I think the hardest part about being a vegan is not the lack of meat or even the lack of butter, but the lack of dairy! If I'm in the grocery store, looking at the ingredients of an item, if I cannot eat it, it is usually because there is some sort of dairy product involved. This could potentially be the most aggravating thing when it comes to finding products you can trust to be truly vegan! But don't worry, I have been doing a ton of research on this and I have found some awesome products, that I happen to love and I think you will too! Also, I made these cool Pizza bagels today, they were super good and one pizza bagel is only about 75 calories or so, not bad for pizza, right?!
As the pizza bagels go, why can't we splurge a little? I mean, non-vegans probably do more often, I think we have the right to as well! Bellow is the list of ingredients I used and the directions.
1 bagel thin, sliced in half (so you get two pizzas).
2 tablespoons of marinara sauce (1 tablespoon per slice).
1 tablespoon or less of finely chopped onion.
1 tablespoon or less of finely chopped mushrooms.
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, sliced.
1 slice of Tofutti mozzarella soy cheese.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the bagel in half and place on a cookie sheet.
Add 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce to each slice, spread evenly.
Add 1 tablespoon of fresh sliced basil on top of the marinara sauce.
Cut the Tofutti mozzarella soy cheese in pieces and place on top of each bagel slice. (optional).
Top with the chopped onions and mushrooms (all ingredients are optional of course, if you do not like one, swap it for another, or just get rid of it all together!).
Place cookie sheet on middle rack of oven.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. The cheese should look soft, but not melted (soy cheese very rarely melts, because of the lack of dairy).
And now back to my favorite non-dairy products!
The brand Tofutti is one that you may see me refer to a bundle! That's because I love it so much, they make so many great dairy-free products! Like multiple types of cheeses (as used above), some pretty fabulous ice cream, chocolate, vanilla, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry cheesecake! They make Tofutti Cuties which are the equivalent to ice cream bars. Better Than Cream Cheese, which if you couldn't tell is the vegan version of cream cheese. Sour Supreme, their version of dairy-free sour cream! Pizza! So many more frozen food items! And can you believe it, chocolate fudge treats! The list goes on and on, It's like heaven for a vegan!
Amy's Products are probably one of my favorite companies ever, think about anything you could eat (non-vegan) and they make it, vegan! It's super awesome! They make more prepared foods than foods you would put together, such as the pizza I created above. Speaking of which, my personal favorites by Amy's has to be the Roasted Vegetable Pizza, and the Light in Sodium- Lentil Vegetable Soup (it may be low in sodium, but its high in flavor!). Try her products, I recommend them!
Another option is to buy your foods online and have them shipped, check out the Vegan Essentials website, this is exactly what it's for! Also, they have more than just food items! Everything on the website is vegan, including supplements, which can be extremely hard to find, due to the animal and fish oils used to make some supplements.
Hope my suggestions are useful! Also hope you like the pizza!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
It's a Blustery Day In the Hundred Acre Woods!
Since it has been super chilly out the past few days, I felt that a nice hot meal would serve well for the first ever recipe of the week!
Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cumin!
List of ingredients:
1 large eggplant.
4 cloves garlic, minced.
Kosher salt.
1 cup drained, canned diced tomatoes.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
3 tablespoons chopped parsley.
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves.
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika.
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin.
A pinch of cayenne pepper.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice .
Freshly ground black pepper.
Directions:
1. Heat a large cast-iron pan. Then, using a fork, prick the eggplant in a few places. Add the eggplant to the pan, cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning over once, until charred on the outside and soft on the inside. This should take about 40 minutes.
2. Transfer the eggplant to a colander set in the sink. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit in the eggplant; let it drain for 10 minutes. Scrape the flesh into a bowl, discarding the skin and any hard seeds; mash to a puree and transfer to a large skillet.
3. Using the side of a large knife, mash the garlic to a coarse paste with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the paste to the skillet along with the tomatoes, olive oil, parsley, cilantro, paprika, cumin and cayenne. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
I also suggest eating it with some pita bread, the two compliment one another very well!
