Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A Very Vegan New Year

Another vegan year has happily slipped by and despite many personal (and political) issues, it turned out to be one of the best yet. With a new job and a new outlook, 2008 really flew by! As usual, I like to reflect on the past year's resolutions and see how I did.

In 2007, I was out to eat more greens, start a garden, start composting and get more involved in my local Veg and Sierra Clubs. Two years later, I am still chomping on kale, expanding my garden, working hard with the clubs AND getting a second composter! Yay and thank you, Mum and Dad :) One unexpected goal was leafletting for the first time (which I did before Thanksgiving - not sure if I posted about it, but how AWESOME it felt - to be handing out vegan info during one of the most cruel holidays of the year!). I also attended my first Animal Rights Conference and did my first (two!) vegan presentations.


Last year, I resolved to take better care of myself (and I did!) but in the vegan realm, I vowed to try more difficult, even daunting recipes. The results? Sometimes, pictures speak for themselves!





Roasted Cauliflower (with olives) - I never knew cauliflower could have so much flavor!











Roasted chestnuts - a pain to peel but soooo worth it!












Spanikopita - lots of folding = lots of yumminess!













Sushi - no raw fish here - sushi means sweet bite of rice!













Rice pudding - basmati here













A pot pie without chicken??? Yes, and it was good, too!















A cheesecake to die for!














Phyllo dough isn't that scary!














Roasted beets - one more veggie I now LOVE!










Injera made from teff flour













The wat that goes with the injera
















Faustess Cupcakes - many steps but worth every one!











Raw food is just rawsome!












Mmmmmm....doughnuts....














No animal was harmed in the making of these seitan ribz...














Mini muffins aren't any harder to make than regular ones! And, they're perfectly bite-sized :)








The only recipe that I promised to try that I didn't get to, were the samosas. We went out for Indian food on New Year's eve again (becoming something of a tradition!) so I just ordered one there and called it a year!


So, what's up in 2009 for this vegan librarian? Well, I think in this economy I could stand to pinch a few pennies when it comes to my food budget. So, I resolve to make more meals that use up my pantry items (like I've actually been trying to do these past few months) and require fewer esoteric (or expensive) ingredients. I'll try to post the estimated cost of each recipe, and help show the rest of the world just how cheap and easy we vegans are! ;) My second major resolution is to be a better vegan. Sounds silly, but it's hard to be completely vegan in this society, with animal products hidden in so many things. I'm on a mission to veganize my makeup (yes, cow urine in a lot of it) and hair products. Of course, I will also continue to make recipes that "scare me," (samosas, cinnamon rolls/buns, Twinkies, roasted brussel sprouts, waffles) as well as eat plenty of greens, raw foods and do more gluten-free baking! Happy New Year, everyone!!! (P.S. - I just posted yesterday as well, so make sure to check it out - the Best of 2008!)

5 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I'm so glad that 2008 turned out to be good year for you, overall - hope the same goes for 2009!! Good luck with your resolutions!!

Anonymous said...

Yay--I am glad you will be blogging about your resolutions...they sound great and quite delicious :o) Congrats on your 2008 accomplishments!

Courtney

Anonymous said...

Best wishes for a joyous 2009!

I loved reading your wrap up posts of 2008. You've given a lot of great reminders of recipes I want to try.

mysticxian said...

Don't be afraid of Samosas. They are sooo easy. If you want to make the dough from scratch I highly suggest a good pair of kitchen scissors.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year! I just found your blog through Food Buzz and thought I would say hello. I live in Richmond, va as well!

Also, the califlower dish looks so good. I really want to make something similar!