When I was a teenager, I believed, whole heartedly, in living fast and dying young. I don't think my husband or I ever really considered that life would continue past 25. Somehow, despite this morbid notion, our own mortality never really hit us. We would make it to 25, of course! We were immortal, until our twenty fifth birthday, when we would magically dematerialize. As far as we were concerned, our fate was sealed, and our mission in life was to have as much fun as humanly possible until the hammer dropped. "F*** it", basically.

You could have titled my high school blog, "Mary Misses Class". I was far too busy hanging out with my Kurt Cobain wannabe boyfriend to bother with that mess. Apparently watching indie films, wearing trench coats, and getting wasted is way more important than making life easy on yourself by going to school. Ugh.

Scotty-Too-Hotty, in my leather jacket for Halloween. He would probably like you to know that he did NOT rock spikes or hair gel regularly. How did I not realize how cute he was back then? Duh.

Twenty one years old: In the right set of arms, but otherwise still pretty dumb.



But after 25 came and went, we were forced to reevaluate our outlook on things. Those were tough years. Friends died, babies were born, and somewhere in the middle of it all we started to wake up. Suddenly, fun times and quick thrills weren't enough. Our lives stretched ahead of us like an endless highway, and we finally started to understand how precious every mile would be, and that while we were in for a longer ride than we'd expected, the clock was ticking.

We quit smoking immediately.

We've worked like crazy since then to build foundation for the life that we wanted: marriage, babies, a forever home. Together, we learned how to pay our bills on time, to buy groceries, keep our home kind of clean, and to keep ourselves kind of healthy. We stopped eating takeout and I started learning how to cook. Of course, everything I cooked at home in the beginning was pretty awful. If it wasn't sushi I was fairly clueless. I learned though. In fact, I was in culinary school just four years later.

We eat well, but the older we get, the more the risk of being even pleasantly overweight (which is what I generally consider myself to be) seems a luxury we can't afford. Not to mention the growing frequency of being sent for things like biopsies and ultrasounds. Cancer has become all too common, and I've started to become tired of feeling helpless to that particular hand of fate. I want to turn the odds in my favor.

So, after sticking to a pretty strict diet of unprocessed, whole foods for the last two years or so, I have decided to up my anty. I've been on a vegan diet for 6 days a week for the past three weeks. I've given myself one day off per week (Fridays) in hopes that allowing myself a little indulgence will help me stay on track. So far, I am amazed at how well Scott and I are adjusting. He eats whatever he wants outside of the house, so his cheats are far more frequent, but our evening meals, our snacks, and our treats have all been 100% vegan. So far, he seems to be enjoying it more than I do.

I have to admit that I was more than a little intimidated, not to mention pessimistic, about this decision. We've been mostly vegetarian for a while now, and that can be a bit frustrating at times. I run out of ideas for my CSA veggies. I get sick of looking at summer squash, and Scott laments the appearance of any and all leafy greens. Winter was a little rough.

But making the change to vegan meals has somehow increased the all around taste and quality of my cooking. I think the challenge of making really satisfying dishes without any of my usual cheats (butter, cheese, cream) has upped my game. Or, perhaps the lack of animal fats has made me appreciate the natural flavors I'm eating a little more. It's hard to say why, but I'm happy, and a little bit shocked, to report that I am hardly missing non-vegan food at all. Certainly not the more mediocre things, anyway. I plan to go all-out on my cheat days, and eat the most fiendish possible foods. Ribs, fried chicken, carnitas, that sort of thing.

I'm looking forward to sharing some of the new recipes I've been working on. Just this week I made my first batch of what I think might just be the best thing I ever cooked.



Cashew Pesto Ravioli in a Butternut Squash Puree

This stuff was crazy good, and whipping up a batch of vegan pasta seriously took about ten minutes. I was done stuffing the ravioli before my pot of cook water had boiled. I'm going to make this recipe a few more times to make sure it is just right before sharing. Oh the woes of recipe development. Poor me!

I've developed a few other favorites over the past three weeks. Here are a few for you to check out:

Cold Slaw Ramen - This was a super simple recipe, so I shared it right away. It's a cold ramen dish with shredded veggies in a light sesame dressing.

- This was a super simple recipe, so I shared it right away. It's a cold ramen dish with shredded veggies in a light sesame dressing. Black Bean Soup - I'm working on my own recipe for this, as well as a bangin' hashbrown and cornbread "frittata". In the mean time, check out my buddy, Hilah's recipe.

- I'm working on my own recipe for this, as well as a bangin' hashbrown and cornbread "frittata". In the mean time, check out my buddy, Hilah's recipe. Red Beans and Rice with Okra - Another recipe I am working on. The key to making this extra meaty was okra, smoked salt, and smoked paprika. It was damn good.

- Another recipe I am working on. The key to making this extra meaty was okra, smoked salt, and smoked paprika. It was damn good. Roasted Vegetables and Brown Rice - A little seasoning and a splash of lemon juice or soy sauce is all I need to make this simple meal extra comforting. I have been eating this in one form or another about once a week since starting my vegan routine. It never fails to make me happy.

- A little seasoning and a splash of lemon juice or soy sauce is all I need to make this simple meal extra comforting. I have been eating this in one form or another about once a week since starting my vegan routine. It never fails to make me happy. Quinoa Salad and Sliced Avocado - Quinoa is packed with protein, and the healthy fat in an avocado makes me smile.

In other news, I've developed a serious appreciation for Almond Milk and Vegenaise . Both are a little more processed than I am usually likely to get into, but necessity calls. I need milk for my coffee, and I need a goood vegan emulsifier for salad dressing and sauces.

So, have any favorite vegan recipes to share with me? I am particularly in need of ways to use up my bounty of summer squash. I am also dying for a really good vegan ice cream recipe that doesn't involve soy milk. (I'm pretty much intolerant to soy milk.)