Now, eat it all up! Hope you enjoy it!
Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cumin!
List of ingredients:
1 large eggplant.
4 cloves garlic, minced.
Kosher salt.
1 cup drained, canned diced tomatoes.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
3 tablespoons chopped parsley.
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves.
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika.
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin.
A pinch of cayenne pepper.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice .
Freshly ground black pepper.
Directions:
1. Heat a large cast-iron pan. Then, using a fork, prick the eggplant in a few places. Add the eggplant to the pan, cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning over once, until charred on the outside and soft on the inside. This should take about 40 minutes.
2. Transfer the eggplant to a colander set in the sink. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit in the eggplant; let it drain for 10 minutes. Scrape the flesh into a bowl, discarding the skin and any hard seeds; mash to a puree and transfer to a large skillet.
3. Using the side of a large knife, mash the garlic to a coarse paste with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the paste to the skillet along with the tomatoes, olive oil, parsley, cilantro, paprika, cumin and cayenne. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
I also suggest eating it with some pita bread, the two compliment one another very well!
Now, eat it all up! Hope you enjoy it!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
How will you ever get enough protein without eating meat?!
This is one aspect of living a vegan life style that has always pushed my buttons; when people say that without meat, you could never have enough protein! I've heard this over and over again, finally I have had enough. You do NOT, I repeat, do NOT need meat to have enough protein in your diet! In fact, most people in the United States who eat a "traditional American diet" consume way too MUCH protein; let me share with you why I disagree with all the new "protein" fad diets...
Believe it or not, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is a little less than 1/2 gram per pound you weigh. However, most Americans consume four to eight times their daily requirement! So a 140 pound person should consume a little less then 70 grams per day. Where most Americans eat 280 to 560 grams per day! Think about that!
The average non-vegan consumes 15-20% of their caloric intake from protein alone. A vegan averages about 10-12% of their caloric intake from protein.
Diets such as the Atkins, South Beach, Zone, and other low-carb diets requires you to eat absurd amounts of protien and wipe out carbohydrates all together. Let me give you a perfect example of why these diets do terrible things. Take Dr.Atkins, he followed his own diet for 39 years up till his death in 2003, he died at age 72. At the time of his death, Dr.Atkins stood at 6' tall and weighed 258 pouds, which is considered obese by any standard. I kid you not, this just makes me mad! (If you would like to know why these low-carb diets work for a very short period of time, leave me a comment asking why and I'll be sure to let you in on the secret!).
Too much protein is a terrible thing. By consuming too much protein, your absorption of calcium goes wacko, which increases your risk of kidney disease and osteoporosis! Crazy, right? Who would have thought that too much protein (along with too much calcium) could be a bad thing?! Along with this, too much protein can cause heart disease and various forms of cancer.
"But without meat you won't have enough protein!" WRONG.
Here is a list of plenty of other sources of protein that are vegan friendly:
-black beans (15g) -chickpeas (14.5g) -lentils (18g) -navy beans (16g) -fresh peas (9g) -soybeans (28.5g!) -split peas (16.5g) -two slices of whole grain bread (4 to 8g) -1 cup cooked grains (4 to 8g) -2 ounces cooked pasta (10g) -3 to 4 cups raw spinach, kale or lettuce, or 1 cup cooked collards, cabbage, or spinach (3 to 4g) -84g of firm tofu (6g).
Believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
See what I mean? Who says you need meat, I certainly don't. I dare you to try some of these options in replace of meat products! They have great flavors, and are awesome to cook with! Really, try it!
Believe it or not, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is a little less than 1/2 gram per pound you weigh. However, most Americans consume four to eight times their daily requirement! So a 140 pound person should consume a little less then 70 grams per day. Where most Americans eat 280 to 560 grams per day! Think about that!
The average non-vegan consumes 15-20% of their caloric intake from protein alone. A vegan averages about 10-12% of their caloric intake from protein.
