WIAW Green Edition

In honor of the last What I Ate Wednesday in March, I decided to green my meals for the day! Despite a day of studying hematology, I still managed to sneak in some fun, healthy meals and a quick run. Since I have to get back to the books, I will let the pictures do the talking! They are also the links to the original recipes, if you are interested in trying something out for yourself!

Breakfast, 8:30am: Angela's Green Monster Overnight Oats. Not as good as the smoothie, but it definitely kept me full all morning!

Lunch, 1:30pm: Impromptu diner visit with a friend led to a delicious lunch of root vegetable hash hidden by two eggs over a bed of mixed greens. Delicious!

Dinner, 7:30pm: What I packed for lunch became dinner. Leftover Great Grains Salad over lettuce with an orange for dessert.

Study snacks, 9pm: Yes, this is a recycled picture, but the scene looked almost exactly the same! A bowl of popcorn sprinkled with nutritional yeast and a piece of toast got me through the rest of the evening.

3/3 of my meals had a green veggie base – that is what I call a WIAW gone green success! To make things even greener, my roommate and I started composting yesterday! Since we are city folk with no yard, we never thought this would be an option for us. However, friends told us about Boostrap Composting, which delivers compost buckets to your door, and picks them up on a schedule. If you compost enough, you can get some of your own homemade fertilizer back! We are excited to venture into this new world of waste, and would love to hear more about your experiences if anyone has composted before!

Question: How do you go green?

Mom’s Reflections on the Vegan Challenge

You have seen my progress in the Vegan Challenge, and have occasionally heard from my parents and friend, but I thought I would give them a chance to share about their experience in their own words! One of the highlights of the month for me was recipe swapping with my mom. She taught me the basics of cooking and shared her passion of good food with me at a young age. I was excited to be able to share some of the tips I have picked up along the way with her, and am amazed by her creativity with vegan cooking! I hope you are as inspired by my mom as I am!

Somehow my daughter was able to talk my husband into going vegan for the month of January.  I don’t think he really had any idea of what he was agreeing too, but I had wanted to try going vegan for some time.  Some of my friends had done the Daniel Fast, a “spiritual fast” based on the book of Daniel in the Bible in which he ate only vegetables, fruits, and drank only water.  A “side effect” of their fasting was weight loss.  So needing to shed some pounds and really cleanse my body and mind, I thought, “Why not join him in this challenge?!”  So during the Christmas holidays, with help from my already vegetarian daughter, I prepared both my mind and my kitchen for the challenge.  She gave me tips on how to incorporate protein into each of our meals so that we wouldn’t go hungry.  I stocked my kitchen cabinets with beans, quinoa, and rice and my refrigerator with fresh vegetables and fruits.  I had recently started getting a weekly delivery of organic fruits and vegetables which proved to be a huge help during the challenge.  She took me to Whole Foods and taught me how to read labels to find all those hidden sources of off limit ingredients and introduced me to tofu and tempeh.  I replaced cow’s milk with almond milk–which I now absolutely love and will not go back to milk.  We even found some different coconut creamers for my husband’s coffee in the morning.

Spaghetti Squash with Delicata Squash, mushrooms and tomatoes. One of my first dinners on the Vegan Challenge.

For breakfast, I made oatmeal with a variety of different fruit mixed in.  I took Jen’s advice and made sure to add either almond milk or sometimes peanut butter to give the oatmeal some protein.  On the weekends, when I would normally have loved scrambled eggs, I began making hash brown potatoes, something I learned from my younger daughter.  On a recent Saturday morning, I shredded some sweet potatoes I had gotten in my organics box, added some onions and black beans, and fried them in olive oil for a delicious and filling breakfast!  I discovered a love for hummus at lunchtime, which also helped to keep me full.  My favorite quick lunch is spread some hummus on a wrap, add some mixed salad greens and diced cucumbers or any leftover grilled vegetables.  Fabulous!  I had a lot of fun finding new recipes and enjoying all the things that I could eat.  That was the best advice that Jen gave me at the start of the challenge.  It was never about what I couldn’t have but making the most of what I could have.  I made homemade pizza with caramelized onions, roasted artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers for a topping—I didn’t even miss the cheese.  I made chili with sweet potatoes instead of meat.  I even made a vegan macaroni and cheese using butternut squash and some nutritional yeast to make the “cheese sauce”.

