The hardest thing about my vegan week wasn't food choices it was recognizing that I consume a lot of animal product and I rely on them too heavily. Once I saw this as a creative opportunity, the gears shifted in my mind and I began to really cook vegan from the heart. Wednesday night, I made spaghetti squash with shitake mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes, with two types of kale.
Because I usually eat eggs for breakfast, I've felt the need for fats and protein first thing in the morning. I pre-soaked organic cashews, chia seeds and cacoa nibs the night before and blended them with cinnamon, lime and avocado. It's higher in fat than eggs, lower in protein and has more nutrients, but also more calories.
By Thursday evening though, due to stress in my life, I broke down and had chicken pizza, very delicious chicken pizza, 50% mojito and 50% garlic chicken from Hot City. I did feel the reaction in my body of a revolt of some sort, but I powered on.
Since I broke the fast, I had pizza for breakfast on Friday morning. That evening, my lovely girlfriend, Jen and I cooked an amazing meal that other than the addition of grass-fed ground beef from Sunfed Ranch and Organic Valley Parmesan Cheese was identical to Wednesday night.
Saturday, I went big. The local farmer's market for me is at McKinley Park. There I met Farmer Shep, Jeremy Shepard and bought one of his steaks from naturally raised goats that are fed on agricultural waste and grass. With the goat in hand, I had a plan, "Goat cooked in goat butter!"
From the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op, I purchased organic goat butter, fennel, purple yams, oyster mushrooms, kiefer and a 2012 Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon. At home, I had heirloom tomatoes, mint, garlic, lemons, shallots, olive oil (from the previous weeks farmer market) and Bragg's Amino Acids.
I peeled the potatoes and cut them into disks. With some, I lined a 4"x5"x6" pyrex dish. The others, I threw into pot of boiling water. I sliced up the oyster mushrooms and sautéed them in the wine with chiles, shallots, garlic and Braggs Amino Acids. After 3 hours of soaking in a marinade of roasted red bell peppers, lemon juice, chiles, garlic, cinnamon and cummin, I laid the goat steak out on potato disks and covered with chopped fennel and oyster mushrooms. On top of that, I placed two very large slabs of goat butter.
That went in the oven at 375 for one hour to allow the goat butter to marry its flavor with the rest of the dish. I plated the meal up with baked Peruvian Purple Potatoes topped with melted goat and traditional organic cheddar cheese, and Salad Shirazi and it was time to celebrate!
