An Adventure Into the Culinary Unknown
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| Saharan Sand Dunes, Morocco |
We’ve recently had the amazing privilege of staying with Vegvisits hosts, Darren and Sarah, in Littleton, Colorado. Although our stay was short, we couldn’t help but write about it here, and a most amazing little practice we came across that we found to be nothing short of brilliant.
So where to begin. Littleton, Colorado. Autumn. Halloweenish in fact. The dazzling spectacle. It almost didn’t look real. The peak foliage, the cute little town seemingly cut into this majestic, mountainous landscape. High plains turned Rocky Mountains, and if it weren’t for the highways (and you had a vivid imagination!), you could almost hear the spirits of buffalos and Native Americans of long ago…
Not to mention, it was the most beautiful day you could imagine. Hardly a cloud in the sky, except those occasional, slow-moving fairytale-like ones. Warm in the sun, with that intangible though euphoric crisp, autumn essence in the air.
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| Littleton, Colorado |
Yet, we had just driven 1,300+ miles in the past 24 hours. And we hate driving! Our backs hurt. Our legs were swollen. We still hadn’t even eaten yet and it was almost 4PM. No, we didn’t feel very good and it was hard to imagine otherwise.
But still, somehow, we got out of the car, one foot in front of the other, and after meeting our hosts, Darren and Sarah, we saw a new day. Their warm smiles, calm demeanor and welcoming energy immediately put us at ease.
I will talk more about them and their home in just a second (it had really cool Halloween decorations!), but first I want to talk about one of the main reasons of this here post.
So we meet our hosts, Darren and Sarah. God, they were awesome! So warm and friendly leaving a big vegan chocolate bar on our pillow too. The ambiance was relaxed. We talked, asked questions and all that. But also just chilled together, outside in their big back yard, not saying much at all. It was, and they were, such a breath of fresh air.
But still, somehow, we got out of the car, one foot in front of the other, and after meeting our hosts, Darren and Sarah, we saw a new day. Their warm smiles, calm demeanor and welcoming energy immediately put us at ease.
I will talk more about them and their home in just a second (it had really cool Halloween decorations!), but first I want to talk about one of the main reasons of this here post.
So we meet our hosts, Darren and Sarah. God, they were awesome! So warm and friendly leaving a big vegan chocolate bar on our pillow too. The ambiance was relaxed. We talked, asked questions and all that. But also just chilled together, outside in their big back yard, not saying much at all. It was, and they were, such a breath of fresh air.
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| Welcome gift on bed! |
But as we readied to go buy our groceries at Whole Foods (just down the road), one of us curiously picked up one of their cookbooks, only to notice that quite literally every single page had notes on it…
“Did you guys make everything in this recipe book?” I asked incredulously and flabbergasted (I think we’ve tried maybe 3 cooked recipes in our nearly 15 years of being vegan!)
They did! But more, they had a whole small library of recipe books, with that same well-worn expression as though to encapsulate, with mysterious subtlety, the memories and experiences that went along with it.
As they put it, “we cook most nights of the week, and our system of working though cookbooks ensures we have a variety of different meals each week (and month and year). It also presents opportunities to eat things in ways we may not normally think to”.
So, for the brilliant practice we mentioned…
It’s quite simple! Submit yourself to some recipe book (or series of books). Each new day at dinner (lunch or breakfast too even) turn the page and embark on your next assignment. No need to scour the web based on what you’re craving (which might keep you rather sheltered). Just pick a book, and explore it cover to cover.
“To elaborate”, they both continue, “we usually have about 25 recipe books in rotation. So we grab 6 for the week, and make 1 from each book. Then the following week we grab the next 6 books and do a recipe from each. But the beauty is, everything is adaptable. You could also find a recipe book you are really digging- and make all the recipes in a row too.”
“Did you guys make everything in this recipe book?” I asked incredulously and flabbergasted (I think we’ve tried maybe 3 cooked recipes in our nearly 15 years of being vegan!)
They did! But more, they had a whole small library of recipe books, with that same well-worn expression as though to encapsulate, with mysterious subtlety, the memories and experiences that went along with it.
As they put it, “we cook most nights of the week, and our system of working though cookbooks ensures we have a variety of different meals each week (and month and year). It also presents opportunities to eat things in ways we may not normally think to”.
So, for the brilliant practice we mentioned…
It’s quite simple! Submit yourself to some recipe book (or series of books). Each new day at dinner (lunch or breakfast too even) turn the page and embark on your next assignment. No need to scour the web based on what you’re craving (which might keep you rather sheltered). Just pick a book, and explore it cover to cover.
