Cheese Louise!!!

 

     When looking for plant-based options whether dining out or shopping for prepared foods, what is the deal with cheese on just about um, let's see...EVERYTHING??? I get it...we have been brainwashed to believe that cheese is delicious and we can't live without it!  After all, it's rich, creamy, salty, hearty, substantial, flavorful, gooey, meltable, versatile and the list goes on and on.  We have, in essence, created a society of serious cheese dependency!!!   But, as we all know, it's also high in fat and cholesterol not to mention it is derived from an animal!!! Overwhelming cheese consumption definitely contributes to the increase in obesity and heart disease, among other diseases within our population. I totally understand that the struggle to give it up altogether is real when transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle. For me personally, it wasn't that difficult to give it up in my quest to be healthy and cruelty free.  Once I transitioned from vegetarian to vegan, I noticed that food began to taste better!! Much to my chagrin, after many years of being a mainstream vegan, I just can't seem to get away from random cheese that seems to be thrown into otherwise perfectly balanced plant-based meals at just about every freaking food joint for no good reason at all!!!  Chefs, cooks and food preparers continually fall short.  They can't seem to help themselves when it comes to creating and serving healthy, nutritionally complete meals sans animal products.  It's as if they feel like something is missing..."oh yeah, let's throw some cheese on it..yeah!  Now we're talking!!" They recognize the call to include healthier, veg-friendly options but their brains won't allow them so accept something unfamiliar or foreign.  Somehow they are not convinced that there is enough protein or that something is still missing. Cheese seems to bring it all home for those who don't really get it.  "Ahhh...now THAT makes sense."
     The common misconception, as we all know by now, is that vegans don't get enough protein (where do you get your protein from- ugh!!!) So I suppose to non-vegans, the answer would be cheese so why not throw it on anything and everything whether it's healthy or junky.  The biggest problem for me besides the obvious one is that rather than enhancing dishes, cheese takes away from the subtle nuances that plant-based ingredients have to offer.  It's like taking fresh, innovative ingredients from nature and completely adulterating them.   This cheese culture, if you will, seems to be getting stronger and we must band together from near and far to convince chefs from around the world that cheese is not needed on plant foods!!!  In all fairness, I must say that I have encountered quite a few places both locally and during travel where chefs have been enlightened and do go that extra mile to accommodate vegan patrons far beyond a basic salad or quinoa bowl.  Some even take the time to make substantial house-made vegan burgers but "shocker" they might slap a slice of real cheese on it or even worse...throw it on a non-vegan bun!

 

     One trendy appetizer which falls victim to cheese invasion is avocado toast.  From local coffee shops and bistros to chain restaurants, it seems they all have their own version of these delightful little morsels and if we're lucky, they consist of a slice of toasted French baguette with lightly mashed ripe avocado, basil or arugula, heirloom tomatoes and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil or balsamic glaze.  But, don't be surprised if some random cheese is thrown on like feta or parmesan which only takes away from the sweet and creamy avocado.  Kinda makes you think...what are they trying to hide?  Most food servers are happy to leave the cheese off.  This one local coffee shop owner who serves this item with mozzarella cheese on top recently told me that many customers ask him to leave the cheese off.  When I asked him why he uses it in the first place, he couldn't even give me a reasonable explanation.  That's because there is none!!!

     By now we are all aware of quinoa its many benefits so it's no wonder we are starting to see quinoa bowls pop up on menus with lots of veggie toppings, including....you guessed it... CHEESE!!!  Ugh!!  At least it's not chicken (although there are plenty of those around)!!! How silly, when you think about it, when food preps create a beautiful bowl with bountiful veggies, fruit, nuts and legumes only to be corrupted by a pedestrian mainstream ingredient (this time it's from a goat) which adds zero nutritional value to an otherwise complete protein meal (quinoa alone contains all 9 amino acids). I give Wawa a lot of credit for preparing many different salads and bowls to go but unfortunately, the one I want has one ingredient too much.  Same goes for the red quinoa bowl from Yard House with feta thrown in the mix.  Oh the humanity!!!

     Being vegan doesn't always mean always eating healthy.  Sure, we are more evolved than most but we are still human and can enjoy a little splurge from time to time, especially if we are athletic or very active.  By default, many junk foods just happen to be vegan like French fries and tater tots, that is, if they are cooked in a dedicated vegetable oil fryer.  Truffle fries/tots are all the rage these days but wouldn't you know, they are typically topped with parmesan cheese shreds which personally, I think add absolutely nothing to the spuds!!!  If you start with good ingredients like fresh potatoes topped with quality truffle oil, there's no need for cheese!!!  Perhaps a sprinkle of chopped parsley and maybe a little roasted minced garlic is really all you need.  I get it...truffle fries are a departure from the old cheese fries with processed Velveeta sauce but it sure would be nice to exclude cheese altogether!  If one must have a dusting or sprinkling of a cheese-like substance to feel complete then luckily, Follow Your Heart makes vegan parmesan style shreds.  For the love of fries around the world, let's all see if we can school the chefs to look into keeping this viable product on hand.  I doubt anyone would know the difference!

