Vegan and tasty! Two words I wasn't sure went together.

I recently realized a few things about myself.

One, I eat cheese like it’s going out of style.  Two, I make myself some type of steak-based dish no less than three times a week.  Finally, I don’t think I have ever met an egg I didn’t like. And while those are certainly not bad things, lately I’ve found myself wondering more and more often why I’m down to one pair of pants that fit, one skirt I like and why all my dresses  tend to be on the billow-y side.  I had to come to a harsh truth – my diet stinks. So I wanted to reboot and start fresh. Starting August 1, I began to forgo meats, cheeses and other animal products that I love. For the next 27 days, I’m a vegan.

Needless to say, the last three days have been difficult at best.  But that’s because I didn’t go about it the right way at first.  I thought it would be really easy to just eat salads, as well as nut- and bean-based dishes but it’s not. When that didn’t go well, I turned to a neighborhood vegan place but hated what I ordered. (And it wasn’t cheap.)  So I took control of the situation a little better.

I borrowed three cookbooks from the library and turned to Google to find recipes based on things I already like. Sure enough, things have turned around. Last night, I made this delicious and 100 percent vegan coconut-milk based soup in about 20 minutes.   It’s missing a protein, so I’ll be having fruit or almonds for a snack later, but it’s very tasty and makes a great summer appetizer.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• Two cans of light coconut milk
• One package of frozen corn or three ears of fresh corn (depending on how lazy you are feeling.)
• 1 1/2 cups rice milk
• One medium red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• Three scallions
• Three cloves of garlic, minced
• Two teaspoons curry powder
• One teaspoon salt
• One teaspoon olive oil
• One quarter teaspoon of Thai red curry paste
• Chili powder, to taste
• Cilantro to taste/garnish

Step 1:  First decide if you’d like to use fresh corn or frozen corn. The dish shouldn’t vary too much depending on what you choose.  If you’re going to use fresh corn, go ahead and bring a pot of water to a boil.  Place in the shucked ears. Boil for about 10 minutes. To test for done-ness, I removed with tongs  and cut off a kernel. (Careful, it’s hot!) It was edible, so I deemed them finished.  (Note: I’m sure there is a more correct way to go about this, but I don’t know what it is. ) Run under cool water so you don’t burn yourself, and then cut off all the kernels from the cob.

If you’re using frozen corn, just de-thaw.

Kernels at attention. (Get it?!?!)

Step 2: In a small pan, combine your olive oil, garlic, scallions and pepper.  Sautee for two to three minutes.

The other veggies before showtime.

Step 3: In a large bowl, combine all your ingredients except the cilantro. To make sure the Thai curry paste blended easily, I cut it with a little bit of water. Stir until your curry powder appears to be blended.  Add chili powder until you achieve the level of spiciness you desire.

Step 4: Place in the refrigerator to chill.  I let mine sit for about 30 minutes.

Step 5: Garnish with your cilantro – or chop it up to eat, like I did – and dig in.

This recipe was slightly adapted from the cookbook, Vegan Express.  Obviously, much, much more to come on this month-long adventure.