The Vegan Pact Turns 4!

Say whaaaa?!

How in the heck did that happen? It seems like just yesterday, I started this vegetarian journey. From terrible cooking endeavors, shitty recipes and various co-contributors, all of it has been documented on this little blog.

I’ve gone from carb and dairy heavy vegetarian, to strict vegan, to semi raw vegan and now somewhere in between. Still vegan, but not so much raw (unless it’s summer) and not so much carbs (unless…I want them REALLY, REALLY bad). I’ve had moments when I’ve wanted dairy. There’s been times when I’ve thought the smell of steak or buffalo chicken was UHMAZING. I’ve shared kitchen space with uber meat eaters and admired their dishes. But not once, have I actually pictured myself eating animals ever again. Even on Thanksgiving. Even when I’m out to dinner and eveyrone else I’m there with has these amazing burgers, baked potato skins, mozzarella sticks and desserts and  my only option is a crappy salad with even crappier dressing. There’s never been a point in time when I’ve come across a food or meal that I thought was worth breaking this lifestyle for. No dish I thought I would enjoy, that I couldn’t go home and recreate to be vegan and healthy for you. No matter how many times friends and family give me shit for eating and living this way, I would never consider going back to my pre-vegetarian life. 

And there isn’t one thing in my life that has single-handedly changed me so much, in such a positive way. I’ve been teaching vegan cooking for two years now, but all that pales in comparison to what I’ve learned over these last four years.

So….what exactly have I learned? Rather than plow through four years and 600+ recipes on here and just recap my favorites, I’d like to go beyond that. Because cooking this way, and cooking in general, is a lot more than a kick ass recipe. 

1. I hate most other vegans. Not you, of course, if you’re vegan and reading this 😉 What I mean is that I CANNOT STAND when people get on their high horse and yell at other people or pick fights with others about their dietary choices. I know their intentions are good, but most of them come off looking like assholes. Yelling at, criticizing and making someone feel bad about their choices is NOT the way to get a point across. But most vegans I’ve met are super preachy and get way too political for my taste about their eating habits. I don’t think being a pretentious dick is a good way to persuade people to want to eat animal-free. I think being accepting of others and having a civil conversation is a better way to at least enlighten them on other food options, if and only if, they’re truly interested. Better yet, make them some bomb vegan meals (buffalo cauliflower wings, I’m talking to you) and SHOW them how good it can be to eat this way. So if you’re vegan, and people are generally put off by you….get off your soap box and stop being a jerk.

2. WHY THE HELL CAN’T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF PROTEIN? This will always be the one time I think any vegan is allowed to act like an asshole. Simply because this is such a ridiculous question, and one that most people know nothing about in the first place. By all means, yell at anyone who asks you this crazy irritating question.

3. When all else fails, roast some vegetables. People always ask me what I do when I’m super tired and busy and don’t want to cook for myself. Which is 90% of the time recently. My answer is always the same. Take whatever you have on hand (which in my case is usually sweet potatoes, kale, chickpeas or broccoli) toss with oil and spices, and you’re done. A good mix of veggies, greens and of course, protein, for the idiots who need to keep track of that.

4. There is no greater feeling than knowing you helped someone get healthy. It seems so simple, but it’s hard for so many people to really devote time to getting in shape and doing so through their diet. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful switching to a plant-based diet can be, and I am so thankful that I get to help people start their journey to better health. Whether it’s losing weight, reducing cholesterol or teaching someone how to just make veggies taste good, nothing makes me happier than being a factor in someone’s success. 

5. Cooking a huge potluck dinner with friends will always, ALWAYS trump going to bars or clubs with them. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I love nothing more than spending a day with my closest girlfriends and each of us bringing something amazing to the table….literally.  Good conversation, good wine, and stuffing out faces with our own homemade food…there a fewer moments in life that I treasure as much as I do those times.

6. Why, why, whyyyyy are 99% of vegan restaurants composed of fried, high gluten, high soy dishes? I get it. Vegans can indulge, too and we deserve really great fries and sandwiches as much as anyone else. I just wish there wasn’t such a huge emphasis on all these bad-for-you faux meat products. Why can’t they actually feature vegetables, rather than mock animal products that are nothing but artificial, processed shit? I always leave these places feeling like death. You might save an animal, but you are doing your own health a huge disservice but strictly eating this way.

7. It’s kind of pointless to mention since the word “vegan” is in my blog and company name, but I don’t think I even like the vegan label. “Plant-based” seems a lot more accepting, and the strict vegan title tends to make herbivores fall into that asshole category. I think it’s totally fine if people want to be 95% plant-based. Who am I to judge? People can eat however they want and I think eating plants is more important that necessarily being vegan, since, as mentioned above, many vegans eat complete crap. I’m sure you’ve all heard about the amazing Jordan over at The Balanced Blonde, who notoriously left behind the vegan lifestyle as it became more of an eating disorder for her, trying to live up to certain standards. So again, people are free to choose whatever they want to eat, and they are the ones who have to live with the consequences. Want to be mostly plant-based? Awesome! Do you have to commit 100% to veganism? Of course not. So cut people some slack.

8.) East coast vegan restaurants will NEVER compare to the ones on the West coast. Except of course, if I open one around Boston 🙂

9.) Overall, (assholes aside), the health/vegan community is incredible. I’ve connected with, and really gotten to know, so many influential people through my cooking. Vegan or not. People who are open to living healthy are very prevalent in Boston and I’ve become friends with lots of them through local events or parties and social media. Never underestimate the power of Instagram, people! #ieatvegan #Bostonvegans #vegsnofig. Some of my closest friends were complete strangers, up until they started following me on Twitter, how crazy is that? Students, other teachers, people I’ve worked with who are open to veganism, but have no intention of actually being vegan, have become permanent fixtures in my life, just because they’re so accepting of me and others who are on a similar journey.

10.) I love being vegan, simply because it’s rare. I thrive on knowing that I could be in a crowd of 100’s of people, and be the only one who lives this way. I love being different. And veganism is a pretty awesome type of different, if you ask me 🙂

10. a.) Sunday brunch should be mandatory for every single person on Earth.

10. b.) Always make sure your dry beans are fully soaked before you try to cook them.

Those last two were just for fun, but pretty damn important if you ask me.

SO! Happy four year anniversary to you, Vegan Pact, You’ve come a long way and I couldn’t be prouder. Here’s to another 40 more years of being animal-free!