Dec 02 2011
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Thoughts

Checking In

It’s been almost three weeks since I made the decision to eat more veggies, less meat, and no dairy. I have continued to eat my share of meat, which is a little disappointing. Sometime soon, I will need to set goals around eliminating meat and fish if I truly want to have a vegan diet.

I went two weeks without dairy. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. The first time I cheated with dairy was when I had hot cocoa one afternoon. The cocoa was delicious, but I’m guessing that the massive gas pains I had a couple hours later were due to the milk. I thought I would miss cheese the most. I picked up some soy cheese from Trader Joe’s and was turned off by it. It didn’t seem any different from dairy cheese in taste or texture. I just did not find it appetizing and it was a bit anticlimactic, considering that I had gone so long without dairy cheese. Speaking of cheese, I had pizza for lunch a couple of days ago. I have decided that if I am going to go rogue on my non-dairy diet, a slice of cheesy veggie pizza is worth it.

One item that I am really surprised I have avoided so far is the egg. I really like having eggs for breakfast because they’re fast and easy to make, and they’re versatile. But, at this point, I would prefer a tofu scramble even if I wasn’t trying to be vegan. Now, I’m sure eggs are in the baked items that I still eat, but I’m not too concerned about that.

I have some emotional reactions to share. I find that I feel defensive and patronized sometimes. I don’t like hearing, “Wow, good for you, you’re so good,” from someone as they eat a juicy cheeseburger. I also don’t like it when people ask why I’m eating healthy or what the hell quinoa is or remark that I’m being weird. It’s kind of a general annoyance when people feel the need to interrogate or poke fun at me about things they don’t understand. It’s also a little upsetting when someone whom I have told I am trying to be vegan offers me meat dishes and says, “it’s okay to eat meat this one time.” While I am sort of the worst vegan wannabe right now and I know veganism is not something everyone understands or agrees with, I do wish that the people whom I care about and who supposedly care about me will support me (or, at the very least, NOT shove meat in my face and tell me it’s ‘ok’ for me to eat it).

Overall, I have to say that I am learning a lot and I’m having a lot of fun trying out new things and experimenting in the kitchen. I see food in a different light. I’m so much more aware of what I’m putting into my body. I also have to say that, despite what sounded like a complaint in the previous paragraph, I am really grateful for the people around me who are supportive of this change.

Thanks for reading! -melissa

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Dec 01 2011
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Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes

Penne with Portobello Mushrooms, Artichokes, & Spinach

I enjoy cooking, but I don’t do it very often. My parents always make plenty of food for the entire family. Therefore, I tend to eat a lot of Filipino food, which I LOVE, but Filipino food can be hard to vegetarianize, let alone veganize. Clealy, I need to start cooking to minimize cheating on my vegan diet. I can only eat so much tofu, so I decided to cook some pasta for dinner. I had portobello mushroom caps and a can of artichokes, so I thought about those two ingredients for a bit, and then went online searching for “penne portobello artichoke recipes.”

I don’t often impress myself when it comes to cooking, but I will happily brag that I knocked this out of the park! First, I need to give credit where credit is due, and tell you that I found the original recipe on Tastebook by way of Google.

Ingredients:
8 oz of your favorite penne pasta: I used whole wheat
1 can artichokes in water, drained
2 portobello mushroom caps
handful of walnuts
a bunch of spinach
“balsamic vinegar”: I didn’t have balsamic vinegar so I mixed together 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp sugar and used about half of the mixture
olive oil
minced garlic: I ended up using about 4 cloves
red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta and drain. Clean and de-rib the mushroom caps and chop (I went to YouTube for a tutorial on cleaning and de-ribbing the mushrooms.) Saute the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. Add the artichokes, spinach, and walnuts and stir gently until the spinach is wilted. Add the balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes. Gently mix everything. Add the pasta and stir until it’s heated through. Put some on a plate or in a bowl and pig out.

