Welcome

I'd like to think this blog is one of a kind.

For the first 25 years of my life I ate like everyone else. I really got into cooking after college and like many guys my favorite thing to do was grill. (Check out my Facebook album "Chef Adam" for proof) But eating meat 2-3 times per day wasn't sitting well with me. It didnt seem healthy or sustainable. So my new years resolution for 2011 was to try going vegan for 28 days with the help of the Rip Esselstyn's Engine 2 Diet. My last meal? Pizza and chicken wings for  Ohio State's win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.

I felt great.  So it just kept going.  With the support of family and friends, my life has changed for the better.  Despite a few "vegan meltdowns" along the road, I am here today committed to a plant-based diet.

The Grove at Ole Miss

So lets get to the point of this blog.  Tailgating is a right of passage.  Walk through any pre-game at a college or pro football game and see the displays put on by veteran tailgaters.  There is so much pride in what they do, one could argue its the ultimate eating experience in America.  Meat often takes center stage. Unless you feel like eating chips and salsa, vegans are left out in the cold.  I'm here to say it doesn't have to be that way!

Last season was the start of my vegan tailgate escapades in the muni lot outside Cleveland Browns Stadium. It was a little rough around the edges, but it got the job done: field roast sausages, refried beans and grilled peppers, and a veggie burger-off (the 2012 version is coming soon!).  This year I plan on taking it to a whole 'nother level.  Along the way I'll share recipes, photos and other vegan tailgate related items with the rest of the vegan tailgate world.  There have to be some of you out there right?!  Even if you're not using the recipes in the midst of drunken football loving savages, they are sure to please a crowd.  The idea isn't to produce the healthiest most well rounded meal, but rather one that everyone at the tailgate will enjoy (and not make fun of).

So here goes... welcome to "Hold the Pigskin: A Vegan Tailgate Blog."