|
|
Post by birukitty on May 30, 2016 23:20:39 GMT
Hello Vegan Peas! The weekly thread is back! I'm so sorry I dropped the ball and forgot to post for a few weeks. My new kitten has kept me super busy-I'd totally forgotten how completely they fill your lives. It was like having a "baby" in the house all over again-at least for a little while. He's all settled in now and if I can figure out how to post a photo I'll make an announcement on Main Thread.
So how is everyone doing? I've been reading more about dairy recently and have decided to switch over to almond milk creamer and give up my organic from pasture cows half and half. I've spent the last 6 months writing down and researching what almond milk creamers were available at Whole Foods and each one had some sort of additive that was a chemical I wasn't sure I wanted to ingest. So I figured it was healthier to stick with the half and half I was using. Turns out the more I read about dairy (and I already knew some of this) the worst that is for me, and of course the thought of the suffering the dairy cows have to go through to get the milk was never far from my mind. So during tomorrow's grocery shopping out with dairy creamer and in with almond milk creamer.
What has everyone else been up to? I keep reading conflicting reports about how many animals vegans save per year by not eating meat anymore. I think it would vary greatly depending on what you ate previously. The number seems to vary from 100 to 404. I did find this today about what happens per day if you are a vegan. Each day a vegan saves: 1,100 gallons of water, 20 lbs co2 equivalent, 300 square feet of forested land, 45 lbs of grain and 1 animal's life. That's pretty amazing when you think about it.
Oh, when I left this discussion I was talking about looking for non-stick pans. I did buy a skillet from Target that is a T-fal pan. Happymamma mentioned using these pans. Oh my gosh, I love it! I can cook in it with no oil at all! The handle is already starting to come loose, but I looked online at Amazon and they have a version where the handle is riveted on and the pans are made of stainless steel coated with the T-fal non-stick coating. I defiantly want these since they aren't an aluminum base. They are called the professional series. Sadly they don't have that many different pans, but I'm going to order what they have. It's such a relief to cook with no oil at all. I should have listened to HappyMamma months ago and tried this pan out.
Debbie in MD.
|
|
|
|
Post by tamaraann on May 31, 2016 3:16:13 GMT
Hi Ladies! Haven't been on in awhile. Life got super busy! Haven't been sticking to the FOK plan as much as I would like, but trying to get back on the wagon with it. Don't know if these have been mentioned in the weeks that I have been absent, but I just discovered these No-Oil Low Sodium salad dressings at Whole Foods, and wanted to share them! They are in the produce section in the chilled case of salad dressings. I've only tried the Fig Balsamic so far but it's wonderful! I also bought the plain Balsamic, Vegan Caesar and Pomegranate Vinaigrette to try. They are by Cindy's Kitchen, but the logo is really small. Here is a link. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see them! |
|
|
|
Post by lesserknownpea on May 31, 2016 8:35:10 GMT
Fig balsamic sounds great!!! Of course I generally make my own dressings, but I might try it then copy it.
I am feeling wonderful, and enjoying my food very much. I have to get more ground cumin, I've been going through it like crazy with my bean dishes.
Limes are so good with so many things! Oh, and I took a note from a recent salad thread and cut up watermelon and added fresh basil and mint from our garden. Loved it.
My doctor is beyond happy with my switch.
Tonight I sautéed ( in water ) onions, mushrooms, red pepper, and tomato, added basil and oregano and fresh garlic, and served over gf spaghetti. So good. I used to get a horrible stomach after eating spaghetti, although it is my favorite food. Now I can it it without suffering.
My DD who is two years vegan just cycled from Portland to Astoria, over 125 miles, with a hefty grade. She is so proud of herself. She's taken up running too and is started talking marathon training.
I've been doing the almond milk in my coffee, too, Birukitty. It was super hard to give up the cream, especially since I make amazing freshly ground French press coffee. But I've adjusted, and it's worth it.