“To elaborate”, they both continue, “we usually have about 25 recipe books in rotation. So we grab 6 for the week, and make 1 from each book. Then the following week we grab the next 6 books and do a recipe from each. But the beauty is, everything is adaptable. You could also find a recipe book you are really digging- and make all the recipes in a row too.”
We thought the idea was rather genius. It forces people to step out of their comfort zone, in a good, enriching sort of way. It exposes people to different cuisines, textures and foods. It’s educational and fun too. Plus, you can adapt the recipe based on your own specific diet and health concerns. All the while, led along by someone who has more or less put time and energy into thinking up interesting recipes.
For Darren and Sarah, they typically make a recipe most nights of the week, and eat out on Fridays. A typical (though by definition there is no typical here!) week might look like:
That night, we came back with what was more or less our staple fruit for the prior month, green grapes; along with salad ingredients for essentially the same exact salad we make every night. I know, I know! But in our defense, it is so simple yet so awesome. A little more than a half of a pound of lettuce each. We first chop in celery, cucumber, broccoli (steamed or frozen and defrosted), peas, bell pepper and that night to get a little sexy, steamed squash! We then mash 3 soaked dates into it. Mix well with the lettuce, add some lemon juice and generally a sheet of raw Nori each.
It is simply too hard to properly express a fellow human life! Unless of course one’s ok being incredibly shallow or entirely arcane. You simply must visit them for yourselves. But I will say, they are really, really cool! They’ve been all over the world from the Galapagos, Tahiti, Iceland, Morocco, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka (to name a few!). They have a daughter currently studying at UC Boulder, and they’ve been together for over 33 years! Yes, they met while in their high school marching band! (which could’ve been a post in and of itself!)
The town is a town like any other. But it certainly has a smaller feel, and seems to cater to a more active crowd. But what’s especially cool is just steps away are really awesome hills and parks to run in with a constant mountainous landscape on the horizon (about an hour drive away to 14,000-footer trailheads). Even cooler (or at least for us) was that in the Denver Metro area there are tons of bike paths that go for miles and miles, meaning you can get around by bike and not have to worry about gambling for your life every time you do it.
For Darren and Sarah, they typically make a recipe most nights of the week, and eat out on Fridays. A typical (though by definition there is no typical here!) week might look like:
Sunday: Vegetable stir fry with cashews and chili over rice (from the ‘Vegetarian Table Thailand’ cookbook)Monday: Cauliflower hot wings pita sandwiches from local grocery store recipe card
Tuesday: Veggie and bean enchiladas (from ‘Skinny Bitch in the Kitch’ cookbook)
Wednesday: Curried cashew ‘chikin’ salad in lettuce cups (adapted from an old, non-vegan Country Home magazine)
Thursday: Grilled sesame tofu with ginger peanut sauce (from ‘Everything Vegan’ cookbook)
Friday: Restaurant night! Vietnamese place nearby for Veggie pho and tofu curried noodles
Saturday: Greek lemon soup (from ‘Betty (Crocker) Goes Vegan’ cookbook)
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| Sesame Tofu |
Just keep in mind that if you do aim for a more tailored diet (i.e. gluten free, whole-food, no salt or oil etc.), you’ll have to do a bit more work adapting from other cookbooks out there.
Exploring the recipe practice
There are some practices out there, that though challenging and require some focus, are rather nice and enriching. They may still be subject to our own abuses or obsessions; that’s inevitable with anything we do. But ultimately, they can be really cool avenues for exploration, learning, thinking, entertaining and expression.
This is one of those practices. We have no shortage of voices telling us (everywhere you look really!): ‘buy this, eat me, drink up! But we all know too well where those roads end. No major surprises. Here, the cool thing is, who knows where it’ll lead!
It’s certainly a challenge. But a good one. Yes, it runs rather contrary to our consumer culture, asking people to focus, do something themselves and ‘step out of their comfort zone’. But nevertheless, we simply exchange that very fleeting instant gratification for something more enriching; something with roots that we can potentially carry with us for our entire lives.
This is one of those practices. We have no shortage of voices telling us (everywhere you look really!): ‘buy this, eat me, drink up! But we all know too well where those roads end. No major surprises. Here, the cool thing is, who knows where it’ll lead!
