Tahini Dressing

This past January my roommate, Emma, and I decided that we were going to go vegan for a month. I had gone through spouts of vegetarianism, but I had never gone full fledge vegan. My liking of the whole process came in waves. In the first few weeks the newness of the diet excited me and helped to curb my cravings. Emma and I made almost all of our dinners together, which consisted of a lot of asian foods given most asian-vegetarian dishes also happen to be vegan. A great perk of veganism was getting to try all the great restaurants that Seattle has to offer that we had never tried. We have a great Thai, Pizza, and co-op grocery store all within walking distance that are fully vegan.

Vegan Pizza Pi: Alfredo Sausage Pizza

In the second week, when the newness faded away, I started to have cravings for a big creamy bowl of pasta or to sink my teeth in to a piece of meat. While there is plenty of fake meat and cheese there is almost no good vegan substitute for things like cream, cream cheese, or a deliciously tangy dollop of sour cream. Once I got it through my head that I just couldn’t eat these things I got back on track and the cravings faded away. At the end of the month I was really happy with the way I was eating and would have recommended veganism to anyone!

Homemade Veggie Pho

My biggest take away from the month was that freshly prepared food, using natural ingredients, was almost always better than the super processed fake meat and dairy products that are sold. If you try to compare a deliciously buttered cheddar grilled cheese with one made with Earth Balance and Daiya, you will never be satisfied. Over the course of the month I started to incorporate a lot more veggies in to my diet to fill myself up instead of basing my meals around meat or pastas.

This month I have once again decided to go vegan! While I might be missing out on Halloween candy I think Thanksgiving and Christmas food will more than make up for what I am missing out right now. I made this recipe for the first time last week and it was delicious. It is creamy and has a similar flavor profile to a vinegary caesar dressing.

Recipe

Time

• 5 Minute prep

• Dresses appetizers sized salad for 2

Ingredients

• 1.5 Tablespoons Tahini

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons white balsamic, Trader Joe's Modena white vinegar, or white wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together all the ingredients. Taste and adjust to your preferences (I personally go a little heavier with the vinegar and black pepper)

I recommend tossing this dressing with a hearty green like romaine, Boston bib, butter lettuce, or kale. Some great toppings would be croutons, roasted beets, roasted carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, apples, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.