30 Day Vegan Challenge: Days 17-21 – The Bohemian Kitchen
Hello all,
The past few days have been uneventful. I didn’t feel like cooking much this week. A fellow vegan told me once that the pizza from Pizza Pizza is vegan so long as you order without cheese, so on Thursday night we ordered some.
I know that to many people, cheeseless pizza is unspeakable. How could that taste good? Well it just does. I find that cheese covers up the flavour of everything else. Without it, the flavours of the veggies and sauce shines through. I ordered mine with mushrooms, pineapple, balsamic vinegar and Italian seasonings sprinkled on top. I’ll admit it was less filling as there were fewer calories to it, but that can be a good thing if calorie reduction is your goal.
Normally I would place a photo of it here, but I was so hungry I ate it all without taking pictures.
My accomplishment of the week was saying no to doughnuts on Friday. I was planning to bake cupcakes to bring in. That ended up not happening, but somehow, knowing that I have cupcake ingredients at home gave me the strength to not eat doughnuts. I mean, cupcakes are way better anyway. It is worth it to wait until I have time to make them. Maybe today or tomorrow I’ll do that.
Also, I discovered fresh tamarind pods at the Fresh-Co. I’ve been wanting to try them for some time, so it was a happy surprise to stumble across them.
The pods feel light and hollow. The outer layer is a thin, hard shell that breaks apart easily. I felt uncomfortable at first. It felt like I was dismembering some strange caterpillar.
Look, it even has a network of veins and capillaries! The thick sour tamarind paste covers a string of hard dark seeds the size of one’s pinky fingernail. It reminded me of a spine. Perhaps that’s just me being morbid. Do you see it too?
They made a good snack, not only because they are tasty but also due to the length of time it takes to eat them. Each pod must be broken apart and the seeds removed before eating the paste. Instead of powering through a bag of chips in 10 minutes, I was able to watch an entire episode of Heroes and still have half a box of tamarind pods left.
My main concern now is the decision I need to make: will I stay vegan after this challenge? I am thinking yes I will for another month. I don’t feel ready to fully commit to the lifestyle, but I do enjoy it, and I’d like to see how long I can carry it on for.
Today is day 22. I’ve still got 9 days to decide. I will try to do at least two more posts before the challenge is over.
Have you ever had fresh tamarind? What new or interesting food have you discovered lately?