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Post by birukitty on Apr 19, 2016 21:49:06 GMT
Hello Vegan Peas! I'm so sorry I didn't start this thread yesterday, on Monday, like I was supposed to. I was computer less yesterday as my worthless piece of crap desk top computer's hard drive was completely on it's last legs, and pulled out by DH and replaced by an new hard drive that I couldn't get to work to get on here, or anywhere else online for that matter. DH works in IT as a programmer and likes to put computers together from spare parts for us to use at home. Me? I'm computer challenged. I just want a computer that works. DH insists we use Linix because it doesn't get viruses. Linix is not user friendly and isn't meant for lay people to use. Ugh! Anyway, let's get to the thread, shall we?
How's vegan life treating you all this week? I'm doing just fine coasting along eating my whole foods, plant based diet. I've been researching cookware because I want to find a brand where I don't have to add any oil at all. I have a pretty good set of stainless steel I bought years ago (Wolfgang Puck) that I've been really happy with. I got it on QVC and I really like it-it's got heavy glass lids, and a nice assortment of pots, skillets and saute pans-even a steamer basket in a stock pot, but because it is stainless steel I do have to add a little olive oil every time I cook. And I want to stop doing that.
I've been looking at a set of Calphalon Elite Nonstick cookware over at Williams-Sonoma. It's got excellent reviews. The way I view cookware is I'd rather buy excellent quality once and use it for several years. I spent a lot of time researching and looked at lot of different styles. Have any of you ever used this cookware? I thought I'd order a small order like two skillets first and see how well I like those, rather than ordering an entire set first.
I've been meaning to do this since the beginning of going vegan and I've been putting it off for two years now. It's time to bite the bullet and invest in better cookware.
So what have you all been up to?
Debbie in MD.
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078 
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Post by happymomma on Apr 23, 2016 20:59:15 GMT
Late to the party here. I haven't been to this site much lately.
Not much new with me vegan-wise.
I had a craving for sweets for over a month, and I finally broke down and made a cake the other day.
I used a cake mix that was already vegan, and didn't add anything to the mix except a can of mandarin oranges and some crushed pineapple. It was amazingly yummy and Lee and I had it polished off in a few days, mainly me!
I'm still hooked on my homemade pizzas and make them at least once a week for supper and some weeks more often.
Lee loves them too as pizza is his favorite food. I just make his with the stuff he likes on it (ham, pepperoni, onions, mushrooms and real cheese) and make mine with tons of veggies, garbanzo beans, or whatever I have around. I use the Dayia mozzarella shreds and I really like that brand. I make them on flatbread or pita bread so they're personal sized.
I've also been making my 'egg salad' stuff, using garbanzos instead of eggs. Love.
We went out of town last week to a town about 2.5 hours away and I found there a co-op market that is all health foods. TONS of good stuff there. They also had a cafeteria inside and I got the best veggie burger ever. It was made of adzuki beans. I'm going to have to find a recipe for them!
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Post by birukitty on Apr 23, 2016 22:35:47 GMT
Why have you been avoiding sweets HappyMomma? Even the Forks over Knives Cookbook has desert recipes in it. Was it because of the bloodwork you were working towards?
I got on the scale today and it said 123 and I'm not even trying. Yes! I punched the air really hard. That's what I love about this whole foods, plant based eating style. I remember back when I thought 125 was unreachable, and this weight just seems to melt off.
I have been snacking a ton lately on pre prepared sliced carrots and celery sticks that I've been buying at Whole Foods that are organic and very reasonable. For years and years I wouldn't buy them thinking I can make them cheaper at home, and you know what? I never would take them time to make them at home in the evenings because by then I was tired. And that's when that craving for snacking on something crunchy hits-when I'm watching TV in the evening after dinner. So I started buying those packs and with them found some hummus that doesn't have any oil as an ingredient and also comes in lots of flavors. My current favorite is roasted red pepper. YUM!!! It is so hard to find hummus that doesn't include oil as an ingredient, and I still haven't mastered making my own at home. Luckily at WF (Whole Foods) there are two versions to choose from.