Some notes: I added a bit of olive oil to the mix two or three times from start to finish, and threw in more garlic after adding the pasta to the sauce. The red pepper flakes actually infused their spicyness into the veggies while cooking, so every bite had a kick. I absolutely LOVED it, but you may want to consider adding at the very end or simply putting it on the table to add as you eat the dish.

I’m really happy because, not only was the end result delicious, I had a LOT of fun cooking this. I had a really good rhythm in the kitchen with this one. Yay!

xoxo and happy cooking… melissa

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Nov 30 2011
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Links Link

Chocolate for Vegans!

Chocolate for Vegans!

I wrote about Ethereal Confections on my personal blog today. They make DELICIOUS chocolates that are vegan! No way! Check it out.

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Nov 27 2011
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Cooking Gallery

Vegan Cherry Vanilla Almond Cheesecake

I usually cook from scratch because I have Celiac’s disease. That means that I’m allergic to the protein in wheat called gluten. My kitchen is a gluten free zone so I’m inclined to work with whole ingredients that I can be fairly certain are not contaminated with the infernal substance! This culinary contribution might be a little daunting to the inexperienced but I’m pretty sure anyone with some motivation and a free afternoon can make this recipe. Otherwise, get yourself a pre-made graham cracker pie crust, a can of cherry pie filling and skip to secton 2 – just keep in mind that canned filling and pre-made crust are both loaded with preservatives and highly processed refined flours and sugars. (That’s code for: my recipe is probably better for your body and for the environment.)

Make the crust first. The ingredients necessary are as follows:

1.5 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp syrup, agave nectar or molasses
2 tbsp flax meal (optional)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
a dash of cinnamon
olive oil spray
In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and mix well. Stir wet ingredients in until uniform and doughy. If you’re feeling adventurous, add a half teaspoon of cocoa powder. Moosh the dough into a oiled 9.5 inch glass pie dish. Moisten your hands with water if the dough sticks to your hands. Bake at 325F/160C for 10 to 15 minutes, until it starts to brown at the edges. Set it aside and prepare the filling.
 
1 12oz. box silken tofu
1 tbsp enerG egg replacer or tapioca, arrowroot, or corn starch
1/2 tsp. baking soda (add this last)
1/2 cup cashews
1 tbsp. syrup, agave nectar or molasses
juice of 1 small lemon (about 2 tbsp)
zest of 1 lemon (almost 1 tsp)
1/2 cup almond or soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
Pre-heat oven to 325F/160C degrees. Warm almond milk (microwave 20 seconds, stir, repeat until warm), dissolve the egg replacer or starch in the almond milk. Place the tofu and cashews in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend, scraping down the sides as needed with a spatula, adding almond milk slowly, until a thick, smooth, creamy consistency results. Mix in the baking soda right before you pour it into pie crust. Bake 45-50 minutes or until just barely firm. Allowing it to cool and refrigerating or freezing lightly before serving will firm it to the proper texture. While it’s cooling, prepare the cherries.
 
10 oz frozen or fresh cherries, halved or whole (pitted)
1 tbsp syrup, agave nectar or molasses
1 tsp. lime zest
1 tbsp corn, tapioca, or arrowroot starch whisked into 1 tbsp cool water
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil, covered, on medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring once or twice, until the cherries have given off their juice and have softened. Add in starch slurry and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat it, pour it over the top of the cheesecake and top with toasted almond slivers.
I also melted some semi-sweet chocolate with some coconut oil and drizzled it over the top to make you say, “oooh… that looks yummy!” and give it a try.This is the finished cheesecake before my other half and I devoured it. Some of our friends at Thankgsiving Dinner missed out. Oopsie!
this is Christie, signing off to go eat more ‘cheese’cake.
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Nov 26 2011
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Cooking, Links Link

Vegan Thanksgiving Inspiration

Vegan Thanksgiving Inspiration

Jorge Garcia of LOST fame posted a Plant vs Animal recap of his Thanksgiving this year on his blog. He’s so awesome!

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Nov 25 2011
5 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Dairy-Free Thanksgiving

WARNING! Photo of meat below. Poor turkey.