Diets such as the Atkins, South Beach, Zone, and other low-carb diets requires you to eat absurd amounts of protien and wipe out carbohydrates all together. Let me give you a perfect example of why these diets do terrible things. Take Dr.Atkins, he followed his own diet for 39 years up till his death in 2003, he died at age 72. At the time of his death, Dr.Atkins stood at 6' tall and weighed 258 pouds, which is considered obese by any standard. I kid you not, this just makes me mad! (If you would like to know why these low-carb diets work for a very short period of time, leave me a comment asking why and I'll be sure to let you in on the secret!).
Too much protein is a terrible thing. By consuming too much protein, your absorption of calcium goes wacko, which increases your risk of kidney disease and osteoporosis! Crazy, right? Who would have thought that too much protein (along with too much calcium) could be a bad thing?! Along with this, too much protein can cause heart disease and various forms of cancer.
"But without meat you won't have enough protein!" WRONG.
Here is a list of plenty of other sources of protein that are vegan friendly:
-black beans (15g) -chickpeas (14.5g) -lentils (18g) -navy beans (16g) -fresh peas (9g) -soybeans (28.5g!) -split peas (16.5g) -two slices of whole grain bread (4 to 8g) -1 cup cooked grains (4 to 8g) -2 ounces cooked pasta (10g) -3 to 4 cups raw spinach, kale or lettuce, or 1 cup cooked collards, cabbage, or spinach (3 to 4g) -84g of firm tofu (6g).
Believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
See what I mean? Who says you need meat, I certainly don't. I dare you to try some of these options in replace of meat products! They have great flavors, and are awesome to cook with! Really, try it!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My Essential Question!
Since this blog is based upon my Senior Project I figured I should probably share with you my "Essential Question", this is the question that my Senior Project and all the work I do with it, will ideally answer at the end of all of my work.
So anyways, my Essential Question is:
How Can I Develop My Culinary Skills and a Series of Recipes That are Tasty, Nutritious, and Maintain Vegan Principles?
I envision that this question may change over time, with the growth of my project, when it does change, I will be sure to keep you in the loop!
So anyways, my Essential Question is:
How Can I Develop My Culinary Skills and a Series of Recipes That are Tasty, Nutritious, and Maintain Vegan Principles?
I envision that this question may change over time, with the growth of my project, when it does change, I will be sure to keep you in the loop!
The Start To My Veghead Journey!
Hi Everyone!
This is my first ever post on this blog and I figured I should start by saying how excited I am to share with you what I have already learned and what I am going to learn! This blog is going to be all about what it is like to live as a Veghead (a Vegan); my challenges and the great successes I have. I will be sharing my journey through my senior project, which is all about Veganism and the Culinary Arts! The idea is to share my techniques that come up over the next few months. Along with these two different topics, I am going to combine the two and share what it is like to cook as a Veghead, because believe it or not, it is very different from your traditional cooking. This blog has not been the official start of my journey, therefore, I have so much fun information that I want to spill all over the page and I cannot wait! I've decided that every week I am going to share with you my personal "recipe of the week" and my favorite "quote of the week"! I hope you enjoy this adventure as much as I know I will! There is no official plan to how this blog will go, so let's see where life takes us! Thanks for cooking with me!
This is my first ever post on this blog and I figured I should start by saying how excited I am to share with you what I have already learned and what I am going to learn! This blog is going to be all about what it is like to live as a Veghead (a Vegan); my challenges and the great successes I have. I will be sharing my journey through my senior project, which is all about Veganism and the Culinary Arts! The idea is to share my techniques that come up over the next few months. Along with these two different topics, I am going to combine the two and share what it is like to cook as a Veghead, because believe it or not, it is very different from your traditional cooking. This blog has not been the official start of my journey, therefore, I have so much fun information that I want to spill all over the page and I cannot wait! I've decided that every week I am going to share with you my personal "recipe of the week" and my favorite "quote of the week"! I hope you enjoy this adventure as much as I know I will! There is no official plan to how this blog will go, so let's see where life takes us! Thanks for cooking with me!
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