Thai Fried Rice with sautéed Bok Choy, onions, broccoli and ginger. My last dinner on the Vegan Challenge.

So, after my thirty days as a vegan, I definitely feel better and lost 12 pounds in the process.  I learned a lot about healthy eating and filling my body with good food.  It definitely takes a bit more planning and preparation to be vegan and social settings are definitely hard.  I had friends over for dinner during the challenge and fearing that they would have to be satisfied with a weird vegan dinner, the men all admitted to having eaten meat or chicken BEFORE they came over to eat my vegan food.  So I do agree with Jen, being Vegan with Benefits is much easier.  That’s pretty much what I have been doing (significantly reducing my meat and dairy intake) since the challenge ended as well and plan to continue doing, although I do admit to having some pepperoni pizza while cheering the Giants to victory over the Patriots in the Superbowl this past weekend!  So thanks, Jen, for the encouragement and support in helping me succeed in this challenge!

Sweet Potato Chili with brown rice and Daiya cheese sprinkles

The question still remains: how did Dad fare? Well, he has been busy with a snowmobiling and business trip, but I will try to wrangle a paragraph or two of thoughts from him as soon as I can! Looking at the pictures of what my mom cooked throughout the month, I can assure you he didn’t starve!

WIAW as a Vegan with Benefits

I like Miss Smart’s term: Vegan with Benefits, because that best describes how I have been eating for the past week! Now that the vegan challenge is over, I am still eating pretty much the same at home. However, I am enjoying not having so many restritctions on friends and families, and the easier ordering process at restaurants. I enjoyed a Greek salad wrap for my first non-vegan meal, and loved it. Oh how I missed feta! The other half sandwich I ate at the catered lunch meeting, however, was not as satisfying and I actually picked the cheese off! Granted, it was fake American cheese slices, but it definitely surprised me how little cheese I crave anymore!

My food today was random and on a weird schedule, which I blame on cravings, a weird class schedule, and my evening yoga class. WIAW isn’t about presenting your perfect day, though, so here is a peak into my eats! In keeping with Jenn’s theme for this month, let me restate how much I really do love veggies. Despite being all over the place, I did a decent job of getting my greens. One way to get extra veggies is to incorporate them into snacks (I am not a fan of raw veggies, so like to roast broccoli or snap peas or Brussels sprouts first), add them to your sandwich (like the lettuce leaf over my hummus crackers), make up a quick side salad with dinner, or enjoy a huge stir fry. Join us for the month to try and get more veggies in your daily meals!

6:45am

Because food never looks great at the crack of dawn, a picture of the original.

I finally obeyed my alarm clock and got up before the sun to get some work done. Lately, I have been able to get an hour of studying done before getting hungry for breakfast, but not this morning. That meant a really early breakfast of a pumpkin muffin with a bit of peanut butter, kept on the lighter side in case I decided to go out for a quick run. The other weird occurrence: I didn’t have coffee! I slept a lot this weekend, so my body hasn’t craved its caffeine jump start the past two mornings! Doubt that will last long…

11am

Someone was a little heavy handed with the spicy stuff

After getting bogged down by work, a phone call, and a few distractions, my run never happened. I snacked on half an apple to tide me over, but needless to say I was starving by lunch! I heated up some leftovers: Mama Pea’s Thai Fried Quinoa (my 2nd time making the recipe!) made with edamame instead of peas and topped with a few peanuts and Sriracha. Still hungry, I munched on a handful of peanuts, and then heated up the other half of my apple with some local honey, cinnamon and almond butter.

The best thing I ate all day

4:30pm

I walked over to campus for a long afternoon of cancer screening seminars. My body responded to all of the information being thrown at me with a few loud stomach growls. I responded with dinner part 1: caramelized Brussels sprouts leftover from the other night, and a big juicy orange.

8pm

After a hard yoga class, I was about to gnaw my arm off. I turned to the quickest dinner part 2 possible: hummus on rice cakes with a lettuce leaf ripped over top, with some Veggie Chips from Trader Joe’s on the side. Those were promptly inhaled before I even reached the table… Still hungry after dinner, I roasted up half a crown of broccoli. Normal people crave broccoli for dessert, right? Regardless of what meal category this fits into, roasted broccoli with BBQ sauce hit the spot! Real dessert, 2 squares of dark chocolate, followed to end my random day!

