Mad Coyote Joe’s Vegan Update!

Mad Coyote Joe’s Vegan Update!

Okay… we’re about three weeks in.  In case you missed the last update, after reading “The China Study” Kathy and I have decided that a plant based/whole food diet is the best thing we can do to insure our future health (even with the health problems I’ve had and continue to have.)  The goal is no meat, fish, foul, dairy, eggs or cheese and over time reducing and if possible eliminate refined and processed foods especially sugars, fats and excess oils.

The first few weeks were easy.  Lots of grains, nuts, grilled vegetables, Pasta with red sauce, black bean and corn salad, avocado and tomato sandwiches, oatmeal and fruit and fruit juice popsicles!  We’ve both lost about 10 pounds and are feeling better overall.  But as the days creep along the cravings get stronger and so we sat down and discussed it.  From my reading, I’m hearing that many people have to work through this drastic of a change.  Add the fact that most don’t understand cooking as well as we do and this can bee a struggle at best.  Kathy is adamant about not going backwards and I agree.  Here’s where we feel we are now.  As our palate develops and we get use to less flavor accelerators, heavy meat based meals, and all of the sour cream, butter, heavy cheeses, rich sauces and so on, we are allowing limited olive oil for roasting veggies and a few drops in different dishes to give it some of the punch that we are craving.  Also I’m using small amounts of Parmesan cheese and shaved bonito (a Japanese product that give tofu a wonderful flavor) and I’m using these as a seasoning not a main element.  That’s our main concession and we are working toward eliminating these.  We have decided if we start having cravings that are causing us to cheat on this plan we will simply go out and have a small portion of whatever, maybe a nice lamb chop or a small fillet.  If we are on vacation, say in Washington, we’ll have a small piece of, ocean fresh, halibut sautéed in garlic olive oil and white wine.  Oh and one more thing we are only having wine one night a week!

Tonight for dinner we had fresh pesto with light olive oil and just a touch of Parmesan cheese and oven roasted asparagus with kosher salt and a squeeze of key lime juice… it was delicious! 

So far so good,

Mad Coyote Joe