What Do You Eat??

A question I get asked a lot is, "What in the world do you eat??".

I decided to compile a list of the things I like to make, as well as snack on throughout the day. One of the hardest things I've overcome as a vegan is finding things that are quick and easy to grab. With Burger Kinds and McDonalds on every corner and not a fruit or vegetable stand in sight, it's no wonder America is obese :/

Breakfast Ideas:

**Cooked Brown Rice with Almond/Coconut/Rice milk, walnuts, coconut and cinnamon
     (I make a huge pot of brown rice and then use it all week long)
**Homemade Muesli with Almost/Coconut/Rice milk, bananas
**Vegan Banana Bread (recipe to follow)
**Tofu Scramble / Tofu, potatoes, carrots, brocolli, onion and peppers with a dash of curry powder
    and a sprinkling of "Almesan" (found in the Veganomicon cookbook)
**Daves Bread with peanut butter and bananas or strawberries

Lunch

**Sandwiches made with Daves Bread, spread avacado, burgundy olives, sunflower seeds, red peppers,
    lettuce and tomato
**Salad with edamame, romaine, almonds, sweet cherry tomato, avacado, curry powder and grilled
    onions. White balsamic and Olive Oil dressing (mix White Balsamic, Olive Oil, sea salt, pepper and
   oregano. Let stand overnight

Dinner

**Garbanzo and Quinoa - In the Veganomicon cookbook
**Coconut Red Lentil Dahl - Recipe to follow
**Vegan Mac and Cheese - Recipe Posted
**Vegan Lasagna - In the Veganomicon cookbook
**Eggplant Curry - Recipe posted
**Vegan Korma - Recipe to follow
**Black Bean Burgers and Avacado/Corn/Bean Salad
**Vegan Pizza - From The Kind Life / Recipe to follow
**Grilled Onion and Moroccon Rice with Homemade Pita Chips
**Homemade Marinara with fresh pasta and Almesan - Recipe to follow
**Tofu stir fry - Recipe to follow (dredging tofu in nutritional yeast and stir frying is amazing!)
**Fresh french baguette, sliced heirloom tomatoes, avacado and really good olive oil is a GREAT easy
    summer picnic feast!
**Leek Soup - Recipe to follow
**Potato Soup - Recipe to follow
**Vegan Shephards Pie - Recipe to follow

Snacks

**Homemade Hummus with Homemade pita chips
**Peanuts and raisins
**Stacy's Pita Chips and Homemade Salsa
**Leftover Dahl with Homemade Pita Chips
**Homemade Trail Mix
**Coconut Balls - Recipe to follow
**Bagel with Tofutti and Green Olives sliced on top
**Stir Fried and Oven Roasted Beets & Sweet Potato with Slap Yo Mama spice :)
**Homemade Sweet Potato Crisps - Recipe to Follow
**Tortilla Chips and Homemade Bean Salsa
**Almonds. I eat LOTS of almonds. In every way :)
**Fresh Fruit - Whatever is in season
**Celery and Peanut Butter
**Apples and Peanut Butter


Another work in progress is going to be how to eat vegan while on road trips and when you're unable to cook for yourself or if you have limited (no) access to a kitchen. What really makes this tricky is how animal products are snuck into even the MOST unassuming snacks and foodstuffs.
Things I've discovered that have "hidden" animal products in them are Breakfast and Protein Bars that contain Lecithin (some Lecithin is not vegan)

Bagels and English Muffins that contain non fat milk solids

Chips and Crackers that contain "Natural Flavorings" may contain milk

Mints, Candies and Gum that contain gelatin (I no longer eat Altoids because believe it or not, it contains gelatin)

SOME Chai teas may contain milk

Thai and Chinese restaurants use Oyster Sauce in many of their dishes. I usually just ask to have mine without the Oyster Sauce and it's fine.

Some drinks have Carmine/Cochineal in them which are ground up beetles. No thanks.