Just your average dessert craving...

Question: Do you ever have random food days?

Vegan Entertaining

The biggest roadblock for me over the past few weeks as a vegan has been community. I feel awkward accepting dinner invitations, hesitant to ask for restrictions on what my friends can cook but also unable to eat what I am served without question. Dining out can be difficult, depending on the menu. Hosting should feel like the easiest option, but I get nervous about my friends reactions to my “weird vegan food.” However, sharing meals with friends is an important part of my life, and I needed to face my fears of communal vegan eating head on this weekend.

I met up with friends for lunch and was terrified of not being able to order anything at the tiny diner we ducked out of the snow into. I scanned the menu, seeing fancy omelettes, pancakes, homemade muffins… and I panicked. But then I saw the life-saving asterisk: for vegans/vegetarians, all eggs can be replaced with tofu or tempeh. At no extra charge, this was a miracle! I got to enjoy  tempeh with home fries and veggies, which was a really filling and satisfying lunch! As my friend said, “only in JP,” commenting on the characteristic residents of this notoriously hippie Boston neighborhood. Not all restaurants are so vegan friendly, but I was happy to have a small hurdle to conquer my fear!

My evening was spent catching up with a few friends from school over dinner, so I got to conquer my fear of serving friends “weird vegan food” as well. It was also an easy hurdle, since four of them were independently doing their own vegan challenge, and one was a former vegan. We laughed about experiences with friends, family, and servers; commiserated over the questioning of preparation methods and scanning of ingredients lists; and swapped recipes and new foods to try. It was such a great night, and the food was a hit!

Original photo from Mama Pea's Thai Fried Quinoa

Original photo of Sesame Kale Chips from Whole Living

To avoid the, “Um, what did you say that is?” reaction, I wanted to find a recipe recreation that would be familiar to people’s taste buds. I chose Mama Pea’s Thai Fried Quinoa, since it harkens Thai pineapple fried rice and can be customized with various toppings. It was a huge hit and definitely a recipe I will make again! On the side, I made Sesame Kale Chips. Kale is a veggie-lovers green, but I have never met someone who could turn down a crispy kale chip. Even my Dad loves kale this way, despite his usual turned up nose when it appears in soups and stews! I omitted the lemon juice, used a little less oil, and added a dash of ginger. I will definitely be playing with different seasonings for my kale chips from now on, since these were so flavorful and not just overly salty! The green stuff went faster than the main dish, which I think speaks volumes!

Original picture of Victoria's Peanut Butter Cup Hippiecakes

Vegan desserts on their own can be tricky, but another wrench was thrown in – my friends were also not eating any added sugar! Good thing I had these muffins on hand! A friend and I baked on Friday night, and certainly got our peanut butter and chocolate fix with these. I put out the rest of the muffins for dessert, and my friends were so excited to be able to enjoy a sweet treat at the end of the meal! You can’t go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate, and the natural sweetness comes from the dates. They are even healthy enough to fill the role of an on-the-go breakfast, making these another make again recipe!

What I learned from my Saturday: don’t let fear hold you back! It might take a little more creativity, planning and thought, but you can enjoy communal meals and laughter with friends, no matter what your current food lifestyle choices are!

Question: Have you ever been afraid of friends reactions to food you serve?

Woah, We’re Halfway There

Please tell me that Bon Jovi immediately popped into your head when you saw the title of this post. No? Just me? Great, well now that’s out of the way… We are already halfway through our vegan challenge, and there already some exciting results to share! First, I’ll let my friends and family do the talking, and then I’ll add my two cents at the end.

1. Do you miss meat, cheese, or dairy has much as you thought you would?

Mom: “I really don’t miss the chicken and meat as much as I do miss my eggs and cheese.  So many of my favorite vegetarian dishes have cheese.  It is also very hard, if not impossible, to eat out as a vegan.  Breakfast is also hard for me as a vegan.” (Obviously, I have failed to get my mom on the oatmeal bandwagon! ;)

Dan: “I am constantly reminded daily of things I can not eat. My internet stumbling chooses to show me new recipes of mac and cheese or McDonald’s flirtatiously reminds me of the glory that is a Big Mac. But, all in all, the craving for meat is not as bad as I thought. Although opening the fridge and knowing there’s nothing in there to eat is a downer…”

2. What is the food you have been enjoying most as a vegan?

Mom: “I don’t know if I have a new favorite food but I have been having fun trying new recipes, like using butternut squash [and nutritional yeast] to make a vegan mac and cheese.  I made the most delicious vegan pizza over the weekend with no cheese or meat in sight and Daddy and Mr. H loved it!”

