We’ve survived the first month of the year, which means I have lived through my first challenge for 2021 (https://www.maikaisogawa.com/monthly-challenges-2021/): a month of vegetarianism. In this post I share some of my recipes (and links to them) that I devoured over the last 30 days, mostly attributed to the NYT Cooking (https://cooking.nytimes.com/) (sorry about that paywall), or sheer desperation. Scroll past my random thoughts below to get straight to the food highlights.

My first comment is that eating as a vegetarian is not difficult. You still have free reign to things like eggs and cheese, which you don’t realize are so important until you go full vegan. I definitely missed meat… well, mostly fish. My go-to meals often involve some sort of seafood. I would catch myself browsing poke bowl restaurants for lunch on my food delivery app, only to remember that I am sometimes a stubborn sadist, and turn towards my empty fridge of kale and wrinkly tomatoes.

Second, being vegetarian restricts your choices (obviously) which is both good and bad. On the positive side, there is less decision fatigue of what to eat and where to eat. Eating vegetarian is going to be cheaper if you cook at home, so you do have the pleasure of finding recipes within your newly created boundaries. Even at restaurants (depending where you go), you’ll have less options to choose from if you’re vegetarian. I actually find this to be a relief, as my eyes can eat more than my stomach can, and my poor brain has to referee the two.

Third, I typically don’t have a sweet tooth. Oddly, by removing meat and seafood, I suddenly have a sweet tooth. It’s as though my body has replaced one thing with another. This isn’t a good thing for me. I’d much rather eat some animal protein than demolish 4 cookies (they were fresh-baked and gooey, in my defense). I am hoping my sweet tooth flies away when I reintroduce meat back into my life, otherwise March is going to be quite the difficult month.

Lastly, I feel like a wizard in the kitchen. I need the correct ingredients, yes, but some of these dishes are the best I’ve ever cooked. Then when I do not have ingredients, I have to toss a little scavangery in there to make myself a suitable meal, surprising myself in the process. Can I make the same ingredients become: breakfast tacos, a veggie scramble, fried rice, AND hike-worthy burritos? Yes. Yes I can.

Challenge summary and takeaways: In total, I ate fully vegetarian for 26 / 30 days, which is a 87% success rate for the month. In conclusion, a shift towards plant-based is the overarching goal, but having some meat and seafood in my life is something I enjoy culturally, socially, and culinarily - it stays.

On to the good stuff: the food:

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If there is a link, it links to the actual recipe. If there is no link, we made it up, but there might be a photo involved.

Green Shakshuka with Avocado and Lime (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019468-green-shakshuka-with-avocado-and-lime?action=click&module=Global%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=9)

Saffron risotto with oyster mushrooms

Sweet and spicy tofu with Soba noodles (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019471-sweet-and-spicy-tofu-with-soba-noodles?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=all&rank=19)

Homemade pizza night: great for gatherings, everyone gets a dough ball and picks whatever toppings they want :)

Tasty Bite (https://tastybite.com/) meals - saucy, fragrant entrees in a friendly yellow sachet

Green lentil curry (my friend’s mom’s recipe)

Warm Kale salad with veggie sausage and roasted sweet potato

Crispy Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Snap Peas (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021200-crispy-tofu-with-cashews-and-blistered-snap-peas?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=collection&rank=0)

No sugar added paleo orange cashew chicken tofu (https://gatherednutrition.com/no-sugar-added-paleo-orange-cashew-chicken/?utm_source=morning_brew) (replace meat with tofu)

Banh Mi with tofu and pickled daikon / carrots

Black bean tacos (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015176-black-bean-and-poblano-tacos?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page&region=all&rank=8)

Avocado toast with poached eggs, with sautéed asparagus and pickled cabbage

Coconut Curry Chickpeas with Pumpkin and Lime (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020463-coconut-curry-chickpeas-with-pumpkin-and-lime?action=click&module=Global%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=2)

Kitchen sink veggie stir fry

Protein pancakes with various spreads (pictured here: left - pumpkin butter and cherry jam, right - almond butter and banana with chia seeds)

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Go forth and eat some veggies!