1.04.2011

Vegan Brownie Recipe and Diet Updates

So the whole vegan diet has been going fairly well 4 days into the 12 - I'm definitely feeling like I will make it the whole way through since I got past the first 2 days. The first night got rough when I had a sweet attack but no plans for sweets (big mistake knowing how big a sweet tooth I have). I began frantically searching for vegan dessert recipes and came across this rather simple looking vegan brownie recipe that had lots of reviews and looked appealing. After reading the reviews, I decided to swap out the water for soy milk and the white sugar for raw cane sugar since I got a tip from Sherry that white sugar can actually contain animal bone in some cases.

Making the brownies was super simple and a lot of fun, I was really excited about them and proud that I had outsmarted any future sweet attacks - that was until I tasted them. I'm going to have to admit that while these brownies looked amazing and were made with natural ingredients, they tasted absolutely terrible. I even waited a couple hours, gave them a second chance and they were even worse; Tim completely agreed. It was like they had a weird aftertaste or something. I felt awful doing it, but had to throw away the entire batch. At least Tim and I got a good laugh out of it and we joke now that I haven't had one of my sweet attacks since (maybe they were a good solution after all).

I'm not sure if it was my swapping out the ingredients, the heavy oil, or my personal tastes but I'm going to have to NOT recommend this recipe!

All in all throughout the process I am coming around. The first two days were a little rough since I felt like I was definitely missing out on dairy and just didn't like the texture of some of things we've been trying. Other recipes have been amazing though and really broadened up my palette like this collard wrap and this tofu dish. I'm also finding it funny how Tim and I differ in liking certain foods over others during this diet; I'll love something that he hates and vice versa. Finally when the third day came around I actually had dropped a couple pounds which was unexpectedly motivating and food options seem to expand the more I think with an open mind. It's been somewhat draining to have to think this hard about every piece of food I put in my mouth - but a good lesson as well.

I ate out tonight with a good friend at Fresca, a restaurant specializing in vegetarian and vegan fare. Man, how I now appreciate that these types of places exist - making it so easy to go out and not have to think as much about what I can't have on a menu. In case you're wondering, I ordered the hummus appetizer and Kale pizza which consisted of kale, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, and fake vegan cheese - very delicious and a fun low key place to hang out for a quick bite.

Until next time, my friends.
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11 comments:

  1. The pizza sounds divine! The brownies not so much. You are doing really well!

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  2. haha, I clicked on the recipe to bookmark it BEFORE reading your post. dammit... I normally stick to a vegetarian/vegan diet but I'm pregnant with my 2nd (due in 7 weeks) and have been eating meat and other crap I usually hate... One fabulous recipe book is the Joy of Vegan Baking... Also, the Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen is kick ass. GOOD LUCK with getting through the rest of it!

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  3. That pizza sounds divine! Possibly something you could duplicate at home???

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  4. I use raw cane sugar for my coffee. I just love it and would have thought they would make anything taste good. Those brownies do look like they should be delicious.

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  5. That is hilarious. If it is at all comforting, it LOOKS fantastic!
    -amy

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  6. You guys are doing great! When I am craving sweets I usually have a smoothie.

    You don't even need an exact recipe. Just mix a handful of frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana, soy or almond milk, agave syrup ( the cane sugar is ok) 3 ice cubes and a dash of cinnamon.

    xoSherry

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  7. Haha, thanks for all the support guys - was really a funny story now that I can look back on it. Can you imagine how bummed I was when all I wanted was something SWEET!

    Sherry, thanks for the smoothie tip, just may have to try that. Things are beginning to fall into a daily pace a this point and my body is feeling much better with the new habits. It's definitely been an interesting journey so far and I'm barely half way through!

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  8. Your brownie experience is hysterical! Good for you, I am not so brave...should you ever come to Vegas, The Wynn casino now has Vegan dishes in every single restaurant, from buffet to the finest dining. Steve Wynn came across a friend who was 70 and looked like he had had all kinds of work done...when he found out he attributed looking 20 years younger to going vegan, Steve Wynn immediately went vegan and made all of his casinos offer vegan foods. So you are on a good roll! Let us know if you lose years too maybe I will suck it up a bit...
    Good luck, I will NOT try the brownie recipe :)
    Nathalie

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  9. Oh, good luck on your vegan voyage! I am sure you will find the perfect vegan recipes through trial and error! That smoothie in the comments sounds delish......

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  10. Sorry about the brownies! I made some vegan cookies once with my kids and the look on their faces when they got to try one was quite funny. Definitely not what they were expecting!

    Due to some new medical issues my diet is now gluten and dairy free...probably forever.

    If it keeps me healthy I'll do it happily though!

    You're half way there!

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  11. If ever in Vegas, I'll put The Wynn on my list of casinos to visit!

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