Dan: “I agree… [that] quinoa is an awesome new grain I’ve never had before. However, after eating nothing but that for a week I’m now sick and tired of that nutty almost cous cous like taste. So I guess the food I’m enjoying most is vegetables?”

Dan's reaction to his vegan burrito. All in jest, though.

3. What has been the biggest struggle as a vegan?

Mom: “For me the biggest struggle is the time it takes to be a vegan; you really have to think about what you are putting in your mouth and I have been packing my lunch everyday to avoid the temptation of eating the wrong things.”

Dan: “My family, although supportive, is not doing this challenge. Therefore, they proceed to eat meat and animal products in my face. Especially my brother… he particularly enjoys watching a commercial on TV or eating pork ribs and asking, “Bro, you want some? Oh wait, that’s right… you can’t!” Furthermore there’s a lot of hidden animal products in Korean cuisine. A lot of our soups and stews may seem innocuous at first, but the soup base will call for anchovies to create a seafood broth. Things of that nature.”

4. Have you cheated (intentionally or unintentionally)?

Mom: “No cheating; I read all labels like you taught me.”

Dan: “Yes I’ve cheated. Once on the first day completely unintentionally thereby restarting the challenge the next day to maintain a full 31 days. The other at CG: where an innocent looking bowl of wheat pasta was tossed in *GASP* butter! Believe me when I say I did not taste any butter nor did I receive any satisfaction for having tasted that delicious animal product. Our beloved referee did however give me a reprieve for this transgression.”

5. How are you feeling?

Mom: “I feel great and have already lost 9 lbs!  Just think where I may be in another couple of weeks!  While I don’t think I would ever decide to become totally vegan, I do think cutting way back on animal protein is something that I will definitely stick with for the future because it is really helping me to feel better and shed some pounds.”

Dad: “Same for me and down 8 lbs.”

Dan: “There may be some truth to the medical community’s fervent support of a high fiber meal being healthy for you. I feel good nah nuh nah nuh nah nuh nuh. I knew that I would.”

My Dad did not have to say much for the questions, but did add in this really touching thought at the end. “Never ever would I have agreed to vegan vs. vegetarian.   However, it has forced an unknowing amount of discipline that I thought I was incapable of.  The love of my daughter and support of my wife has made this possible.   It is good to know that I can get my life back.” Gotta love my big teddy bear of a dad! I am proud of all of us for the changes we have made in the past two weeks, but am most proud of my dad. He had the most barriers to overcome in this challenge, and the least positive mindset. However, after seeing the first few pounds come off and realizing that my Mom was still cooking delicious dinners, his tune changed! Even over an unexpected road trip for a family emergency, he stuck to the vegan challenge – without the supervision on provision of my mom! Nothing put a smile on my face like his Saturday morning text, “Day 14.”

Dad's fruit bowl at work for healthy snacks

Needless to say, it looks like everyone is flourishing with this challenge! It has been fun for me to stay so connected with my parents, through swapping recipes with my mom and talking about changes my dad is making. Even though we won’t be permanently vegan, there have already been some huge lifestyle shifts made! My dad has a bowl of fruit on his desk at work now, so he is no longer tempted by vending machines and office snacks. My mom is bringing her lunch and focusing on eating real food. She is also keeping a food journal, which is why she has been so successful in her early stages of weight loss! All of us have certainly become more mindful of what we are eating, and our vegetable consumption has increased substantially.

How am I doing? I got over my cheese craving in the first few days, and now I am loving it! The hardest part for me is communal eating – potlucks for our weekly Bible study and desserts from classmates are much harder to navigate. Even so, I feel cleansed from all of the holiday cookies, have more energy throughout the day since I am more mindful of what I am eating, and my skin has even cleared up! I agree that I could not remain a strict vegan, but my dairy and egg consumption will certainly decrease following this experience.