THIS IS NOT VEGAN!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I had already decided that I was going to eat meat for the holiday. I’m really glad because the only vegan dish served for lunch at my Aunt’s house was Brussels sprouts. Of course, I would have planned ahead and made or brought something vegan for myself and everyone else to eat, but I’m not quite ready to have the “I’m trying to go vegan” talk with the extended family just yet.

Lunch consisted of a small piece of teriyaki chicken, four lumpia shanghai (those suckers are gonna be tough to give up), a piece of roast pork, Brussels sprouts, and white rice. Dessert was a no as all the options contained dairy: buko pandan, pumpkin pie, and sweet potato cake. I felt sorry for myself for a minute, but then thought about all the calories I wasn’t having and immediately felt better.

Brussels sprouts

Mom made the Brussels sprouts using a recipe that she saw on The Chew. They were freaking delicious. Check out the recipe – it’s straightforward and yields great results. She also prepared the turkey using a recipe that she saw on The Chew. For my contribution, I made quinoa potato cakes using a recipe I found on Vogue Vegetarian. People, check out this blog! The Vogue Vegetarian has some amazing recipes. I veganized the recipe by using instant potato flakes and about a 1/4 cup of water instead of an egg. They turned out pretty tasty, along with the roasted red pepper sauce.

I like quinoa and really appreciate how nutritious it is, but I’ve had a hard time really enjoying it. I think it’s because I’m so used to the texture and size of jasmine rice. Packing the quinoa in a crispy cake like this is a genius idea. I can see putting the entire mixture in a dish and making it a quinoa casserole. I can’t wait to try this again with different ingredients. I’m already thinking of adding corn and tiny raisins to it. I think the cumin was a turnoff for some. I’m thinking that they would probably taste OK without the cumin or by replacing the cumin with something else. At any rate – it’s vegan, soy-free, and the quinoa cooked perfectly in a rice cooker. Yay!

For dessert, I was able to enjoy a slice of pecan pie. I was a bit annoyed that it wasn’t totally vegan (egg in the crust), but was super happy that it was dairy-free. In fact, I got through the entire day without having any dairy and I don’t feel like I missed anything at all.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and ate lots of veggies!

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Nov 24 2011
2 Comments
Dining Out

No Cheese on Those Veggie Tacos, Please

Dining out has become, well, interesting since I decided to change my diet. Elimination of dairy alone drastically cuts down my choices. A trip to the cafeteria at work has become depressing and almost maddening, but I have managed. The foods I have been able to get include:

  • lentil soup–vegetarian but probably not vegan
  • build your own salad–I already miss ranch dressing and I had a super gassy afternoon from all the beans I added
  • waffle fries
  • grilled vegetables

I’m giving myself slack when it comes to meat, so I’ve also had a gyros without tzatziki sauce, and a roast beef panino with no cheese. I had to turn down an invitation to go out to lunch last week because the restaurant the group was going to had no desirable menu options that didn’t have cheese.

I went to the Yardhouse today, which is one of my favorite spots. Great atmosphere, huge menu, lots of beers to choose from. I perused the menu before my visit. I couldn’t have any my usual choices: tortilla soup, spicy Thai chicken pizza (even though they offer a chicken substitute), mac and cheese, classic sliders. So, today, I opted for the Hongos y Rajas tacos, which have shiitake mushrooms, roasted pasilla peppers and grilled onions with lemon sriracha aïoli, jack, feta, avocado and red chili threads:

These were delicious! I’m gonna guess that they aren’t vegan, but I’m really jazzed about them. Truthfully, I never would have ordered these before. An added bonus is that I haven’t tried them with the cheese, so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

It’s interesting how differently I look at menus now. A lot of restaurants are great at pointing out vegetarian or gluten-free options, but I mostly have to study the ingredients of a dish to determine if it’s vegan. I won’t get complainy about it. Many people “choose” to be vegetarian for cultural or religious reasons. Allergies can’t be helped and reactions can be life-threatening. But vegan diets? I am thinking that it will be some time before menus point out vegan dishes. All I really want is a server who won’t get confused if I ask whether or not something is vegan or if they have a cheese substitute.

