Eating Vegan in the Land of the Steak

Last night, after a generous neighbor brought over bounty from her garden, I chopped cherry tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and okra, then mixed them together in a large bowl. I ladled two tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables and then sprinkled them with salt and fresh-ground pepper. Finally, I stirred everything together and spread the bright green, red, and yellow mixture onto a sheet pan. It all went into a pre-heated, 425-degree oven for fifteen minutes. And it was a big hit with my family.

Surprisingly.

I’m just learning to cook, and I have a long way to go. When my 8-year-old asked me to make him lunch the other day, he said: “Mom, can you cook a grilled cheese? You know, the kind with the black on the bread?”

My new hobby was born out of a dietary change I made in January, when I began eating a plant-centric (vegan) diet. As someone who’s struggled with an autoimmune disorder and fatigue for most of my adult life, I’m continually searching out ways to feel better and increase energy. After watching several documentaries (including Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and Forks over Knives) and reading Eat to Live, I decided to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet and cut out meat, dairy, and eggs. It was not a decision I made easily; after all, I’m the daughter of a cattle rancher.

My ever-supportive husband, Carey, promised to join me on the plant-strong venture. Both of our fathers have had open-heart surgery in the last year, and we want to be proactive about our own health. Plus, we’ve each needed to lose seven to ten pounds for the last seven to ten years. We knew eating vegan, especially in the Lone Star State—the land of big hats, big hair, and big steaks—would be tough, though.

The day before we began eating to live instead of living to eat, Carey said, “Dena, I really need your support. I can’t do this without you.”

He lasted a week.

At the time, though, Carey was working as a marketing director for Chick Fil-a. So I forgave him. In Rachel Ray’s magazine, I read about a vegan gentleman who hadn’t cheated on his diet in eighteen years. That’s a long, long time. Then again, he lives in California.

The last time I ate at a restaurant with friends, I almost succumbed to temptation after my server brought me a cold, limp veggie-burger that looked like a moldy hockey puck. My friends had a field day, making Texas-sized fun of my choice. But I’ve gotten used to the good-natured ribbing (pun intended). So instead of ordering something else, I sent the black bean burger back to the kitchen, because I’d had it before when it was hot off the grill—and loved it.

Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t followed a vegan diet perfectly—far from it. There are times I’ve indulged in a steak, ice cream cone, or pork chop. Much of the time, though, I live contentedly without animal products—not because I’m a granola-eating, tree-hugging, moth-saving hippie, but because I simply feel better eating this way.

Most mornings, I start my day with a chocolate smoothie that tastes like a milkshake from a diner. No joke! It has spinach, blueberries, bananas, and pomegranate juice in it, and it truly helps my energy level, especially when I’ve had too little sleep.

Just for you, here it is (I adapted this from a recipe in the Forks over Knives companion book):

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond or coconut milk

• 1 large handful fresh spinach

• 1 cup frozen blueberries (place them on top of the spinach)

• 1 frozen banana (ditto)

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

• 1 “sploosh” pomegranate juice (that’s my mom’s word—don’t you love it?)

Blend thoroughly—and enjoy!

Image by Darlene. Used with permission. Sourced via Flickr. Post by High Calling Welcome Editor Dena Dyer, author of Let the Crows Feet and Laugh Lines Come.