Being a foodie, I always try and keep up with the trends, especially all the new food challenges out there. After watching the Brothers Green Eats channel on YouTube feature a vegan challenge, I was inspired to try the challenge for myself.
Although I changed it up a bit, [quote]my challenge was to see how veganism feels, how to cook everything from scratch, how my body changes, and how it affects people around me.[/quote]
It was slightly easier for me because it is Ramadhan this month, so I only had to forage one meal a day. Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it’s when Muslims all over the world fast from sunrise to sunset to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur’an. I felt like this was the perfect time to try this challenge.
Here goes…
Day 1: Vegan steamed bao buns
I made steamed bao buns with a barbeque mushroom and cauliflower filling and some pickled carrots. I went all out on this one because I was really hungry towards the end of the day. I was extremely tired after making the buns because they were time-consuming, but rewarding nonetheless.
After eating my meal, I did not feel dragged down or super full, which was great.
Day 2: Vegan Ramen
After my steamed buns, I was not intensely hungry on day 2. I opted to make a veggie ramen. Extending the idea of making everything from scratch, I made homemade ramen noodles and the broth. I was again very tired because the noodles were time-consuming. The meal was very filling and satisfying.
Day 3: Lentil Bolognese
I used the leftover ramen noodle dough and made some spaghetti with lentil Bolognese. This day was easy for me because everything was already done, but I was starting to miss the bite of meat. The lentils’ shape did recreate the feel of minced meat, but as you chew, it disintegrates into a mush and the texture was just wrong. The meal was tasty nonetheless.
Day 4: Eating out
So, I tried to eat out, because vegans don’t eat at home all the time! I had a sourdough roasted veggie sandwich. I found it to be quite pricy for a vegetable sandwich, but maybe that is just the case of the restaurant I was at. Although it was very tasty, I did feel like I was eating a salad with a slice of toast.
Day 5: Veggie Burger
After the disappointing sandwich, I decided to make a veggie burger. I winged it and combined a few vegetables and herbs to form a patty and then I pan-fried it. It was great, but the texture was very mushy. I also made some sweet potato fries. Overall it was very filling and satisfying.
Day 6: Vegan sushi
Out and about on the weekend with my family. They decided to have some sushi, so I opted for the veggie version. I was pleasantly surprised by the result. They were super yummy and filling.
Day 7: Vegan Food Fair SA
I went out again because that’s what people normally do on the weekend. I found an event close by where everything was vegan and this was a great help. I had a cheese tasting, a seitan tasting and finally I had a vegan pulled pork sandwich made with jackfruit. For dessert, I had a vegan strawberry cheesecake popsicle, which was very delicious.
Overall impression:
- From the first day, I was very conscious of what I was putting in my body. I read all the labels, asked questions about my food and mostly made my food from scratch.
- I felt very lightweight all week, almost like I was flying. I was not peckish all day like I usually am. I didn’t want to snack on anything because all the meals were pretty filling.
- I started to miss the texture of meat from day 3.
- I was very creative when cooking. I got to try a lot of cool recipes that I was skeptical about trying before.
- I am now knowledgeable about veganism and do not feel intimidated by vegan food or recipes.
