Vegan/Vegetarian Thread (discussion, recipes, laughs)

[Greco]

bumpity, bump...

angel hair pasta

peanut sauce with spinach and
crushed peanuts.

simple...delicious.

Greco

[kittygrrl]

made a smoothie bowl- the base was made of frozen bananas, almond milk, vanilla- topped with sliced almonds, berries, granola, sprinkled with hemp seed...amazing..listening to:

[kittygrrl]

Take a small mason jar and put in the bottom a layer of hummus or almond butter-cut veggie sticks (for hummus) and put ends into hummus in jar, cover w/lid..or...cut fruit sticks (for almond butter) and put ends into almond butter, cover w/lid-super quick, super portable, super good for you

note: this is not my idea but I use it! It helps when me are on the go or just nice to grab when i need something quick to snack on while watching my favorite rerun-

[kittygrrl]

Base-2 frozen bananas, 1 Tbsp almond butter, 2 dates, homemade almond milk, 2 tsps. maple syrup, cinnamon, pinch of fresh nutmeg- Top w/Vegan chocolate chips, blueberries, sliced strawberries, sliced almonds, sprinkle chia seeds-Fab guys

[kittygrrl]

Choc Bliss Balls...who knew these were so amazing?!? Happy Friday!

[tantalizingfemme]

Awesome site!

http://minimalistbaker.com/

[tantalizingfemme]

Making this when I get home from the march on Saturday. The smell of the house with all of this roasting is amazing. I double the amount of rosemary because I absolutely love the flavor. (Plus, it smells so good I would roll in a vat of it if I could)

http://www.veganosity.com/creamy-roa...n-gluten-free/

Edited to add: I make garlic croutons and keep them sealed in the cupboard. They are a perfect accompaniment to the soup.

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

Making this when I get home from the march on Saturday. The smell of the house with all of this roasting is amazing. I double the amount of rosemary because I absolutely love the flavor. (Plus, it smells so good I would roll in a vat of it if I could)

http://www.veganosity.com/creamy-roa...n-gluten-free/

Edited to add: I make garlic croutons and keep them sealed in the cupboard. They are a perfect accompaniment to the soup.

I have a giant bag of carrots. I think that this soup will be perfect to utilize them.

Thanks!

[SmoothButch]

Four years later and still going strong!

Originally Posted by SmoothButch

Tomorrow I will be starting my fifth meat-free day. I am trying to reduce as much meat consumption as I can with the hopes of becoming vegetarian.

I am a huge animal rights believer and I really do not agree with needing animals dead to survive. I am tired of being a part of that way of living. I am against hunting of any sort, for food and especially hunting for fun as a sport.

Anyways, I am taking it one day at a time. I quit smoking almost seven years ago and I quit drinking soda two or three years ago. So I know I have the will power stored to break an addiction.

I am also excited about the benefits of being healthier by giving up meat.

Wish me luck along my new journey!

[tantalizingfemme]

Veganized this recipe. Soy bacon instead of ham and soy cheddar cheese and veg broth.The bacon gave it a smoky flavor. It turned out so good.

http://www.countryliving.com/food-dr...isotto-recipe/

[tantalizingfemme]

Made this for the first time. It's a keeper!

http://www.veganricha.com/2016/11/ch...mmus-bowl.html

[Greco]

I'm amazed that it's been 7years since my commitment to vegetarian, then vegan life...thank you Kätzchen it was your rep that brought me to that time 5/2011 when I made one of the most important decisions of my life and to nycfemmbbw's story of her transition...All the Best to you both!

Originally Posted by Greco

nycfembbw,

I realize this is an early post of yours but it was spot-on for me. Recently, about a month ago I viewed the youtube video "Earthlings" and well, that did it for me. No judgment here for people eating meat, but for me put it all into a clear perspective. I feel that I want to live without participating in such cruelty to the animals.

I love eating meat, and cooking with butter etc. but I had no idea what really went on in factory farming. PETA turned me completely off to their message, but this video made it all too clear.

Anyway, so I am looking forward to learning how to cook, and eat a different way. Except for butter, I pretty much don't eat or drink dairy. Years ago a friend suggested I stop dairy so my asthma would improve. Well, I haven't had an asthma attack in years, and I attribute it to stopping the dairy, and I haven't missed it. Mozzarella cheese is the only cheese that my lungs can tolerate without a reaction. I breathe, run with clear lungs now.

