Collage-A-Meals

Cooking is an art. I'm certainly not the first person to say that statement, but I do agree with it. Cooking is a creative pursuit that is guided not just by taste buds, but by the eyes: when my plate of food is colorful and artistically arranged, I appreciate it more; I enjoy eating it more. Cooking is also influenced by the heart: we prepare meals for our loved ones, and even when we eat alone, a dish well made is one of the most fundamental ways we can love and care for ourselves.

As I've eliminated meat and animals products from my diet, my world has been opened to countless new foods and flavors. I know some people fear that becoming a vegetarian or vegan will make them feel  "limited," that there won't be enough flavorful and satisfying foods to keep them from missing the ones they've left behind, or more simply, that they will be left hungry or just plain bored. This is understandable. A decision like this, to change an aspect of our lives in which we partake multiple times throughout the day, almost always as part of a family or social experience, and often as part of a meaningful tradition or expression of our culture, is a process. It's a journey. It takes time to feel secure and confident in a new lifestyle. But accepting challenges and believing in ourselves - isn't that what life is about?

I've come a long way from the picky eater I was growing up. My favorite foods as a kid and teenager were Cheerios, cheese and crackers, and steak (yes, beef steak). My willingness to trek out past my regular favorites started out slow (see this post about how I learned to love black beans while in Guatemala). Traveling to other countries has given me many opportunities to try new foods. But while here in Pennsylvania the last few months, I have spent a decent amount of time in the kitchen trying out new foods, combinations and recipes. Trust me, as a vegan, the possibilities are endless.

Lately, I've realized that even spontaneous meals can involve loads of creativity. Sometimes this happens when certain desired food items are not on hand and the necessity of substitution yields an epiphanous flavor worth repeating.

What? A picture of oatmeal to represent something new and creative? True, I eat oatmeal almost every morning, so there's not much revelatory about this dish. But on one particular morning, there were none of the fruits on hand that I usually put in my oats (bananas, strawberries, blueberries, apples). There were cherries, though! I thought it seemed a bit odd, but you know what, I tried it out anyway. With a handful of walnuts tossed in as well, I found myself eating a new variety of oatmeal that I wouldn't have ever tried if my usual go-to fruits were available!

Cherry Walnut Scottish Oatmeal with soymilk. No sugar or sweetener necessary. Whole grains, fruit and soy milk get you going in the morning with plenty of fiber, protein, iron, potassium, Vitamin C, calcium, and more. (Very low in salt, fat and cholesterol as well.)

One day for lunch I decided that I didn't want to use any of the bottled salad dressing out of the fridge. They're all pretty high in salt, fat or cholesterol (or all three) and contain all these chemical flavors or high fructose corn syrup. It doesn't feel good to create a super healthy salad and then pour something so unhealthy on top. So I decided to whip up something from the food items that were sitting around the kitchen.

These blackberries weren't going to last more than a day, so why not use them up while they're fresh? I mashed them into a chunky pulp in a bowl, added some sesame oil, agave (a natural syrup-ey sweet liquid), a pinch of ginger, and then poured it on top of my spinach.

Sometimes I like to cook the mushrooms in some oil and spices first, but on this natural-dressing day, I decided to go 100% raw. Squeaky spinach, crunchy carrots, juicy tomatoes, crisp red bell peppers, and half a cup of chickpeas, straight out of the can (after rinsing). I was definitely not bored by having all these different flavors and textures. The dressing was tangy and sweet, with a bite of ginger and a savory hint of sesame flavor.

Speaking of sesame flavor... the crackers I ate alongside the salad had sesame seeds on them as well! Their salty whole grain goodness, paired with mushy tangy blackberries - it was an explosion of rich and contrasting flavors that made me pause my chewing just to fully absorb the remarkable combination.

In addition to the culinary rewards found by trying new food combinations, there are those concoctions that come into existence by bringing together the remnants of previous meals: leftovers! The picture above is an example of a vegan lunch born out of an openness to new flavors and a necessity to clean out the fridge.
Those little red and white grains are called "quinoa." Pronounced "keen-wah," it was first grown in South America and eaten has been a staple for centuries. It's packed with fiber, iron and protein. It's cooked just like rice, and I imagine can be eaten in just as many ways. A few night's previous, we had quinoa as a side dish, flavored sufficiently with just some mint leaves. For lunch a few days later, I wanted to use up some of the Italian bread (from Oakmont Bakery - their only vegan item) that had gone stale and hard. So I toasted a few pieces to make it more chewable. Then I spread some of the sundried tomato basil hummus on top that had miraculously not gotten finished off while we had company. Next, I pressed the quinoa into the hummus so that the little round grains wouldn't fall off. I sliced some kalamata olives in  half and mushed them in, too. A few pieces of raw spinach laid on top, and I had myself some fabulous open-faced sandwiches.

I call this beautiful harmonization of colors and flavors, don't laugh... The Keen-Wow Sandwich. Go ahead, laugh out loud! I said "wow" when I bit into this new creation, so I can tell you that it is worthy of such a name!

Leftovers don't have to be a drag. Neither does a diet free of meat and animal products. In fact, it's not only delicious and pleasing to the eye, but cruelty-free as well.