A couple of months ago, my husband, David, and I walked in the first annual Veggie Pride Parade in Los Angeles.  Amongst a slew of fun and creative signs, David’s was quite popular with the vegan and vegetarian crowd.  “Where do I get my protein?” the sign header asked.  It was followed by a lengthy list of vegan protein sources.  People chuckled, took David’s photo, and nodded their heads in recognition.  There are two questions vegans get asked the most in reference to their diet.  David’s sign answered the first, and the second question was asked to me recently by a coworker who’d just had McDonald’s for breakfast and Burger King for lunch.  That question is, “Oh, my gosh.  What do you eat?!”  Surely endless plates of iceberg lettuce salads with no dressing danced through her mind. 

The curiosity shouldn’t be surprising.  Just Google “Americans” and “Vegetables,” and you’ll receive a lengthy list of articles about Americans not eating them.  They show study after study demonstrating that Americans are getting nowhere near the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, and the rest of the world is quickly following our lead.

When I was nine or ten, an uncle of mine lived with us briefly.  He was a smoker, and that worried me, because I cared for him so much.  A die-hard Christmas fan, I was watching a lot of A Christmas Carol in those days.  When my uncle would go into the laundry room to wash his clothes, I would call down to him through the laundry chute.  Doing my best Marley impression I’d warble in a ghostly voice, “Uncle Leeeeeeee, stoooooop smoooooking…”  I thought I was terribly clever.  I’m sure my uncle had other ideas.  Surprisingly enough, he found a new place to live pretty quickly and moved out. 

This is to say that in the same way that even the smallest child knows the dangers of smoking, so do all of us know that it’s healthy to eat fruits and vegetables.  They’re rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and they contain no cholesterol.  They’re disease-fighters and health-promoters.  They’re delicious and satisfying, and still, people aren’t eating them.  Just as Scrooge wanted to ignore the existence of a ghostly Marley, so do most Americans seem to pretend that fruits and vegetables are simply figments of the imagination.

Perhaps I should save a picture of today’s lunch on my phone for the next time I’m asked incredulously, “What do you eat?”  This gorgeous meal was Polenta Squares with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis from the Vegan Table and a side of spinach sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with a healthy amount of garlic.  This meal obliterates the idea that vegan food is bland or a diet of deprivation.  This beautiful plate would impress any dinner guest, and the taste was phenomenal.  The polenta is flavored with sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil & parsley.  The coulis has undertones of coconut and smokiness from the freshly roasted red peppers.

Think you need to eat animals for protein? Baa! Humbug!

Also, I’ll have to include Polenta on David’s list for next year’s parade.  Just this lunch alone—polenta with coulis and a side of spinach–provided about half of my daily protein needs.