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| Vegetarian | Gelatin: Veg or not? | Apr 29 2008 20:38 (UTC) |
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| My Whole Foods doesn't carry them (those jerks!) They carry kosher/fish gelatin marshmallows at my WF, but not these vegan delights. Alas, looks like I'll have to order them. | |||
| Vegetarian | Can I eat pudding and jell-o? | Apr 29 2008 20:37 (UTC) |
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| Usually the gelatin in vitamins comes from the outer capsule. If you buy the horse-pill ones, they're often vegetarian/gelatin free. | |||
| Vegetarian | Gelatin: Veg or not? | Apr 28 2008 16:06 (UTC) |
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| disease_of_ease, OMG!!! You are the best ever. That is bookmarked and I am ordering them ASAP. Thank you! | |||
| Vegetarian | tempeh vs. seitan | Apr 28 2008 00:31 (UTC) |
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| Seitan is the king of my heart. It's really versatile and worth the time it takes to make it from scratch. I am fairly certain that tempeh is more nutritionally dense (more protein and iron for sure), and I do love tempeh, but it's just not quite the star that seitan is. Seitan, however, is very very time consuming to make. One of my favorite recipes comes from Millenium's vegan cookbook, and it makes a dead-on Italian sausage stand in. It requires lots of kneading, resting, rolling into cheesecloth, long braising, and then a good long smoke on the grill. Okay, it doesn't require all of those things, but they all make a huge difference. I've also done seitan/tofu mixed tofurkey from scratch (Bryanna's recipe), and it's WONDERFUL. I've even adapted Alton Brown's gyro recipe into seitan gyros. Tempeh is quicker. A 10 minute boil will rid it of that earthy bitterness that can overpower other flavors in the recipe, then it can be used in a lot of different ways. I tend to pair it with marinades and sauces that will make the most of its earthy sharpness, like chile-beer marinades (then cooked in cast iron for GREAT taco filling), tomato sauces, and spicy bbq sauce. If I had to choose one for you to "buy" already prepared, I'd choose tempeh. Seitan is really only magical if you put the time in and learn how to make your own. |
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| Vegetarian | How healthy/unhealthy are fake meats? | Apr 28 2008 00:23 (UTC) |
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| Eh, I treat them like junk food. They're a rare "treat" to be enjoyed once in a while. I don't think they're the devil or anything, I just wouldn't eat them every day. I much prefer my own cooking anyway. | |||
| Vegetarian | Help me love tofu | Apr 28 2008 00:20 (UTC) |
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| The most important thing when cooking tofu is to cook it for a good long time! It gets mushier BEFORE it gets chewier, so let it cook off all its water. If you bake it, it's going to need at least an hour before it stops having the texture of hot, wet jelly. Be patient, as it's time consuming. Here is my all time favorite home tofu recipe: TOFUBACON. Slice the tofu thinly, about 1/8" thick (variation is okay). Heat a very thin layer of peanut oil in a large skillet or griddle over med-hi heat, then add tofu strips. Fry for 10-20 minutes, or until tofu is golden brown and well-blistered on the bottom. Turn, fry to the same doneness on the other side. When the tofu is thoroughly crispy and browned, sprinkle with nutritional yeast (optional) and then, with the heat still on med-hi, pour a mix of 1 tsp liquid smoke, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and 2 tbsp tamari. Mix the tofu quickly, coating on all sides, until the glaze cooks down to a thick syrupy coating on the tofu. This makes TO DIE FOR blt's (especially with a little goat cheese, omg). |
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| Vegetarian | Sneaking Vegetarian Dishes on the Family | Apr 28 2008 00:15 (UTC) |
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| YES. I do this every time I visit my family! At first, I would tell them exactly what was in every dish in hopes they would realize that vegetarian food was awesome, but I soon realized that if they were told it was vegetarian, they wouldn't try it! Now I just put everything out and give a vague description ("they're tacos", not mentioning the tempeh) and everything gets eagerly devoured. And gi-jane, a world without spices, onions, and garlic is a sad, sad place indeed! I can't believe anyone would willingly live that way! |
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| Vegetarian | Gelatin: Veg or not? | Apr 28 2008 00:09 (UTC) |
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| I don't consider it vegetarian. My rule of thumb is that if a sentient being died for it, it's not vegetarian. So pescatarians, this means you're not vegetarian. I don't find gelatin hard to avoid with a little diligence. Health food stores even have non-gelatin gummies, fruit snacks, and marshmallow creme (though no solid marshmallows). |
