A quick, (super) easy lunch...

Relishing in my new vegan-ness, I was super thrilled today when I realized that I could make myself a sandwich... that's vegan... and yummy! We bought some Tofurky brand Peppered Deli Slices at the store on Sunday, as well as some rice cheese (Galaxy brand- cheddar flavor)- and while these were purchased at the same time, I wasn't thinking sandwich until today. So, long story short, I made an awesome sandwich for my lunch today! A nice little treat for my first day back to work after Christmas break :)

Looks good enough to eat!! ;)

Seriously yummy!!!!

Now, I have to talk about the vegan cheese I have on this sandwich here... I've mentioned my love (LOVE) of (dairy/real) cheese before... it's a pretty serious addiction, and it's probably going to be one of my bigger battles as I dive headfirst into Veganism. I'm doing okay so far- mostly because the last couple of times I had cheese (after becoming educated on the benefits of a vegan diet and/or the drawbacks to eating dairy), I noticed how salty and heavy (not in a good way) the cheese was, as well as how heavy it sat in my stomach. I definitely had images in my head of saturated fat, cholesterol, and all kinds of other yuckies in my bloodstream, attacking my artery walls shortly following eating said cheese as well, which was enough of a turn off to stay away from dairy permanently.. no matter how much I'm in love with it! It's just not worth it- even though it seems so SILLY to avoid cheese; at least that's what my little since-birth-indoctrinated-into-animal-product-lifestyle mind screams at me... I know it's better for me, but this is defintitely an adjustment on every level.

All that being said, the Rice cheese in my sandwich recipe is decent.. not fantastic.. to my begrudingly adjusting tastebuds. The texture is chewy (think ...like rice), and it tastes very lean, not creamy, like dairy cheese does. It does, to its benefit, actually taste like cheese. I don't think I'll be pulling slices of this cheese out of my fridge's deli drawer to snack on (which I LOVED to do with Kraft American Cheese singles); I'll probably opt for fruit instead (a wiser choice anyway!). All in all, this Rice cheese was a great addition to my sandwich today-- it mingled with the flavors of the avocado, tomato, and deli slices VERY well-- and I think I'll learn to love it- in time. :)

Happy eating (vegan cheese and all)!

<3
Courtney