What Do You Eat?!

One of our daughters was born with an aversion to meat and milk. As a baby, she spat out puréed meats. We could not trick her into drinking cow's milk and when she was older, she chewed meat forever but refused to swallow it. As a toddler she lived on egg sandwiches, kidney beans and vegetables. Around 2008, I decided to follow a plant-based diet and my daughter happily joined me. I won't go into all the reasons for changing my diet as I do not try to convince others to follow my personal decision. 

It is much easier to find excellent vegetarian options in restaurants compared to a decade ago, and many ethnic cuisines have delicious meatless options. No matter if you are a meat eater, a pescatarian, a lacto-ovo vegetarian, or a vegan, eating more vegetables is important for good health. You can avoid meat and still eat a very unhealthy diet. One of the first vegetarians I met lived on french fries, potato chips and crackers. My great-uncle, who was born at the turn of the 20th century, was a vegetarian who ate a lot of processed meat substitutes. I avoid meat substitutes such as Beyond Beef and processed veggie burgers. I do not miss meat textures and prefer to use eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds as protein in my diet. 

Autumn is my favourite time of year! I love visiting the market and buying fresh squash, peppers, root vegetables, beans, stone fruits and APPLES! It is the best time of year for simmering soup, making stews, and roasting vegetables. Roasted vegetables are sweet and delicious and dinner comes together quickly with a bowl of grains, legumes, roasted vegetables with some sort to sauce or dressing;- curry, salsa, peanut, avocado, cilantro, tahini or hummus. I had my first vegetarian burrito bowl many years ago at the Houston TX airport and was immediately hooked on the rice, beans, roasted peppers, guacamole and salsa, served with freshly fried tortilla chips. 

So what is on my roasting pan today? (Every day is different)

I chop the vegetables in uniform sizes and roast them with a little olive oil and salt at 425 F until they are tender crisp. Cruciferous vegetables like brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and cabbage all roast up well and I try to have one serving of them a day. Golden beets are another favourite, sliced in thin rounds. Green and yellow beans are surprisingly good, and radishes taste a little like potatoes when cooked. There are many other vegetables on my regular rotation including white and sweet potatoes, butternut squash, turnip, asparagus, tomatoes and corn. Leftover roasted vegetables go well with a lunch or dinner salad. They can be also be cooked in vegetable stock and puréed to make a hearty soup.

I am grateful for the great variety of food that is readily available at a reasonable price where we live. Eating a plant-based diet is very economical for us and is never boring. 

And here is dinner;- roasted vegetables with roasted potatoes and crispy tofu instead of beans. 

The meat eaters in the family had some pan-fried pork loin on the side, but vegetables were the main feature as they should be. 

The chosen sauces ranged from ketchup to salsa to coconut curry sauce.