So yes, I’ve neglected this blog for about a year and a half now, primarily due to my own cooking inactivity. I live in a much smaller apartment now and have the tiniest kitchen possible, with almost no counter space, no oven, only two electric burners, and a measly dorm-sized half-fridge. Mr. Vegan and I have also been forced to eat much more cheaply, and sadly that usually means ramen or something equally as boring. Vegetables and most other things are just way too expensive in the city, especially out of season – and we had an unusually long winter.
BUT… I’ve resolved to start cooking more often now and to eat more healthily, and so I’m also resolving to go back to writing about it as part of my self-motivation. So here I am.
Few things:
- This might mean having to use a friend’s kitchen from time to time. I recently became close with someone who has a quite size-able kitchen by young-poor-person-living-in-the-big-city standards, so I’m excited. And if you’re reading this and I know you personally and you want to offer your kitchen to me in exchange for something delicious, please let me know.
- Even despite my limited cooking, my collection of vegan-friendly cookbooks has been somehow still growing. There is a list in one of the side-bars on this blog, and as always, I will be sure to cite appropriately in my posts.
- I also finally have a way to get vegetables more cheaply: my synagogue is involved in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with a local-ish organic farm, Free Bird Farm, so Mr. Vegan and I paid upfront in the spring for a “share” and will now get a delivery of fresh, organic, seasonal vegetables every week from June through October. It actually works out to much cheaper than buying veggies at the grocery store, and I actually KNOW for a fact that they are organic (I never fully believe any grocery labels).
- To clarify, my husband-in-training (I decided to call him Mr. Vegan in this post, maybe I’ll continue that) is vegan and has been for over a decade, and I cook for him. I wasn’t completely vegan myself when I started this blog, but I have been gradually moving towards that direction; right now I still eat cheese and sometimes yogurt, but never meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, or other dairy products, and almost never eggs or fish. I’m still working on it. Either way, when I cook at home, it’s vegan.
- An optional part of the above-mentioned CSA, besides the vegetables, was eggs… and Mr. Vegan and I decided to give it a try and order a half-dozen per week. This is ONLY because we know exactly where they are coming from, and we are certain that they are organic and straight from the farm and that the chickens are truly cage-free and not raised unnaturally or fed antibiotics or hormones. Normally, the Mr. will not eat eggs any other way, and on the rare occasions that I do I feel guilty afterwards. And yes, I know there are “cage-free” eggs you can buy at the grocery store, but I don’t believe those labels and I’m pretty sure they don’t actually mean anything (I know someone will probably try to argue with me on this, but I stand firm in my distrust of large food manufacturers and whatever labels they put on their groceries).
Anyway, I’m looking forward to these eggs as a source of protein and perhaps a way to bake some of the things that it’s impossible or super hard to as strictly vegan. I may post these egg recipes on here, but will be sure to mark them as not completely vegan. And if anyone wants to give me reasoned arguments for why eating organic and truly cage-free eggs is still evil then go ahead in the comments, but please, try to be at least as logical and non-judgmental as I have been.
So that’s about it. Get excited for some awesome recipes coming up. I know I am.
And the good news is, I still have a dishwasher.