Thx for the stats on vegan "savings".
|
|
|
|
Post by pelirroja on May 31, 2016 10:42:05 GMT
Cashew milk is pretty good when used as a creamer. It's very thick so the consistency is close to cream. It's in Whole Foods in the tetra packed milk section: they've got tons of flavors and various nut milks to choose from. I've recently seen a coconut milk creamer in the tetras. I hope you find something you like. Now, about that new BabyBiru: this thread is useless without pictures  We would love to see your new little one when you get the chance (after pulling him off your curtains, of course!). |
|
|
|
Post by birukitty on Jun 2, 2016 2:40:12 GMT
Pelirroja-Thanks so much for your suggestion about cashew milk for coffee creamer. Yesterday I did my grocery shopping at Whole Foods and the only almond milk creamer left was made by this company-Califia. I really don't like their products because they have the most added ingredients listed including sugar and salt (why add both?). Their product I looked at yesterday since they were out of the unflavored almond milk was called Original Better Half Creamer. Here are the ingredients-almonds milk, coconut cream, pure cane sugar (alright so far) natural flavors (never a good sign), calcium carbonate, sunflower lecithin, sea salt, potassium citrate, locast bean gum, and gellan gum. That's a ton and a lot of worrisome sounding ones too. Which has always been my problem in the past. I knew dairy wasn't good for me, but neither were some of those processed ingredients. So week after week it was-which one is worst for me? So I looked for the cashew milk and they had a great looking one in the refrigerated section that was organic to boot. Here's the name of that one-Forager Creamy Cashew Milk Original. It's cold processed which means it's minimally processed so it has to stay cold to say fresh. The ingredients are-cashew milk (filtered water, cashews), dates, cassava root and sea salt. There is also an unsweetened version, but I decided to start with this one. I tried it this morning and it was delicious! I couldn't really taste the difference between this and my organic half and half other than I needed a lot more of it in my coffee cup, but that's okay because I feel no guilt drinking it-putting it in my body or hurting the now non exist cows. Hoo-ray! Success, and I never would have discovered it without your suggestion so thanks so much Pelirroja! So thanks so much for the suggestion. It worked and I'm thrilled to have found a non-diary product that not only tastes great but doesn't have a ton of preservatives in it. or unhealthy ingredients in it. Loved your message about Babybiru  We've named him Jesse (we think) still discussing this-DS wants to name him Jesse after the character from "Breaking Bad" and because he races around the house like he's an athlete so it's also after Jesse Owens. Before Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the Olympics in 1936 he broke 5 world records at Ohio State University in track and tied a 6th in 1935 in under 45 minutes. This kitten was born in Ohio so it fits. Anyway, I have a very hard time posting photos but I'm going to try my best this weekend. We've tried every name we could think of for 3 weeks and this one seems to be the only one that sticks. I wanted to name him Jamie after the lead character in "Outlander" but DS's last cat who we lost in October of 2014 was named James and he said it's just too close. I can see his point. LesseknownPea-I tried to find those salad dressings while at Whole Foods yesterday and my store isn't stocking them. We have a company that's local called Tessemae's that makes salad dressings that have flooded the shelves in that area for the past two years. I think I'm going to write them an email (they just started selling at Whole Foods two years ago) and ask them about making some oil free versions. It never hurts to ask, right? They are a small company. I've talked to their owner a few times when they were just starting out and doing recipe samples in the store and only had 5 different versions. Now they have about 15 and 5 different marinades too. I'm so happy with your ongoing success and your food ideas sound wonderful. Now is when all of the produce starts coming in fresh and in season. I bought cherries yesterday-they are my favorite and it was so delicious munching on them last night during TV time. Debbie in MD. |
|
Rainbow
Pearl Clutcher
Where salt is in the air and sand is at my feet...
Posts: 4,103 
|
Post by Rainbow on Jun 6, 2016 15:42:00 GMT
I was wondering what your favorite cookbooks are. I was looking at forks over knives and the reviews say the food is really bad and there are multiple errors leaving out ingredients, etc.  I need something that has easy and quick recipes that don't take a lot of hard to find ingredients. Miso (I'm convinced) is not sold in my town. Unfortunately where I live there aren't a whole foods, trader joe's, etc. Just the plain old grocery store or walmart. I was also looking at thug kitchen and reviews say those are labor intensive recipes. Not for every day. I need quick and easy with common and easy to find ingredients.