It’s certainly a challenge. But a good one. Yes, it runs rather contrary to our consumer culture, asking people to focus, do something themselves and ‘step out of their comfort zone’. But nevertheless, we simply exchange that very fleeting instant gratification for something more enriching; something with roots that we can potentially carry with us for our entire lives.
This unique practice of committing to a recipe book is a really nice step for people at all stages of their plant-based journey. It keeps you honest. Keeps you from falling back to your old stale routines. It is challenging in a way, but you’re getting the guidance and inspiration from someone who’s given it a lot of thought. Enough to publish a book anyhow!
You get exposed to herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, textures, aromas and combinations you likely never would have otherwise. As well as ways of cooking, the aesthetics of serving or the subtleties of picking your produce (all is not created equal!). Not to mention, in the long-run, you’ll save loads of money and have far more power (and awareness) over the healthfulness of the food you are eating.
You get exposed to herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, textures, aromas and combinations you likely never would have otherwise. As well as ways of cooking, the aesthetics of serving or the subtleties of picking your produce (all is not created equal!). Not to mention, in the long-run, you’ll save loads of money and have far more power (and awareness) over the healthfulness of the food you are eating.
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| Sarah cooking spring rolls with their daughter in Siem Reap, Cambodia |
There’s just something about being in the driver seat too. You appreciate things that you never would’ve thought of. When you’re the chef, you see that dish in front of you in a whole new light. You know every ingredient, and it all takes on a new meaning. It’s hard to explain, but it’s cool.
We (humans that is) all have a love for food, yet are so inexperienced and uneducated. Numbed and dumbed! We always have some other place to be, forever preparing for some future reality that never bears fruit. In the process, we become self-proclaimed, though nearly paralyzed, creatures of habit. Always too busy, with really good excuses for why we must be!
But with this, it helps to slow down a bit. Try not to think like your former self that just wants to get it done- dinner on the table ASAP. What’s 30 more minutes or an hour? Nevertheless, it’ll certainly get easier over time.
We (humans that is) all have a love for food, yet are so inexperienced and uneducated. Numbed and dumbed! We always have some other place to be, forever preparing for some future reality that never bears fruit. In the process, we become self-proclaimed, though nearly paralyzed, creatures of habit. Always too busy, with really good excuses for why we must be!
But with this, it helps to slow down a bit. Try not to think like your former self that just wants to get it done- dinner on the table ASAP. What’s 30 more minutes or an hour? Nevertheless, it’ll certainly get easier over time.
Also, try to embrace the experience. If you made something bad, try to appreciate that it’s still food! Open up to eating bad meals. Not only do you learn from it, but it makes you appreciate the good ones. Plus, many times (I can very much attest to this) your taste buds change! Some of my favorite foods now, I used to vehemently hate! An open mind goes a long way.
Lastly, try to appreciate how good you have it. Maybe if you had to make do out in the middle of nowhere, you’d appreciate, ‘wow, I can go buy fresh basil down the street’, or ‘I can steam this squash in a few minutes’, or ‘I can blend these ingredients’ (verses bashing them against some rock!), or ‘I can just buy food’. We are certainly spoiled compared to the animal kingdom.
Yes, it is an investment in many ways, but also just a great avenue to express and explore our connection to food.
Darren & Sarah’s Advice
Lastly, try to appreciate how good you have it. Maybe if you had to make do out in the middle of nowhere, you’d appreciate, ‘wow, I can go buy fresh basil down the street’, or ‘I can steam this squash in a few minutes’, or ‘I can blend these ingredients’ (verses bashing them against some rock!), or ‘I can just buy food’. We are certainly spoiled compared to the animal kingdom.
Yes, it is an investment in many ways, but also just a great avenue to express and explore our connection to food.
Darren & Sarah’s Advice
That night, we came back with what was more or less our staple fruit for the prior month, green grapes; along with salad ingredients for essentially the same exact salad we make every night. I know, I know! But in our defense, it is so simple yet so awesome. A little more than a half of a pound of lettuce each. We first chop in celery, cucumber, broccoli (steamed or frozen and defrosted), peas, bell pepper and that night to get a little sexy, steamed squash! We then mash 3 soaked dates into it. Mix well with the lettuce, add some lemon juice and generally a sheet of raw Nori each.
Meanwhile, Darren and Sarah had the most amazing smelling tacos. The two of them seemed happy, satisfied and very healthy too! It was all a most pleasant sight.