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Nov 23 2011
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Snacks, Thoughts

I’m vegan and I eat salad… sometimes.

Spinach salad with pecans, currants, seasoned tofu and raspberry vinagrette.

This post has a picture of a salad, but it’s really about spinach. People ask me “where do you get your iron?” as if beef is the only thing on the planet that has iron in it. I’ll tell you: spinach is the best source of iron I can think of after having consumed several glasses of wine. Ounce for ounce, spinach has almost twice the iron compared to beef. Calorie for calorie, spinach has ten times the iron versus beef. No wonder Popeye was so studly after freebasing the stuff. As an added bonus, spinach contains calcium and vitamins A & C. Beef offers cholesterol and fat. Anyways, I’ll get off my spinach soap box for a little while and tell you a bit about this salad.

Salad isn’t the only thing I eat, even though the rabbit is my power animal. Still, salad doesn’t have to be boring. This one includes tofu that I marinated with dill and lemon. It reminds me of feta cheese. It’s a nice balancing element to the mellow pecans and sweet currants. Balsamic dressing might have been superior to raspberry but still delicious, crisp and refreshing. Now I have to go make some vegan quesadillas so I don’t get too self righteous about being a health nut.

this is Christie, signing out

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Nov 22 2011
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Thoughts

Introduction

My name is Christie. I’ve known Melissa for a few years and she’s invited me to contribute to this blog. I’ll admit I’m flattered. I’ve gotten into a habit of creating home-made vegan dishes and posting pictures of them on my FaceBook page. I’ll keep telling myself that they’re photo worthy and anticipate adulation. I’m probably also one of a handful of vegans that she knows.

I became a vegan for three reasons. 1. It’s better for the animals. I always hope this one is self explanatory but I have a few anecdotes about why it isn’t. 2. It’s better for my body. My family history includes heart disease and cancer and research shows that plant based diets can reduce your chances of suffering from both. 3. It’s better for the environment. This is probably the least discussed reason for going vegan so I’ll elaborate, but just a little. Factory farming of animals creates more greenhouse gas than all transportation combined – trains, planes, cars, buses, motorcycles, ships, etc. That’s more than 20% of all carbon emissions, according to the UN, from farming animals. I hope that statistic blows your mind. Factory farming of animals is also the biggest user of fresh water of any industry and pollutes more water than any other industry. Factory farming of animals is also one of the biggest sources of human disease – to mention a few, just think about swine flu, bird flu, antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and at least 76 million cases of food poisoning that happen in the United States every year.

These reasons are all important to me and I hope at least one is important to you. Whatever your reason, even if you just want a challenge, I anticipate I’ll win more converts with delicious looking food than cold statistics. I hope you’ll peruse this blog and gain insight from our 2 different perspectives as to why rational people who love food would voluntarily forego bacon, sausage and cheese.

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Nov 22 2011
2 Comments
Snacks

Just Because It’s Vegan Doesn’t Mean You Should Eat It

Twizzlers (yum… Twizzlers) may be vegan, but that doesn’t mean I should partake in them. I’ve been thinking about them lately because they are quite possibly my favorite non-chocolate candy, and I bought a huge bag of them before Halloween.

I am trying to focus on eating healthy as a whole. Therefore, I have decided to snack on fruit (or veggies or nuts) instead of candy. It’s simple: candy is not nutritious. It may be delicious, it may taste fruity, but it is not fruit. I think the ingredient list for Twizzlers proves my case:

At least I know what I’m getting when I eat a grape or carrot or pear.

I’ve heard and read many, many times over the past several years to pay attention to the listed ingredients of the foods you eat. Two general rules:

1. Opt for products with less ingredients. When the ingredients list takes up half the package, it’s probably best to put it back on the shelf.

2. If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, you probably shouldn’t eat it.

Part of me does celebrate the fact that I can indulge in Twizzlers and not feel like I’m breaking any vegan laws. The other part of me knows that, vegan or not, Twizzlers should stay on the shelf and out of my body.

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