Just finished reading Kathy Freston's book Veganist and also her 21 Day Cleanse which isn't so much a cleanse as a "leaning into" a vegan way of eating. I'm ready to make that switch and am quickly consuming the rest of the animal products in my fridge. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy so just Tuesdays won't work for me, but for others I think it's a terrific idea!

First real vegan here :) welcome. Your all or nothing attitude is great. All people should be vegans, studies show that this would eliminate world hunger.
I would love to be vegan for all the good reasons. Unfortunately, as a mother of family of five, I only have a limited budget, and things like soya milk are twice as expensive than dairy. I am making small inconspicuous steps, swapping staple by staple for vegan alternative and teaching our family not to waste anything. We will probably never reach 100% veganism, but if we get anywhere near it, I will be happy.

I was reading in a vegan website the debate on this matter. While they all agree that it would be preferable if everyone is 100% vegan, they were thinking it was short sighted to put it into an all or nothing situation. Being less reliant on animal food sources is still better than scaring people off altogether.

I agree. People need to rediscover pulses as a great alternative to meat.

I applaud your efforts in making those small changes that you can.

Mushroom wraps:

For sauce, fry in a little oil 1 chopped onion, 1 crushed clove of garlic and a small piece of ginger. Then add chopped tomatoes (about 4). Cook for 15min, whizz up in a blender if you like. Cook until you get salsa-like consistency.

Separately, saute 500g (18oz) sliced mushrooms. When soft, combine with the sauce, make sure to drain any liquid from the mushrooms first. Add some salt, pepper, chilli flakes, dil/coriander/parsley or whatever spices you like. Serve wrapped in a tortilla with some mixed leaf salad.

Makes about 4 wraps :) enjoy

Ginger in a tomato-sauce, now that sounds interesting. I may suggest instead of a blender to use one of those wand mixers directly in the pan too!

Wednesday
 

Well I had to bail on Vegan Tuesdays, so this week is Vegan Wednesday! I knew the restaurant I'd be eating at for launch with a client would not be able to cut the vegan requirement. Lettuce on a roll is not a lunch. Besides, I had new homemade chocolate chip ice cream to sample that evening.

Today's vegan activities are the same as usual with some Vegan Summer Squash Soup from the freezer instead of the lentil soup. I'm really craving my vegan Rice & Beans or even the Vegan White Bean & Kale soup from Vegucating Robin. Yum!

I'm sort of in the closet on the whole thing. I used to have a standing joke at restaurants that I would just have water since I was vegan. Now that I am eating vegan on certain days I feel like I have to make excuses for why I am not eating lunch with people. Funny, isn't it?

I would love to be part of the vegan Tuesday group! I've been about 90% vegan for 3 and a half years since I met my boyfriend who is 99.9% vegan. I try to eat a little animal protein a day, usually from 1 hard boiled egg. If we go out I like to get fish sometimes. Its interesting to see the recipes posted here. I will definitely be posting some of my own!

I agree that soy milk is much more expensive, however there are alternatives. You could try making your own rice milk. Thats what I do. It seams more expensive at first because you have to buy a lot of ingredients but in the end its worth it and much cheaper. You can add agave or vanilla bean to make if sweeter. Its perfect in soups and smoothies!

hello fellow veganists :) i have got a recipe to share. I was inspired by a book called Why the Chinese Don't Count Calories. One of the rules was to eat soup, so here's a soup inspired by China.

you need:
green chilli, ginger, carrot, potatoe, sweetcorn, egg, noodles, salt, pepper, toasted sesame oil or olive oil, spring onion or coriander

Take 1 litre of water (36oz), 1 green chilli (don't chop) and a piece of ginger (matchstick pieces), boil the water with that for about 5 min. Then take vegetables (I used carrot and small potatoe, but other good egetables are celery, parsnip, sweetcorn, cabbage, whatever you like) chop the carrot and potatoe in matchstick pieces and add to the water. Just bring to boil and turn off, let it soften in the water. Add sweetcorn if using, and some 50g/2oz (dry weight) chow mien noodles, or any other noodles that you like. Beat the egg (can be 2 eggs) in a cup and pour it in the soup, when the egg is cooked, add some salt, pepper, spring onion or coriander. The soup is very light in flavour and vegetables should still retain a bit of a bite.

Yeah i know, egg is not vegan, you can omit it if you like, but it is tastier with it. Enjoy on Mondays after an indulging weekend, or anytime when you just fancy something light.