Day 178 -- Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

My sister, L, came across this post on a Facebook page for JL Goes Vegan in which the question was asked -- What three things do people assume that vegans love that you hate?  Some of the answers are pretty surprising.  Like me, many other vegans are not so fond of green salads, or seitan, or eggplant.  Those are my top three, I think.  My list of things I don't like is pretty short -- most are vegan versions of "real" food, dairy and meat substitutes.  But the list of things I DO like, is even more illuminating.

Which foods have I started to eat since becoming vegan that I never knew I liked?  I'll start with the milks -- soy, almond and coconut.  I've learned to like all three and regularly order my green tea lattes and espresso lattes with whatever is on the menu.  I really like the tofu sour cream and cream cheese, even though that's one of the substitutes.  Avocados are one of the most wonderful creations in the veggie/fruit kingdom.  Nutritional yeast is not so bad.  And I'm learning to love kale and collards when mixed into soup.  I can't live without miso.  And I love ground chipoltle and ancho chili powder.  I never used to like ginger and now, I think it's one of the best things to add to dishes.

I eat lots of mushrooms and onions and red peppers now.  Edamame is a regular part of my diet and I've learned to love whole grain breads.  I'm not sure I could go back to white bread.  A sandwich just wouldn't be the same!  And I've learned to tolerate tofu, which is a big step.  It really is all about the preparation.  Silken tofu in a smoothie and baked marinated tofu can be really good!  I'm sure I'll discover even more tasty foods over the next six months.  I still haven't tried fennel.  Or spaghetti squash.