This weekend was spent in Seattle and Vancouver, visiting family. The weather was surprisingly great (it only rained at night) and a majority of the trip was spent eating, sleeping, and talking..pretty much the best kind of vacation!
One of the meals was spent at Araya’s Place. Araya’s is a vegan Thai place in downtown Seattle. We opted for the buffet instead of ordering off the menu..and let me tell you, the food was amazing! Thai is one of my favorite cuisines and if I lived in Seattle there’s no doubt that I would be at Araya’s every week. For those that eat meat, you won’t even feel like you are missing anything.
Thai iced coffee, pad thai, fried rice, and green curry.
Araya’s had a lot of pamphlets about the vegan lifestyle, which got me thinking: could I be a vegan? I am already a vegetarian, so it would just mean cutting all dairy products of out my diet. To be honest, I don’t really care much for eggs..I never really crave them. Since I’ve picked up Ener-G Egg Replacer (a boxed, non perishable powder that you can find at Whole Foods or ordered online) I don’t even use eggs when I bake. So really all that I would be giving up is cheese, which I love. Oh, and milk. That would be a big one.
I think I will make an effort to become vegan (or at least eat less dairy products) because the paraphernalia I read indicated that even cage free, free-range, and organic egg farms still engage in inhuman activities to the hens.
Have you gone (or thought about going) vegan? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
In case you are interested, here are some egg replacements for baking:
Energ E Egg Replacer – My personal favorite choice for egg replacer. It works well with everything, except brownies.
Potato Starch = 2 Teaspoons + 1 Teaspoon water for 1 egg
Corn Starch = 2 teaspoons + I teaspoon water for egg
Soy Powder = 1 teaspoon + 2 teaspoons water for 1 egg
Ground Flax Seed = 1 Teaspoon + 3 teaspoon water for 1 egg
Banana = 1/2 banana for 1 egg
Applesauce = 1/4 cup applesauce for 1 egg
Shots of Happiness 
I’ve been vegan for about 4 years…and what I have learned is that, like most things, when you make the switch you will find substitutions for a lot of the things you used to think were “essentials.” As long as you are eating things that taste good and keep you healthy, you will have all you need. It isn’t easy – as most changes aren’t. But you will be surprised how much you don’t miss things once you get “over the hump.”
Thanks for the comment! That is so true..once I get over the hump, I am sure I won’t miss them as much..
Amiku, v proud of u!Araya’s brought abt the thought 4 me too but i’m a MILK baby really tough 1 for me n i don’t eat eggs or cheese much eitherways but Keep up your gud work of awareness:)in ppl..
God Bless!
Aww, thanks Shivaniben.. I think all the pamphlets at Araya’s really get to you! Thanks for suggesting that we eat there 🙂 We loved it!
You can try being vegan for a part of the week, ease yourself into the transition!
That is a great idea actually! I may have to try it 🙂
Becoming and being a vegan is not hard. As seen in your post, there are plenty of choices out there for vegans…..delicious scrumdiddlyumptious options for us. I’ve been vegan for about 9 years. Yes it was tough in the beginning….a slip up here and there…..and it does take some time for your body to adjust. I’d say it took me about a month for my body to adjust.
But honestly, all you need is a good enough reason. Bill Clinton for his health….mine because of the cruelty to animals endured in the meat, dairy and egg industries. You really need that basis to “get over that hump” as the earlier commenter said.
Don’t worry about slipping up here and there…..just stick to it…..it will become natural. And plus tofutti cuties are yummy….mmmm…..tofutti cuties……
Thanks for your input! It seems pretty daunting to give up dairy products (cheese. oh man i LOVE it) but like you and others have said, I just need to get over the hump.
And tofutti cuties…hmm those do sound interesting! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
have you used those egg substitutes in your own baking and if so, any details on how the texture/density/cakiness/portion size changes or doesn’t change?
I’ve used applesauce and banana, but the consistency and texture of the cake is definitely different. It’s not as firm. Maybe I messed up on the proportions. However, now I use Energ E Egg Replacer. It’s the best egg replacer I’ve found to eggs so far. The end result is exactly the same as if I would bake with eggs. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
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