Question: Did anyone’s response surprise you? How do you think we will fare over the next two weeks?

New Years Resolution

Happy 2012! This past year has flown by, and has been filled with so many great memories. I started this blog, finished my first year of medical school, traveled to 5 new countries, completed my first triathlon, stood next to my best friends as they got married, and so much more. It is impossible to predict what a new year will bring, no matter how much you think your life is planned out. I am excited for what this year holds!

One of my goals for the year is to keep my kitchen (and apartment) more organized. I am tired of reaching for the salt and knocking over 10 other spice bottles in the process, annoyed with all of the loose dry beans floating in my cabinet, and over the Tupperware tower that attacks me every time I make my lunch. I have spent the entire weekend (minus New Years celebrations, of course!) deep cleaning and re-organizing my apartment, and hope to keep it up as life gets busy and stressful again! One tip I have seen for pantry organization is to move bulk items into jars, tupperware, or other storage containers. Anything that comes in a plastic bag tends to be amorphous and hard to store neatly. I have moved all of my dry goods into glass jars that my roommate and I have been hoarding anytime we finish almond butter, salsa, pasta sauce, etc.

My mom was a little fancier with her organization and bought a pack of large canning jars for her dry goods. She filled them, labeled them with cute paper, and then stuck a slip with the cooking instructions onto the lid. Her cabinets are beautiful, clean and organized now!

Our newly organized dry beans will also help with a second challenge: going vegan! A friend and I, who are too competitive for our own good, got into a discussion about food and lifestyle choices. After a little while, he decided to experiment with being a vegan for a month, but only if I could convince my meat-loving father to do so. Oh how little he understands how much sway a daughter has on her father ;) My dad accepted the challenge, and so now my friend and my dad are competing to see if they can last the month as vegans! For solidarity, my mom and I have agreed to also participate in the challenge. We each are challenging ourselves for different reasons, and some are more excited, willing and ready than others. Regardless, it will definitely be an interesting month for all of us! I hope to have a few fun posts with some thoughts from my parents and friend about their success with the challenge, as well as share some recipes that I try out or create along the way!

Question: Do you have any New Years Resolutions?

A Month In Review

A month is a funny thing. It seems like so long ago that it was August 1 and I was still on vacation in NJ. And yet it seems impossible that I haven’t been a 2nd year medical student forever. Time is funny that way: days are long but months are short. In order to stay sane in medical school, I have found that it is important for me to look back and appreciate the small things. Sure, I may spend most hours of a day in class or hunched over a desk studying. That is very tedious and mundane, and it is easy to fall into thinking that your life is boring and uneventful. However, if I look back over the month, I realize just how many things I have done, how many friends I have gotten to visit, and how much fun I really have had. I may no longer be on vacation, but I am still making time for something I enjoy each day!

Some highlights from August…

I participated in the NYC Triathlon. My third race and first triathlon, my only goal was to finish! That I did and I have the medal to prove it!

I started my second year of medical school, and although the daily grind is draining, I am still excited for the year ahead. School moves at a quick enough pace that I have even already taken my first exam of the year!

I was Freshly Pressed! I love writing posts, and am so excited that this one got highlighted! My time in Sarajevo was unique and special, and I am glad that I got to share the beauty and recovery that is occurring there in the midst of most negative media coverage.

I wrote my 100th post! It feels like just yesterday that I started my blog, but really it has been almost 4 months! I have so enjoyed cooking and writing, and love feedback on recipe ideas and new things to try!

I got my very first apron! I asked my cousin Lizzie if she could make me one at the beginning of the summer, not knowing how good of a seamstress she really is! Lets just say that she could put Anthropologie out of business. It is so cute, with my favorite colors and a cute vintage style, and an awesome big bow in the back!

I got to visit with my friend’s dad over ice cream, in Boston only once a year from Italy!

I made homemade granola with my roommate! Our first attempt and not too shabby!

I finally replaced my toaster oven, after catching my first one on fire last winter making these. Don’t worry – I put the fire out in the cooler that the toaster was sitting next too, but not before alarming all of my neighbors and completely filling my house with smoke. Whoops. I’ll be more careful with this one!

I made Mama Pea’s Sunflower Seed Butter. And I became addicted. This stuff is seriously good.