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| Vegetarian | need help and encouragement to be a vegan or vege.. | Apr 28 2008 00:04 (UTC) |
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| Indian restaurants are incredibly veg-friendly, always! I know you said no rice, but there will be delicious curries and breads for you to try. Also, the website www.happycow.net lists veg and veg-friendly restaurants across the world! It will come up with a lot of recommendations in your area. Most non-Western cuisines have a ton of vegetarian choices, though, and most restaurants will offer a vegetarian option, as long as you call ahead. I don't know if you cook, but I also recommend thumbing through vegetarian and vegan cookbooks (at the library or a bookstore that doesn't mind browsing). The best encouragement to leave meat out of your diet is to really see the wide, delicious, colorful array of food we enjoy daily. I never preach the vegetarian cause to people. I just cook for them. :-) |
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| Vegetarian | Can I eat pudding and jell-o? | Apr 27 2008 23:59 (UTC) |
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| It's already been said, but jell-o is never vegetarian. It always has gelatin. (So do marshmallows and frosted mini-wheats and a million other things. Alas!) However, I recently checked the label on normal jell-o brand pudding, and it didn't contain any gelatin. I was pleasantly surprised. The employees at the dining hall should be able to check the packaging for you to see if there is any gelatin. If they give you a hard time about it, you could always tell them you're kosher or that you have a sensitivity to it. People don't always give the same respect to decisions made without deference to deities or allergies, unfortunately. |
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| Vegetarian | Been a veggie for 2 weeks and have not lost an ounce..... | Apr 26 2008 20:55 (UTC) |
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| You're welcome! Glad I could help. Welcome to veggie land. It's a really happy place. (And I totally feel you on the portobello burgers. I have a weakness for veggie burgers and dogs on the grill the minute the warm weather returns. I always tell myself that if that's my idea of junk food, I'm way ahead of the curve!) | |||
| Vegetarian | protein sources and how to fix them? | Apr 25 2008 20:55 (UTC) |
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| What an enormous question! SEITAN: Seitan is made from gluten, the protein portion of wheat. It makes a very firm meat substitute that makes ideal sausages and "cold cuts" when carefully handled. Poorly handled seitan is rubbery and bland and gross. I recommend Milennium's seitan sausage recipe (Milennium is a vegan restaurant with two cookbooks published), especially their incredible dead-ringer Italian sausage. Also, if you run a search for "Bryanna's tofurkey", you will find multiple references to an amazing tofu/seitan turkey recipe. I made this for Thanksgiving and most of my omni guests chose it over the real turkey another guest brought along. TOFU: Magical, versatile tofu! You are bacon, you are pudding, you are absorbent slabs of proteiny goodness. Really, the only thing you have to know about tofu is to cook it for a good long time. Press gently (a baking pan weighed down by a can or two) to drain for about 45 minutes, slice, brush very lightly with peanut oil and salt, then bake until bubbly, golden, and crusty on the outside. It can then be treated with any sauce. This is one of a bazillion possibilities for tofu. TEMPEH: Tempeh is not for everyone. To get rid of some of the "dirty" flavor, slice into 6 pieces and boil for 10 minutes. Then marinate and use in whichever way you might use chicken or fish. I also like to pulse it in the food processor with garlic, salt, Italian spices, pepper, and a little olive oil, spread it on a baking sheet, and toast lightly in a hot oven. Then, I stir it into tomato sauce for a killer, protein-rich vegan bolognese. This is already too long. Let us know how the experiments turn out! |
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| Vegetarian | Been a veggie for 2 weeks and have not lost an ounce..... | Apr 25 2008 20:46 (UTC) |
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| Also, I recommend checking out some vegan cookbooks from the library, or browsing them at a bookstore. They may really inspire you to branch out from bread and soyburgers. My current favorite is The Veganomicon, which contains not only recipes but comprehensive advice for stocking a vegan kitchen, cooking from whole/raw foods, and living the veg life to its fullest. Look for newer cookbooks, as old school vegetarian/vegan cookbooks tend to be full of painful blandness (steamed veggies over brown rice, etc). | |||
