Saturday was the USC v. UCLA game and we had to be there 3 hours before game time to get parking, which meant, we would be tailgating. My first tailgating experience since embracing veganism.
There were some hits and some misses. I made a cold veggie pasta salad with whole grain pasta, sundried tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, yellow and orange bell peppers. For the dressing, I used 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and some salt to taste. In the past, I would have added parmesan cheese as well, but I think the pasta was just as good this time around even without it.
Next, I attempted black bean brownies. They were okay. I have about 20 different recipes for them, so I will try another one. These just weren't sweet enough to sub in for the real article. Which was disappointing since most of the baked goods have been home runs. Tomorrow, my five year old and I are trying another version, so if that's good I will definitely post the recipe.
One thing to note...veganism requires better than average appliances. I have already killed the motor on both our food processor and our blender. So I now need to evaluate the best option for replacements. I need to find more durable appliances, but I'm not ready to spend $500 for a vitamix machine yet. I would love any recommendations in this regard.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thanksgiving...vegan style!
Geoff practically begged me to hold off starting the vegan 30 day challenge until after Thanksgiving since we were hosting thanksgiving for the first time ever at our home. However, I just wasn't willing to wait that long to make healthy changes in our lives, so the compromise was, we would have a turkey, but all the side dishes would be vegan. So, without further ado, here's a rundown of our meal. I have noted where we veganized some of the traditional offerings.
Turkey--no possible way to veganize (is that a word??) this bad boy, so my mom cooked the turkey. I have to say, it made the house smell yummy all day long, but I did not have a single bite, and I didn't even miss it.
Mashed Potatoes--we used Yukon gold potatoes because they impart a buttery taste all their own without the need to add butter during the mashing process. To make them creamier, we did add about a cup of veggie broth while mashing. They were just as good as usual.
Noodles--Okay, this probably isn't traditional in your home, but it is in ours. Being from the south, these dumpling style noodles have been a staple with every homecooked turkey or roast chicken dinner I have ever eaten. They are made with whole wheat flour, water, salt, and usually eggs. We omitted the eggs, and they were a little more dense (think somewhere between a noodle and a matzo ball), but still worked well. Instead of cooking them in a big pot of chicken broth, we used veggie broth and they were just as flavorful. (Note: leading up to thanksgiving we made several test batches of these, trying every type of whole grain flour we had to see which was best. I think next time I would use whole wheat PASTRY flour, as those batches turned out the best)
Sweet Potato Casserole--I used a vegan recipe and have never made them before so I am not sure if you traditionally use anything like butter or milk to make these. Jack loved them. We mashed them with some orange juice, a little brandy (probably why Jack devoured them and slept so well that night!), cinnamon, allspice, a little bit of sugar. Then we baked them with pecan pralines (from trader joes) on top. They were a big hit too!
Stuffing--So yummy, I've been eating it for days as lunch and sometimes even as breakfast! We used whole grain bread (cubed), grated zucchini (no one even knew it was in there), mushrooms, celery, onions, coarsely chopped brazil nuts (we forgot to buy water chestnuts, so these added a nice crunch), and veggie broth. I would make this in smaller batches for dinner with more even more veggies thrown in!
Gravy--Not vegan, but made by my mom from turkey drippings for all those who needed to have gravy on their mashed potatoes.
Green Bean Casserole--not vegan, altho I have a vegan recipe I'd like to try. I made it because a) people expected it; and b) I had a few cans of cream of mushroom soup in the back of my pantry that I needed to get rid of anyway.
Desserts:
Apple Pie--VEGAN!!!!! (no one knew) Used ice water instead of pet milk in grandma's secret crust recipe(still as flaky as ever), and used a little earth balance vegan butter spread in with the apples for baking.
Mocha Crunch Cake---Unfortunately not vegan. It's made by layering angel food cake and coolwhip with mocha crunch bits. Made with corn syrup, instant coffee, and baking soda. It foams up and then hardens and can be cracked into crunchy bits. If you want the recipe, email me and I will get my mom to send it to you.
And last but not least....pumpkin pie....totally vegan. I got the recipe from this incredible blog http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/11/pumpkin-pie-bites.html but I did make a few modifications. I doubled the recipe for the filling because otherwise this recipe was about equal parts crust and filling and that just wasn't acceptable to me. I have to say I am not crazy about the crust, but I never eat the crust with pumpkin pie and if it were up to me I'd just bake a big pie plate full of filling! I also did not make the crumbly topping, preferring instead to allow people to top it with cool whip (which turns out is not completely vegan despite the fact that it is called a non-dairy topping--oh well, live and learn!). I have to say, pumpkin pie is probably my favorite dessert of all time. I used to just bake the filling regularly to eat as a snack, and I thought this tasted just as good as a "normal" pumpkin pie. I don't think anyone would have guessed it was vegan without being told.
