Vegan Irish Stew & Diet Clarification

FINALLY...my first official Irish Food Post of the week!  But I have to stand proud of this one!  I think it turned out great!  Vegan Irish Stew!  YAY!

A little back story...

My Father's Mom's side is 100% Irish.  So a traditional meal was "Corned Beef and Cabbage" this time of year. 

If you have been to my blog before you know I am not a fan of Salt and I think Corned Beef is really salty so that was one problem I had with it growing up...

Even as a kid when I was forced to eat meat I wasn't a fan of  "meats" so it was super easy when I went Veg.  I would still eat cabbage this time of year, tho, as I AM a fan of cabbage!  I have to admit it wasn't until recently that I got into cooking - or at least attempting to!  So I really wanted to try my very first Stew "on the record".  I'm so happy I decided to do this!

Here's what I did...

6 C Water
6 tea veggie bouillon (Wildtree)
1 pound of potatoes
3 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 onion
1 pound Chickpeas
4 tea Bragg's Liquid Amino's
1 tea California Garlic Pepper (Wildtree)

This made a HUGE amount!  I will be eating it for a while - I might have to get a little creative with the leftovers, too!  But I am VERY happy with the flavor in this!

Wildtree's Veggie Bouillon is lower in salt/taste/sodium than any 'bouillon' I have seen and I just added a little Bragg's for some extra 'nutrition'. 

If I had some Barley I would have added that.  I think at some point I would try adding Rice to this or maybe Quinoa. 

I'm not one to bring anyone down...if someone tells me their diet and or lifestyle with foods I usually don't say anything.  I'm not a militant veggie head.  If someone asks me about it I will talk about it.

I'm really not sure how the whole "Yeah, but do you eat fish?" thing came about.  I remember hearing about a lot of vegetarian talk and media in the 70s including fish (or even chicken).  I never understood that. 

When I saw this on Instagram it made me chuckle because a dear friend of mine brought it up to ME how she never understood people who said they were vegetarian and still ate fish...and my friend isn't a vegetarian and she said this!  Of course I sent this to her this morning and we had a nice giggle over it - but it's true!  

If you are a person that eats fish/seafood and not other animals you are actually a Pescetarian.  I'm not one to judge.  I'm not saying this diet is good, bad, or indifferent.  I respect people's choices because I would like others to respect mine...and how can I ask them to respect mine if I don't respect theirs, ya know? 

Anyhow...there is a difference.  Just as there is a difference with the way I eat.  I hesitate to call myself a vegan because sometimes - while I am out and about - a restaurant may just slide some butter or margarine in something - even if I ask.  I would hate to have a 100% vegan be offended if I were to put a lotion on my body that contained milk in it (not that I USE lotion much just as an example).  But I like to say - when asked - that I strive to eat a vegan diet (and would really only consume dairy if I did it unknowingly.)  I do, on a rare occasion eat honey.  100% Vegans - do not - so another reason I hesitate to say I am 100% Vegan.  Some might call that a Apian Vegan. (A vegan diet with the exception of honey and/or bee products). 

I'm not a fan of Labels.  Never have been.  But I understand the confusion - when looking thru history and media - making claims that fish, chicken, etc is vegetarian when it is not.  The best we can do is keep educating ourselves and others about the differences.

Personally, I feel any and every step that any person takes to improve themselves, their health, or the planet is a step in the right direction and I applaud them for it. 

I guess that was my rant for the day.  And it really wasn't a RANT because I didn't get all that fired-up about it...after all...this is My Blissful Journey.  You will see the positives, here, not politics.  You will see my travels - what makes me smile, my attempts, my goals, NOT conflict or Negatives.

I have been getting questions lately about which category I fall under...which Label.  I hope this helps clarify a bit.  I often say I am "veg*n" that way I am not claiming 100% Vegan Lifestyle but I do shoot for a vegan diet.  I will be adding this blog entry to my About/Find Me Tab.

I will most likely have more than one post today.  I hope you enjoyed my Vegan Irish Stew and I hope I was able to clarify a few things for other people, too!  For even more clarification on many different types of vegetarians (or semi-vegetarians, etc) take a look at this link HERE.  I noticed a few aren't even listed there - but it's a good starting point.

Thanks for reading!