Glad you found a great place to shop at when you went out of town. DH and I are going on a road trip from here to Columbus, Ohio the weekend of May 7 and 8th (7 hours each way) to pick up our new fur baby, a Traditional Siamese kitten. I'm beyond excited! Biru passes away in December of 2014 and it's been a very cold, lonely house without any cats since then. His brother cat, James who was 18 passed away that October. Biru was 17. Anyway, I'm going to try that app-Happy Cow-to map out some vegan eating places along the way and hopefully we'll find something when we're there. We'll have our car to get around so it'll be easier than it was like when I was in Boston.
Take care and I bet that cake you made was delicious!
Debbie in MD.
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
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Post by happymomma on Apr 24, 2016 1:01:02 GMT
First of all...I'm SO happy for you about your new kitty! You'll have to let us know what you name it and of course provide pictures.
Well, I haven't really been trying not to eat sweets but I just try to make my food choices be more healthy. And truthfully I've been too lazy to find, shop for and make a dessert, lol. I'm also terrible in the fact that once I make something I can't leave it alone! I'll pick and pick at it till its gone.
The cake was delicious though it seemed extremely sweet, likely because I haven't been eating sweets much. I've had a few cookies here and there but stay away for the most part. I'm sure that's also helped my triglyceride level, which went down along with my other lipids. Yay!
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Post by candygurl on Apr 24, 2016 4:05:53 GMT
In doing well! I made some pad Thai and made a big batch and was thankful for the leftovers when I came home today and was starving!
I'm thinking about getting a vitamix but don't know which one. Need to research it. I make nice cream at least 3x per week and practically everyday during the summer. My parents are going to help with the cost for my birthday so that's good, still pricey but I'm willing to invest in a product that will help me continue with this lifestyle.
Also, found that watching youtubers help keep me on track lol! There are so many vegan ones it's easy to find. Gives me new ideas for my meals and I do enjoy watching them.
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Post by pelirroja on Apr 24, 2016 11:02:19 GMT
I had the Calphalon Unison skillets from Williams-Sonoma: they were excellent (at first) but scratched up almost as easily as cheapo-stinko skillets did (Unison's coating was a little thicker but still scratched even with using bamboo wood tools). Scratched non-stick surfaces shouldn't be used due to potential health issues, and at $100 a skillet, it gets pricey to replace them when they (inevitably) get scratched. I really think you should stick with your stainless even if it means you have to use a tiny bit of oil. Autopsied Alzheimer's patients have very high levels of aluminum in their brains and when a family member of ours was diagnosed years ago, the doc told us to only use stainless and cast iron cookware. (My MIL had cabinets full of Calphalon, Anolon, and Circulon hard-anodized aluminum pans). If the metal is going to leach into your food (and it does in any pan), having a little extra iron doesn't hurt but extra aluminum should be avoided if at all possible. I think a little bit of oil is a better choice than cooking atop layers of Dupont's chemicals, but that's just my opinion. (OK, I'm stepping down from my soapbox now, I promise  ) Congratulations on your new furbaby. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pictures of the new addition to your family. What point will your Siamese be? (We had a chocolate point Himalayan: I loved that gentle giant). |
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Post by dazeepetals on Apr 24, 2016 14:02:22 GMT
Hey fellow high carbers!! Doesn't it feel good to eat carbs and be healthy and losing weight?
This week I was very good. Made a huge batch of red lentil chili which I took for lunch 4 out of 5 days this week. Put a cup or so over a few small yellow potatoes. This satisfied me all afternoon, which is my hardest time to not indulge in bad snacks, until dinner. I've also tried to get in at least 1 lbs of veggies in each day. The other major thing I did this week was give up caffeine entirely. I had a few days with some small headaches, but now....I feel GREAT!! And to top it off, with being better about my foods, I've lost 3 lbs this week!! Just seeing that scale move again inspires me to keep going and being as close to 100% compliant (i.e. NO oils, nuts, flours, etc).