     As I wrap this baby up, I don't want readers to think that I'm bitter or hostile in any way.  I believe my non-vegan counterparts (just about everyone in my life btw) and I can coexist peacefully. I suppose I'm simply frustrated that just when I think we have made some serious progress in our quest for society to adopt a more plant-based lifestyle, I feel that meat-eaters are here to stay.  Fine... let them have their meat!  But for goodness sake, just don't taint our glorious plant foods with animal products.  In all fairness, many chefs have indeed come a long way in discovering new ways to prepare vegan dishes to appeal not just to vegans.  However, they seem to hesitate in allowing themselves to coax the naturally occurring subtle nuances found in those treasured gems courtesy mother nature. As a group, we need to continue our work within the mainstream restaurant setting to ensure we have plenty of vegan options wherever we choose to dine. I dream of the day when I can simply glance at a menu filled with healthy choices without having to always scream on the inside...CHEESE LOUISE!!!

Is it Me or is it Just Meat???

     If you are a mainstream vegan like me, then I'm sure you have faced similar situations where you are dining out with family/friends at a typical restaurant with some vegan options and you have wondered...is everyone ordering a VERY meaty dish because they really want it or are they doing it just to spite you???  You might say I'm being a bit paranoid but I swear that sometimes the folks around me are deliberately ordering the meatiest dish they can find just to get a reaction from me.  Mind you, I'm not one of those outspoken, bordering on obnoxious vegans always preaching or lecturing everyone about the health risks involving red meat.  I almost NEVER extoll the virtues of a plant-based diet or remind everyone of the recent report from the World Health Organization linking red meat to cancer.  In fact, I consider myself the easiest going vegan I know!!!  I usually just go with the flow, not asking for much, happy to be in good company, hoping to find a healthy, hearty plant-based option and a nice IPA on draft or a cool and refreshing lo cal cocktail to wash it down with.  I try to stay low key and not make a big deal about the menu options (or lack thereof) or brag about the meal I choose to order.  Even when they get my order wrong, which is almost always, I try not to make it an issue!  I even go so far as to inconspicuously tell my food server that I am lactose intolerant or have specific food allergies instead of declaring myself VEGAN!  SO... why is it that those around me feel the need to turn a fun, casual get-together into a meat-centric lesson.  With so many healthier alternatives that aren't vegan/vegetarian, like fish, shellfish or even chicken breast, I have noticed that my dining companions are so obvious and go right in for the kill by choosing dishes like a huge rack of ribs or lamb, steak salad (OMG, the irony) or a gigantic rib eye!  

     Two of my three kids thoroughly enjoy red meat but I know that they do not intentionally try to get a rise out of me when we go out to eat.  It's not their fault that they have been brainwashed by the industry's false advertising as well as their crafty, manipulative way of convincing everyone that animal flesh is delicious. My kids also feel very comfortable being themselves around me without worrying about me judging them.  I do hope one day my healthy choices will rub off on them but my choice to go vegan was my own and imposing my views on them would only backfire, I'm sure. 
     When it comes to my domestic partner's adult children, however, who we visit with from time to time, I get the feeling that their intentions are different but again, I may just be imagining it.  When I observe the abundantly meaty options they choose, at every meal, no less, I cannot help but feel they are doing it to make me squirm. On top of that, the subject always turns to meat with a reference to an old family animal flesh recipe guaranteed to be thrown into the mix.  They are just waiting for my head to explode.  When I address this with my partner, he insists that the only reason they are ordering the meatiest, most expensive dishes is because he is paying!  I would bet that he's right (he always is lol). It's just that when I am with educated folks, their behavior always surprises me as we continue to learn more and more about the never-ending benefits of a plant-based diet and all the health risks involved with animal products from heart disease, cancer, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, not to mention cruelty to animals as well as the direct impact on global warming.
     So when I say it's me, my partner says it's just meat.  He tries to convince me that meat is a treat. Whatever the case may be, I will simply try and keep my cool, no matter what my dining companions directly or indirectly throw at me.  Being the butt of vegan jokes has become so old and tired, am I right???  I have evolved and it's only a matter of time before everyone else does too.  I know that's wishful thinking but I'm not giving up.  At least the word "vegan" is being thrown around a lot more, with vegan options becoming more available in mainstream restaurants not to mention dedicated vegan restaurants popping up in major cities.   Perhaps there will come a time when the world is mostly plant based with the exception of that one unenlightened, unevolved odd ball here and there asking if there are any meat options available.