[Check in this weekend for my round-up of my favorite food blogging of the week.]

One of these things is not like the others!

Yesterday I ate vegan and the only thing I really missed was cheese!

Throughout college and for years afterwards, I ate totally vegetarian. A bite of chicken didn’t enter my mouth for years. And while I’m not a huge meat-eater nowadays, I love fish and dairy, especially cheese. Also, I’m not really used to micro-managing what I eat, so scanning labels for even a hint of dairy wasn’t a natural fit for me. My main food concern, on a normal day, is to eat organic ingredients as much as possible and to avoid artificial ingredients, such as colorings and preservatives. I mainly shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Yesterday, the day I decided to eat vegan, I was on the run all day, driving to work and appointments with hardly any time in between. Here’s what I put together for my day for vegan sustenance:

Breakfast – Red Bull and Kashi’s Autumn Wheat in a plastic baggie – I know it’s not good to eat on the go, but it was either this or starvation and with a long day ahead of me, I had to go the dry cereal route. I love Autumn Wheat, though, because it’s shredded wheat sweetened just a tad - crunchy and filling.

Lunch – Whole Foods Salad Bar – I love eating at Whole Foods. It’s the one of the few places where you can grab a quick and healthy meal to go. I wish they had a drive-thru! Yesterday, my first inclination was to grab some of their arugula salad with pine nuts and parmesan. But, no cheese for me on Vegan Day. So instead, I created a little bed of spinach and red leaf lettuce on which I put some Multigrain Tabouli (Japonica rice, brown rice, wheatberries, cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, and spices) and Golden Beet Couscous (Shallots, Beets, Israeli Couscous, and Spinach). It’s healthy, chewy, and delicious. I grabbed a bottled water and a vegan bar of dark chocolate that really scared me but turned out to be pretty tasty. My sister-in-law Lydia informed me that all dark chocolate is vegan. I never though about that…! Is that true?

I ate my lunch in the car while listening to Dr. Laura! I actually kind of like that solitary time. Is that weird?

When I got home a few hours later, I only had a moment to grab a quick snack of cranberry juice and brown rice cakes sweetened with buttery caramel. It was actually pretty delicious and satisfying. In fact, I might go have some now!

Dinner - A couple more hours of work and then my friend Amanda came over to watch our favorite show – America’s Next Top Model. I cobbled together a vegan salad culled from two Cooking Light recipes – Fruited Israeli Couscous and Citrus Couscous Salad. Basically, I liked the idea of the flavors in the Citrus salad, but I wanted to make it with Israeli Couscous, which I’d never cooked with before. The salad turned out fruity and satisfying, but the next day I didn’t like the way the Israeli couscous looked – more clumpy and solidified. I would definitely make this salad again some day, but I would stick with the traditional couscous, due to the consistency factor for leftovers.

Here’s the vegan recipe for Citrus Couscous Salad:

2 cups fresh orange juice
½ cup water
1 t salt
1 (10-ounce) package whole-wheat couscous (about 1 2/3 cups)
½ cup dried apricots, sliced
½ cup dried currants
2 T red wine vinegar
1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
¾ cup chopped green onions
½ cup coarsely chopped pistachios
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil

1. Bring 1.5 cups orange juice, water, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place couscous in a large bowl.
2. Combine ½ cup orange juice, apricots, currants, and vinegar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Drain and discard cooking liquid.
3. Add apricot mixture, cucumber, and remaining ingredients to couscous, tossing to combine.

Makes 8 1-cup servings
Source: Cooking Light Magazine

So to sum up my day of living veganly, I actually enjoyed it and I felt rather healthy and satisfied. I’ve been wanting to take it easy on the cheese and crackers lately and I very rarely eat meat at home, so I guess I’m already more than halfway there.

Thanks, Amanda, for coming over and watching Top Model with me!

Tagged with: IMBB # 19 + Vegan