So, this is how you do it…

My own veggie bean burger topped with mushroom bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and In & Out Burger animal sauce.

Marty and I moved to Vermont back in 1989. We wanted to escape the rat race, traffic, too many people, and, most importantly, my mother. 

New Jersey was making me psychically sick. My gastroenterologist, Dr. Wolfman, told me I’d have a colostomy bag by age thirty if I stayed in such a hostile and stressful environment. 

We got this bacon from a pop-up vendor at the Troy Farmers Market. I was skeptical, but it tasted like bacon and had a great texture.

We moved to a place where transplants aren’t liked or accepted readily by Vermonters, especially in South Londonderry, where we first landed. We found that out fast. We lived there for four years, and the Vermonters still hated us. 

We began to work out like maniacs for something to do. Our landlords were lovely transplants but were in a different place than we were. They had a baby while we wanted to go out to a bar or dance. Yes, there was dancing in Manchester back in the day. 

Coconut-crusted tofu instead of coconut shrimp.

We quickly discovered that Vermont was a costly place to live. I made $5.05 an hour, a drastic, catastrophic pay decrease. Rent was the same price as Jersey, and so was car insurance, fuel to heat with, and food. It was crazy! 

We were broke and lived hand to mouth but in a beautiful, stress-free environment that agreed with my ulcerative colitis. I was homesick; I needed to keep reminding myself why we moved to Vermont in the first place.

Beans and rice.

Since we were workout nut jobs, we decided to eat healthier and become vegetarians. Not only would this be better for Marty’s hereditary high cholesterol, but also for our grocery shopping budget.

Going vegetarian was a great idea; the problem was neither of us knew how to be suitable vegetarians. I was new at cooking and had no clue what to make or buy. I worked when the local library was open, so taking out a vegetarian book was a no-go.

We wandered the grocery store aimlessly but came home with the same foods each week. I can’t remember what we had for our lunches at work for the life of me.

We lived on oatmeal, cereal, rice, and pasta. We burned off all those carbs in a snap by working out and having incredible metabolisms. 

Tofu Italian cutlets two ways. As a sandwich with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella cheese topped with basil aioli, and tofu parm for lunch the next day. Both were outrageously good!

We ate very little fat or protein. We ate veggie burgers, peanut butter, and egg white omelets with cheese. We ate no legumes and little to no vegetables or fruit except bananas. 

I still find it amazing that so many vegetarians and vegans do the same thing as we did. It’s an oxymoron, for sure! 

We were in great shape, and our bodies were terrific, but we weren’t eating as healthy as we thought and didn’t drink any water except during our workouts.

Soft scrambled eggs with chives and avocado and a French omelet with a toasted bagel.

Eventually, we made friends and started making a little bit more money. We got on a fuel plan for heat and saved up each week to go out for drinks and bar snacks with friends. 

At some point, neither knew how badly each was craving meat. I would drool just thinking about it. I always thought about eating beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp.

Finally, I fessed up and told Marty, and he said, “Hallelujah!” We went to the Sirloin Saloon that night and ordered steak. It was the most delicious piece of meat we ever ate.

We were both sick after eating meat that first night. That was it for being vegetarians, and since we were both working many hours and had friends to hang out with, we stopped working out. 

Eating and working out became our unhealthy obsession, and we were relieved to stop. We gained a bit of weight back, but we were happier. 

For the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to introduce more meatless meals and vegetables into our diet. 

Learning how to cook with cauliflower made meatless meals easy and delicious. I wrote a blog piece all about cauliflower a couple of years ago. Here is the link if you are interested in checking it out. 

It’s different this time, eating vegetarian meals. We are eating vegetables and other sources of protein like beans and tofu. We love apple slices with peanut butter as a snack. I can’t wait for summer fruit to be in season!

Becoming a great cook has allowed me to be creative and explore the vegetarian world with fantastic results. I research recipes and read blog posts to educate myself.

Crostini topped with garlic-whipped ricotta and blistered tomatoes, garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper. Our favorite!

The vegetarian food I am experimenting with makes us not miss meat on those meatless nights one bit and look forward to them. Don’t let me fool you; Marty and I still indulge in our favorite meats, but only about 50% of the time. 

We find it much easier to eat lighter and healthier during warmer weather. I am very good about staying hydrated during the day, which I found is better for my skin, and I am not tired. 

We are eager to plant our raised vegetable garden beds in the next week since it’s still cold at night here in Vermont. 

Every year, I planted everything on Mother’s Day, and I ran around like a fucking idiot covering everything due to frost. I’ve finally learned that lesson.

I look forward to trying more vegetarian dishes this summer, plus there are a hundred to make during fall and winter. As soon as I nail down these recipes and write them, I’ll share them with you.

Have a great week, guys!