**http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/bugjuice.asp

Anything that contains "Whey" as that is derived from milk

Worcestershire Sause contains fish

Fresh Pasta will usually contain eggs

A full list can be found here:

http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/food/hidden-ingredients.aspx

How to stay Vegan - 13 tips from Vegansaurus

1. Spread the word!Tell everyone you’re vegan. Reaffirming this fact not only to myself but also to people I meet might make me obnoxious, but it also keeps me feeling like the public is watching my every move. And nobody likes feeling hypocritical. They tell you to do this when you’re going to quit smoking too—it just makes you more accountable.
2. Get a vegan tattoo!I’m sort of joking but not really? I got one - It’s there to judge me, forever.
3. Remember why you’re vegan!Re-watch Meet Your Meat, Earthlings, or reread Diet for a New America. Listen to podcasts like Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and We Like It Raw. Revisit why you went vegan in the first place when you’re feeling shaky. Ask yourself on the regular, why you are doing this. Animals? Environment? To bring more compassion into your life? It will help remind you why this sometimes challenging way of life is worth it. And it’s fun to see how your commitments, ideas and thoughts about this way of life change over time. As my therapist tells me, check in with yourself on the regular!
4. Stay in the know!Watch new exposés. Read new studies. Every time the “health community” “learns” something about food, pay attention—you might have forgotten all the pus and antibiotics in that hunk of cheese you’re craving. Have all the information in your grasp. This is particularly easy to do if you have the Internet. God bless the internet!
5. Take it easy on yourself!Forgive yourself if you do something that’s not vegan. You’ll learn what to watch out for on ingredient lists and which brands of face lotion are tested on animals. You will learn SO MUCH, it’s crazy. You can always choose to do something different next time, and guilt-tripping yourself isn’t going to make you feel motivated to continue in this lifestyle. It’s okay if you’re not perfect, you’re human! Your lifestyle isn’t about being more vegan than anyone else and mistakes happen. This is especially important when beginning or coming back to a vegan way of life!
6. Listen to your body!If you do slip up, pay attention to your body. If/when you do something that’s not vegan, on purpose or on accident, think about how it makes you feel physically in addition to mentally. You might notice you feel better without those eggs clogging up your arteries!
7. Build your vegan community!Find vegan friends. You can do this through a meetup, through vegan blogs (ahem), or by complete accident. Talk to them when you’re feeling low about veganism. For every vegan you don’t want to talk to, there are at least five more you do. You have a vegan BFF out there just waiting to be found! It took me five years to find Jenny Bradley. Patience pays off.
8. Throw a party!
If you are a social being and like to have people over, throw a vegan party! I like to have monthly potlucks, in which I invite everyone I know and ask them to bring a dish, if they so desire! Of course it must be vegan! It brings out the creativity in my vegetarian and omnivore friends, and they get really excited when they veganize their dishes! I swear! It’s the cutest. Plus, everyone loves eating! Food at parties gives people something to do and talk about!
9. Experiment in the kitchen!Try new recipes, like, all the time. Rice, beans, and kale are all healthy, but some deep-fried tofu cubes or a few bites of homemade vegan ice cream shouldn’t kill you (of course, consult your doctor if you’re at all worried about that). If you’re bored with what you’re eating, going back to the omni side could look terribly appealing.
10. Go to vegan venues!Hit up vegan restaurants. Don’t have any near you? Make a point to take some road trips to the closest ones. There’s a big wide vegan world waiting for you!
11. Be prepared!Traveling while vegan can be an adventure. Plan accordingly. You can always eat at Subway or Taco Bell on roadtrips, but bring snacks! Everywhere! Weddings, plane rides, whatever circumstance has you not eating for hours at a time. I have found this is especially important when arriving somewhere late or if you have a food allergy! I firmly believe raw, dehydrated foods are the best for these situations because they are healthy and flavorful. Basically, pack nutrient dense foods (bagels, pretzels and bread have a tendency to leave me hungry and unfulfilled as opposed to kale chips, dried fruit, nuts or a superfood Powerbar).
12. Let the vegan haters hate!Don’t let assholes (I’m including myself here) shame you into quitting. I’ll be like, “Oh, people who support PETA are human lice,” but then I’ll totally forget to look at ingredients on some random granola bar I bought because I was hungry and end up eating something with whey in it and not feeling so high and mighty after all. Plus a few days down the road you’ll probably see me looking up a recipe on PETA’s website. The point is that this is your choice, and people who are jerks to you about it are just that: jerks.
13. Let the omni haters hate!Pick your battles with omnivores. Haters gonna hate and you’ll wear yourself out when you feel like you are always on the defense to testy omnivores. Sometimes I just laugh jerks off, because in the end, I don’t care what they think of me and I know I gotta do me! Remember, it’s about you! This is your life, your diet and your choices! Everyone will have an opinion (they always do!) but in the end, my goal is to show everyone what a healthy, happy, satisfied, well-adjusted, fun vegan looks like.
There you have it! I hope this list helps you stay vegan and stay strong. It’s a great thing you’re doing, keep up the good work!

