Let's play a word association game. I say "vegan", you say....

Wow...tough crowd! What is it about this word that conjures up a fair amount of judgment as well as visions of birkenstocks and hugging of trees? Looking at the title of this blog, you can see that I also have a few hang-ups with this label. I'm sure I'm offending someone (or many someones) with my thoughts on the "vegan" topic, but I think it's worth exploring.

If you can't say anything nice...

I lean toward saying I eat a "plant-based" rather than vegan diet, even though it's not the most common lingo. The main goal of our eating experiment (which is closing in on the eight month mark!) is to improve our health by eating more fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains. Yes, it's good for the animals and the planet, but I was thinking much more selfishly at the outset...but I digress.  One reason I shun the vegan label is because vegan doesn't necessarily equal healthy. A steady diet of Coca-cola and Twizzlers would technically be considered vegan but is NOT exactly the direction I'm looking to go. At one point, I had even heard that Oreos were vegan but conflicting results emerged from my Google search on that topic.

These are like potato chips...hard to eat just one!

The other reason why the vegan label doesn't really resonate with me is that it seems too hard core for my purposes. I want to stay on track but don't want to be super obnoxious when eating at a friend's house or at a restaurant. If something contains a trace of eggs or milk, I can live with that. Also, I have yet not burned or donated my leather shoes and handbags, and I think that is a prerequisite of the vegan club.

Sad but sometimes true

I feel pretty good about a solid 95% plant based diet...and don't need to panic over an occasional bite of something that once walked, swam, crawled or flew.  I'm also not ready to say that I'll never go back to eating meat, eggs or dairy. That being said, I'm pretty terrified of how my body might react if I devoured a traditional pizza or a few steak tacos, so I'm not in a big hurry to revert back.

Eating a cheesy pizza might not go so well...

To be clear, my eating habits are far from perfect.  I made some cookies an hour ago and my consumption of chips and salsa is not well controlled. I take it day by day and do the best I can.

And now for the recommended recipe- tofu taco scramble from Thug Kitchen. Although I was a little wary at first, this was a hit with the whole family and can be an option for breakfast, lunch or dinner.   (I LOVE Thug Kitchen, but might I suggest another source for recipes if you're offended by colorful language).  I couldn't find the original recipe online, so I'm giving you the best copy I could find. Tofu scramble tacos

Chickpea freakin' nuggets!

What in the world?? In perhaps my boldest "I wonder if the family would eat these" moment so far, I set forth to make nuggets out of chickpeas. Pretty ridiculous, right? Before the plant-based experiment began, my children were big fans of the more traditional nuggets aka the ones made of chicken (or at least parts of chickens).

There are numerous products out there that pose as meat, including chicken-less nuggets,  but we haven't tried too many of those beyond the soy "crumbles" that we use for tacos and enchiladas.  These "pretend" meat options are often pretty processed, but they can be a great way to dabble in plant-based eating or are simple options for Meatless Mondays.  I was curious to see if I could make a truly plant-based nugget.

Before I go into specifics about the nuggets themselves, I'll say I have a love/like relationship with chickpeas aka garbanzo beans. I love LOVE hummus (especially when paired with baby cucumbers). I also enjoy chickpeas roasted until crispy, jazzed up with cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper. I do not, however, have a great affinity for plain 'ol chickpeas thrown into soup or a salad. I won't die if I eat them, but I find the mealy texture a little off-putting.

<$1 to around $2 (depending on if you want organic)

The nugget recipe was quite easy to throw together (and inexpensive).  The baking time was a little long at nearly 40 minutes, so you'll want to find something to keep you entertained for a while.

They look pretty nugget-like, right??

While baking, they smelled pretty delicious (seriously), but I was worried for the moment of truth when everyone prepared to taste them. I'm super excited to report that the family ate EVERY SINGLE ONE of the approximately two dozen nuggets...there was almost a skirmish over who would get the last one.  I knew attempting to create nuggets from chickpeas was a risk- and it could have resulted in a dinner of PB&Js- but it was ultimately an unexpected success.

Here is a link to the recipe. The only change I made was eliminating the turmeric and adding a little extra cumin. https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/chickpea-nuggets/#gs.Ib_xwrs

See you next time!