| Vegetarian | Been a veggie for 2 weeks and have not lost an ounce..... | Apr 25 2008 20:41 (UTC) |
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| I gained weight when I first went vegetarian because all I did to change my diet was swap out processed substitutes (veggie burgers, veggie breakfast links, etc) for all the meat in my diet. Several years later, I depend much more heavily on nuts, beans, and grain for my protein. Of course I eat plenty of The Holy Trinity (tofu, seitan, and tempeh), but I make my own seitan. Also, it's easy to prepare these things in large batches. So fr'instance, you could marinate and bake a large batch of tofu for the week's lunch sandwiches. This would save you the icky processed stuff and the expense of using soy burgers. At Whole Foods, tofu is .99/14 oz! Get on that! Also, I find that when I focus on grains and protein, I rarely lose any weight. Add some smoothies, fresh fruit, and a lot of raw veggies to your diet. I find that eating a ton of fresh/raw produce melts the fat away. Whenever I feel the impulse to eat a sandwich, I think, "Would this work as a salad?" Usually it would, and usually it's quite a bit better that way. (My favorite smoothie consists of bananas, frozen unsweetened strawberries, fro/unsw blackberries, fro/unsw peaches, soymilk, bee pollen, a little peanut butter, and a little plain soy or dairy yogurt. The bee pollen isn't vegan, but neither am I, and the combination of tons of vitamins, protein, and pollen gives me loads of energy.) |
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| Weight Loss | unhealthy habits you thought you'd never get rid of, but did.. | Apr 24 2008 04:03 (UTC) |
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| Meat! I've been a vegetarian for over five years now, and it feels beautiful. I know, meat's not necessarily unhealthy, but let's face it: quitting meat means quitting a lot of bad things, like fast food and many junk foods. Tofu power! | |||
| Foods | How do I feed my boyfriend? | Apr 19 2008 05:04 (UTC) |
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| Have you tried sitting him down and seriously asking him if he wants to be dating a wide load? Threaten him with your weight gain. Seriously, though, when I found my boyfriend, he was living on a diet of convenience store candy, cigarettes, and mountain dew. He was willing to try new things, which helped, but getting rid of the old things wasn't so easy. Four years (almost) later, and he's a non-smoker who exercises all the time and rarely eats meat. We eat a ton of veggies and grains and bean/soy protein (we try to limit the fake meat stuff, as it's processed and really high in bizarro lab ingredients). One side of me wants to tell you to ignore him and focus on your own food, but I also love to feed people and hate eating alone. Maybe take baby steps away from what he's used to, or try eating out at ethnic restaurants to immerse him in some new flavors. If he continues to crybaby and eat crap, maybe you should be worried about the long haul. One day, that speedy metabolism is going to slow down. |
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| Vegetarian | It's like elementary school all over again... | Apr 19 2008 01:44 (UTC) |
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| Did almost everybody just entirely miss that this is a vegetarian topic? Anyway... You could bring low-calorie whole wheat english muffins, a jar of tomato sauce, and soy cheese/regular low fat cheese to make english muffin pizzas in the toaster oven. This is also something you could just continue to eat off your supply for a week without worrying about carrying food along every day. I think for being at work all day it's also really important to have a lot of healthy snacks on hand in small portions. Things like nuts, raisins, or fresh or dried fruits/veg will help keep those nasty, tempting treats from coworkers at bay. I think it's better never to let yourself get desperately hungry. |
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| Weight Loss | What does 1500 calories look like, anyway? | Oct 14 2007 04:54 (UTC) |
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| Here's a vegetarian version. Don't think I've seen one of these yet. I'm trying for around 1300 a day, but it usually ranges between 1200 and 1500, depending on how the day goes. BREAKFAST Organic lowfat yogurt, plain (1/2c) - 61 Apple Blueberry Granola (1/4c) - 100 Honey (1 tsp) ; &n bsp; ; &n bsp; - 21 Coffee, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4c plain soymilk - 51 LUNCH Vegan Pad Thai with tofu - 390 Tropicana Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice (1/2 cup) - 45 DINNER Spinach salad Raw baby spinach - 14 Almonds &n bsp; ; - 23 Pepitas &n bsp; ; - 10 Dried Cherries & nbsp; - 25 Low fat Rasp. Vin - 30 Diced Apples &nb sp; - 55 Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat Bread, 1 slice - 120 SNACK Great Harvest Cheddar Garlic Bread, 1 slice - 120 TOTAL: 1184 |
