More From My Vegetarian Daughter

This isn't vegan food, but I've enjoyed watching my vegetarian daughter expand her repertoire of foods as she learns how to cook for herself and her dad (I'm still not eating dairy).  Pasta is ubiquitous for many vegetarians and vegans.  This dish of tiny farfalle with tomato sauce and ricotta is a bit of a change from the standard mac and cheese.

Here's a quesadilla my daughter prepared for herself the other day.  What sets this one apart from something she'd have eaten as a child is the inclusion of sautéed onions and roasted red peppers, as well as vegetarian refried beans and guacamole on the side.

I get a kick out of watching my kid evolve into an adult with dietary standards and creative ideas for how to incorporate more veggies into her vegetarian lifestyle.

My Vegetarian Daughter Made Paella

She made it all by herself from scratch, and was very particular about it.  This paella is actually vegan since she didn't use dairy.  I provided her with a recipe from Joy of Cooking and she loosely followed it, omitting all animal products, of course.  The two of us giggled over part of the recipe, which read "add saffron to taste, up to two teaspoons if you are Spanish," -- what an odd thing to put in a recipe.  Saffron is a distinctive, but mild spice and I can't imagine having trouble with two teaspoons of it.

I really enjoyed watching my daughter's creativity in the kitchen.  I'm glad she's becoming mindful of different ways to get her nutrients as a vegetarian.  Macaroni and cheese is great, of course, but variety is the spice of life.

My daughter has been vegetarian for close to a year now, and it was completely her decision, though I'm sure my being vegan for four years may have rubbed off on her.  At least she's used to having tons of veggies in the house.  I'll be interested to see what she opts to eat in college next year.

Ben & Jerry's Now Has Vegan Ice Cream!

I made my daughter laugh out loud today.  As she will, she was scrolling through a news feed and announced, calmly, "Ben and Jerry's now has vegan ice cream,"

"What!?" I exclaimed, agog, jumping back.

"Wait,"  she said, laughing, as she began switching to photo on her phone, "can you do that again?"

I love being a source of entertainment for my daughter and her friends, but I declined this particular command performance.  Then I explained my dramatic response to this happy news. Nostalgia:  Ben & Jerry's reminds me of my first taste of adulthood, living in the big city as a single girl.  It was really out of my budget -- a special treat.  When I opted for a vegan lifestyle so very many years later, treats like Ben & Jerry's were among the very few things I did miss.  The truth is, for health reasons I've got no business going back down that road.  The sugar will addle my brain, I know.  Still . . . it's nice to know it's out there!  If I try it I'll post a photo and share my thoughts. Check the link:
Ben & Jerry's now has vegan ice cream