there have been many home cooked meals as of late, and i regret i didn't tell you about them sooner. they have been healthy, flavorful, and void of meat and dairy. veganism seems to be having a moment right now. i feel as though everywhere i turn i run into a reformed carnivore. kale is so ubiquitous on nyc menus, i'm wondering if has replaced bacon as the latest ingredient "du jour." let's hope so. veganism no longer feels counter culture; if anything, it just feels logical. i had my first introduction to veganism when i was just sixteen. i was a young impressionable novice vegetarian in the 90's and i met a boy at summer camp who told me that if i really gave a shit about animals i would stop eating eggs and dairy. it made sense and i was pretty sure he spoke nothing but truthiness. we spent a summer locking eyes over campfire meals of tofu dogs and boca burgers.
nowadays, i have been known to indulge in some good goat cheese and even slurp an oyster or ten, but lately i have been thinking that it may be time to revisit my inner vegan. i just reread eating animals by jonathan safran foer, and i'm having a harder and harder time ignoring that little voice inside me that tells me i'm kind of a hypocrite every time i pop a spicy salmon roll. if you haven't read the book, do. foer is the kind of vegan that anyone can get down with. his writing is totally non-judgemental while being completely honest and informative. because he is a fiction writer (and a damn good one at that), he has a very specific writing style that can be hip and factual at the same time. he can appeal to anyone just looking to read a good book. he has managed to convert a few meat eaters over to the vegan side, but that doesn't feel like his agenda. if anything, he is telling the story of what happened when he decided to fully educate himself about the ins and outs of animal husbandry. not for everyone, i'm sure, but if you are least vaguely interested, and looking for something easier to digest than the jungle, this might be a good pick.
so, i've decided to take a cue from mark bittman who eats vegan 2 out of 3 meals a day. unlike bittman who stays vegan until dinner, the hardest meal for me to relinquish is breakfast. dinner is easy. dinner is all about savory sauces and spices, bountiful greens and hearty beans. breakfast is more delicate. generally mine is composed of some egg whites or greek yogurt with jam. by dinner time, i want something savory, warm, and filling.
tonight i decided to make an asian stew inspired by some leftover produce i wanted to use up. i can't seem to get enough kimchee these days and i had plenty leftover from a tofu kimchee stir fry i had made earlier in the week. in the wintertime, i crave nothing more than hearty spicy soups. i made a traditional stock with kombu (kelp) and built in miso, tamari, and nori. then came hijiki, oyster mushrooms, brown button mushrooms, scallions, daikon, turnips, bean sprouts, kimchee, red bell pepper, and tofu noodles. i also added a little tapioca starch to thicken the broth to an almost gravy consistency, which stood up well to the bulk of vegetables. the resulting flavor had a deep umami quality resulting from the mingling of hijiki, miso, and mushrooms. that earthiness is something i crave in meals, so the natural saltiness hit my sweet spot just right. there was a subtle spice and a discernible crunchiness from the daikon and sprouts that contrasted nicely agains the soft kimchee and chewy mushrooms. it was a yummy dish that i think will develop even more depth after a few more days.
i am happy to be cooking frequently again and even happier to be writing about it. the joy has returned to my food preparation, and that is what it is all about. if nothing else, this blog has been about me keeping a diary of things that make me happy, and nothing does that more for me than healthy and delicious meals. i am in grad school now, getting my masters in food studies, so there is a lot to process. my days are steeped in academia and i am faced with tough questions about politics, theory and socio-economics all relating to food--it's a complicated issue. however, there are few complications (beyond deciding what to make) in coming home and preparing something to eat that is primarily composed of vegetables that i know were produced in a sustainable way. this make me happy and there is a strong correlation in eating something sustainable and eating something that just makes you feel good. there will be many more dishes to come so stay tuned. i'm looking forward to it.
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