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| Games & Challenges | ***OCTOBER WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE*** Official Weigh-Ins HERE!!!! | Oct 10 2007 16:28 (UTC) |
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| Vegetarian | Feeding a Vegan for Thanksgiving | Oct 09 2007 05:33 (UTC) |
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| P.S.: Gravy! I have an amazing recipe for shallot miso gravy in one of my cookbooks. It's so rich and Thanksgiving-tasting that it leaves my omnivore guests very very satisfied with their birdless meal. If you can't find a good recipe for this, let me know. I'll type mine up for you. | |||
| Vegetarian | Feeding a Vegan for Thanksgiving | Oct 09 2007 05:29 (UTC) |
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| It's easier than you'd think. You can opt for a tofurkey, as it's easier than trying to do it yourself from scratch. As for the other items: Stuffing: use your favorite stuffing recipe, but replace the chicken or turkey stock with vegetable stock and the butter with Earth Balance Soy Margarine (my regular grocery store has it, but a Whole Foods or Wild Oats definitely will). They have vegetarian vegetable broths and stocks canned or boxed at any run of the mill grocery. If you're worried about the stuffing running thin on flavor, boost its taste with lots of fresh herbs, toasted nuts, garlic (depending on your recipe), or dried fruit. Cucumber salad: I don't know exactly what you mean by this. For cucumbers, I favor the Lebanese treatment: chopped and tossed with tomatoes, fresh parsley, fresh mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The possibilities are pretty endless, though. If you want to do a "creamy" dressing to treat your friend, try this one: http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php ?RecipeID=1565 Dessert: The website I listed above has a vegan cupcake cookbook with a recipe for vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes with vegan buttercream frosting. Highly recommended. If you don't want to commit to the cookbook, you could jot it down at B&N. Or just visit the same website and browse recipes for an assortment of pumpkin muffins, spice breads, etc. I know you didn't ask, but mashed potatoes: I always make them this way. Boil the potatoes in large chunks, skins-on. When they're cooked (not overcooked and waterlogged), blend with Earth Balance soy margarine, plain soymilk, salt, pepper, crushed or roasted garlic, and (secret ingredient) Tofutti brand "Better than Sour Cream". That stuff is amazing, and it will make the potatoes fluffy, rich, creamy, and tangy. Whip with a hand or stand mixer until just fluffed. For extra fun, at the very end, blend in about one yam, steamed in peeled cubes. This will add a gorgeous orange swirl through your mashed potatoes, as well as making them much more nutritious. Another item I love to make are curried yam samosas. Steamed yams, lightly curried and simmered in coconut milk, then stuffed into samosa dough (premade is okay as long as it's v-friendly and lard and ghee free...I've also used Goya Empanada dough, which is vegetarian but maybe not vegan), brushed with oil, and baked until golden brown. They get snapped up very quickly. It's awesome that you're doing this for your friend, btw. If you need more links and ideas, don't hesitate to ask! |
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| Vegetarian | What do ya do with TOFU?? | Oct 01 2007 16:43 (UTC) |
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| It's true that some of the recipes call for sugar and white flour, but the author goes out of her way, in both books, to talk about how to replace these ingredients with more nutrient-rich substitutes (whole wheat pastry flour, natural sugars, applesauce, etc). What I love about the books is they do not make the assumption that all vegans are all about eating 200% healthy all of the time. Vegans need treats too, and I don't think there is anything wrong with vegan cupcakes in moderation. However, if that's not your dietary lifestyle, maybe they're not the books for you. If you're not sure about the books, browse them at B&N (I almost always do this before buying on Amazon) or check them out from the library. I've purchased a lot of vegan cookbooks, as vegetarian cookbooks tend to rely too heavily on eggs, cream, and cheese for flavor, and these are two of my very favorites. | |||
| Games & Challenges | ***CLOSED - PLEASE POST WEIGHTS IN THE WEIGH IN THREAD - NOT HERE** Roll Call OCTOBER WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE | Oct 01 2007 16:37 (UTC) |
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| I'll give it a shot. Current weight: 135 Goal loss: 6 lbs by 10/31 Go team! |
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| Vegetarian | Am i a vegetarian?? | Oct 01 2007 15:03 (UTC) |