One note about cooking with tofu. I remember this from past use of tofu to bake lowfat cheesecake. when you bake tofu in a pie or cheesecake-esque format, and let it sit (I like to bake pumpkin a day ahead and serve it chilled from the fridge), it does get a kind of "skin" on the top that I find very unappetizing. The remedy for this is to peel it off...which I was willing to do as I scarfed the leftovers the past few days, but not sure I would tell guests to do the same.
So all in all....vegan thanksgiving was a big success! All I need to do now is convince Geoff that next year we should serve a tofurkey. I've got 12 months, so maybe I can pull it off.... :)
Turkey--no possible way to veganize (is that a word??) this bad boy, so my mom cooked the turkey. I have to say, it made the house smell yummy all day long, but I did not have a single bite, and I didn't even miss it.
Mashed Potatoes--we used Yukon gold potatoes because they impart a buttery taste all their own without the need to add butter during the mashing process. To make them creamier, we did add about a cup of veggie broth while mashing. They were just as good as usual.
Noodles--Okay, this probably isn't traditional in your home, but it is in ours. Being from the south, these dumpling style noodles have been a staple with every homecooked turkey or roast chicken dinner I have ever eaten. They are made with whole wheat flour, water, salt, and usually eggs. We omitted the eggs, and they were a little more dense (think somewhere between a noodle and a matzo ball), but still worked well. Instead of cooking them in a big pot of chicken broth, we used veggie broth and they were just as flavorful. (Note: leading up to thanksgiving we made several test batches of these, trying every type of whole grain flour we had to see which was best. I think next time I would use whole wheat PASTRY flour, as those batches turned out the best)
Sweet Potato Casserole--I used a vegan recipe and have never made them before so I am not sure if you traditionally use anything like butter or milk to make these. Jack loved them. We mashed them with some orange juice, a little brandy (probably why Jack devoured them and slept so well that night!), cinnamon, allspice, a little bit of sugar. Then we baked them with pecan pralines (from trader joes) on top. They were a big hit too!
Stuffing--So yummy, I've been eating it for days as lunch and sometimes even as breakfast! We used whole grain bread (cubed), grated zucchini (no one even knew it was in there), mushrooms, celery, onions, coarsely chopped brazil nuts (we forgot to buy water chestnuts, so these added a nice crunch), and veggie broth. I would make this in smaller batches for dinner with more even more veggies thrown in!
Gravy--Not vegan, but made by my mom from turkey drippings for all those who needed to have gravy on their mashed potatoes.
Green Bean Casserole--not vegan, altho I have a vegan recipe I'd like to try. I made it because a) people expected it; and b) I had a few cans of cream of mushroom soup in the back of my pantry that I needed to get rid of anyway.
Desserts:
Apple Pie--VEGAN!!!!! (no one knew) Used ice water instead of pet milk in grandma's secret crust recipe(still as flaky as ever), and used a little earth balance vegan butter spread in with the apples for baking.
Mocha Crunch Cake---Unfortunately not vegan. It's made by layering angel food cake and coolwhip with mocha crunch bits. Made with corn syrup, instant coffee, and baking soda. It foams up and then hardens and can be cracked into crunchy bits. If you want the recipe, email me and I will get my mom to send it to you.
And last but not least....pumpkin pie....totally vegan. I got the recipe from this incredible blog http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/11/pumpkin-pie-bites.html but I did make a few modifications. I doubled the recipe for the filling because otherwise this recipe was about equal parts crust and filling and that just wasn't acceptable to me. I have to say I am not crazy about the crust, but I never eat the crust with pumpkin pie and if it were up to me I'd just bake a big pie plate full of filling! I also did not make the crumbly topping, preferring instead to allow people to top it with cool whip (which turns out is not completely vegan despite the fact that it is called a non-dairy topping--oh well, live and learn!). I have to say, pumpkin pie is probably my favorite dessert of all time. I used to just bake the filling regularly to eat as a snack, and I thought this tasted just as good as a "normal" pumpkin pie. I don't think anyone would have guessed it was vegan without being told.
One note about cooking with tofu. I remember this from past use of tofu to bake lowfat cheesecake. when you bake tofu in a pie or cheesecake-esque format, and let it sit (I like to bake pumpkin a day ahead and serve it chilled from the fridge), it does get a kind of "skin" on the top that I find very unappetizing. The remedy for this is to peel it off...which I was willing to do as I scarfed the leftovers the past few days, but not sure I would tell guests to do the same.
