Lovely and Simple Lovegan Dinners



 

In my younger days my family was regular meat and fish eaters and this was central to the daily dinner most days of the week. Now older, I have given up on meat and fish as something that is neither good for health nor the soul. However I still consume eggs and milk products since these can be procured without perpetuating violence on animals. This is unlike vegans who shun these latter too. I have given a name of to this latter type of food - Lovegan Food. It signifies love for all life, not just animal life but also plant life. Whenever possible, I try to avoid perpetuating violence on plants too. For example I grow my own spinach but never cut the entire plant for its leaves. Just take some selectively and gently while allowing the plant to go to seed and complete its life cycle. I consume potatoes and peanuts though because these are leftovers from the plant when its life cycle is over.

Giving up meat however created problems for planning dinners. The traditional dinner plans that included meat or fish were out of the window and initially I hesitated increasing eggs to beyond one a day that I have at breakfast ever since childhood. This was because of much talk by doctors in earlier years that too many eggs can contribute to excess cholesterol in the body. It seems now that much of the early findings on diet and cholesterol have been revised. Finally, a sweet old Italian lady, who was 116 years old, came to my aid. There is an older post on her in this blog. On enquiring her diet it was found that two eggs a day was an essential part of her diet and that had helped her to become one of the most cheerful and one of the oldest human on earth. Therefore I too have added another egg to my daily diet by adding it to dinners except on Tuesdays that is a traditional non-meat non-egg day in many homes of South Asia in honor of the Lovely guardian, angel and god much loved in South Asia – Lord Hanuman. President Obama has carried a charm of this god in his pocket through much of his life and look where he took him. Praise be upon Him. My intention is not to have a very long life since I believe in reincarnation and feel it is wiser to move into new lives before one gets too old but the idea is to remain as healthy as possible while one is around.

The second egg has been introduced in dinner and now my normal dinner consists of a boiled or fried egg, seasonal stir fried vegetables, a salad and a little leavened or unleavened bread with butter. These four items together make a wholesome, nutritious and satisfying dinner that have all the ingredients necessary for a healthy life.

On a special occasion one can add a soup before this meal and a desert later with a cup of black tea and some nuts.  When one is entertaining guests one may add another large dish of fried fritters, pakoras or cutlets with a couple of sauces in small bowls so as that table looks rich with offerings. Potato cutlets with a filling of chopped paneer and coriander leaves are quite nice. A hung yoghurt sauce with a hint of garlic mixed in and the regular ketchup garnished with chopped celery or mint are the two sauces I use most often as the most convenient ones when entertaining.

The thought occurred that I should share with others who are similarly facing problems in planning out their dinners after giving up on meat through this blog with a wish that the life of the reader is a healthy and happy one.

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