Becoming (almost) Vegan

We have always strived to eat as little meat as possible and before children this meant quite a few meals with cheese or soy as the main protein.  Once Lillian came along and was allergic to dairy and soy (and later Phoebe to eggs) we switched to eating more meat.  With the help of a friend (thanks, Goldie!) I stumbled across Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" book.  Between that and watching the documentary "Forks over Knives" I was convinced of a few things:
1.  Vegan diets are proven to be better for your health to a much larger degree than I realized
2.  Protein is actually in a lot of plants
3.  By eating meat and bread (and not enough veggies) my body will continue to be hungry and over stuff itself in order to get the necessary nutrients.  Eating a diet of plants means I'm getting more nutrients per calorie and not over eating.
4.  Now that I knew that I didn't need meat for nutrients I could consider being concerned with the animal industry practices that I have long tried to turn a blind eye to.

So I suppose we're not fully vegan, just mostly.  I am sure one could put together a very healthy diet that involved a little bit of meat (Fuhrman's plan isn't entirely vegan) but for us, it's been vegan and eggs at home and whatever out.  The kids eat a little more meat than Mark and I do while out.

I recall asking a vegan friend a while back 'what do you eat for dinner?' because it just didn't make sense to me and when she responded with lots of soy products I knew I couldn't do that (allergies).  But I have now learned enough recipes to do it.  So here is my ongoing list of vegan dinners

Vegan Dinners Featuring…

Beans

-mama’s sneaky black bean soup (vlb)

-katherine’s black bean soup

-bean burritos

-black bean and corn salad (whole foods website)

-chili

-stuffed peppers

-Red kidney beans with tomatoes and garam masala (doodle bug)

-Sherry’s chick pea stew (doodle bug)

-Chana Masala

-Minestrone soup

-Quick Chick Pea Curry (180 complete veg kitchen)

Lentils

-mujadara

-lentil soup (doodle bug)

-sloppy lentils                                                                                              

-lentil Egyptian stew

-lentil burgers (home made or don lee from costco)

Quinoa

-Quinoa salad with mushrooms, avocados, almonds, garlic salt & dressing

-Black bean & Quinoa (allrecipes)

Nuts

-Quinoa salad

-peanut & ginger stir fry

Other

-Aloo Gobi

-Portabella Mushroom burgers

-Pasta & sauce (add beans)

-Butternut squash soup

-Gingered acorn squash (240 complete V K)

-steel oats with kale

-veggie and hummus sandwiches

-veggies, wild rice and honey mustard wraps

Eggs (ok, I know it’s not vegan, but we eat eggs)

-scrambled

-quiche

Veggie side dishes

-kale krispies

-baked cauliflower

-everything steamed – broccoli, beans, peas, carrots

-sauted spinach, kale

-kale salad