I Went Vegan!

So last weekend I tried going gluten-free so naturally my next step was to go vegan 😉  For those of you who don’t know, veganism is the practice of excluding all animal products from one’s diet.  This includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese and any other product derived from an animal.  Many choose to become vegan for ethical reasons while others chose veganism for health reasons.  Because vegan foods are naturally mostly derived from plants, eating a vegan diet eliminates products containing high animal fat and high cholesterol from a person’s diet, which can be linked with health problems.  However, vegans risk malnourishment or vitamin deficiency if they are not diligent about eating foods containing nutrients found naturally in animal-based products.  Nonetheless, many people find veganism to be the right option for them.

While I am not planning on becoming vegan anytime soon, I thought I might venture into vegan territory with a night out at Candle 79, NYC’s hottest vegan restaurant.

The hubs and I settled in for a nice dinner a secluded little table.  We ordered some organic Pinot Blanc and settled in for our appetizers.

I started with Live (read raw) Avocado-Jicama Tartare with cucumber and a fennel-portobello ceviche.  It was refreshing yet creamy!  So far, so good!

Pete had steamed dumplings with mushrooms, bok choy and sesame-giner soy sauce.  I thought they were very good!

Next came the main dishes.  Wild-mushroom squash risotto for me.

Live Zucchini Enchiladas for Pete.  I definitely made the better choice.  My risotto was amazing.  Pete’s enchiladas were good but they were cold (raw) and kind of tasted like my lunch salad- you know, good-but-not-blow-me-away kind of thing.

We rounded out the meal with a Mexican chocolate brownie.  It was good but not as good as my yummy gluten-free treats from Pip’s Place!

Overall I was impressed by Candle 79 and I thought the food was excellent.  By far not the most amazing meal I’ve ever had but a good solid night out with enjoyable fare!  I would go back (Pete is on the fence).  But more importantly, it really opened my eyes to the vegan lifestyle.  I have to say I would feel better just sticking to a vegetarian meal one night a week but the vegan meals were not as painful as I originally thought!

Readers, are you vegan or have you tried eating vegan food?  What works and what doesn’t?