-worker, formerly a strict vegan, had a stash of favorite vegan recipes that he shared with me.  One of his favorites was a Rustic Bread and Eggplant Lasagna.  It has layers of tomato sauce, but instead of noodles in between, there’s sourdough bread, and instead of meat and cheese, you’ll find roasted eggplant.  Topped with breadcrumbs and fresh basil, it was a beautiful and tasty dish. 

Although it's called lasagna, I'm not sure we really missed the noodles and meat because the dish was so unique and flavorful.  Still, for my non-vegan friends, and to settle my dinner-hosting nerves, I had the Parmesan cheese and seasonings prominently displayed. 

They dabbled in the cheese (who wouldn’t?), but overall, we all really enjoyed it. 

I will say, the sourdough bread added quite the sour element, almost overpowering to me.  If I make this again, I might try it with another hearty herbed loaf.  Or I’ll just wait a couple weeks and use noodles and hamburger meat...who am I kidding? 

Next: "Vegan Challenge: An Ode to Chickens"

Braaaains! And Cupcakes

I love AMC's The Walking Dead, and if there's anything I love more than food, it's food with a theme.  In honor of my favorite show's Season 3 finale, and the graphic novel it's based off of, I decided to do a comic themed post to exhibit the "zombie treats" I made on Sunday.  Enjoy!

  

Drew's Variation: Spicy Chorizo-Stuffed Pork Loin

My younger brother Drew is an aspiring chef.  I think for at least the last decade the kitchen has been Drew’s domain.  Last year, at the age of 17, he published a calendar with beautiful pictures of some of his favorite creations, accompanied by recipe cards.  He’s amazing, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my little brother.  If I was stranded on an island and could only bring one thing, I’d bring him because we could quote Monty Python over some creative feast made out of coconuts and fish.  “Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?” (Direct quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)

Anyway, I invited some friends over and decided to take a stab at Drew’s stuffed pork loin.  I started with the biggest cut of meat I’ve ever purchased for myself: a 4 ½ pound pork roast.  It was a little intimidating so I cut off about a pound (which I used to make pulled pork tacos about a week later: yum!), but it was still quite the feat to carve off the fat and then slice the whole thing in half, long ways.  After marinating, it was stuffed with chorizo sausage, fresh cilantro and spinach, and some lime zest and juice.  Once it was tied shut it kind of looked like a giant hoagie.  It was a monster of meat! 

The marinade ingredients included tequila, so it was only natural that my friends and I sipped on lime margaritas while the meat monster grilled and I simmered some colorful peppers and onions for the accompanying Mexican rice.  The thick pork took about an hour to cook through, and we were all coughing on paprika that had infused the air, but the cooking process was my favorite part of the evening.  All eight of us were crammed into the kitchen, engaging in separate conversations, sometimes all joining into one, listening to music, choking a bit on spices, and laughing.  The food was more difficult and took longer to prepare than I had anticipated, but I couldn’t have been happier with my friends there to keep me company and pitch in where needed.  It really was the perfect evening.

Back to the pork: it turned out to be incredible.  I was worried I had overcooked it out of fear of subjecting everyone to raw meat consumption, but it was so juicy and tender, and the stuffing was the perfect complement!  It brought a little heat, but the mild Mexican rice and vegetables kept the bite at bay.  I also served a small tomato and cucumber salad as a palate cleanser.  Our kitchen conversations easily transferred to the dinner table where the talking and laughing flowed as smoothly as our sweet margaritas. 

Cheers, little bro!  I couldn’t be prouder and am even more excited to try my hand at the other 11 recipe cards which include Gyro Burgers, Sausage and Goat Cheese Pizza, and Chocolate Zucchini Cake!