Alright, so I'm off the soap box, thanks again all of you who share your recipes, and your ideas on how to thrive eating veggies.

Again no judgment on people who are not vegan/vegetarians. This is my journey. I want to continue keeping this site safe for all of us.

Greco

ps Linus just reminded me of the green veggie juices I've been enjoying. I have to say that my energy level
has increased incredibly which is why I was up all night last night. Ok, have to check that, but will continue
those green veggie juices, they're really delicious and I'm all for that.

"Originally Posted by nycfembbw View Post
Hi, Medusa,

I don't think is out of place at all. It's usually the opposite. People don't want to know why we are vegetarian (or vegan). A lot of people who simply see someone eating vegetarian or asking if something is vegetarian have to make an aggressive joke about it!

I became a vegetarian when I was a junior in high school. There was a group at my school that exposed me to the ugliness of factory farming. Most meat doesn't see a good life. Animals are kept in tiny cages. They are taken from their mothers at birth. Chickens beaks are burned off so they don't peck each other to death out of the craziness that comes from being locked up without light in tight quarters that are full of shit. The killing is factory style so sometimes animals don't get fully killed and have a particularly grueling death. Animals within factory farming are fattened up and given injections so they can be quickly big and then killed. The reality of animals' lives in MOST farming is just an ethical nightmare.

When I became vegetarian, it was very hard. I have always loved "meat." I would have a little here and there for several years after I became vegetarian just because I missed the tastes. Then at some point I stopped that. At some point the cravings diminished, and I had enough separation from the whole indoctrination of eating animals without thinking or caring about their lives that I just felt a little sick (morally) at the thought. I do still crave meat sometimes but much, much less than I did during those first few years. My policy is to not eat "anything with a face" (i.e. meat, chicken, and fish). When someone is cooking for me, that's how I put it to keep it simple! I am not vegan, though I believe in it. However, I try to have soy dairy products a good amount of time. I think of it as harm reduction. I find that it is hard enough to be vegetarian (eating out, etc.), so I just am not at a point where I'm willing to commit to being 100% vegan.

As far as health concerns, I have generally not had any health problems. I have a lot of energy and rarely have any stomach problems. I have had occasional low-level anemia, usually if I've been being a "junk food vegetarian," and have easily been able to address it with vitamins and more care and attention to eating (healthy protein). In my day to day life all I take is a multivitamin. Being a vegetarian will likely improve any cholesterol issues btw, because cholesterol comes from animal fat.

Some vegetarians don't like fake meat and really are into vegetables. BB jokes that I'm a vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables. That's a bit of an exaggeration but often I like to make a fakin' bacon cheeseburger or a notdog (teehee) using frozen/microwaved fake meat. Some fake meat is terrible but I've been able to find brands that even impress BB, who is not a vetetarian. I am also not someone who is an elegant cook and still do well with cooking vegetarian. And again, even though BB is not vegetarian, hy eats my veggie cooking happily enough every night! I make simple things like whole grain spaghetti and defrosted wheatballs or stir-fries with seitan and veggies. There are a lot of delicious proteins available to vegetarians.

In converting to vegetarianism, I would recommend maybe going to a health food store and stocking your fridge with yummy veg things so that your cravings can be satisfied. These days there are barbecued drumsticks and basically every meaty thing in a veg form. This is not to say that you need to shop at a health food store. Regular grocery stores are where I do most of my shopping. I would suggest just going for it. There are so many nay-sayers when it comes to becoming a vegetarian and it's also scary for oneself. However, I think you'll quickly find that it is satisfying and easier than you think. I can't think of any food that I have not found a decent veg version of. Don't be hard on yourself if you have a slip. Like I said, that happened to me over a few years. It's all about harm reduction, though, and not a diet or a competition.

Feel free to check in on the thread anytime. It's great to have someone interested and caring about the animals. There's a saying, ""If slaughterhouses had windows, everyone would be a vegetarian." I think that this sums it up. Over the years I have read and watched movies and feel more and more happy with my decision not to partake in eating animals that have lived a terrible life with drawn out cruelty. But be prepared; most people don't want to look at what they are doing when they choose to eat meat in our society. In order to keep themselves from thinking, they need to strike out at vegetarians with the same old jokes and faulty logic that doesn't take into account the simple truth of what you described with that calf."

