Hold the Cheeze/Vegan Pasta with Peas and Mint

What I’ve learned from 9 days of eating like a vegan:

1. I get a special thrill from making vegan things that are satisfying enough that I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. Super bonus points if my kids and/or husband like it too. (I say and/or because chances are slim I’m winning over all three of them.)
2. I do not like vegan cheese, or “cheeze,” as it’s sometimes identified.
3. Mushrooms are the meat of the vegetable kingdom. And I think they know it, the cocky bastards.
4. When baking, you can use half a mashed banana as a substitute for an egg! What?!
5. Avocadoes are the cheese of the vegetable kingdom. I’m not sure how they feel about that.
6. There are a lot of resources for vegans out there, but I’m finding that it’s challenging to find recipes that excite me as a non-vegan. I imagine it’s what vegetarians feel like in a restaurant with limited meatless choices. There’s a big difference between “Here’s something I can eat,” and “Here’s something I really want to eat.”

Because of that last item on the list, I’ve started collecting recipes on a Pinterest board called “Vegan Recipes for Non-Vegans.” I’m looking forward to trying out recipes like:

Shichimi Mushroom Rice Bowl (101Cookbooks.com)

Avocado Pesto Pasta (chefchloe.com)

Blueberry Waffles with Lemon Icing (veganyumyum.com)

As I wrote this, a package arrived on my doorstep containing a cookbook from the famed vegetarian restaurant, The Grit, in Athens, Georgia. My best friend, Madie, has been telling me about this place since we were freshmen in college – she’s the one who sent it to me (like a guardian angel, she is). Tofu Meatloaf, here I come! I would also invite any actual, for-real vegans who might be reading this to please send some good recipes my way!

Tonight for dinner I made a vegan version of a recipe from Bon Appetit – a simple and satisfying pasta with fresh peas and mint. I had a brief moment of wistfulness as I grated Parmesan over my kids’ bowls but not my own, but the mint really does just the right amount of work in this dish that I didn’t miss the cheese too much.

Pasta with Peas and Mint

Boil pasta (I used whole wheat penne) in salted water. Meanwhile, saute a minced clove of garlic and a minced shallot in olive oil for a minute or two, then add about a cup of fresh peas (I parboiled mine for about 60 seconds first). When the pasta is almost al dente, scoop out about a half a cup of pasta water and add it to the simmering vegetables to make a pan sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, stirring to coat, and cooking for about 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add a little more olive oil and about a handful of chopped fresh mint. Enjoy!