Veggie Bridesmaid

Two of my lovely friends were married last weekend! It was an intense, emotional, wonderful weekend-most of which still seems like a bit of a blur. High lights included salsa dancing at the bachelorette party, the maid of honor's beautiful seven day old son, trying to hold off sweating all over my heavy silk bridesmaid dress until AFTER the ceremony, seeing friends I haven't seen in years-and still feeling like they're some of my best friends, dancing to the Talking Heads, and waking up the next morning in a panic, thinking I was late for the ceremony because the past three days felt like a dream.

Food related thoughts are as follows: 

It is difficult being vegan/soy free on the go! We stayed at my boyfriend's parents house over the weekend, his dad and sister are vegetarian and most of their food is natural/organic but I still stopped at the store to stock up on some things to have handy. I'd like to believe I can live on nothing but oatmeal and raw veggies for four days but unfortunately this is not the case. I spent the entire day of the wedding out, I should have packed a lunch. Nerves made eating anything difficult and being stuck in downtown Carlsbad significantly limited my options. I finally settled on Thai curry with vegetables and brown rice. There was probably fish oil in the curry but it was a weekend of was exceptions...

From this, I realized that I can't make exceptions, my body doesn't respond well to animal food stuffs. At the rehearsal dinner we were served Greek food which was very convenient for the crowd, half of my table ordered the vegetarian plate. I avoided any feta on the plate but ate up the cooked veggies despite the fact that I'm pretty sure they were cooked with butter. I didn't feel sick afterward but I didn't feel right. I'm not used to that much salt and... it's hard to describe. I find the flavor unsavory I suppose and my body feels as though it's housing something unsavory after eating it. I also ate a bite of the wedding cake-not only because it was celebratory but because it came from a bakery I worked at for nearly three years. I thought the flavor would be nostalgic and satisfying. Not so. I felt sick immediately after swallowing, the whipped cream and mousse tasted all wrong to me, thick, foamy... and again unsavory. This discovery was not at all disappointing but actually somewhat relieving to find out I'm not depriving myself of anything. Not only do I feel better cutting out animal products but they don't even taste good to me! 

My soy-free rule... a rule I'm going to bend. Most of my diet choices are health related/what makes me feel best related as well as morally/environmentally conscious. My issues with soy include the fact that most tofu is processed with hexane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexane, the isoflavone controversy-my body is very sensitive to any foreign substances and I don't need anything messing with my hormones, and the high level of soy crops grown which are genetically modified and heavily sprayed with pesticides. Another issue of mine, based more on opinion than fact, is the level of foods that contain soy products. Read ingredients before buying and consuming! Most pre-made foods both vegan and non vegan contain soy letchin, soy protein, or soybean oil (sometimes the dreaded partially hydrogenated soybean oil which I will not touch with a 39 1/2 foot pole!). I feel the overuse is going to cause serious allergen problems for future generations (similar to peanut allergies) along with all the other health risks.

But yes, I'm going to bend the rule. I will eat organic tofu on occasion. I love tofu, it's been the toughest thing for me to give up, and now it will be a rare treat. I also make some exceptions for soy products in vegan breads/desserts. I rarely eat processed foods and feel better about soy than I do about animal products. I'll still opt to buy foods that are soy free and avoid it while out but unlike dairy it's something I'm comfortable making minor exceptions for. 

And now more adventures in food!

My boyfriend made crock pot chili with black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, garlic, onions, and spices. I mashed some red potatoes, topped them with flax seed oil, sea salt pepper, added some salad with Goddess dressing and sprinkled nutritional yeast over the whole things. Simple and yummy.

 I had an odd sweet tooth the other night and decided to satisfy it by making chocolate almond butter balls. I didn't take measurements, I'm big on tasting as I go. I mixed almond butter with some ground flax seed, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and a little bit of almond milk to get the consistency right. They were very rich but exactly what I was craving in the moment.

I've decided to attempt to have friends over for a bi-monthly vegan food and B horror movie night. Last night I made a green bean casserole using the same recipe I used for the macaroni and cheese cutting the pasta with steamed green beans. I made garlic bread by spreading crushed garlic and olive oil over Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza crust. The taste was good but it ended up crunchier than I would have preferred.

I had also planned on making vegetable soup, but it was much too hot so I steamed the soup intended vegetables in some lemon juice and water, chilled them, and added them to a green salad.

For dessert I made apple crisp with a vanilla cream sauce.

Apple Crisp

4 Large Apples

approx. 4 Tbsp lemon juice (or juice from one lemon)

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup raw pecans

1/4 cup almond meal

1/8 tsp sea salt

4 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp agave nectar

This only makes about five small servings, I would recommend doubling the recipe if intended for a crowd. I peeled the apples and cut them into bite sized slices. I mixed in the lemon juice, maple syrup, and 2 tbsp cinnamon. In a food processor I blended the oat bran, pecans, almond meal, salt, and 2 tbsp of cinnamon until only a few large pieces of pecans remained, mixed in the agave by hand and even distribute the crumbly mixture over the apples. I put the pan in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, good served hot or chilled!