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Question for all:

What do you like to add to your food to increase the nutritional value?

On a daily basis I add nutritional yeast to a lot of things as well as ground flax seed. Those are my two main stapes but I'd like to add more.

I like to cook up an batch of Quinoa, or Pearled Barley, and keep it in the fridge, to use over several days. Sometimes I sprinkle two tablespoons of Quinoa or Pearled Barley over my Romaine salad, to boost the protein content.

I also use walnuts, roasted organic soy nuts, pine nuts, and all kinds of seeds -- like Chia seeds, Sesame seeds, Flax seeds, or cashews or peanuts.


I make my own salad dressings too, which the prime base of any dressing I make is made with organic tofu. This way, my salad dressing is protein rich too and it is filling. Too, I also use Flax seed powder as an binding agent, which also helps curb my appetite.



I love to sautee Tempeh. I break up an bar of Tempeh and sautee it in EVOO and sprinkle a bit of turmeric powder spice on it, which is an warm flavoring agent, as well as tasty.


Oh, back to Pearled Barley. This whole grain, on it's own, is basically not too flavorful. I sometimes take half of an batch of cooked Pearled Barley and make an summer salad out of it. Here's how I do that:


Save back half of an freshly cooked batch of Pearled Barley and set aside in an fairly large serving bowl. Add about an 1/2 cup of EVOO to the Pearled Barley. Set aside, while you prep other items which go into this Pearled Barley salad. 1) slice up an cup of black olives (or buy them pre-sliced, use one small 4 oz can). 2) cut up an bouquet of fresh Basil leaves. 3) Dice up an small Red sweet onion (about 1 cup). 4) slice up some sunburst, orange colored cherry type tomatoes (they're sweet and low acid content). 5) chop up about an cup of walnuts, finely. Take all the side ingredients and fold it into the EVOO'd Pearled Barley and stir well. Lastly, use a bit of sea salt, about 1/2 teaspoon of Cardamom, a pinch of Nutmeg, a pinch of Cinnamon, and about an teaspoon of Tumeric powder. Re-fold the Pearled Barley salad again, to make sure all the seasoning's are blended well, into the salad. I sometimes add a few roasted cloves of garlic, but not everyone likes garlic. I think it adds toward to flavor of the whole salad. So people can use roasted cloves of garlic or not, according to how their taste preferences. Also, you can used roasted Edamae too, as part of this summer salad. Avocado would compliment well, too.

Refrigerate for about three hours (or so), before you serve this salad.

I like it warm (from being freshly made) or chilled. It's got an Mediterranean flavor of it's own and is very filling and tasty. It's high in protein too.

Here's what it looks like, in case some of you have not used Pearled Barley for an summer-type alternative salad idea.

Enjoy!

[nycfem]

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

[homoe]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

It sounds good! If the noodles are gone then I just re-heat the veggies (maybe adding some snow pea pods) and serve it on a bed of rice.......

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

gasoline ... and a match.

[kittygrrl]

roasted potato, garlic and a little magick

[Gemme]

Not sure where you are on the carb spectrum but I'm with homoe. I love a good Jasmine rice with sautéed veggies. Also, maybe shredded cheese (or substitute) on top of the veggies on top of the rice. If you like a bit of heat, maybe add some roasted poblanos?

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

I one time took left over veggies from an meal and blended them up in an DIY recipe for making cat treats (Petunia loved the ones I made for her).

LINK: 5 Easy DIY Cat Treat Recipes


Sometimes, if I have too much left over veggies, whether it's from an single meal or just veggies in the crisper drawer of the fridge that need to be used up soon, I'll save them back and use them in an soup.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

I one time took left over veggies from an meal and blended them up in an DIY recipe for making cat treats (Petunia loved the ones I made for her).

LINK: 5 Easy DIY Cat Treat Recipes


Sometimes, if I have too much left over veggies, whether it's from an single meal or just veggies in the crisper drawer of the fridge that need to be used up soon, I'll save them back and use them in an soup.

What a cool idea! Before doing so, make sure there's nothing poisonous in the batches. Some fruits and veggies can make pets sick or even kill them, like onions.