The Little Spider That Could

                                 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulteriorepicure/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

My biggest hurdles to becoming a vegan: chocolate and ice cream

I've been mulling going vegan after watching videos on the horrific treatment of dairy cows and chickens in egg farms. To say the videos were disturbing is a gross understatement, they were a real eye opener as all this time, I had thought that my commitment to not eating meat or seafood was actually benefitting animals and the environment. That was before I saw how these innocent creatures were kept in torturous conditions before being killed for their meat.

Vegan Moist Chocolate Pudding Cake with Orange Marmalade Sauce

How Chocolate Cake Was Meant To Be: Gooey On Top And Crumbly In The Middle. 

Photo by SG.

It poured tonight and I was all out of TV shows to watch, so I decided to tackle the chocolate pudding cake again. I used a vegan recipe from The Compassionate Cookbook (read the original recipe here). I pre-made an orange marmalade sauce to go with it yesterday, which is in the freezer. I let the cake cool for about half an hour and then placed it in the fridge for another half an hour to let the pudding sauce on the top thicken. I had a slice with a glass of cold milk--it tasted amazing, couldn't even tell that it was vegan! Am definitely trying this again, it's an easy dessert to bring to a party or potluck. Preparation and baking took me about two hours (baking about 55 minutes, because I wanted a thicker sauce).

Spicy Spinach-Red Pepper Quiche, Thai-style Green Apple Salad, Bhajis with Coriander Chutney

 Photo by Bavani D.

During my time away from this blog, I have been experimenting in the kitchen (thankfully my family and friends are willing food tasters) and had a whale of a time creating my own take on recipes I found in cookbooks and vegetarian/vegan websites. 

30-Day Mindful Eating Challenge

My eating habits haven't changed much since I became a vegetarian (the second time around that is). I rarely eat alone, lunch is an excuse to catch up with family members or friends, dinner is little different. And when I do eat alone, I end up eating in front of the television or computer to "save time".