Grandma's Goulash and the Grueling Question, WHY are you vegan?

I can smell it now.  Grandma's Goulash.  I was about twelve years old when I walked into her kitchen from walking home from school.  There it was coming out of of the oven.  Now, many years later and grandmas since passed, I find myself making Grandma's Goulash with a vegan twist.

I love to cook.  I love to cook meat.  I love to grill.  I love to bake.  Yes, I got that feature from my granny.  Funny thing is, I don't eat meat or consume sugar.  Call me crazy but I have been vegetarian for 22 years, a vegan for three years and have cooked meat all of my life. 

My grandma taught me how to cook and bake a little like this...

A dab of this.

A pinch of that.

Hold your fist out...yes, that is good.

I have most of her recipes.  They are written in pencil.  They are written on backs of old newspapers, books or magazines.  Some are on 3X5 cards but most of them are shared by my mom.  "She would throw this in, add that and then don't forget xxx."  It's always fun when I call mom and ask her, "what did grandma put in her chocolate chip cookies?" and mom says, "well, she really didn't follow a recipe so start with sugar - a lot of it - maybe two and half cups."

Many people ask me why I am vegan.  Or, what does it mean to be vegan or your coloring is so good in your face, you can't possibly go without meat.  Yes, I've heard it all.  Most of the conversation when I meet someone new (or even old friends) is about my diet believe it or not. I think they find it somewhat fascinating and somewhat scary. 

A few remarks and challenges I've heard over the years from strangers and friends:

Really?

You're kidding.

Why?

Are you religious?

You do eat fish don't you? (PS, no!)

Are you nuts?  (PS, no, but I love nuts)

How can you do that - meat was made to be eaten.

I'm going to get you to eat meat - watch.

Do you eat chicken? (PS, no!)

What?  Seriously, I could never do that.  That's sacrilegious.

Why on earth and when do you eat?

What made you do such a silly thing?

Tell me about it.  Now.
Do you eat tofurkey during the holidays? Thanks to my friends Felker, Gaard and Hepworth.

Can I sit down and ask you about it.  I'd like to try it for a few days.

Did you lose weight?

Are you an animal lover?  (PS, why, yes, yes, I am but that has nothing to do with what I ingest into my body, thank you)
And last but definitely not least, did your doctor order it?

I love to talk to people about it. It's actually kind of fun to answer their questions and surprise them with my antics, "I just don't eat things with eyes or parents."  It's quite simple.

Now, back to my version of Grandma's Goulash - veganized - by the way, my granny would roll over if she knew I veganized her recipes.  Just sayin'.

Recipe

Brown a pound of grumblers - yes, they make them in  the frozen section of your local grocer - Morning Star brand (one time I surprised a house guest with grumblers and he had no idea, that made for a big laugh.  PS, he loved the Chinese Oriental Noodle Casserole.)

Boil macaroni noodles with olive oil.  Use gluten free noodles or wheat if you have them.

Stewed tomatoes.

Fresh basil.

Lemon juice.

A can of olives.

One clove of garlic.

Three green onions - chopped.

Pinch of oregono.

Pinch of salt.

 (or for those wanting easy, you can substitute the above ingredients with one jar of Classico - Spicy Tomato, Garlic and Basil)

Mix the sauce with the grumblers. Add the macaroni.  Bake for 20 minutes on 350 degrees. Serve with garlic bread, a nice green salad and your favorite red beverage.

I made enough last night for an army but I was alone so I had lunch today, dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow, dinner, etc.  My coworkers may even get a bite or two. 

Cheers!