So all in all....vegan thanksgiving was a big success! All I need to do now is convince Geoff that next year we should serve a tofurkey. I've got 12 months, so maybe I can pull it off.... :)
Monday, November 28, 2011
No...I haven't fallen off the wagon!
You might have thought since I haven't posted in ten days (ok really lame of me I know) that I have fallen off the vegan wagon. Good news! I haven't! I haven't been avoiding posting because of any lapses in my commitment or desire, but instead, I have been exhausted. My one year old was getting his back molars and waking up every night, and then we had family in town for thanksgiving which I was hosting for the first time ever, so there was a ton of work to do! I've basically been heading to bed as soon as the kiddies are down which means no time to post.
So here's a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the last ten days. First, the good. I am happy to say that Jack is back on almond milk (which has more calcium than whole milk without all the potentially carcinogenic compounds)! Rebekah loves it. And even Geoff grudgingly pined for almond milk on his cereal (after tasting soy milk). I haven't had meat for 3 weeks and to be honest, I don't even miss it! I am finding all sorts of fabulous recipes so I am excited to cook again. And, for the most part, everything has been a winner satisfying both vegans and non-vegans alike.
Now here's the bad. I need to eat more fruits and vegetables. I know it sounds crazy because you are thinking, well if she's eating vegan, she must be eating her fruits and vegetables. But I am and I'm not. Some days I go a whole day without ingesting any fruit! At least dinner is always definitely veggie packed. However, I feel like for breakfast and lunch I am focusing too much on grains. And even though they are whole grains, the health benefits that I am really looking for, come from eating more veggies and fruits.. So I am working on that! This week I've decided that lunch will either be a big green salad with kidney beans or pasta with a boatload of kale or spinach. I've found that less options make planning easier and lunch is definitely something I don't have a lot of time to cook for. Breakfast is even harder because what can I eat other than cereal or toast--kind of boring. And I am not ready to try tofu scrambles yet. This is where I certainly need to start eating more fruit!!!
Finally, the ugly. I have eaten McDonald's french fries. I know... I know... I was hungry and time crunched and so, I went that route. Very upset because my main reason for doing this was to get healthier and eliminate processed foods and unhealthy fast food from my diet. Sigh... Just another reminder that eating a vegan diet doesn't automatically mean eating a healthy diet. You could live on french fries, white bread and processed faux cheese and be a very unhealthy vegan!
Okay, so that should catch you up. In my next post, it will be all about vegan thanksgiving and some yummy recipes.
So here's a rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the last ten days. First, the good. I am happy to say that Jack is back on almond milk (which has more calcium than whole milk without all the potentially carcinogenic compounds)! Rebekah loves it. And even Geoff grudgingly pined for almond milk on his cereal (after tasting soy milk). I haven't had meat for 3 weeks and to be honest, I don't even miss it! I am finding all sorts of fabulous recipes so I am excited to cook again. And, for the most part, everything has been a winner satisfying both vegans and non-vegans alike.
Now here's the bad. I need to eat more fruits and vegetables. I know it sounds crazy because you are thinking, well if she's eating vegan, she must be eating her fruits and vegetables. But I am and I'm not. Some days I go a whole day without ingesting any fruit! At least dinner is always definitely veggie packed. However, I feel like for breakfast and lunch I am focusing too much on grains. And even though they are whole grains, the health benefits that I am really looking for, come from eating more veggies and fruits.. So I am working on that! This week I've decided that lunch will either be a big green salad with kidney beans or pasta with a boatload of kale or spinach. I've found that less options make planning easier and lunch is definitely something I don't have a lot of time to cook for. Breakfast is even harder because what can I eat other than cereal or toast--kind of boring. And I am not ready to try tofu scrambles yet. This is where I certainly need to start eating more fruit!!!
Finally, the ugly. I have eaten McDonald's french fries. I know... I know... I was hungry and time crunched and so, I went that route. Very upset because my main reason for doing this was to get healthier and eliminate processed foods and unhealthy fast food from my diet. Sigh... Just another reminder that eating a vegan diet doesn't automatically mean eating a healthy diet. You could live on french fries, white bread and processed faux cheese and be a very unhealthy vegan!
Okay, so that should catch you up. In my next post, it will be all about vegan thanksgiving and some yummy recipes.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Veganism can be healthy...but...
