I'm hungry.

Why am I joining the scrabbling hordes of food blogs, when I don't have any formal culinary training and regard the word "foodie" as something pretentious and cringe-worthy? (Sorry, but I do). Well, I haven't eaten meat for sixteen of my twenty-four years on this earth, and it's not always easy. Born in the Bay Area, I moved with my family into the heart of small-town Minnesota, a well-meaning place had seemed to have never heard the term "vegetarian" before. The midwest is a different place today than it was in 1994, but it's still not always easy to eat meat-free.

The daughter of a health-conscious working dad and stay-at-home-mom, I was blessed to grow up with a mother who had studied to become a nutritionist and who supported my desire to eat vegetarian, although the rest of my family did not. I grew up in a bubble of well-balanced meals and only had to deal with the dregs of main-stream "vegetarian" food whenever we went out to eat. At home, being a healthy vegetarian was easy. But out? That was an entirely different story.

The first time I darkened the doorstep of Applebee's, I was meeting friends for a quick meal before a movie at the suburban theater that we flocked to every Friday night in our high school years. Glancing at the menu, I searched for something that I could eat. And I kept searching. And searching. When the server came, I asked if the Fettuccine Alfredo was vegetarian.

"Well," she chirped, "You can just get it without the chicken." When I wanted to know if the sauce contained meat broth, she appeared stricken, and disappeared for a good fifteen minutes back to the kitchen. She came out and informed me that the sauce did, indeed, contain both beef and chicken stock.

"But it's still meatless, don't worry!"

She meant well; she really did. To the majority of America who assumes that meat will be a part of every meal, stock and broth doesn't seem to qualify as meat. For anyone who eschews meat products in their entirety, whether for religious, dietary, or any other reasons, becoming aware of meat's nearly constant presence in food is intimidating. Sometimes, it seems inescapable. After that night, I learned to eat before I met friends out for dinner, unless we were going somewhere that I knew I could eat at. When I go to a new restaurant with friends, I don't just grab my wallet and make sure I'm wearing something appropriate. I research the establishment online, checking their menu and finding their nutrition facts to make sure that a "vegetarian" meal isn't actually infused with meat by-products. It takes time, but it's worth it to have peace of mind.

When I went away to college in Colorado, I defined "cooking" as opening up a box of Taste of Thai's Yellow Curry Rice, dumping in some frozen mixed vegetables, and calling it a meal. It was half a step up from speed-dialing Hunan Springs or scarfing a hangover omelette in the dining hall, but it was all that I was up for in the middle of finals and volunteering. Looking back, it's no wonder that my "freshman fifteen" didn't stop there. My childhood metabolism was slowing, and the availability of college take-out and dining hall buffet pizza left me nutritionally bereft and unsatisfied. Apparently, I needed to shape up or ship out.

Since graduation day, I've slowly begun to appreciate the meaning of not just heating, but really cooking for myself and the ones I love. Preparing vegetarian meals can be complicated, if you're taking on the elusive masala dosa or a complex lasagna, but it can also be satisfying and simple in the form of split pea soup or cheesy lentils. I'm going to put in a disclaimer and say that I am far, far, FAR from an expert or skilled chef, but I've found that I love to cook. I also love to write, which is how this unlikely marriage of the two came about.

So, in this blog, I'll share my favorite recipes (quoting the source whenever relevant). Right now, my husband and I are eating in to save money, but I'll review any place I go to (and places I've been) from a veggie-friendly perspective. If a recipe is or can be made vegan, I'll include a note as well. I hope this blog makes you hungry! I know I am.