Vanilla Cream

2/3 cup raw cashews

1 can coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup agave nectar

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. This is in no way ends up being solid, but more of a thick sauce.

The more I explore with new foods, the more I realize how important simplicity and ease are to me. 

Conquering Cashew Cheese

I started my day by reading 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' to the baby I take care of which ended up being rather appropriate as it turned into one of those days. The kitchen sink clogged and filled up with dirty water. Our landlord took care of it right away so the sink is functional but after the water drained the sink was lined with a smelly greasy film and the plumber left muddy footprints all over the floor. My dog is being a monster.

Monster.

The baby I take care cried for over an hour, she's usually so nice and lovely! She just had a really cranky day. I spilled a can of tomato sauce all over carpeted floor! During my first attempt at making cashew cheese, my food processor sprayed hemp milk all over my kitchen (right after cleaning out the sink, counters, and floor), and now I am cranky...I'm going to look back at the yummy food I've had today to make myself feel better.

Leftover Vegan Wrap from Swingers made with hummus, lettuce, and tomato served with tahini sauce and sauteed quinoa on the side. 

I've been dying to make cashew cheese but haven't had time this week until today. My recipe was inspired by the Real Food Daily cookbook's baked spelt macaroni with cashew cheddar cheese recipe posted by Heidi Swanson  at www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000685.html. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand so I improvised a bit. Also, my measurements are a little rough as I added more of everything at the end to make more. As with all recipes, organic ingredients are best!

Cashew Cheese Sauce

3/4 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup unsweetened hemp milk (or more if it ends up being too thick to pour)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2-1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp crushed garlic (or more if you're a garlic freak like me)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

I put all the ingredients into the magic bullet (after my food processor failed me) and blended until smooth. I wish I had some lemons on hand, because I feel that some lemon juice would have off set the heaviness of this sauce. It turned out rich, creamy, and flavorful. I was so excited it worked despite having never made this previously and missing more than a few ingredients. I cooked some whole wheat noodles and mixed them with sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini. I put the noodles and veggies in a pan, poured the sauce over it evenly then topped the whole thing with bread crumbs (made by blending half a whole wheat pita), salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and voila!

It was so yummy, even to my non vegan boyfriend and friends!

And my dog has decided to be quiet and sweet for the remainder of the evening.

Getting Ready for School

My boyfriend and I are both planning on returning to school in the fall, he'll be working on a masters while I continue to chip away at my bachelor's. We're trying to get organized now so everything doesn't fall apart when we no longer have the luxury of free time. I'm also trying out some simple recipes so I have plenty of go to meals and snacks.

We spent the weekend cleaning out our closet, buying and building new furniture (surviving two trips to Ikea), rearranging books and cds in the living room, and setting up two desks (his and hers). We rewarded ourselves with Trader Joe's snacks we usually try to stay away from. He got a frozen Philly cheesesteak pizza, and I got the mildly spiced vegetable burritos despite the white flour tortilla and Trader Joe's vegan chocolate chip cookies despite the soy letchin and sugar. I felt the need to indulge after a long day...

We purchased a new Ikea shelf to house my art/craft stuff as well as all the things I don't want to get rid of but don't know what to do with. Organization is not one of my strong points, I love that I can dump random things into the baskets and it will still look relatively neat!

I bought some jars from Ikea for my bulk foods...but I think I'm going to need a few more.

The flowers I will have to continue to replace but I love having plants around so it's well worth it.

I made some banana muffins on Sunday morning, they turned out moist, light, and very sweet. They're much tastier than they look, the maple syrup gave them kind of a buttery flavor. The maple syrup is still extremely sugary but I feel better about using it than other sweeteners because of the vitamins, minerals, and omegas. I used oat flour and almond meal but any flour would work for this recipe. If the mix ends up being too wet, add more flour. If it is too dry, add some milk of your choice. You may also add some ground flax seed for added nutrition!

Vegan Banana Muffins

1 cup oat flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup (depending on how sweet you'd like them to be)

1/3 cup apple sauce

3 bananas, the riper the better!

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients (mashing the bananas before stirring them in) separately before mixing everything together adding the nuts last. Pour into a muffin tin lined with paper muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. You could also make banana bread if you decide to use a bread pan instead. If you opt not to use the paper muffin cups I recommend lightly greasing each cup/pan with vegetable/canola/olive oil. This recipe should make 9-12 muffins.

Inspired by Luna & Larry's Bliss, I dug out our popsicle molds and fashioned myself some vegan fudge-sicles. They were extremely simple to make and delicious!

