Nothin' Like the Real Thing

This week we're definitely pushing things to the limit in regards to dairy. I've chosen recipes that just don't seem like they'd work without my favorite food group--cheese.

We made a yummy veggie pizza using a spread made out of cashews, lemon, garlic, and herbs. It's very good! Is it cheese? No, but I don't miss the cheese. Jon said a little handful of cheese might be nice, just to hold it all together.

Spreading the cashew mixture on...mmmm...

I made whole wheat pancakes again, and those are so good! (Well, this time I did something wrong, and the pancakes stuck to the pan, so I had to modify it a bit.) Maple syrup is allowed (hey, it's from a plant!), but of course butter isn't. Pancakes without butter...no. So I went ahead and slathered it on and didn't worry about it. Maybe it's like the cheese: maybe if I tried it without, I wouldn't miss it, but...nah....

The sauce goes on top.

Then there were the quesadillas. Jon reminded me that "quesadillas" means "little cheeses." This time, the cheese "replacement" was a hummus. It had lots of ingredients, including things I don't have or can't buy except at a health store (miso and some sesame seed paste). The hummus ended up tasting more Asian, which seemed like an odd addition to a Mexican dish. All in all, the quesadillas were very good, but they were not quesadillas! The recipe should have been called something else, and I would have been completely happy, but instead I was disappointed.

It's always nice to have a helper!

Tonight I made a "creamy noodle casserole." The cream part was actually more of a gravy, made out of whole wheat flour and vegetable broth. Then there were whole wheat noodles, and a whole mess of veggies. It was a very good and filling dish, but I think I didn't make the gravy right, because it certainly wasn't creamy. I was in a hurry, and didn't give it any time to thicken. I noticed that the leftovers were a lot creamier, so that will be a good lunch for tomorrow!

The veggies all chopped up.

So those are my dishes so far this week. I have to admit, we went and ate Mexican food for Mother's Day. I didn't eat any meat, but I certainly had my cheese enchilada! But instead of cleaning my plate and feeling miserable at the end, I only ate one enchilada, and very little of the rest on the plate (having two kids who shared off my plate helped, too). And...we also had grilled burgers at a friend's house yesterday. Mmm...that was a good burger. My first meat in two weeks! But then I ate chips and queso after that, and a piece of cake, and I was miserable at the end. Moderation, lady!

Everyone gets their own favorite toppings!

So it's been an eye-opening week of how we can continue to make a plant-based diet fit our lifestyle, and vice versa. I am really enjoying this little experiment. I like the new recipes, I am eating less and feeling more satisfied, and I feel more in control of on top of things when I am making the right decisions regarding my food.

I still have trouble seeing how this will work long-term, but as I add new recipes and start collecting some stand-bys, I think it will seem more probable.