Vegan food can be delicious--really. The creamy cauliflower soup I made on Monday was very nice. Here's the link if you want to try it. (Note: I used veggie broth instead of water in the recipe) http://thehealthyfoodie.net/2011/11/03/creamy-cauliflower-carrot-and-brazil-nut-soup/The chocolate pumpkin loaf I made for a recent potluck lunch passed scrutiny from non-vegans with flying colors. http://www.theppk.com/2011/10/chocolate-pumpkin-loaf/
Last night's pasta with tomatoes, mushrooms, lemon and thyme was a favorite of mine before I even was vegan. (Note: I don't use as much oil as she calls for in the recipe and added in tomato this time for a change--and of course I skipped the cheese) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/linguine-with-lemon-garlic-and-thyme-mushrooms-recipe/ So in many ways, this healthy change has been very easy...but...
...it takes a lot (I mean a lot of preparation) and that I was not prepared for. Here's what I mean. While dinner has been a carefully constructed meal each night. My lunches and breakfasts have basically disintegrated during the week. Breakfast has gone from toast with peanut butter and fruit spread, to a half a banana in just a handful of days. Lunch has gone from hummus and veggie wraps, to some butter lettuce with a few kidney beans on top or just a handful of triscuits. Hardly the healthful change I was hoping to make with this new style of eating.
So is it laziness or is there something more sinister here? This experience is making me realize that I need to address some of my long term issues with food. I have battled an eating disorder in the past. In college, I began working out three hours everyday in order to feel normal. It wasn't until later in life that I realized that was a form of an eating disorder. Now, with all these new food rules, it is very easy for me to restrict myself in a way that is not healthy either. So, this weekend, I am going to try to plan ahead and make a week's worth of quick grabable lunches that are ready to go in the fridge. I am hoping that will help kickstart me out of my general ambivalence toward food and eating right now.
Last night's pasta with tomatoes, mushrooms, lemon and thyme was a favorite of mine before I even was vegan. (Note: I don't use as much oil as she calls for in the recipe and added in tomato this time for a change--and of course I skipped the cheese) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/linguine-with-lemon-garlic-and-thyme-mushrooms-recipe/ So in many ways, this healthy change has been very easy...but...
...it takes a lot (I mean a lot of preparation) and that I was not prepared for. Here's what I mean. While dinner has been a carefully constructed meal each night. My lunches and breakfasts have basically disintegrated during the week. Breakfast has gone from toast with peanut butter and fruit spread, to a half a banana in just a handful of days. Lunch has gone from hummus and veggie wraps, to some butter lettuce with a few kidney beans on top or just a handful of triscuits. Hardly the healthful change I was hoping to make with this new style of eating.
So is it laziness or is there something more sinister here? This experience is making me realize that I need to address some of my long term issues with food. I have battled an eating disorder in the past. In college, I began working out three hours everyday in order to feel normal. It wasn't until later in life that I realized that was a form of an eating disorder. Now, with all these new food rules, it is very easy for me to restrict myself in a way that is not healthy either. So, this weekend, I am going to try to plan ahead and make a week's worth of quick grabable lunches that are ready to go in the fridge. I am hoping that will help kickstart me out of my general ambivalence toward food and eating right now.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Day 3 & 4--biting off more than you can chew
So here's a little lesson to those of you out there who want to try a 30 day vegan experiment. Start with what you know! I think some of my menus have been a bit too ambitious. For example, vegan mac and cheese (which I found unpalatable). Instead, I should be making things we already eat that are vegan. Like pastas with veggies. Fried rice (without the egg). Stirfrys with veggies instead of meat. Things that aren't as foreign to all of us. I think that would make the transistion period so much easier and definitely more familiar, because as we all know, humans are change adverse.
So for the remainder of this 30 day challenge, I am going to stick with what I know. Making things with more veggies instead of meats and dairy, and not trying to make any "faux" meals. Hey--if you are giving up dairy, then mac and cheese isn't in your future--so why make some strange mock version--too weird for me I guess!
So for the remainder of this 30 day challenge, I am going to stick with what I know. Making things with more veggies instead of meats and dairy, and not trying to make any "faux" meals. Hey--if you are giving up dairy, then mac and cheese isn't in your future--so why make some strange mock version--too weird for me I guess!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Day 2--Highs and Lows
Yesterday, I woke up excited and raring to go on my new plantstrong lifestyle. Today was a bit different. I woke up monumentally sad...
I felt a little lonely--it's hard not really having any close vegan friends. And, honestly, I felt a longing for the things that I would never eat again.
