What the hell does a ‘VEGAN’ eat?

Vegan, pronounced ‘vee-gehn’ means you don’t eat any animal products. Thus includes meat (of course), milk, eggs, cheese, butter, often honey. It further suggests you don’t use any animal products like wool, leather or silk. That is not my deal. I do use wool and silk, and a couple of pairs of shoes I own have leather in them.On to the real question: What do we eat? Well, there are many elaborate recipes to be found in books (I have many many vegan and raw vegan cookbooks), but the reality is that most vegans live largely on the vegan stir-fry. This is essentially a stir fry of whatever vegetables we have lying around, or went and purchased at the market. Staples include garlic, onions, peppers, summer squashes, mushrooms, and various nuts and beans (I like chick peas.) Additions include tofu, tempeh, seitan, polenta, coconut milk based curry sauces, spices and herbs (like turmeric.) Traditionally, the generic vegan stir-fry is served on a bed of rice (BROWN, please.)The trick to being a healthy vegan is to eat a lot of food. You aren’t likely to get very fat on a vegan diet, you are likely to speed up your metabolism and up your fiber intake. This all adds up to more calories needed. Plus, the only way you’ll get the protein an active vegan ought to get is by eating a lot of food. Sure you could simply chow down on tofu, but let’s face it, that’s pretty cliché, and unless you’ve got a dehydrator and want to take the time to de-sog your tofu, its pretty squishy too. Plus not much in the flavor department.As a [healthy] vegan of 9 years now, I have come to appreciate making foods from scratch. This is key for a vegan on a budget. However, I do like to order vegan desserts when they are available (and you should too), in the hopes of encouraging restaurants to continue to offer vegan desserts.