Vegan. This little five letter word will no-doubt conjure up an immediate emotional response. It may be fear, confusion, restriction, paranoia, maybe even anger. Or, for a fraction of you...it may trigger excitement, freedom, happiness, and joy.

Whatever your preconceived notion of the "V" word may be, I ask that you take a deep breath and continue reading. Long inhale...............long exhale................here we go.

This is the first time I'm writing anything publicly about my vegan journey. And after nearly 10 months, I finally feel it's time. Food is a very emotional thing for me, like it is for many people. I love food. I love good food. I love to eat. I love sitting around a table, tasting all the flavors, trying new combinations of ingredients, and enjoying food and wine with the ones I love. So when I decided I was going to ditch meat and dairy for good I feared the very thing I loved so much would become awkward and uncomfortable. And to be totally candid, at first, it was. But since when does meaningful change happen by staying comfortable. *Hint: the answer is NEVER.

After educating myself with countless videos, books, documentaries, and recipes I learned all of the things I loved most about food is still possible even when you eliminate meat and dairy from your table. In fact, I'm now convinced food becomes more fun, more creative, more nourishing, and more enjoyable when you stop consuming animals and their by-products.

This is not the post where I get on my vegan soapbox and advocate that everyone ditch meat and diary for good (although I can't promise that moment isn't coming). This post is simply meant to illustrate a point. The point being: anything you love and enjoy eating as an omnivore, you can replicate in a plant-based version. (except maybe a Kansas City strip steak - I haven't found a plant-based version of that....yet ;)

This soup recipe is one I used to make using habanero chicken sausage from Whole Foods. I loved this soup - and so did Nick. So I was bound and determined to keep it as a regular in my menu rotation. I suppose it was dumb luck when I stumbled upon the Upton's brand because zero amount of research went into finding a good Italian sausage substitute. I was totally blown away by the flavor and texture of this product. And when it's fully incorporated in to the soup, it's a near identical replacement for animal sausage. The only thing missing is the saturated fat and cholesterol - and my heart thanks me with every bite!

Let's get on with the recipe, shall we...

with a spicy soy peanut sauce

with brown rice vinegar and soy

a simple, tried and true, basic sauce recipe