To Live and Eat in L.A.

I haven’t been sharing most of my homecooked meals with you lately mainly because they would bore you to tears. I’m back to a pretty strict diet, so watching what I eat translates into some rather non-photogenic meals based more on their nutritive content rather than how pretty they look or amazing they taste. That said, this little number that I just made up on the spot came out much tastier and much more presentable than expected, so I’ll give you a little taste.

It’s a very simple saute of asparagus, green chard, tomatoes and grilled seitan in a bit of olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon and garlic. The seitan came pre-made from Whole Foods and the lovely tomatoes I grew myself. I also added a bit of sambal (chili paste), black pepper and nutritional yeast. This was served over green chili and cilantro flavored polenta slices (it’s the pre-made kind you can by in a handy little log). I was worried it would taste very boring but I somehow managed to add just the right amount of flavorings and spices to make it not only edible, but actually yummy.

It’s ironic to me that some people think vegan eating is boring and tasteless. It’s actually been the exact opposite for me. In the time since I’ve gone vegan (about 7 months now), I’ve encountered so many incredible new foods… some of which are hard to stop eating! It’s totally a myth that all vegans and vegetarians are skinny and malnourished. To the contrary, with the introduction of all these new and exciting foods I’ve managed to put on extra weight, and it’s been a struggle it to keep it in check. I’m back on the ball now, dropping the extra pounds and attempting to stay aware of the fact that just because something is vegan doesn’t mean it isn’t fattening. When you’re predisposed to gaining weight like I am, even lettuce can make you fat, so it requires constant vigilance. This is easy to forget sometimes when surrounded by incredible vegan restaurants and products at nearly every turn. The key for me is going to be finding a balance between indulgence and common sense, as well as eating more homecooked meals. So for now, it’s back to the kitchen and back to basics.

I love it when I try to make something for the first time and not only does it come out not sucking, but instead it comes out delicious.

I must confess I’d never made roasted vegetables before (hangs head in shame). Yeah, yeah whatever… there’s a first time for everything right? Thankfully my virgin attempt was a success and now a whole new world has opened up before me.

My maiden voyage into the world of roasting involved asparagus, carrots and fennel. Why not, right? First I mixed up some olive oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, coriander, black pepper and red chili flakes. I poured this over the veggies in a Pyrex baking dish and got everything nice and coated, then sprinkled on some nutrional yeast. Popped the whole thing into a pre-heated 425 degree oven and then let ‘em sweat it out for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning everything a couple times in the process. Once finished I also sprinkled on some gomasio.

I was surprised at how totally yummy it all turned out. I was expecting them at worst to be awful, or at best undercooked… or burned. Nope, instead they were perfectly cooked, and I somehow managed to create the perfect mix of flavors with my little olive oil & maple concoction (got that idea from a couple of different recipes over at the fabulous Have Cake Will Travel). The lovely veggies were served with polenta cakes topped with roasted red pepper salad dressing from Seeds of Change. Every single ingredient in this was organic as well. Go me! I am so satisfied right now, you have no idea. If I pat myself on the back any harder I’m gonna start to bruise.