Vegan Livin’ is Easy January 12, 2009

Aside from getting egg at a local breakfast place when I ordered tofu and going to my husband’s company party where I had pre-ordered a vegetarian lasagna (not vegan) months ago, and then a resulting awful stomachache… my transition to veganism has been really great.  Those are the only non-vegan things I’ve eaten and the restaurant that brought me eggs instead of tofu paid for my meal and also gave me a coupon for another free meal!  Anyhow, I’m really loving the peace of mind it’s brought me, just knowing that my decisions in this area are all finally lining up with my values completely, is so so nice.  And the food? Delicious, oh yes, even when eating out.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t live without meat, eggs and dairy.  You will get all of the nutrients you need (ok, assuming you don’t live on vegan cupcakes and cereal or something) and most likely you will find yourself eating a healthier, wider, more delicious array of vegetables, grains, fruits and more!  If you’re looking into the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, here are my favorite links to get you started:

Food:

• Happy Herbivore - Lindsay at Happy Herbivore creates wonderful fat-free, whole foods vegan recipes that are always sure to please. She rarely uses meat analogues, so I think her recipes are great for beginners who may be a little scared of seitan, tempeh and tofu.  Try her nacho “cheeze” and spinach and artichoke dip and you’ll find yourself all the more assured that it is easy peasy to give up dairy.  I’m drooling right now just thinking about those nachos.  They are Brian’s favorite, too.
• Post Punk Kitchen – If i’ve got a question about something, whether food related or not, I will often go onto the PPK website, click “forums” and then search whatever it is I’m thinking of and it never fails me.  Plus, the recipes are amazing.  Scrambled tofu will have you living egg-free in no time.  It’s the perfect recipe for the tofu virgin – especially wrapped up in a tortilla with some breakfast potatoes.  It’s my all-time favorite brunch.
• Happy Foody – Sara was the first person to introduce me, via her blog of course, to vegetarian living.  It’s not that I hadn’t heard of vegetarianism before, obviously, but she was the first to inspire me to learn more.  And the recipes from her food blog are some of the first I made and still some of my favorites.  Her favorite salad dressing is now the favorite for Brian and I too. 
• Dreena Burton’s Blog and Recipes – Dreena Burton has published several cookbooks.  Her recipes are healthy and delicious!
• I’ve posted some of my favorite recipes in the past here and here.

Books:

• Diet for a New America by John Robbins – a book I’ve mentioned again and again.  Well worth the read.
• Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman – In this book, the author advocates a (at least 95%) vegan diet. It is well-researched and documented and will give you all the reasons you need to go vegan from a health perspective.

Cookbooks:

• Veganomicon – It’s like the vegan version of the Joy of Cooking, meaning it’s a comprehensive type of book that will set you up for success if all you’ve ever cooked is something from a box.  Try some sample recipes and you’ll be hooked and buy the book the next time you have a spare twenty bucks.  Isa Chandra Moskowitz also wrote Vegan with a Vengeance, another favorite vegan cookbook.  Here’s a bunch of her recipes for you to try until you can come up with that twenty bucks.  I love her coffeecake and waffles.  That woman knows how to do brunch.  I can’t wait for her latest book to come out!
• The Joy of Vegan Baking – a comprehensive baking book.  If you are a afraid of losing your ability to bake familiar favorites without milk, eggs and butter, this book will put your fears to rest for sure.  This book also has a few unconventional and healthy recipes as well, like the raw strawberry pie that I love.

Wishlist…

• Get it Ripe by Jae Steele,
• Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
• The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfeld
• Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton

More web stuff:

• Vegan&Vintage
• Vegan Beauty Review
• Vegan Etsy – go here and here for fabulous vegan handmade things

Resources for Research and Making the Transition:

• Vegan Outreach is my fave

Now, go give it a try why don’t you!

Kitchen Successes and NieNie Love October 31, 2008

Some things I made in my kitchen this last week that turned out lovely:

 

Homemade Pizza.  I made my own dough for the first time.  Who knew it was so easy?  and tasty? topped with my own sauce (roughly: 1/2 can tomato sauce, 1/2 can tomato paste, fresh garlic, basil, fresh cracked pepper, salt), chopped zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, broccoli and a little bit of mozzarella on top.  oooh so good.  you really must try it.

 

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula:  I made some changes to this recipe.

• I cut all of the amounts in half, since I’m cooking for two and a half people.
• brown rice fusilli pasta instead of the less healthy semolina version
• rice milk/soy creamer instead of the heavy cream
• scale back the lemon or leave it out entirely.  delicious!