I got to visit Worcester! Two of my really good friends have recently been stolen by Western Mass, and I got to go visit one of them with a housewarming gift! Story behind the plant choices: in college, Azra had a small collection of mini cacti. Someone told her that it was bad feng shui and that she was ruining her luck, so we bought her bamboo to even out the energy. My roommate from college and I decided that her new home would be incomplete without these additions, so we decided to get them as a thank you gift and housewarming present!

This list doesn’t count the other things that make my days a little less tedious: coffee breaks and meals with friends, my weekly community group Bible study, and random deep conversations with my roommate. I am so thankful for all of the people who keep me sane in life!

Question: What was your August highlight?

Green Goddess

There is nothing I love more than watching someone fall in love with a healthier lifestyle. It only takes a few small changes that eventually add up into a lot of healthy habits! This recipe is what pushed my little sister over the edge to be an adventurous, veggie-cooking college student. She has found her own veggie delivery program in Philly, and says that she is excited to try new recipes and new foods as she begins to cook for herself this year! I hope that she finds inspiration from what I make with my box, as well as from her own amazing culinary creativity.

I have seen recipes for all types of green goddess dressings popping up everywhere, whether they are low-fat, vegan, gluten-free… you name it! I had some leftover cashew cream from my pasta sauce, and decided to try my own hand at it! It is a little more inspired by the flavors in pesto than in a traditional green goddess dressing, but is absolutely delicious in its own right. Plus, I got to try out my new Whole Foods purchase – nutritional yeast! This strange, flaky ingredient is super good for you – rich in B vitamins and packed with protein. It has an interesting, almost cheesey flavor, making it a perfect addition to dressings and pasta sauces! If you are not so adventurous, you can definitely try substituting a bit of grated cheese in the dressing, or just leave it out and add a bit more salt! I really like the flavor that it adds in recipes, but am not at a point to use it sprinkled over pasta. A little to earthy for me…

Try this recipe. It is really, really good. My sister exclaimed, “I just want to stick my face in it!” She had me make extra before I left, and is dreaming up ways to use it. We dipped some roasted broccoli in it, but she thinks it would make a great chip dip, or could even be a great pasta sauce.

Question: What do you think it would go well with?

Green Goddess Dip

1/3 cup basil

1/3 cup parsley

1/2 cup cashew cream

1/2 tsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Chop basil and parsley finely in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and combine until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Cold Curried Lentils

After three months of being an omnivore (and a few truly carnivorous weeks in Europe), I am back to my vegetarian ways. My dad is particularly perplexed by this, since he is the kind of man who thinks dinner doesn’t count if there is no meat. But honestly, I feel better when I am not eating meat. I have more energy after meals, definitely get more veggies in my diet, and all around feel healthier. I still will stand by my philosophy of being a better friend than a vegetarian, and will not turn down someone’s hospitality simply to maintain my dietary preferences. However, my recipes from now on will be vegetarian!

There are two things I love most about cooking as a vegetarian. The first is enjoying tons of fresh fruits and veggies! It is really simple to eat healthy when a huge box of produce shows up at your doorstep. I have explained the Boston Organics program briefly before, and am so glad to be a returning customer! I received my first delivery for the new school year yesterday, and found kale, lettuce, green beans, cukes, onions, plums, nectarines, apples, oranges, bananas and thyme all nicely waiting for my on the porch when I got home from class! I have convinced many of my Boston friends to join either Boston Organics or a CSA, both for the convenient for delivery and for the fact that it forces you to always be stocked with fresh, mostly local, organic produce. My sister even found a really similar program in Philly and is considering joining, and is really excited about learning to cook veggies so they taste good. My enthusiasm for veggies may sicken some, but is obviously infectious, so watch out ;)

The other thing I love is finding alternative protein sources: beans, nuts, seeds…. but one of my favorite vegetarian protein sources is lentils. My mom picked up some naan at the store during my last few days home, and I knew that I wanted some lentils with it. With it being so hot and humid, I wanted to stay away from the stove as much as possible. These lentils are light and creamy, with just enough curry flavor to make it interesting. They are not the most photogenic beans… I promise they taste better than they look! I enjoyed the lentils with naan for dinner with a few of my spaghetti squash fritters, but they would also make a great light lunch on their own!