For Darren and Sarah, although health conscious, they live by a more: ‘it’s all good so long as it’s vegan’ style of eating, with a deep love of chocolate, and more flavorful, ethnic cuisine like Thai, Indian and Ethiopian. Some of their favorite cook books they recommended to us were: ‘Anything’ by Isa Chandra Moskowitz; ‘The Veggie Lovers Siracha Cookbook’; and ‘Street Vegan’.
Neither one of us were ever remotely culinarily inclined (then again, we never truly tried). So to hear them speak of even just baking cookies from scratch seemed like a Herculean feat of genius, let alone Ethiopian food or tomorrow’s dinner recipe of ‘Spicy tofu lettuce wraps with coconut-lime jicama rice’ with home-made truffles for dessert! What?!
But as they put it, “find a recipe book that isn’t overly complex, and make notes of your successes and failures on the recipes themselves, so you’ll know what to do different for next time.”
I nodded along, but secretly my thinking was, we are those unfortunate lost causes! I can see us now trying to adapt some recipe to fit our ‘diet’ and come away making a veggie burger that is a mango-grape smoothie!
But Darren continued with advice for the newly vegan out there: ‘Don’t get overwhelmed and feel you have to suddenly become an expert in tofu and quinoa. Remember that spaghetti with marinara is vegan. An apple is vegan. Start with your go-to and favorite foods and modify them for a vegan diet… The vegan ‘substitutes’ (like milk, cheese, steak etc.) are not going to taste exactly like what they are replacing- but they might get close and can taste great in their own right’.
His comment reminded us of times when we’d share a tomato with someone, telling them it tastes like a pizza. I think we were both too busy to realize the almost terrified expression of friends and family members that thought we had finally lost our minds completely.
But Sarah continued on and somewhat vindicated us: “Your tastes will change as you get used to new foods. Give yourself a chance to adjust to things like almond milk, cashew yogurt or a mushroom ‘steak’… incorporate a lot of different foods into your diet- don’t just live on beans or ‘safe’ vegan foods you’ll get tired of quickly. Try lentils, make cashew cream, find new (to you) kinds of mushrooms. And don’t skimp on the flavor. There are a gazillion of premade sauces and marinades if you want to make the process easier”.
For Darren and Sarah, although health conscious, they live by a more: ‘it’s all good so long as it’s vegan’ style of eating, with a deep love of chocolate, and more flavorful, ethnic cuisine like Thai, Indian and Ethiopian. Some of their favorite cook books they recommended to us were: ‘Anything’ by Isa Chandra Moskowitz; ‘The Veggie Lovers Siracha Cookbook’; and ‘Street Vegan’.
Neither one of us were ever remotely culinarily inclined (then again, we never truly tried). So to hear them speak of even just baking cookies from scratch seemed like a Herculean feat of genius, let alone Ethiopian food or tomorrow’s dinner recipe of ‘Spicy tofu lettuce wraps with coconut-lime jicama rice’ with home-made truffles for dessert! What?!
But as they put it, “find a recipe book that isn’t overly complex, and make notes of your successes and failures on the recipes themselves, so you’ll know what to do different for next time.”
I nodded along, but secretly my thinking was, we are those unfortunate lost causes! I can see us now trying to adapt some recipe to fit our ‘diet’ and come away making a veggie burger that is a mango-grape smoothie!
But Darren continued with advice for the newly vegan out there: ‘Don’t get overwhelmed and feel you have to suddenly become an expert in tofu and quinoa. Remember that spaghetti with marinara is vegan. An apple is vegan. Start with your go-to and favorite foods and modify them for a vegan diet… The vegan ‘substitutes’ (like milk, cheese, steak etc.) are not going to taste exactly like what they are replacing- but they might get close and can taste great in their own right’.
His comment reminded us of times when we’d share a tomato with someone, telling them it tastes like a pizza. I think we were both too busy to realize the almost terrified expression of friends and family members that thought we had finally lost our minds completely.
But Sarah continued on and somewhat vindicated us: “Your tastes will change as you get used to new foods. Give yourself a chance to adjust to things like almond milk, cashew yogurt or a mushroom ‘steak’… incorporate a lot of different foods into your diet- don’t just live on beans or ‘safe’ vegan foods you’ll get tired of quickly. Try lentils, make cashew cream, find new (to you) kinds of mushrooms. And don’t skimp on the flavor. There are a gazillion of premade sauces and marinades if you want to make the process easier”.
