I was raised on hamburgers, pork chops, huli huli chicken and my mom’s amazing beef stroganoff.

I’ve been a meat-eater for 19 years.

Then three months ago, that all changed.

I watched a documentary with my mom on what meat does to our arteries, what livestock does to our planet, and what we do to those animals in return.

I’ve never really been the person who thought of hamburger as meat or cried when she found out what was in hot dogs, but actually seeing it puts it in a very different perspective.

I know every time I saw the name PETA I rolled my eyes and ignored the message… they’re just a bunch of crazy hippies, right? But they have a similar video that really gets to me.

I’ve been lactose-intolerant since I was very little and I hate eggs, so it’s not a very big leap to veganism, but the hardest part for me is fish and cheese.

I like soymilk, and tofutti makes dairy replacements that are bomb.com

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But deprive me of my cheese pizza, quesadillas and sushi???

Ugh.

I’m working my way there… through learning the love of cooking and recipes that make my mouth water, even though they’re meat-free.

Dinner tonight comes from: cookbook:

Pasta Primavera (Prep time: 10 minutes, makes two servings)

1/2 pound uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/2 medium tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons water
2 to 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
Grated soy “Parmesan” cheese
Salt & pepper

1. Bring a covered pot of water to a rapid boil, stir in the pasta, and cover until the water returns to a boil. Uncover the pot and cook the pasta until al dente; begin checking for doneness after 5 minutes.

2. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrot; saute’ until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, basil, and oregano; saute’, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato and 2 table spoons of water; cover and cook for 3 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Uncover, stir, and remove from the heat.

3. When the pasta is al dente, drain it. Serve the pasta topped with the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle each serving with a splash of fresh lemon juice, if desired, and grated soy cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.