Glad everyone is doing great!
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Post by birukitty on Apr 25, 2016 3:16:42 GMT
I had the Calphalon Unison skillets from Williams-Sonoma: they were excellent (at first) but scratched up almost as easily as cheapo-stinko skillets did (Unison's coating was a little thicker but still scratched even with using bamboo wood tools). Scratched non-stick surfaces shouldn't be used due to potential health issues, and at $100 a skillet, it gets pricey to replace them when they (inevitably) get scratched. I really think you should stick with your stainless even if it means you have to use a tiny bit of oil. Autopsied Alzheimer's patients have very high levels of aluminum in their brains and when a family member of ours was diagnosed years ago, the doc told us to only use stainless and cast iron cookware. (My MIL had cabinets full of Calphalon, Anolon, and Circulon hard-anodized aluminum pans). If the metal is going to leach into your food (and it does in any pan), having a little extra iron doesn't hurt but extra aluminum should be avoided if at all possible. I think a little bit of oil is a better choice than cooking atop layers of Dupont's chemicals, but that's just my opinion. (OK, I'm stepping down from my soapbox now, I promise ) Congratulations on your new furbaby. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pictures of the new addition to your family. What point will your Siamese be? (We had a chocolate point Himalayan: I loved that gentle giant). Pelirroja I really appreciate this info very much because both of DH's parents had Alzheimer's. His mother had early onset. He is very concerned about the aluminum content of pans but I thought that was a problem with pans in the past, not currently. I'm really glad you posted this. I think you are right. Sticking with my stainless steel set makes more sense even though I'll have to keep cooking with the oil. I can try to use less of it and really watch how much I use and see if that helps. Debbie in MD. |
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Post by birukitty on Apr 25, 2016 3:22:39 GMT
Thanks HappyMomma and Pelirroja for your well wishes on my new kitten. He is a seal point Traditional Siamese kitten. Traditional Siamese are the ones that are sometimes called "apple headed" Siamese. They look like the older style of Siamese cats there were first brought to this country from Siam. Their bodies aren't as lean as the newer style of Siamese cats that you see at cat shows or in cat breed books with their wedge shaped faces. I prefer this style of Siamese cats and there is something called the Traditional Cat Association that has breeds of a lot of the older breeds of cats.
Anyway, because they aren't as popular they are harder to find, so that's why we have to travel from Maryland to Ohio to get our new kitten. I so excited!!! I do have a photo from the breeder, but I don't know how to post photos on here. If someone can explain it to me I'll try to do it. Although tomorrow we start a new weekly vegan thread. I'll probably just post it to the main board.
Debbie in MD.
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Rainbow
Pearl Clutcher
Where salt is in the air and sand is at my feet...
Posts: 4,103
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Post by Rainbow on Apr 25, 2016 3:45:55 GMT
Hello Vegan Peas! I'm so sorry I didn't start this thread yesterday, on Monday, like I was supposed to. I was computer less yesterday as my worthless piece of crap desk top computer's hard drive was completely on it's last legs, and pulled out by DH and replaced by an new hard drive that I couldn't get to work to get on here, or anywhere else online for that matter. DH works in IT as a programmer and likes to put computers together from spare parts for us to use at home. Me? I'm computer challenged. I just want a computer that works. DH insists we use Linix because it doesn't get viruses. Linix is not user friendly and isn't meant for lay people to use. Ugh! Anyway, let's get to the thread, shall we? How's vegan life treating you all this week? I'm doing just fine coasting along eating my whole foods, plant based diet. I've been researching cookware because I want to find a brand where I don't have to add any oil at all. I have a pretty good set of stainless steel I bought years ago (Wolfgang Puck) that I've been really happy with. I got it on QVC and I really like it-it's got heavy glass lids, and a nice assortment of pots, skillets and saute pans-even a steamer basket in a stock pot, but because it is stainless steel I do have to add a little olive oil every time I cook. And I want to stop doing that. I've been looking at a set of Calphalon Elite Nonstick cookware over at Williams-Sonoma. It's got excellent reviews. The way I view cookware is I'd rather buy excellent quality once and use it for several years. I spent a lot of time researching and looked at lot of different styles. Have any of you ever used this cookware? I thought I'd order a small order like two skillets first and see how well I like those, rather than ordering an entire set first. I've been meaning to do this since the beginning of going vegan and I've been putting it off for two years now. It's time to bite the bullet and invest in better cookware. So what have you all been up to? Debbie in MD. |
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Rainbow
Pearl Clutcher
Where salt is in the air and sand is at my feet...
