Day 1a - Introduction

Introduction

I'm baaaaaack!

You'd think after "putting myself through" Martha Stewart's Cooking School, I might have had my fill of hyper-structured cooking and constant entertaining. But the truth is, I've missed it!

And ever since I read The China Study and determined that I wanted to eat a predominantly vegan diet (for both health and ecological reasons), I've been looking for the vehicle to help me sharpen my vegan kitchen chops. After testing a couple of recipes in VEGANOMICON, it was clear we had a winner. Fun, creative, well-written, and grrrreat food - I was sold!

So here I am, back in the saddle, ready to learn some new kitchen tricks, blog about it, enhance my well-being, and reduce my carbon footprint, all at the same time! I'll be cooking every recipe in VEGANOMICON between now and a year from now, and I'll be sharing the experience with whoever wants to come along for the ride!

Disclaimers:

• I realize that I'm not the first person to undertake this project - VEGANOMICON has inspired many to Julie and Julia-ize it. But I may be the first person to actually make it through all 332 recipes (a total that includes all the variations, fyi)! 

• You may witness me out in the world, occasionally eating frozen yogurt, or a shrimp summer roll, or even a short rib here and there (gasp!). While I do eat "mostly vegan," I am not a hard-core, PETA-type, vegan poster boy. I do believe the vegan diet is the healthiest, as well as the most environmentally sound and sustainable diet, but I must confess, I do occasionally eat "off campus."

I'm not going to grade myself and Isa and Terry, like I did with Martha. However, I think I will rate each recipe on the SFO scale. No, not how I think it will go over in San Francisco. How safe I think it is to serve to an omnivore, i.e. Safe For Omnivore rating. A rating of 1 would mean: Don't bother with anyone but the most hardcore vegetarians/vegans, and a rating of 10 would mean: Delicious incognito veganness, pleasing even the wariest of meat-eaters.

As before, please comment freely! I love to hear what you're thinking, eating, cooking, and what your experiences might be out here. Plus, I just like to know that you've visited!

And if you're a Twittery kind of person, you can find me @veganomenkrantz

Off we go!!