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| Star1020: Amen to the Urban Decay. MAC Cosmetics are also cruelty-free, but their brushes are not. To the original poster: I don't blame you. I've been a vegetarian for years, and shoes are the one place in my life where I continue to purchase leather products. I don't find that vegan shoes are an acceptable replacement. |
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| Vegetarian | too much protein??? | Oct 01 2007 14:47 (UTC) |
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| The formula is .8g of protein per 2.2 lbs of body weight a day. For me, that's 49g a day. If you weigh 99.3lbs, you need about 36g. According to this article, "
When people start consuming too much protein (over 2.0 g/kg/d), the extra protein can become a stressful stimulus for the kidney. This is even more of a concern as we get older and our organs are less efficient and effective." So it sounds like you're close to the line (when you hit 60g), but not quite over it yet. |
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| Vegetarian | Tofu Chocolate Mousse Recipe | Sep 30 2007 19:44 (UTC) |
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu Pudding ½ cup unrefined sugar (turbinado or sucanat) 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey?s Special Dark) pinch kosher salt 1/3 cup hot water 2-4 oz semisweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips (optional) 2-3 tbsp UNSWEETENED, all natural peanut butter 2-3 tbsp honey (or brown rice syrup) 1 16 oz package silken tofu, drained ½ tsp vanilla extract
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| Vegetarian | Why did you become vegetarian and what kind of changes did you then experience? | Sep 30 2007 19:42 (UTC) |
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| I decided to go veg because I could no longer separate my love for animals from the hunk of flesh on a plate. The more I thought about it all, the less sense it made. Topped off with a healthy dose of outrage about factory farming and the mindless consumption of meat (without any consideration of its origin or environmental damage), I was able to exclude meat completely over five years ago. My entire life changed alongside these decisions, whether by coincidence or heightened self awareness, I'm not sure. I was able to leave a very bad domestic situation, return to college (I'm almost done with my bachelor's degree now), I found the love of my life, I reconnected with my family, I found and kept an awesome job, and I'm happier in every aspect than I've ever been. I also think vegetarianism leads to a less "bloodthirsty" approach to life. We're a peaceful people. So I know it sounds corny or redundant after all the great stories above, but I'm really grateful for the decision to go vegetarian and I am thrilled about it every single day. |
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| Vegetarian | New Vegetarian here with a question | Sep 30 2007 19:34 (UTC) |
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| This is for mikelane...I agree that vegetable oils are fatty, but some are highly beneficial (flax oil, avocado fat, olive oil). I don't think excluding fat from a diet entirely is wise at all. | |||
| Vegetarian | New Vegetarian here with a question | Sep 30 2007 19:32 (UTC) |
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| Welcome to vegetarianism! I know it seems tricky at first, but after a while you forget how you ever included meat in your diet to begin with. Here's a really handy list. It comes from PETA, so you can take that with as many grains of salt as you'd like, but it's very thorough and helpful. It's a list of all the ingredients you'll see on labels that come from animal products. http://www.animalsavingsclub.com/resources_in gredients_list.asp Some of these ingredients, like animal rennet in cheese, are really hard to avoid, especially if you're not the one doing the shopping. I'd advise you to choose your battles (like chicken/beef stock, lard, and gelatin: all easy to spot and avoid) and save the details for when you're stocking your own kitchen. You should be able to find veg alternatives for almost everything, but there are some items only available from specialty stores. For instance, I still cannot find vegetarian marshmallows. Oh, well. If you have any other questions, I'm here to help! I love welcoming new vegetarians to the fold. :-) |
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| Vegetarian | Ugh! Argh! Gross! | Sep 30 2007 19:27 (UTC) |
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| das1988: Your body "forgets" how to digest animal protein if you go without for long enough. For instance, I pay days of pennace in the bathroom if a restaurant lies to me about the vegetarian-ness of their food, or if my food was cooked on the same surface as meat products. It's not psychosomatic because sometimes it happens when I was sure I was eating 100% vegetarian. | |||
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