Introduction

You are now being cordially introduced to the Dirty Vegan. Do you know what I like most about being vegan? It is that I can live my life and not feel guilty about it. You could not truly appreciate this until you have experienced it for yourself. If you are already a vegetarian; Bravo! If you are not, never fear my Little Naughty, you can get there, I will help you along. See, I am an Italian gal who grew up around FOOD, food, FoOd!!! I do not feel deprived in any way. I am not starving nor am I malnourished at all. I am DIRTY and NAUGHTY and I make sinfully good foods that taste as good BETTER than the non-vegan thing. All the years that I have been doing this, I have retained all this vegetarian knowledge, like a sponge, and have a keen ability to recall the vegan substitute for mostly any item you would ever dream of. If I am unsure, I can find it, because I simply know where to look. Whether it be online, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or any other healthful store, grocery store, or online store, I can find a vegan substitute for the things that you think you cannot live without. I can make every recipe that my grandmother made in her fragrant Italian kitchen, and I do! I also make lots of junk food and naughty bits. Vegan junk food is naturally healthier because it does not contain cholesterol, since cholesterol is found in animal sources. Also, for the most part vegan stuff tends to be less processed and unhealthy. It is not about health with me however. I do enjoy the benefit of great health that you receive from being vegan, nonetheless that was not and will never be my intention for living the way that I do. I feel that I am no better than the ant that works hard and crawls down his little hole at night with his pals, or the bees who are smart and skillful in what they do, or the birds, or the chickens and fish, or any other animal/ creature for that matter. The day I decided to become vegetarian was purely by chance. I received a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) video in my e-mail. I thought nothing of it, and watched it. It was the single most disturbing thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I cried. I cried for those poor chickens. I couldn't believe my eyes. How could someone do this? Then it instantly occurred to me that I was doing this; I was indirectly doing this to the chickens by supporting this industry. I never ate meat again. Not ever. Not once. Not to try. Never. Throughout the next year or so after that, I went thru stages. I was pescetarian lacto ovo, only eating fish, dairy and egg products, then just lacto ovo, then just lacto, then eventually vegan which I have been for many many years now. I did not do this because I couldn't live without my food. I didn't realize the harm in eating fish, until I watched my beautiful goldfish swim with delight as I was eating a fish stick and it hit me. And then when I researched the dairy industry and found out the horrors that I never even knew were possible. I was naïve, now I am well informed. My point to you is, it is a wonderful thing to feel good after you eat and every morsel on your plate is good and clean and pure (you know what I'm talking about when you get to the bone of chicken or ribs and feel disgusted). It feels fabulous when you put on stunning designer heels that dazzle and make your legs look amazing in that dress, knowing they are made from all manmade materials. There is something beautiful and elegant and graceful in knowing your lifestyle harms little to no one else. No one suffered for you to eat that day. And that is why I am so happy. My cares began to fade when I chose this lifestyle and I had no idea why I was so happy until I put two and two together. Karma may very well have something to do with it. Or the obvious; if you put the pain and suffering of someone else in your mouth everyday or on your skin and use that suffering, how will you ever be happy yourself? Can you be content when the milk you just drank resulted in several screaming, tormented and tortured cows; mothers and babies? The point of this blog is to share something with everyone. This is not unsolicited advice either; I get many requests for my recipes and my ways of life. Now it will conveniently be in one place for your viewing pleasure! Please enjoy this space. It is a space where you can have fun, feel great about the things you will be doing, and be glamorous! I've got some naughty and dirty tips to spice up your life. I can recommend delicious and rich foods that you would never dream were vegan, but they are! I can show you how to be drop dead gorgeous and reek of couture, but how to do it cruelty free! Also, always feel free to comment with your requests or questions! Well it was nice to meet all of you...and for now the Dirty Vegan is signing off.