Now I know that ultimately, those feelings have very little to do with the food themselves, and I don't for one minute regret my decision to embark on this life changing journey. However, eating is primarly emotional, especially for us women. And I have so many memories that are invoked by certain restaurants, holidays, and special occasions and they all revolve around certain foods. So I really am mourning a loss in a way. And while I understand why I am feeling blue, it doesn't make it any easier to go through.
But the highpoint came this evening. I actually ate takeout (mediterranean place where I could get lentils and rice and pita with hummus) at my mom's house. Since it was late and I was tired and I knew my five year old wouldn't eat the lentils, I told her it was okay if she wanted the chicken. She started to freak out, began to cry, and demanded to eat vegan. She told me she'd rather eat peanut butter and jelly (since we were at grandma's that really was our only vegan option), and so she did. I was really proud of her. She asked if we could eat vegan for the rest of our lives, and I hugged her and told her yes.
So it looks like I have found a really good friend, who is also a vegan.
I felt a little lonely--it's hard not really having any close vegan friends. And, honestly, I felt a longing for the things that I would never eat again.
Now I know that ultimately, those feelings have very little to do with the food themselves, and I don't for one minute regret my decision to embark on this life changing journey. However, eating is primarly emotional, especially for us women. And I have so many memories that are invoked by certain restaurants, holidays, and special occasions and they all revolve around certain foods. So I really am mourning a loss in a way. And while I understand why I am feeling blue, it doesn't make it any easier to go through.
But the highpoint came this evening. I actually ate takeout (mediterranean place where I could get lentils and rice and pita with hummus) at my mom's house. Since it was late and I was tired and I knew my five year old wouldn't eat the lentils, I told her it was okay if she wanted the chicken. She started to freak out, began to cry, and demanded to eat vegan. She told me she'd rather eat peanut butter and jelly (since we were at grandma's that really was our only vegan option), and so she did. I was really proud of her. She asked if we could eat vegan for the rest of our lives, and I hugged her and told her yes.
So it looks like I have found a really good friend, who is also a vegan.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Day 1!
... or 29 days until we eat normal again as my husband calls it! And actually he might be right because after 30 days, this will be our new normal!!! So this morning was easy, we already eat a fairly vegan breakfast--banana and trail mix for the hubby, banana with peanut butter for me, banana and vegan "cookie" for the baby... But my five year old woke up this morning and declared that she wanted a vegan breakfast! I told her she could have her cereal with almond milk, but that apparently wasn't vegan enough for her! So she had chocolate almond milk and a sliced persimmon and that seemed to satisfy her!!
Lunch was yummy--tomato basil hummus on whole wheat bun with sliced cukes!!! And for snack I had whole grain toast with peanut butter and fig spread.
Dinner was creamy cauliflower soup made with brazil nuts and carrots with toasted rolls. Since the weather is chilly out here, its seems the perfect meal for the family tonight. My five year old wasn't too keen on it, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it, especially the baby!
Wespent the afternoon baking carrot bread with flaxseed instead of eggs and apple-carrot puree instead of oil. Even dear hubby applauded this effort. So overall, day 1 was successful and most importantly, a hurdle that has been crossed!
As a disclaimer, my point in doing this blog is not to advocate for a lifestyle--heck I've only been a vegan for less than 24 hours so what do I know! (although if you are interested, I could point you to several books and websites to get you started), Rather, I just wanted to chronicle this change in my life and frankly, much like a food journal, this blog will keep me honest. However, many people have asked me about my motivations for going vegan, so over the course of thirty days I will share many of those reasons. But for tonight, I am just going to sign off, feeling great and ready for another day!
Lunch was yummy--tomato basil hummus on whole wheat bun with sliced cukes!!! And for snack I had whole grain toast with peanut butter and fig spread.
Dinner was creamy cauliflower soup made with brazil nuts and carrots with toasted rolls. Since the weather is chilly out here, its seems the perfect meal for the family tonight. My five year old wasn't too keen on it, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it, especially the baby!
Wespent the afternoon baking carrot bread with flaxseed instead of eggs and apple-carrot puree instead of oil. Even dear hubby applauded this effort. So overall, day 1 was successful and most importantly, a hurdle that has been crossed!
As a disclaimer, my point in doing this blog is not to advocate for a lifestyle--heck I've only been a vegan for less than 24 hours so what do I know! (although if you are interested, I could point you to several books and websites to get you started), Rather, I just wanted to chronicle this change in my life and frankly, much like a food journal, this blog will keep me honest. However, many people have asked me about my motivations for going vegan, so over the course of thirty days I will share many of those reasons. But for tonight, I am just going to sign off, feeling great and ready for another day!
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