Posts: 4,103
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Post by Rainbow on Apr 25, 2016 3:49:49 GMT
Late to the party here. I haven't been to this site much lately. Not much new with me vegan-wise. I had a craving for sweets for over a month, and I finally broke down and made a cake the other day. I used a cake mix that was already vegan, and didn't add anything to the mix except a can of mandarin oranges and some crushed pineapple. It was amazingly yummy and Lee and I had it polished off in a few days, mainly me! I'm still hooked on my homemade pizzas and make them at least once a week for supper and some weeks more often. Lee loves them too as pizza is his favorite food. I just make his with the stuff he likes on it (ham, pepperoni, onions, mushrooms and real cheese) and make mine with tons of veggies, garbanzo beans, or whatever I have around. I use the Dayia mozzarella shreds and I really like that brand. I make them on flatbread or pita bread so they're personal sized. I've also been making my 'egg salad' stuff, using garbanzos instead of eggs. Love. We went out of town last week to a town about 2.5 hours away and I found there a co-op market that is all health foods. TONS of good stuff there. They also had a cafeteria inside and I got the best veggie burger ever. It was made of adzuki beans. I'm going to have to find a recipe for them! 
My weaknesses are pizza and pasta! I could eat it every day! Along with my veggies of course! |
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Rainbow
Pearl Clutcher
Where salt is in the air and sand is at my feet...
Posts: 4,103
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Post by Rainbow on Apr 25, 2016 3:53:00 GMT
In doing well! I made some pad Thai and made a big batch and was thankful for the leftovers when I came home today and was starving! I'm thinking about getting a vitamix but don't know which one. Need to research it. I make nice cream at least 3x per week and practically everyday during the summer. My parents are going to help with the cost for my birthday so that's good, still pricey but I'm willing to invest in a product that will help me continue with this lifestyle. Also, found that watching youtubers help keep me on track lol! There are so many vegan ones it's easy to find. Gives me new ideas for my meals and I do enjoy watching them. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Apr 25, 2016 4:58:42 GMT
Hi Vegan Peas! I am going to make my family some more Japanese food that you can enjoy at home, too. This is another soy kind of meal. www.japanesecooking101.com/mizutaki-recipe/ is the recipe I based it on. What I do is take a sheet of kept (konbu) and boil it for about 5 minutes. The sheets of kelp are about 8x10 big. I use an electric frying pan of water for this so people can help themselves when taking the food out of the pot. You can also use a stoneware pot on a burner. Both work perfectly fine. Once the stock is made discard the kelp. Add a cubed block of medium tofu (or two if more people are eating), you can add other types of tofu, too, depending what you can find in your area. Sometimes it's deep fried tofu, or spongy, or dense deep fried (you will know at your supermarket what you can get), carrot slices, Chinese cabbage (hakusai) and (mushrooms). I love and I mean really love harusame (ha roo saw may) noodles. They are clear white noodles that you cook in the broth you made. They don't taste like much but the texture is very cool. There is another type of clear rice noodle you can get, too, but I can't remember the name of them. They are good, too, but thicker than harusame and have more bite to them. Texture texture texture. Boil the whole thing for 8-10 minutes and dip in ponzu sauce. I added the above recipe to show the dish. I gave the instructions how to make it as per my recipe for it If you want to add stuff to it have at it! This will show you what harusame look like lettucecook.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/harusmenoodles.jpgThis will show you the other noodles www.foodhoe.com/2008/01/cambodian-noodles-at-new-saigon/ |
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