Vegan Fudge-sicles

1 can coconut milk

1 1/2 cups almond/soy/rice milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 cup agave syrup

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

I mixed all the whisked the ingredients together until the cocoa powder was no longer lumpy. I tasted the mixture to make sure it had the right amount of chocolate and sweet flavor, add more cocoa or agave if either is lacking! I poured the mixture into the moulds, froze, and enjoyed! They would turn out even creamier if one opted to use only coconut milk instead of cutting it with another milk of your choice. It would tack on more fat and calories but my they would be tasty!

A toasted sprouted wheat bagel (here's where my honey exception comes in) with almond butter and bananas make a perfect breakfast!

I had friends over for vegan pizza night, such an easy and yummy meal.  I sauteed garlic, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli in a pan then covered Trader Joe's pre-made whole wheat pizza dough with their traditional marinara sauce (one of the few they carry that doesn't contain milk), the sauteed veggies, and some sliced tomato. 20 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees and it's ready! I served it with fresh avocado, nutritional yeast, and a salad on the side.

More recipes to come :)

Nearly a month as a vegan

I started cutting out dairy the month of June 7 and, beyond a three day weekend in Las Vegas, have been able to comfortably stick to a dairy free, soy free, meat free, low sugar diet. I was a vegetarian for most of 2008 but all my good eating habits were destroyed during the holidays. 

I couldn't resist my brother's Thanksgiving stuffing and potatoes, caved for mother's meat pies and shrimp quiche for Christmas Eve, devoured plenty of Chanukah goodies at my boyfriend's parents' home and celebrated five birthdays (including my own) as well as my boyfriend's and my anniversary  all between December 1 and December 31. It's a lot of cake, cookies, wine, and rich food to pack into a month, especially for me as my previous diet included mostly light and healthy meals.

By January I was officially off the wagon and had no hope of getting back on. Once I get into a pattern of eating high levels of simple carbs and sugar, I crave it constantly and crash when I don't have it, then eventually crash when I finally get to the point where I'm eating more than I can handle or what I think of as a sugar overdose. Me crashing: I'll sleep for 12-16 hours, wake up feeling like I haven't slept in days, I'll get headaches and jittery (with drawl symptoms) drink a bunch of water and feel crappy for the next few days coming down but will retain the good sense to eat vegetables and protein. Until I fall off again....

The holidays keep coming! More birthdays, an Easter lunch who's highlights including cream peas (using peas I helped pick and pod that morning) with freshly baked white bread and honey baked ham. Passover cakes, bakes, and cookies made from oh so heavy Matzo meal. Add in a few more birthdays, some graduations....

Goodness. I felt tired, bloated, crappy, (did I mention tired), and generally...ill most of the time. I tried cutting out carbs and sugar but my cravings were stronger than I. In May I went on the Master Cleanse or The Lemonade Diet. It's suggested to do it for a minimum of 10 days. The first five days I felt wonderful, better than I had in months. On day 6 I felt really hungry, light headed and sick. I decided to quit and start eating again. Apparently five days was enough for me as all my addictions started to subside, I craved vegetables and legumes and had an easier time listening to my body. I noticed that dairy makes me feel sick and (except for a brief flirtation with chicken cob salads) did not enjoy eating meat and fish. 

My 'only eating what my body wants' diet included mostly fresh veggies, oatmeal, brown rice, stir fry, beans, lentils, nuts and GARLIC. My good friend Chrissie introduced me to Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss 'ice cream'. Oh my but it is wonderful! Each flavor only has between 4 and 8 organic ingredients. Larry & Luna use agave instead of sugar so my insulin levels don't spike but I don't lose any flavor. The texture is creamy and perfect, each flavor divine. My current favorite is chocolate hazelnut fudge, mmmmm! So far Bliss has curbed any need for sweets on my end without making me crave more. If I'm in the mood for some extra chocolate I'll mix some cocoa power, agave syrup, and a tiny bit of vanilla extract together to create a chocolate syrup topping for a mini sunday or banana split :)

Here's some cherry amaretto Bliss with banana, almond butter, and agave chocolate syrup

Coconut products have made cutting out soy so much less painful (I miss soy much more than I miss dairy). Coconut products are rich and creamy but also loaded with saturated fat and calories. I eat it in moderation, but I'm also pairing my coconut intake with a high fiber, high veggie diet that includes no animal fats. If I wanted to lose weight I would reduce or cut out  my coconut but right now I'm loving it along with the rest of my vegan goodies!

I've lost almost 10 lbs. in the past 6 weeks even though I feel like I've been eating much more than I used to and no longer pay attention to my fat and carb intake. I also don't get sugar cravings, stomach aches/cramps, bloating, and fatigue. I'm loving my new lifestyle and experimenting with different recipes and ingredients.