Beetroot Tarte

Ingredients for the vinaigrette

• Green tops from a few spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 5 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Make the vinaigrette by placing all the ingredients in a clean jam jar and give it a good shake.

Ingredients for the tarte gutts

1 tbsp olive oil

5 tsp earth balance

Approximately 2cups or 1 lb baby beetroot (no bigger than a golfball), scrubbed

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 tbsp cider vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegan puff pastry (if you want to make your own- here is a great recipe for homemade vegan puff pastry)

http://vegetalion.blogspot.com/2010/05/fast-easy-homemade-vegan-puff-pastry.html

1. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan large enough for all the beetroot to sit snugly, add the beetroot and toss to coat in the oil and earth balance. Add the sugar and vinegar, season and taste, adjusting the vinegar and sugar if necessary.
2. Cover the pan with foil and place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the beetroot are tender.
3. When the beetroot are cooked remove from the oven and arrange the beets neatly in the pan. Roll out the pastry and cut a circle a little larger than the pan. Carefully place the pastry over the beetroot tucking the excess pastry into the pan. Return to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden and puffed up.
4. When the tart is ready remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes.
5. To serve place a large plate over the pan and carefully, but quickly, turn upside down, remove the pan and pour over the vinaigrette.

EAT!!!!!!!!!! :)

Vegan Raw Chocolate Tart

Ingredients for the crust
10 1/2 ounces pecans or almonds
1 tsp sea salt (Himalayan or any other kind of good quality sea salt)
7 ounces of Medjool dates

Ingredients for the filling
4 medium ripe avacado
5 1/2 ounces coconut oil
2 vanilla pods (just the seeds)
7 ounces raw cacao powder
pinch of salt
10 1/2 ounces agave nectar

1. In a food processor, blend the pecans or almonds (if possible, soak them for around 6 hours and then dehydrate them first. The soaking releases the enzyme inhibitors and makes them easier to digest.) Add the salt and medjool dates and blend until you have a ‘dough’, or until the mix forms a ball.
2. Press this mixture into the bottom of a mold. Cover in plastic wrap and leave to harden in the freezer until you are ready to pour on the filling. (Silicone molds are great- they are safe for the freezer and the molds are easy to pop out and cut when you are ready)
3. For the filling, blend everything together until smooth, then pour onto the base.
4. Set in the freezer for 1 hour, then it should be firm enough to slice up. Top with fresh berries, or a dusting of cacao powder or whatever makes your heart happy :)

Bitchin Mac n Cheese

Prehat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients
3 cups of Macaroni Shells
3 cups of boiling water
1/2 cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/2 cup flour
2 TBL Tamari
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch turmeric
1 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 cup oil

Directions
Boil 3 cups of water in kettle
Boil water for the Macaroni Shells
It's a good idea to get all of your ingredients laid out while the water is boiling
because once the Earth Balance melts- it's GO TIME :)
Once your water has boiled and your macaroni is cooked and waiting, melt the
1/2 cup Earth Balance in a sauce pan.
Add the 1/2 cup flour and whisk into a roux
Once combined, add the boiling water and stir contantly until it reaches a creamy,
thick consistancy.
Add the 2 TBL Tamari, pinch of turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and
stir to combined.
Once completely mixed, add the 1 cup of Nutritional Yeast and 1/4 cup oil.
Stir until dissolved and the mixture looks like delicious cheesy goodness.

