Since the day I met Meredith Marin, #VeganAruba,@VeganAruba, every single person I see tells me he/she is now vegan.
Meredith is a food consultant and personal coach — you could say she is the High Priestess of Veganism on the island, though I hear there are a few more good resources on the subject here.
Veganism, is the practice of avoiding eating any other animal and/or animal products. If it’s soil-grown, it’s OK, but the rest is unethical. Animals share our planet and deserve to be treated with utmost respect!
I agree, on a philosophical level, I totally support that thought.
In reality, I don’t practice what I preach. Not 100%
Meredith arrived on the island about one year ago. Her husband’s family is nicely rooted here, and she landed with her well-educated hubby and a cute baby. Then she looked around and as a vegan, found nothing to eat.
The situation is different today, she explains, things are changing. Even the restaurant scene is improving and she is busily consulting a number of establishments wishing to add vegan options to their menus.
(At this point we have to credit Yemanja for introducing vegan choices to their menu years ago!! Today, vegans may dine at Elements, Pura Vida, Fishes and More, Eduardo’s Beach Shack, just to name a few.)
What does vegan fine-dining look like? Marinated watermelon sushi, lychee ceviche, hearts of palm and enoki mushroom calamari, watercress, pear, ginger, lemon, garlic and tofu noodle soup.
Finally, I suggested that we go shopping together. Meredith shopped, I listened.
The goal is to eat as much organic stuff as possible, less pesticides is evidently a health benefit. Another goal is to avoid all milk products – mammary gland-juice laced with hormones. Stay away from dairy!
Look for the ‘used by’ date on packages, to make sure your organic spinach and greens aren’t ‘expired.’
Butternut squash and any orange-colored vegetable are highly recommended.
Avocado? Buy the ones with the little stem-stump still on, eat it every day.
Try Kumato, the brown tomato for a change.
Locally grown champignon are awesome.
Cucumbers from the USA vs from the Bahamas? Buy Bahamas. Chances are, they are pesticide free.
Ditch all regular white and red potato in favor of yams and sweet potatoes.
Learn to buy and use Tempeh, an Indonesian soy bean product.
Kale? It’s all in the shredding. Shred it finely, discard the coarse parts, you’ll love it.
Don’t put your produce in plastic bags. Didn’t we outlaw the use of those?
The Vegan fridge? Take a good look at the items on display, sometimes uninformed employees display just about anything in it.
Alfresco frozen burger? Excellent black bean or vegan burgers, made here by Alejandra Maya.
Tofu? God’s gift to vegans. Healthy in any form.
Coconut water? Buy with no added sugar, and mix it with your smoothies, and your curried stews.
Vegan popcorn, plantain chips, quinoa or lentil chips, who says vegans don’t snack?
Gluten free corn crackers are good for you. Kids love them too.
Natural peanut butter – go ahead mortgage that house, it’s expensive but wow.
Dark chocolate? Sure, have a party.
Tamari gluten free soy sauce? Any flavor is delish. Read the ingredient list before you buy.
Say yes to lentils, dal, any color, in the exotic food aisle, and garam flour is great for just about anything fried.
Turmeric, a medicinal herb, adds excitement to any dish.
Almonds and cashews, no salt please.
Last but not least, because I ran out of time, Meredith still had a lot to say, Gardein products are good, chik’n sliders, or breakfast patties. Stock up!
Smoked salmon? Yes, there is such a thing, vegan seafood, Meredith says it’s delicious.
Follow VeganAruba on Instagram and Facebook for recipes.
