It has been over a year since I last blogged. In the past year, things have been crazy with my trip to India and catching up on work. Gosh, I even missed my blog's 2nd birthday!! Although, I missed blogging, it has been an exciting year with the arrival of our little princess!!! Ever since I got pregnant, I didn't really have any weird cravings nor was I desperate to eat something specific and so my motivation to cook slowed down quiet a bit... I would like to blame it on my pregnancy hormones but the truth is - sheer laziness!!! Close to delivery, I had family members pampering me, so I had to stay away from the kitchen for a while...not something that I normally like to do. Anyway, after delivery, life (or should I say my little angel) threw a curve ball at me. I found out that my baby has milk protein allergy when she was about 2 1/2 weeks old which meant absolutely no dairy products for me until I kept nursing her. I must say it was quite a challenge to eliminate dairy completely...call me crazy but I love my occasional cheesy bites and a cup of hot tea with milk everyday.
Every now and then, when I used to go on vegan diets, I always thought that its hard to eat some foods because vegan versions may not exist....but I was wrong. With these sudden lifestyle changes and 4 months into it, I don't miss dairy even a wee bit. Little did I know that Almond or Soy ice cream, tofu cream cheese or tofu sour cream would taste so good that it almost mimicked the original!! For cheese substitutes, I love using nutritional yeast. I am yet to give Soy cheese a try....but no more cravings for cheese :) Although, it is known that too much soy consumption is not good for health, its best to try and strike a balance by using other ingredients to get your intake of calcium and proteins. In the past few months, almond milk has become my new best friend. Nowadays, I am so used to my daily cup of masala chai with almond milk that I am pretty much hooked. I can't believe I am saying this but the truth is I am enjoying the vegan lifestyle and might just end up staying this way.
I have come a long way with my food journey. I began my childhood as a non-vegetarian (gave up eating meat at the age of 11) but having witnessed an animal being sacrificed during a festival (especially, for the first time) changed everything. It struck me so hard that I was being inhuman towards animals...my only regret, I wish I had realized it much sooner. Being a lacto vegetarian (although I am guilty of having cooked egg and meat dishes for my hubby every once in a while, I have tried changing him, but he just doesn't get it!!), the transformation from vegetarian to vegan has been interesting in its own way. It has helped me explore new ingredients, some alternate substitutes and a whole bunch of cooking recipes that have been tried and some fresh recipes cooking up in my mind. Yup, you probably know by now....vegan dishes will be cooking up in my kitchen for a while...
Every now and then, when I used to go on vegan diets, I always thought that its hard to eat some foods because vegan versions may not exist....but I was wrong. With these sudden lifestyle changes and 4 months into it, I don't miss dairy even a wee bit. Little did I know that Almond or Soy ice cream, tofu cream cheese or tofu sour cream would taste so good that it almost mimicked the original!! For cheese substitutes, I love using nutritional yeast. I am yet to give Soy cheese a try....but no more cravings for cheese :) Although, it is known that too much soy consumption is not good for health, its best to try and strike a balance by using other ingredients to get your intake of calcium and proteins. In the past few months, almond milk has become my new best friend. Nowadays, I am so used to my daily cup of masala chai with almond milk that I am pretty much hooked. I can't believe I am saying this but the truth is I am enjoying the vegan lifestyle and might just end up staying this way.
I have come a long way with my food journey. I began my childhood as a non-vegetarian (gave up eating meat at the age of 11) but having witnessed an animal being sacrificed during a festival (especially, for the first time) changed everything. It struck me so hard that I was being inhuman towards animals...my only regret, I wish I had realized it much sooner. Being a lacto vegetarian (although I am guilty of having cooked egg and meat dishes for my hubby every once in a while, I have tried changing him, but he just doesn't get it!!), the transformation from vegetarian to vegan has been interesting in its own way. It has helped me explore new ingredients, some alternate substitutes and a whole bunch of cooking recipes that have been tried and some fresh recipes cooking up in my mind. Yup, you probably know by now....vegan dishes will be cooking up in my kitchen for a while...
2 comments:
I am so sorry about your baby's allergy. I hope she will grow out of it. we have been vegan almost 2 years now and dont miss anything at all. the health and mind both feel better on a healthy and cruelty free diet :)
Thanks Richa!! I totally agree with you, I feel so much better being a vegan without any guilt.
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