|
|
|
|
Post by papercrafteradvocate on Jun 6, 2016 17:31:06 GMT
I was wondering what your favorite cookbooks are. I was looking at forks over knives and the reviews say the food is really bad and there are multiple errors leaving out ingredients, etc. I need something that has easy and quick recipes that don't take a lot of hard to find ingredients. Miso (I'm convinced) is not sold in my town. Unfortunately where I live there aren't a whole foods, trader joe's, etc. Just the plain old grocery store or walmart. I was also looking at thug kitchen and reviews say those are labor intensive recipes. Not for every day. I need quick and easy with common and easy to find ingredients. Try Amazon for the foods you cannot find--I've had great success that way! |
|
|
|
Post by pelirroja on Jun 6, 2016 19:49:27 GMT
For cookbooks, if you are just beginning I would recommend Mark Bittman's How to Cook Vegetarian. His instructions are simple and he uses ingredients readily available to most folks. It's very easy to make the recipes vegan and he often explains how to do that. After awhile, you'll be able to translate recipes just by the substitutions you're already familiar with.
When I started, I just looked thru cookbooks I already owned because there are numerous cuisines that are already leaning toward the veg spectrum: Indian, Chinese, Mexican and Italian have a lot to choose from. The book Meatless Mondays will give you 52 weeks of ideas that will jumpstart your own menu plan. Sign up for Meatless Mondays newsletter and OhMyVeggies is also a good one to subscribe to. Lots of ideas and recipes. I do not use meat analogues or soy products so I can't comment on any of those. I try to eat whole, not processed.
Some of the better cookbooks are written by Deborah Madison, Ken Haedrich and Robin Robertson. You'll find you'll need to adapt certain things as far as your personal taste goes, but overall those are virtually foolproof. Check Amazon for reviews before you buy any books and good luck. HTH
|
|
|
|
Post by tamaraann on Jun 6, 2016 22:05:25 GMT
I don't use cookbooks so much anymore as I find recipes online. Some of my favorite sites so far are Fat Free Vegan, Minimalist Baker (she cooks a lot of stuff, she doesn't just bake stuff), and Simple Vegan Blog. The second two I listed sometimes use oil, but I usually skip it if I can, or sub unsweetened applesauce if it's in a baked good recipe. |
|
|
|
Post by lesserknownpea on Jun 7, 2016 1:33:07 GMT
I don't use cookbooks so much anymore as I find recipes online. Some of my favorite sites so far are Fat Free Vegan, Minimalist Baker (she cooks a lot of stuff, she doesn't just bake stuff), and Simple Vegan Blog. The second two I listed sometimes use oil, but I usually skip it if I can, or sub unsweetened applesauce if it's in a baked good recipe. thanks for the links. I'm amazed by how satisfied I've been with so little fat. My goal is 10% of total calories, and many days I'm less. |
|
happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
|
Post by happymomma on Jun 7, 2016 17:01:50 GMT
I'm so glad you like the pans! Ours are two years old and look brand new, despite LOTS of use. They wash up like a dream too.
Not much new with me here. I'm looking forward to summer and its bounty of fresh veggies! There's a little farm at the end of our road that puts their produce out with a coffee can for payment on the honor system. It's so nice to visit there and load up on fresh yumminess!
I'll be visiting my son in Montana in July and will have to forego my usual visits to the BEST Mexican restaurant ever while I'm there, but I am sure I will be able to find somewhere to eat in addition to cooking some healthy food for all of us while I am there.
|
|
We've named him Jesse (we think) still discussing this-DS wants to name him Jesse after the character from "Breaking Bad" and because he races around the house like he's an athlete so it's also after Jesse Owens. Before Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the Olympics in 1936 he broke 5 world records at Ohio State University in track and tied a 6th in 1935 in under 45 minutes. This kitten was born in Ohio so it fits. Anyway, I have a very hard time posting photos but I'm going to try my best this weekend. We've tried every name we could think of for 3 weeks and this one seems to be the only one that sticks. I wanted to name him Jamie after the lead character in "Outlander" but DS's last cat who we lost in October of 2014 was named James and he said it's just too close. I can see his point. 
I need something that has easy and quick recipes that don't take a lot of hard to find ingredients. Miso (I'm convinced) is not sold in my town. Unfortunately where I live there aren't a whole foods, trader joe's, etc. Just the plain old grocery store or walmart. I was also looking at thug kitchen and reviews say those are labor intensive recipes. Not for every day. I need quick and easy with common and easy to find ingredients.
