There IS Life After Cheese

If you've ever toyed with becoming a vegan but haven't known how to start, "The 30-Day Vegan Challenge," a new guide/cookbook to living a meat/fish/dairy/eggs-free lifestyle, could be for you. Authored by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, a nationally known expert, the book operates from the well-documented premise that it takes three weeks to change a habit. So with 30 days, you've got plenty of time to toss out old eating habits and embrace the new.

Although the book is filled with tasty vegan recipes, "The 30-Day Vegan Challenge" is much more than a cookbook. Patrick-Goudreau walks readers through the many health benefits of a life sans meat and dairy, and offers information about navigating the world as a vegan. Worried about nutrition for your growing children? Check out the chapter on packing school lunches. Concerned about getting enough nutrition as a pregnant or lactating woman? She's got that covered. Not sure how to find something suitable to eat in a restaurant? Patrick-Goudreau offers a ton of websites that track vegan restaurants as well as apps that can help.

"In that 30 days I'll answer every question you've ever had about being vegan," she says. "People can come away feeling really excited and empowered."

Along the way Patrick-Goudreau debunks myths about veganism and offers suggestions for what should be in every well-stocked vegan pantry, how to shop effectively, and other useful hints. Patrick-Goudreau, who has written other cookbooks, knew she wanted "The 30-Day Vegan Challenge" to take a slightly different approach. "The work I've been doing for 12 years, people want to make changes, but they don't know how to do it," she says. "There are lots of resources on the why do this but not many books on the how."

Eating vegan at a restaurant is just one example, Patrick-Goudreau says. "Too many vegans are apologetic about their preferred choices. When you're proud and positive, and really respectful, people respond to that," she says. "I don't see a lack when I look at a menu. I see possibilities.

"I want to give people the power to ask for what they want," she adds. "People don't know they can order off the menu."

Patrick-Goudreau first stopped eating land animals about 20 years ago. "I realized I was contributing to the violence of animals I would never ever hurt myself," she says. "The more I learned, the more it changed my habits."

About 12 years ago, Patrick-Goudreau went totally vegan. "It's been the most rewarding journey," she says.

Part of that journey has been learning to substitute certain tastes and textures derived from violent means with those that are plant-based. "When I knew that these products of exploitation and violence, they were not appealing to me at all. But I knew there were textures I wanted to have, a certain mouth feel."

Ice cream, for instance, was one favorite food where she had to make a change. "I grew up eating ice cream," she says. Today her favorite is made from coconut milk yogurt. Patrick-Goudreau offers this piece of advice when switching: "Don't try your favorite dairy product alongside a non-dairy one. The one more known to you is going to win. Period. But if it's more out of your palette, the more you are going to give it a chance to win."

The point is that becoming vegan isn't about deciding to live a life of sacrifice; it's a decision to live a life with other options. "We learn new things, we learn new techniques. If we cooked Italian all our life and then wanted to learn Indian, we realize it's just different -- not less than. It's just different."

Patrick-Goudreau's body and health are different as well since she made the switch to a totally vegan lifestyle. Her digestion is better. "Everything moves smoothly and is really regular," she says. "That's a wonderful thing. Everything got right in my body. My skin is very clear. I lost weight effortlessly. All these were wonderful bonuses I didn't expect."

Still, Patrick--Goudreau realizes making the switch to a vegan lifestyle after decades of eating meat and dairy can seem impossible. As part of the strategy, she suggests keeping a food journal for three days. Many people realize they already eat a least a few vegan meals, such as a salad of fresh vegetables. HL

For more information, go to www.30dayveganchallenge.com.

Vegan includes¦

BREAD: Good bread, i.e. real bread, is naturally vegan. Many breads contain nothing more than flour, salt, water and yeast.

PASTA: Although some have chicken's eggs (egg noodles come to mind) added to them, most pasta is just flour and water.

COCOA BUTTER: Many hear the word butter and think dairy, but plenty are plant-based (peanut, coconut, almond, shea butters).

YEAST: Yeasts are microorganisms that are fungi, not animals, so therefore they are on the vegan list.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Makes 4 cups

ingredients

1 1/4 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons onion powder

1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

3 1/2 cups nondairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hazelnut, hemp, oat -- your choice)

3 tablespoons thickener such as cornstarch or kudzu root

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup light (yellow or white) miso paste

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about one lemon)

12-16 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked

method

Add the cashews to the large bowl of the food processor and using the pulse button, finely grind them. Don't let them turn into paste. Add the yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder and white pepper. Pulse three more times to blend in the spices.

Combine the milk, thickener and oil in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to low-medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the thickener is dissolved.

With the food processor running, gradually add the milk-oil mixture to the cashew/nutritional yeast mixture. Blend for 2 minutes or until very smooth and creamy. Next blend in the miso and lemon juice.

Combine the cheese with macaroni and serve. You can also bake it. The cheese will keep for four days, covered and refrigerated.