a decision has been made

I don't like using titles like "vegetarian" or "vegan" because I do believe in grey areas.
This is where I stand with the main items that vegetarians/vegans do not eat (obviously there are many ingredients that derive from animals but I can't list them all. Here is a  list of all those ingredients we don't know how to pronounce or don't know what they mean that are not animal friendly)

-milk: Hardly drank any since I went to uni. I prefer almond/rice/soy milk. (mostly almond though)
-butter: I love butter, but have not bought any for about 6 months now. Margarine with non hydrogenated oils exists as a substitute and I really like that, but I haven't bought that either. I've had no reason to. So, making the switch won't be very hard.
-eggs: I hardly ever eat eggs. But I think baking without them will be difficult, however, very possible.
-cheese and yogurt and honey: obsessed with all 3 will probably never be able to give them up.
-fish: I don't like fish ( lox/salmon are the only exception and I eat those probably once a year) the hardest thing I think will be finding good asian food that doesn't have fish oil in it.
-other seafoods: I LOVE crab/lobster/oysters/muscles/clam/caviar/squid/unagi (eel) etc
-ice cream: love it but havent had any in a REALLY long time. I really like non dairy ice creams too. So don't think i'll have a problem switching that. 

I am going to have a strict vegetarian month where I am completely vegetarian, sprinkled with vegan and raw days just to practice.
the strict vegetarian diet will be as follows:
no food that involves killing animals (so meat, or stock for soup broth broth, or fish oils)
no seafood either
i can have cheese and yogurt and honey (though i dont plan on increasing my consumption of these items, just carry on eating them as i normally do)
no milk, just almond/rice/soy milk
no ice cream 

I feel very good and excited about this decision. it was triggered by a disgusting kebab i ate today. the vegetarian month starts today. december 27th.

happy tastebuds

I'm an omnivore. I'm a foodie. sheekamoo (farsi). glotón (spanish). I also am an environmentalist. I KNOW these 2 things are pretty much opposites. I KNOW that many of the decisions that I make about what I eat has a very negative impact on the world. and i KNOW that if i did EVEN a little bit of research I would make the decision to go vegetarian, if not vegan. But i chose to stay ignorant. i chose to not learn because i'm scared of not being able to enjoy my favourite foods. My taste buds always win the battle.

I don't cook very much using meat. Mostly because It takes longer, and I dont have time or patience. But i definitely LOVE meat. and i do eat it in persian food my mom makes, when i go out to restaurants etc.  Having been in Spain for 3 months and have definitely already ODed on ham and meat in general. I find myself seeking out vegetarian options, going to hare krishna centers to eat vegan dishes and researching vegetarian recipes.

The raw food christmas dinner I had last night was SO GOOD that I've decided to start incorporating more raw food meals into my diet as well. its pretty cool because generally it takes WAY less time to prepare the food (because there's no cooking involved) so thats a plus for my impatient side (but there are also a lot of  recipes that involve dehydrating the food and marinating for a few hours). Even the Recipes that take longer I think are completely worth it because it is RAW food, pure food, no vitamins or nutrients are lost, and i definitely think that it wouldnt hurt to include a few of these recipes into my diet each week.

I don't want to give up my eating delicious persian food, and all the wonderful dishes i love that include meat or are cooked, but I know even if I  decreasing the amount of meat/animal products I consume, I will still be able to keep my taste buds happy, be healthier, and tread lightly on this planet

last night I ate some of these Carrot Falafels with Tahini Sauce
and I'm starting to read this book The Kind Life

the Christmas table!

delicious marinated mushrooms and brussel sprouts that had been marinating in orange blossom water and vinagre with cranberries!

the carrot falafels and the fennel beet apple salad

KITTY!!!!!

they are sisters and they are SO FURRY...their names are something like Millen and Billen I cant remember, its Norwegian

this will be my next kitchen project

Lucas's {my old room mate} Rosemary Shallot Bread [vegan and f***ing delicious!]

-- simmer nearly 1C soymilk, melting in 1Tbs margarine, 1 1/2 Tbs sugar, 3/4 tsp salt.
-- cool until lukewarm, then add 1Tbs baking yeast dissolved in 1/3 C 85 degree water.
-- stir and knead in about 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour to make a soft dough.
-- cover bowl with plastic or a damp cloth and let rise till doubled in volume (about an hour and a half or so? make sure it's in a warm place--you can turn on the oven to like 200 for a minute, then turn it OFF and let it rise in there if your kitchen is cold)
-- once doubled, place dough in fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes, until the dough is chilled.
-- pre-heat oven to 350
-- roll out dough on to a floured surface, brush with olive oil, sprinkle a few pinces of salt, and a good amount of rosemary or dill (fresh is better if you have it), and diced shallots or onion (shallots are better if you have them).
-- roll up the dough with all the goodies inside, and place on a baking sheet or in a bread pan. bake until the outside is golden brown and sounds kind of hollow when tapped.

I've been missing Eugene/Oregon a lot lately...Monticello {our old home on 13th and Jefferson}...my room mate Lucas's awesome cooking...so I'm going to give this a try, and hopefully it will turn out right. fingers crossed.