Feast Your Eyes: Stephanie revives a family tradition with vegan sushi

Today, I'm excited to share a guest post from Stephanie Falcos of Vegan on the Go. Stephanie is a fantastic vegan blogger and photographer, who recently revived a special tradition with a visit to Vancouver, BC's Organic Lives cafe. Read on to learn more about her experience and view pictures of her vegan sushi rolls. Stay tuned for vegan sushi recipes, and be sure to check out Stephanie's blog!

Though I love being vegan, one of the hardest things about transitioning was giving up a tradition I shared with my mom. On weekends, we used to go to all-you-can-eat sushi buffets, where we would eat everything from Yakisoba to our beloved California Rolls, to our hearts’ content. When I couldn’t continue this tradition with her, we were both disappointed.

As vegetarian for seven years, I had worked my way from eating no red meat, to no meat at all. Becoming even more conscious, I began to look into the animal bi-products I was consuming, and finally went vegan early this year; I had started to feel the same way about the eggs on my plate, as I had about eating the chicken that they had come from. I initially thought becoming vegan would be difficult, but, I changed my mind when I was at a friend’s house in Chicago, and his roommate cooked up an easy, delicious stir-fry. I decided then, that there was no reason for not making the commitment – even though I would miss my shared sushi tradition.

Recipe: Lauren's General Tsao's Tofu

Yesterday, Lauren told us how she went veg in junior high, how she approaches cooking, and how she handles Thanksgiving with her non-veg extended family. 

On cooking at home for herself and her non-vegetarian husband, she said: 

"I try to make things that he likes that are vegetarian. He likes to order General Tsao’s chicken at Chinese restaurants, and so over the years, I’ve perfected my General Tsao’s tofu recipe, which he loves.

It’s a good challenge for me to find things I can cook for us both, so that he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out. I personally never feel like I’m missing out, like, “Oh, I wish I could go eat a hamburger.” So, I don’t want him to feel that way, either."

Today, she shares that recipe. 

Don't worry about "what's allowed": How Lauren Quit Meat, Learned to Cook Veg, and Lives Consciously in NH

In the 7^th grade, Lauren came home from the mall wearing a button saying “Meat is Murder.” It was her way of telling her parents that she was giving up red meat. Having identified with a vegetarian lifestyle from that young age, Lauren’s diet has been continually evolving. Today, she considers herself to be a pescatarian (a self-described vegetarian who occasionally eats wild-caught fish). Here, she talks about growing up as the only person who identified with vegetarianism in her New Hampshire-based family, cooking veg for her non-veg husband, and not being restricted by labels.

What are you eating today?

Trader Joe’s sells these awesome vegan enchiladas that I buy by the case - literally. I eat them all the time, with some fresh cut avocado, for lunch – which is usually a working lunch for me. For dinner tonight…the weather’s starting to get nicer, so we’ll probably do something on the grill - veggie burgers, with sweet potato fries and corn on the cob.

You grew up in small-town New Hampshire, among family and friends that all ate meat. How did you make the decision to stop?

As a kid, I always loved animals. We always had pets. Once I found out about slaughterhouses, factory farming, and where my meat came from, I was horrified. I just couldn’t put that aside. My answer was to immediately stop eating red meat.

For me, it was a very simple equation that the animal on my plate was no different than the one sitting in my lap.

You were 12. What was that like for your parents?