Stagnation

It’s always fun when you come across something new that you’re passionate about – a new hobby, and new intellectual topic … the vegan diet!  For several months or years, you can be engrossed in this topic, reading books, googling it, watching YouTube videos about it and having hundreds of conversations with whoever will engage with you.

But eventually, your new favorite topic is not so new anymore, and your interest might start to wane.  For those of us who have been vegan so long that it’s not new anymore, we can get a little stagnant.  Personally, this has never made me want to revert back to my old ways of eating – since I am vegan for ethical reasons, it’s hard to imagine I will ever go back.  But I do get in a rut from time to time, and just get bored of reading vegan literature and getting into deep conversations about it.

When I feel I’m in a rut, I might read a blog or watch a video to get re-engaged.  Often, I just choose to quit focusing my attention on the vegan diet for a while, and follow some other passion – read about Buddhism, learn Taiko drumming, or improve my tennis game.  But one thing I have found that always gets me excited about the vegan diet again is finding new recipes.

I tend to be a bit lazy in the kitchen, and often resort to making fast meals that I know I like and are easy.  Dal (lentils) over rice, salad and soup are usual stand-bys.  But for Valentine’s Day I made one of Mark Reinfeld’s recipes (see the photo of Pistachio Crusted Tofu, below) and viola!  I am excited to jump into vegan cooking again!

If you are feeling in a rut, try jumping on to VegWeb.com or one of the many other veggie websites, and see if the photos alone don’t reinvigorate you.  For me, there is nothing like spending time creating something and seeing the smiles and sighs of appreciation for a delicious meal!  A small handful of my favorite vegan recipe sites are below:

• VegWeb:  http://www.vegweb.com
• Fat Free Vegan:  http://fatfreevegan.com*
• Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine:  http://www.pcrm.org (Look for their healthy 21 Day Vegan Challenge Recipes – they have a free App!)*
• VegSource:  http://www.vegsource.com

* Sites marked with an asterisk have tasty healthy vegan options – little to no oil, and focus on whole foods.

And if you don’t feel like cooking, find a great vegan restaurant close by at …

Happy Cow:  http://www.happycow.net

With Ahimsa,

Sarah