Like many of us, several years ago I went through a fat phobic stage.  I’d put on an extra thirty pounds after leaving college and the built-in exercise that it offered.  To fight off the creep of my ever-growing pant sizes, I moved to fat free sauces and dressings, fat free cheeses, and fat free milk.  Instead of looking to the foods that are naturally fat free like most fruits and vegetables, I gravitated towards those highly processed foods that remove fat and often replace them with sugar instead.  I shunned natural peanut butter and embraced fast food menus, where I knew what could be found for 15 grams of fat or less at almost any chain.  Ordering at sit-down restaurants, ironically enough, took much longer than it does as a vegan.  “I’d like that with no cheese, egg whites only, white meat only, no mayonnaise, sauce on the side, easy on the oil…” and on and on.

At the grocery store, I bought the meats with the lowest amounts of fat, scouring over each nutrition label, until I’d figured out a way to make my then favorite sandwich, the bacon-burger-dog (made with hamburger, a hot dog, and a slice of bacon), with only 7 grams of fat.  It seemed like a feat.  Put it on a whole-wheat bun with some mustard, and in my mind it was practically health food.

I’ve heard many people talk about “defining moments” and one of mine occurred over that very sandwich.  One evening at dinner, I was holding it in my hands, eating cautiously, while it felt dry in my mouth and tears streamed down my face.  That day our family dog, Mocha, had passed away and that evening, I had a moment of clarity.  As I sat at the table mourning Mocha, in my mouth were parts of the bodies of (at least) three separate animals.  The differences between them and Mocha were really not so great.  Except Mocha had a name.  She had a family who loved her.  And she was lucky enough to be born in a country where dogs are coddled, not cutlets.  It’s all so arbitrary.  In one country it’s the norm to eat guinea pigs, in another cows, in another goats, in another horses, in another dogs and cats.  The only difference is the society determining which animals we love and which we eat.  It doesn’t mean that the animals deserve our compassion any less.  That night, I couldn’t finish my dinner.  I put it down.  I wish I could say that I went vegan immediately, but I didn’t.  That moment was a beginning.  It would still be six months until I’d watch Meet Your Meat and read John Robbins’ Food Revolution and stop eating animals.

There’s a freedom in listening to those murmurs.  At that time when I’d cook chickens’ breasts for fajitas, I’d pretend that they were interesting mushrooms.  I didn’t like to think that they were part of an animal who had felt, and lived, and died very young.  As a vegan, I don’t have to pretend anymore.  It is freedom to live without that nagging, though largely unspoken, guilt.

Last night at dinner, instead of my usual chickpea tacos for Taco Tuesday, we had Fajita Fun Night with actual mushrooms in the filling, of course.  I made the Grilled Vegetable Fajitas from Vegan Table.  These easy and delicious fajitas are amazing and can be made with a variety of vegetables.  I used red onions, red bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic cloves.

They are tossed with oregano, cumin, and chili powder (which I replaced with paprika), lime juice, and olive oil (which I reduced by half).  The recipe directions give a variety of options for cooking the vegetables, and I opted for roasting in the oven.  Although Vegan Table doesn’t give specific directions for that, I set the oven to 425 degrees and roasted the vegetables on a couple of baking sheets, making sure not to overcrowd them, tossing them about halfway through.  (If you put too many on a sheet they will steam instead of roast).

As for fat phobia, that is also a thing of the past.  Nuts and avocados are welcome in my home.  Plant foods are nutrient-dense but generally low in fat and calories.  So when it comes to nuts, avocados, and soybeans, they are fair game.  I maintain my weight effortlessly, eating as many whole plant foods as I want, and enjoying every bite.  While plant foods that are high in fat are also higher in calories, it has been shown that when eaten as part of a balanced diet, they can help fight obesity because they increase satiety.

I served the fajitas with Cashew Sour Cream also from Vegan Table.  To my mind, raw cashews are something of a magical food.  Just as a magician, with a flick of a wand, can make an item change forms, with a few simple additions raw cashews can be used in a myriad of ways.  Blended with water and agave syrup they can be a thick, sweet cream poured over berries or a topping for pies or cakes.  Blended with vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, and caramelized onions they take on a cream cheese-like texture, and in this case, with lemon juice and cilantro they are transformed into sour cream.  I added some cilantro, a few shakes of a smoky hot sauce, and a half-teaspoon of smoked paprika for an added burst of flavor.

Study after study has shown that nut consumption correlates with reduced coronary artery disease.  Eating a handful of nuts five times a week reduces one’s risk of a heart attack by at least 15% and possibly as much as 51%.  People who eat nuts reduce their risk of diabetes and cancer, in addition to many other common ailments.  A Harvard study of more than 83,000 women found that people who ate a handful of nuts at least five times a week were more than 20% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.  In addition to all of this, nuts are a rich source of fiber, vitamin E, folate, copper, and magnesium.  As a former migraine sufferer, it’s interesting to note that low magnesium intake is a risk for migraine headaches.

Because nuts have a high concentration of fat, they have a tendency to go rancid.  They can be kept in a cool place in a sealed container for up to four months.  I prefer to keep my raw nuts in the refrigerator, where they can keep for up to six months.  (Although, they never are around that long…)

I also served the fajitas with mashed avocados, which are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, potassium, fiber, folate, lutein, and magnesium, which promotes healthy bones, the cardiovascular system, and the prevention of type II diabetes.  Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and can help prevent circulatory diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.  Some interesting research has shown that avocados are a nutrient booster and actually improve the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food.

To find out if your avocado is ripe, select a fruit that is unblemished and without dark sunken spots, and give it a light press.  A fruit that yields slightly to the touch indicates that it’s ready to eat.  If it’s not ready yet, let it ripen on the kitchen counter or in a paper bag.  After ripening, avocados can be moved to the refrigerator.

Plate up your perfect fajita with jalapeño peppers, slices of lime, a variety of hot sauces, and warmed organic corn tortillas.  (My favorites are made with a mere three ingredients:  organic whole corn, water, and a trace of lime.)  Complete this meal with brown rice and black beans.  It would be great for a large gathering, like a Super Bowl party, or for an easy weeknight dinner for two.