Vegan/Megan: The marvels and misadventures of a vegan chef-in-training.

     Hello! I'm Megan! I have been a chef my entire life (not always a skilled one, mind you, but a chef nonetheless). My grandparents ran two restaurants, my uncle and his family ran one, and my mom worked at all three! She taught me a lot about the kitchen when I was young. I also got plenty of practice cooking on my own (I wasn't always the most obedient of children, either). The oven became my forbidden fruit when I was little. Every time my parents had to go to the store, or work when I was sick at home, I dashed to the stove like a moth to a flame as soon as the door closed behind them. No matter how much trouble I'd be in when they returned, it always seemed worth it to me. And rules eventually eased up, as everyone was always pleasantly surprised with my covert creations.

   So for years I've enjoyed experimenting with and editing recipes, trying to perfect them (primarily to my own standards). I even managed to work in cooking around my daughter's schedule when she was born in 2006! But it seems that no sooner than I had mastered boeuf à la bourguignonne, braised stuffed lobster tails, and soufflé potatoes, I had to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" and learn quite a bit from scratch.

In February 2010, my dad convinced me to go VEGAN! For those who don't know, it is like being an extremely strict vegetarian: no animal products whatsoever. No meat (that means no fish, poultry, or red meats), no dairy, no eggs, no butter, no honey, no confectioner's/resinous glaze on candies. Sound like a death sentence? I thought so when I first heard of Veganism. But it's not, trust the chef! That's why I am still vegan and plan to be the rest of my life.

OK, so I didn't have to throw all the metaphorical babies out ~ there are certain flavor combinations that always work. However, there is quite an art to achieving the balance between cook times for vegetables and meat analogues (generally drastically different from real meat); new ingredients and old favorites; a chef's flavor principles ("fat, fat, fat" - seriously) and her method for incorporating them into a kind, healthier diet.

That is what this blog is about: recreating hearty, tasty favorites into vegan masterpieces. It's to show everyone that being vegan can be exciting and fun in the kitchen -- that vegans aren't doomed to an endless cycle of brown rice and bland tofu. Although, I still have a lot to learn, and 'cheffetry' is even more challenging with being a full-time single mom, student, and artist! That's why this will be more of a laissez-faire account of my kitchen foibles, rather than a "Julie/Julia"-style challenge ~ I'm far too much of a procrastinator for that! Some pictures I will post with recipes, and some without - but if anyone leaves a comment requesting a recipe for said photos, then you shall receive. Also, I'm open to new recipe suggestions if they aren't already on my to-make list. Especially when I've had a glass or two. So, have fun on the sidelines, and "bon appétit"!