Going Vegan for a month - Day Five

Here are my little vegan helpers - the books I refer to. The spiral bound one is brilliant and even has charts about how to get the right vitamins and minerals (I even had one as a poster on my kitchen wall some years back). It is a beautifully presented book and my favourite. The little green book is an interesting read with stuff on growing your own veg, and bit on  animal experimentation. There are many recipes to try out (including nettle beer). The vegan cook book contains the recipe I used for the mushroom goulash the other evening.

Some years ago I did my first vegan challenge during Lent, which is actually two weeks longer than the pledge I've taken now. It was after my first time that I found I was unable to go back to drinking milk. And while I still eat cheese I don't much like the aftertaste of milk. However, as yet I've not found a suitable alternative to that cheese.

Dinner

Last night I rummaged around in the freezer and found some vegetarian chilli burgers I bought from Waitrose. Having read the ingredients I could see nothing there to make me think they were not suitable for vegans, so I cooked them and served them with vegan gravy. It was very nice. I followed that with another favourite, an Alpro vanilla dessert which reminds me of custard (see below).

This morning it was back to porridge (because the weather is so damn cold) and for lunch I toasted a seeded roll and had vegan spread and my favourite Spicy Mexican Pate on it. Afterwards I stole our last banana, chopped it and poured hot custard over it. Yum. Custard is divine. I'll eat it hot or cold, on it's own or with a pudding. Just the ticket for a cold day.

Tonight I am going to roast the last of the butternut squash with whatever else we have in the fridge I can roast.

Tomorrow is going to prove interesting as after my choir practice I am off to London to start a short course at Morley College (Introduction to Medieval Art). Their refectory does amazing veggie food (and it's all Fairtrade). They used to have their menus online but they don't anymore. I'm pretty sure there will be something vegan but I hate not knowing! I will need to check out places up in London over the next few weeks for my Wednesday trips because sometimes we will meet at galleries. Of course I could eat in Kingston before I get the train. Hubby tells me there is a Pret A Manger in Kingston. Some more researching will be necessary.

My veggie son (Techie) told me that Turkeys are no longer able to breed naturally because the industry feeds them up so fat they can no longer manage it anymore. I don't know why I was shocked, but I was. He watches a lot of videos online which I can't stomach but I did talk to him about how I find it difficult to resolve my liking for horse racing when I don't approve of some of the methods used in that world. It also reminded me of my feelings about artificial insemination of cows. It's always my belief that animals should have a natural life. Unlike us animals never have a choice. We do with them what we want to give the consumer what they want. I class artificial insemination as rape. I thought my son would balk at that but he said they call the place where this is done as the rape cage! Speaks for itself. I also firmly believe that all this will backfire on us one day. You mess around with nature at your peril.

Talking about this with my son was because he told me that a Matador had just died, impaled through the heart by a bull's horns. Yes, it is sad for the man, but he had the choice. He knew the risk he was taking like any sports person in say Formula I or climbing rock faces without ropes. These are our choices and we make them knowing something could go wrong. It's what fires up some people, that adrenaline rush of extreme sports. But who asked the bull if he wanted to go in the ring to have sharp spears or whatever they are plunged into him? The only adrenaline if feels is one of survival. Animals feel like we do. They experience fear, pain and disorientation. They may not make sense of it but does that matter? Does that make it right to treat them that way?

This are my views and my choices. I do make conscious choices about my food and my purchases. I am far from perfect, as I've said before. Will go totally vegan after this month is up? I fear I won't manage to keep it up but I think I'm getting closer.

My bedtime drink last night. Made this sachet do two nights but now run out of the powder.
It was a free sample picked up at the Just V Show earlier this year