A case for vegan

I don't eat meat, dairy or anything with an animal-derived ingredient in the mix. I'm part of what some people consider a dietary nuisance, a paragon of pushiness - a vegan.

Wait! Don't run away just yet. I'm not going to try to get you to convert to my way of eating. Not completely, at least. If you want to continue to eat meat and animal products, I'm not going to demean or demonize you, or try to shock you into converting. It's just not my style.

Unfortunately, there are people like that out there, but I always remind myself - every group has a few loud, forceful types. I'm just not one of them. In fact, most vegans I've met - and I used to work at a Whole Foods, so I knew quite a few - weren't anything like that. It was a personal choice for them.

If you wanted to discuss it with them, they would be happy to share recipes and the like, but they weren't going to make you join a cult.

I cut out meat and dairy about three or four years ago. At the time, my fiancée and I took a look at our diets, noticing that we ate a ton of meat, and we weren't feeling great. In particular, my fiancée could no longer dissociate the food on her plate with the source.

On top of that, my family has been prone to heart disease, so I figured taking out a few high-fat aspects of my diet might be helpful. We gave it a try, and at the time, I honestly thought it would last a few months before we got sick of veggie burgers and the like.

What I didn't expect was how many interesting dishes I would find along the way, opening my palate to more options and creative opportunities.

And that's what I would like to do for you - expose you to some interesting new ideas, to show you that you can enjoy a good meal without meat or dairy.

It's not something that you have to do every day of the week, but a Meatless Monday every once in a while is not a bad thing. There are a lot of great options where you may not even notice that these ingredients are missing.

I find that many people are turned off of vegan cooking by a few misconceptions.

"It's too complicated," or "I don't have those ingredients," are common complaints. But here's the thing - it doesn't have to be complicated. You don't need to go to Whole Foods or Wegman's for some expensive spice you'll only use once.

Many dishes can be made quite easily with things you tend to stock in the kitchen already. Got some frozen veggies and pasta? There's a dish. A couple cans of beans and crushed tomatoes? You can make an awesome slow-cooker chili. Out of eggs, but looking to satisfy a sweet tooth? There's even a great recipe that makes a killer cake, moist as can be.

And honestly, let me make this all-too-common point of contention clear - NOT EVERY VEGAN DISH HAS TO HAVE TOFU. I rarely eat the stuff myself - when it comes to meat replacements, I prefer seitan, which is made out of wheat gluten. Seitan is very versatile; it can stand in for any protein you want.

So the next time you get a chance, give a vegan meal a try. You don't have to throw out the pork shoulder sitting in your fridge and convert to Buddhism, honestly. Have some fun, get creative, and enjoy something different.

Quick Vegetable Soup

½pound dilatini pasta

1 16-ounce bag soup vegetables

64 ounces vegetable broth or stock

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the dilatini pasta al dente, drain, set aside

Prepare the vegetables, undercooking by about 2 minutes or so.

Bring the stock or seasoning to a simmer in a large pot, add the seasoning.

Add the vegetables and pasta, cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Season to taste.

Penne with Garlic and Olive Oil Veggies

1 pound penne pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

Dash of salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 12-ounce package of California vegetables

Prepare the pasta, preferably al dente, as directed. Drain and set aside in the pot.

Prepare the vegetables as directed, undercooking by about a minute or so.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for about 3 to 4 minutes with a dash of salt.

Add the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and basil, cook for 30 seconds.

Add the vegetables to the onions and garlic, and toss together. Cook for an additional minute.

Add the vegetable mixture to the pasta, stir well. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and serve.

Basil-Cilantro Pesto Farfalle with Veggies

1 pound farfalle pasta

1 12-ounce bag of California or Italian vegetables

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro (or parsley or additional basil if you're not a fan of cilantro)

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Prepare the pasta, drain, set aside.

Prepare the vegetables, set aside.

Combine the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, salt in food processor, pulse until it reaches a paste-like consistency. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blending until relatively smooth.

Combine the pasta, vegetables, and pesto in a large pan, heat over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Season with a bit of red pepper and serve.

Basil-Cilantro Pesto excerpted from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Copyright (c)2007. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group Inc.

Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake with Glaze

Recipe courtesy Alicia Kachmar at Instructables

Cake

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla extra

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Glaze

½ cup sugar

4 tablespoons margarine (Earth Balance has several vegan options)

2 tablespoons soy milk

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with a fork, blending well. Add the water, vanilla, oil, and vinegar, blend again. Pour into an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted about a quarter way to the center of the cake comes out clean. Set on a cooling rack, cool completely - this may take upward of an hour or two.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar, margarine, milk and cocoa to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer for about two minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from heat, and continue to stir for about five minutes. Add the vanilla, stir, and pour onto the cool cake. Now is the time to add some sprinkles if you wish, since the glaze will set quickly. Allow to cool for about an hour.