Question: What is your favorite vegetarian protein?

Cold Curried Lentils

1 cup dried lentils

2 cups water

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (soy yogurt if vegan)

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dried cilantro

3 stalks celery, chopped

Cover dried lentils with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to allow lentils to simmer. They should be cooked through and soft in about 15 minutes. Be careful that the water doesn’t boil off or the lentils will burn at the bottom! Allow the lentils to cool. Mix with Greek yogurt, herbs and spices, and chopped celery. Season with salt to taste if desired. Refrigerate or serve at room temperature.

Meat and Potatoes

Czech food can be summed up in two words: meat and potatoes. Almost every dish is centered around beef or pork topped in some sort of heavy sauce and served with potato dumpling. Definitely not what I am used to! I was determined to really experience the culture and cuisine of Prague, though, so I tried garlic soup, beef goulash, and svíčková, three hallmark dishes of Czech cuisine.

Many Czech meals start with a hearty soup, the most notable being their garlic soup. I made a big bowl of this soup dinner one evening, and it was a good thing I did! The garlic flavor was really intense, but not unpleasant or overwhelming. The croutons added a nice crunch and helped soften the garlic flavor as did the cheese, which also unfortunately added extra oil. Even so, I enjoyed trying this soup. My friend explained to me that garlic’s prevalence in Czech cuisine is a remnant of communist rule, a period in which import laws were really strict and vegetables and herbs were incredibly difficult to find. Garlic was one of the few ingredients available, so many traditional foods tend to be centered around this flavor.

Beef goulash is actually Hungarian, although it is well-known in most central European countries. To me, it is like a thicker beef stew that is served with dumplings, great for soaking up the sauce. When my meal first came out, I was so surprised by the dumplings and actually thought they had mistakenly given me bread instead. Later I found out that they were in fact dumplings, but they are made by boiling a large loaf made of potato flour that is later sliced into dumplings. They were the highlight of the meal for me, especially soaked in the sauce from the goulash!

Svíčková was the highlight of what I ate in Prague. It was made even better by great company – my friend from college, who is back in Prague for work, got in touch with me after seeing my post about where my travels had brought me and invited me out for lunch. Small world with crazy ways of making connections, huh? She took us to Cafe Louvre, a popular hang out spot for the likes of Einstein and Kafka. Located near the National Theater, the ambience in the restaurant was incredible. The sunlight was pouring in, the wallpaper was bright but classic, and the atmosphere was relaxed. They even left notepaper and little pencils on the table, in case lunch conversation was stimulating enough to necessitate more than a mental note! My friend recommended ordering svíčková, her favorite dish that she craved in college when away from home for a long time. It is a small portion of tender roast beef topped with cranberry sauce and served with the classic sliced dumplings, all topped with the most wonderful, creamy sauce. The sauce is actually blended vegetables (carrots, parsley root, celeriac and onion), which are roasted with the beef and then blended with heavy cream and spices to make the sauce. Everything was incredible  - the beef was tender, the sauce was rich and flavorful, and the cranberries were a unique counterpoint. Finally, a traditional Czech food that I loved!

An interesting lunch time conversation was centered around the meat and potatoes cuisine of the Czech Republic. My friend recounted that the previous communist regime led to the formation of a limited ingredient list in traditional Czech dishes, since you could only cook with what was available. The terrain surrounding Prague is not great for agriculture, and so vegetables fell out of favor and were substituted with more easily accessible meat and root vegetables. While this doesn’t immediately seem problematic, my friend pointed out that the rates of colon cancer in the Czech Republic are amongst the highest in the world. She said that younger generations are open to a more balanced diet, but tradition has strong roots and change is slow. Her remarks reminded me of claims made in the documentary Forks Over Knives that I saw a few months ago, which claims that a plant-based diet is the best preventative measure against heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and a myriad of other diseases. However, culture and tradition are important and it is difficult to convince people that lifestyle changes are worth it. Definitely interesting lunch conversation inspired by the intellectual atmosphere of Cafe Louvre!

Question: What are your thoughts on diet and culture? Do you think the way you eat is more influenced by your family or the region you grew up in? Do you think making changes towards a more balanced diet is important, regardless of cultural traditions? I’d love to hear your thoughts!