Vegging Out

This is my new obsession. I've cooked almost every recipe in the book, and they have all been delicious.

For those of you who don't know about Moosewood, it's a vegetarian restaurant located in Ithaca, New York (just a short hop from where I grew up...) that was at the head of the counter-culture vegetarian movement. Not only are they incredibly socially responsible and environmentally active, they also have some of the yummiest food on the planet. Even devout carnivores fall under the Moosewood spell.

I must confess something to you now, dear readers... I'm becoming a vegetarian. It's a slow process, and I'm allowing it to happen somewhat organically rather than going (forgive the pun!) cold turkey into a meat-free lifestyle.

It started back in January, when I decided I simply wasn't getting enough fruits and vegetables in my diet. I thought the simplest solution would be to eliminate meat for a little while, to re-set my body into a healthful veggie mode. Strangely enough, I found I didn't miss meat at all. Okay, that may be a bit of a lie-- who can say they don't miss bacon? And those turkey sausage breakfast sandwiches from Wawa are just so tasty....

But generally speaking, I didn't crave meat or even think about it when it was gone. I'm not even using very many meat substitutes. Tofu and I are barely on speaking terms, although we've had a few pleasant interactions so far and I'm open to more. But really, the point for me was to give up meat, not to substitute it for something that's vaguely meaty tasting with an odd texture. I like veggies, I want more veggies.

Now this certainly isn't a militant thing. I'll probably cheat once and a while. (How could I say no to a slice of Thanksgiving turkey with Mom's amazing gravy?) And there's no way in hell I could ever become a vegan. Just the thought of giving up cheese and ice cream makes me break out into hives!

Being more healthful was my number one reason for the switch, but other factors are helping me stay the course. Honestly, getting a dog made me think long and hard about consuming animals-- call me a bleeding heart, but I don't see all that much difference between the dog I adore and a pig or a cow. They are all living, sentient beings and I would rather not consume them mindlessly.

Plus our meat processing (a gross phrase, if you ask me) standards are absolutely appalling. It would be one thing to eat an animal raised pleasantly and killed humanely. But the more I read about feedlots and slaughterhouses, the more I can't stand the thought of all that suffering just so I can have a hot dog.

Not to mention the environmental impact-- according to the website GoVeg.com, eating one pound of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gas as driving an SUV 40 miles. Not to mention the pollution caused by all the animal waste, the waste of resources,etc.... the more I look into this issue, the more it makes sense for me as a responsible citizen of this world to give up meat. Check out this great article about the environmental impact of vegetarianism here.

Now don't think I'm preaching. Like I said, I'm bound to cheat now and then. And I would never look down upon my carnivorous friends-- to each his or her own. But going veg for me makes me feel better physically (bonus: I'm losing weight!), emotionally and weirdly enough, spiritually. So it just makes sense for me.

Okay, I'm going to eat some of that incredible Broccoli Rice casserole I made from my copy of the Moosewood Cookbook. I've got my eye on the Bulgarian Pepper casserole next, or maybe the Mushroom Curry? So many choices, so many veggies...