Pour Macaroni Shells into a baking dish and top with the cheese mixture. Bake at
350 degrees for 15 minutes and then another 5 minutes on Broil.

Optional Topping
Almesan (from the cookbook "Veganomicon"...one of the best vegan cookbooks ever!)

1/4 cup Almonds
2 TBL Toasted Sesame Seeds
1/8 tsp salt

Process in a food processor until resembles coarse crumbs.

Optional Side
To 1 TBL Coconut Oil add sliced peppers, sliced onions and Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage
D-LISH!

Go Vegan :)

I have found that once people see animals as "beings" and not "food" ...they begin to gain a whole new appreciation for life.
It wasn't until I went vegan and was vegan for at least 6 months that I realized how desensitized I had become with regard to my food.

I used to be able to grab a burger and eat it with no thought to anything other than the food that filled my belly.
Since becoming vegan, I have more intent and purpose with my food. I feel a deeper connection to the earth and the spirit of life. All life.

It's time for us to sensitize ourselves to the living beings around us and realize they feel pain and sickness...just like any human would. To live under the pretense that a being doesn't feel pain just because it can't tell you it does, it a fairly abysmal way of thinking. All you have to do is look into their eyes to realize...they are just as present as we are.

As human beings, it is our responsibility to be the caretakers of the world. To honor and respect all creatures placed on this earth and learn to live with a deeper love for our mother.

Kwan Yin

Perspective.

But how do you get enough protein if you don't eat meat???????

Just as this article says...it's the first question I get after telling someone I'm vegan.
This article has some great ideas on protein sources. Moving forward, I'll try and incorporate them into recipes and share them here :)

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4491/My-Top-7-Sources-of-PlantBased-Protein.html

Ahimsa

Wow. My first blog on my very first vegan blogsite :)

How exciting.

The idea to blog came to me the other day when I was reading about "Ahimsa". A term meaning quite literally "the avoidance of violence".

From Wikipedia:
It is an important tenet of some Indian Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhims. It means kindness and non-violence towards all living things including animals; it respects living beings as a unity, the belief that all living things are connected. Avoidance of verbal and physical violence is also a part of this principle, although ahimsa recognizes that you can use self defense when necessary, as a sign of a strong spirit. It is closely connected with the notion that all kinds of violence entail negative karmic consequences.

For me, the path to vegan eating began when I became a Buddhist. I always held vegetarian tendencies but it wasn't until I started to explore this faith that I could feel the truth rippling through my soul.

One of the beliefs of Buddhism is that all living beings are sacred. It didn't take long for me to realize that I wanted to become a vegetarian. Not because I HAD to..but because I WANTED to. The meat I was eating didn't taste good enough for me to forget that I was eating another beings misery. I begin explaining it to my friends as "I wouldn't eat anything "with a face".

After about a year and a half later, I was watching a British show with my husband that featured a vegan cook. As she spoke I could feel the resonance of her words and how they affected me and I knew then that I was going to become vegan. Forever.

What everyone says (after they ask you how you get your protein) is "I would be vegan...but I couldn't LIVE WITHOUT CHEESE".

I thought that too..up until the day I knew I was destined to be vegan.

Because this has been such an exciting and magical transition, and because I want to share that with anyone and everyone who might be thinking the same thing- I decided to start a blog.

My intent with this is not to preach...or try to convert. But to spread love and the kindness and to learn even more as I make my way on this ever evolving journey. It's also meant to disseminate information and help people to understand so they can make their own spritually informed decisions. Whatever they may be.

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey ...but spiritual beings on a human journey.

Let's make this life count.