 

Eggplant Parmesan:  After going to Olive Garden a long time ago, I made up this recipe trying to imitate their eggplant parm.  it’s delicious if I do say so myself

• Cut one medium sized eggplant into 1/2″ rounds, 
• grill on george foreman or grill pan until softened and nice grill marks appear (about 4 mins. per side) let cool slightly, 
• dip in soy yogurt and breadcrumbs (I usually make my own from sprouted bread and italian seasonings). 
• top with a little cheeze if you desire or vegan parm (i like to use the “Almesan” recipe from Veganomicon.)
• bake for 15 mins or so, until crispy (I used the toaster oven since I was making such a small portion – it uses less energy and is easier to keep an eye on).  
• Serve alongside sauteed greens or the traditional, spaghetti (homemade marinara, whole wheat/brown rice/quinoa spaghetti) .  mmm…

 

These muffins and these cupcakes. I used less sugar than called for both of these and they were still delicious.

 
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread.  oh. my. goodness. I made some alterations to this recipe:

• applesauce instead of the (whole stick!) of butter, no joke.
• organic turbinado sugar and cut the amount in half (the applesauce adds a lot of sweetness)
• organic plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
• dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips and cut the amount in half.

This was sooo good.  My husband asked me not to spoil the experience by telling him all of the healthy alterations I made

 

These past food-related posts have really pointed out my love for NieNie and her food blog: CuisineNie.  I’ve read her blog, Nie Nie Dialogues, for well over a year.  It has been a favorite ever since Carla sent me the link.  I liked it so much, I even went back and read all of her archives!  She is an amazing woman, with impeccable taste and a wonderful ability to capture and convey the beauty of every day life.  If you haven’t read her blog or heard the story of what has happened to her and her family these last couple of months, you really must read this article.  Please join me in praying for Christian and Stephanie and their family.  
Oh, and you are going to want to check out her sister’s blog, C Jane Enjoy It, as it is also fabulous.

Linky Do July 3, 2008

Here are some of my favorite things I’ve seen whilst meandering online lately, I thought I’d share:

• 25 Eco-Chic Ideas for Your Home at Martha Stewart - I’m not normally a Martha-lover myself, but I saw this link while I was browsing around Apartment Therapy and I really loved the piece with all of it’s beautiful, practical ideas.

• 101 Painless Ways to Detoxify your Mind, Body and Home - I stumbled across this article and really liked the approach – Mind, Body and Home – a good reminder that good health is about more than what you eat.

• The Truth About Sunscreens – Your skin is an organ that absorbs what you put on it, so do your research and think twice before slathering chemicals on your body!

• A really creative San Francisco apartment.  Occasionally, I like to browse house tours on Apartment Therapy and this one caught my eye.

• Starbucks Corp. announced Tuesday it will close 600 company-operated stores in the next year - Personally, I think this is a very good thing.  I know it’s a reflection on the economy and Starbucks’ all too rapid growth (as the article states) but I hope it is also an indication that people are beginning to support local businesses (that most often provide better product) and/or make healthier choices.

• I’ve been loving to browse photos on flickr.  Some of my favorites: the Home as Art Pool, and photos from two of my favorite blogs – poppytalk and SouleMama.

• Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen - We have been trying to incorporate more raw foods into our diet.  Check out Ani’s website and her article in the June issue of Food & Wine Magazine.  We tried her recipe for zucchini ribbons with tomato marinara tonight – delicious!  You can also check out her and her recipes on youtube.

Some other really tasty recipes we’ve enjoyed lately:

• These yummy sandwiches with home-made tomato soup (vegan if you sub non-dairy milk and cheese)
• Black Bean Burgers with home fries (vegan)
• Portobellos with Leeks and Spinach (vegetarian, but would be just as good without the cheese)
• Mexican Stuffed Peppers (vegan/gluten-free)
• Walnut “Meat” Taco Salad (vegan/raw)
• Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas (vegetarian/vegan if you sub out the cheese)
• Spring Rolls with Peanut Love Sauce (vegan/raw if you wrap them up in greens rather than rice paper like we did.  the sauce is amazing!)
• Easy Pleasin’ Oat Bars (vegan/gluten-free/cane sugar-free)
• Blueberry Crisp (vegan)

All of these recipes are thoroughly delicious and are quickly becoming favorites around here.  They are all quite healthy too.  You must try them!