Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Day 3: The Cheesies


Today started out well. I made a big batch of steel cut oats (see my genius "recipe" here) last night and put it in the fridge. This morning I spooned out a bowl, heated it in microwave, and added maple syrup, raisins and toasted walnuts. Quick, easy, and yum!

For lunch I came home (lucky, huh?) and made another Amy's veggie burger with all its accoutrements. This time I added my leftover guac on top, and it was extra delicious. I also wanted it to feel like more of a "naughty" meal so I fried up my tater tots in some grapeseed oil (not deep fry, just pan fry), and they were DELICIOUS. Way better than Sonic's tots. :P

Came home and plopped on the couch with Lola. Eventually my hunger came, and I reheated last night's tah dig and braised collard greens. And I ate them. And they were good... but they weren't enough. Suddenly I found myself wanting something more, something comforting and warm and gooey and... cheesy. I got hit by the cheesies (ya know... like the munchies?? ha!).

All I could think of was ooey gooey pizza, beautiful cheesy layers of lasagna, and even gross stuff like mozzarella sticks. I quickly walked into the kitchen to see what I had that could possibly satiate this craving (nondairy, of course). Nothing. Nothing sounded good, nothing looked good. I paced. I sweared. I asked Lola to talk me off the ledge. Seriously, I was this close to calling Pizza Hut...

And then I spotted a lone sweet potato. And so I baked it. And ate it with a dab of Earth Balance. (And a Mexican coke.) And I felt... better. Did I still want cheese? Yes. But I didn't eat any. And then I proceeded to listen to Colleen Patrick Goudreau's "Vegetarian Food for Thought" podcast on cow's milk. And I hopped on www.unhappycows.com and looked at these photos. And then I found the PETA Vegetarian Starter Kit (which you can download for free here), and just reading through it and being reminded of the realities/horrors of the dairy industry were enough. I don't want to be a part of that ever again.

So, I'm feeling better. I'm glad I didn't cave. But I still miss cheese.

2 comments:

  1. Good for you!! Sometimes it's hard to get past cravings (regardless of whether or not they're vegan), so you should be proud for pushing through! :)

    I love "Vegetarian Food for Thought," too. It's so inspirational & constantly reinforces the reasons I've chosen to be vegan!

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  2. Ah, yes the cheesies. I totally hear you. Guacamole or hummus (sometimes mixed with miso) were what I turned to the first month or two. Others wear by hot toast with peanut butter or baked sweet potato with tahini or almond butter. Good for you for holding up. :)

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