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| Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recipe for winter squash cups |
In all, our evening with them was heart-warming and enlightening. We loved sharing travel stories and hearing their stories, especially about holiday dinners with non-vegan friends and family (someone always has it worse!). But really, we just enjoyed their presence. We left their house the next day, on our way to Moab, UT (a must, must see) feeling refreshed and just very much aware that the lingering discomfort and unease of the day prior had disappeared.
We also realized we just witnessed such an amazing practice. One that extended beyond food to just opening up to life in general, in all its diversity and good and bad moments.
Their life in Littleton
Their life in Littleton
It is simply too hard to properly express a fellow human life! Unless of course one’s ok being incredibly shallow or entirely arcane. You simply must visit them for yourselves. But I will say, they are really, really cool! They’ve been all over the world from the Galapagos, Tahiti, Iceland, Morocco, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka (to name a few!). They have a daughter currently studying at UC Boulder, and they’ve been together for over 33 years! Yes, they met while in their high school marching band! (which could’ve been a post in and of itself!)
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| Getting married in a small Malaysian village |
Their home was large, open and very spacious (super clean too!), and they had the coolest, rare Dr. Seuss paintings throughout their home. We had come a few days prior to Halloween, and we both absolutely loved how festive they were, with the pumpkins/squash out front and all the spooky touches you might expect in a well-decorated suburban home during Halloween!
The town is a town like any other. But it certainly has a smaller feel, and seems to cater to a more active crowd. But what’s especially cool is just steps away are really awesome hills and parks to run in with a constant mountainous landscape on the horizon (about an hour drive away to 14,000-footer trailheads). Even cooler (or at least for us) was that in the Denver Metro area there are tons of bike paths that go for miles and miles, meaning you can get around by bike and not have to worry about gambling for your life every time you do it.
Well it was kind of awkward the next day when we sort of refused to leave. No, no just joking. That’d be too unprofessional, right? Being founders of this platform and all…
The End
The End
So you can see why we think they’re really cool. And their way of eating.
For those inspired enough to try it, full-throttle, it’ll be challenging at times, for sure, but fun. Empowering too. For everyone else, it certainly isn’t all or nothing! A little bit, is better than nothing at all! Just think: the next month will go by like any other. But how much cooler to emerge on the other side with all this knowledge and experience!
The plant-based movement can use can use all the tinkerers in the kitchen we can get. An army of chefs really! To express the diversity that is us and plants. And it’s not just to spread really good vegan food (though it is!) and to help people learn how to cook (though it is!!). Perhaps our personal lives extend further than we care to see or appreciate. In our daily routines, we unknowingly paint the backdrop and contribute, in our own small way, to a cultural personality and ethos.
For those inspired enough to try it, full-throttle, it’ll be challenging at times, for sure, but fun. Empowering too. For everyone else, it certainly isn’t all or nothing! A little bit, is better than nothing at all! Just think: the next month will go by like any other. But how much cooler to emerge on the other side with all this knowledge and experience!
The plant-based movement can use can use all the tinkerers in the kitchen we can get. An army of chefs really! To express the diversity that is us and plants. And it’s not just to spread really good vegan food (though it is!) and to help people learn how to cook (though it is!!). Perhaps our personal lives extend further than we care to see or appreciate. In our daily routines, we unknowingly paint the backdrop and contribute, in our own small way, to a cultural personality and ethos.
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| Luvin Arms Farm Sanctuary in Colorado |
There’s nothing truly difficult about vegan. On the contrary, as most can all attest, it is actually a really, really nice thing. But perhaps the ‘movement’s’ challenges are not for want of reasons, knowledge or even convenience (though this would be nice). Perhaps much of it originally stems from a culture that tends to bring out the worst in us. Suffice to say, at some point, people will have to be encouraged to think, walk and do for themselves, if we hope to see any substantive change in the world.
Still (and it goes without saying), support the vegan restaurants and products out there!! Lord knows, how essential they are in all of this too!
Anyhow! Go take a trip out west, and give Darren and Sarah a shout here! They also just bought a 40+ acre property at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains (more in the country of Littleton), and will be having that, plus much more (cooking classes, yoga etc.) up on Vegvisits in the coming couple of years.
Still (and it goes without saying), support the vegan restaurants and products out there!! Lord knows, how essential they are in all of this too!
Anyhow! Go take a trip out west, and give Darren and Sarah a shout here! They also just bought a 40+ acre property at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains (more in the country of Littleton), and will be having that, plus much more (cooking classes, yoga etc.) up on Vegvisits in the coming couple of years.
