What's new, what's old, and what's current!

Hey Everyone!

I have finally gotten back on my feet with cooking since I made it back in Florida from my trip to Missouri. I have actually cooked more than I have posted, but some of my dishes haven't turned out as good as I would have liked them. I have such a listing of recipes that I need to try over again to get it right. I know that I talked previously about posting some traditional Jewish recipes, but these recipes involve an egg substitute. I do enjoy using Ener-G Egg Replacer, but I have also been trying to experiment with other egg replacements. For example, you can use ground up flax seed mixed with water, or 1/4 cup pureed silken tofu to equal one egg. These are perfectly good substitutes, but some are better than others in different recipes. I tried to make Kasha and Shells, but usually the kasha is coated with egg. For this recipe, I used the flax seed version, but it turned out just okay. I also tried to make homemade kugel, and for this I used the tofu version for my egg. It didn't turn out awful, but the consistancy was not what I wanted, and I just wasn't confident with how it turned out. Another thing with traditional Jewish dishes is, although oh so yummy, they are all very high is carbs and not the healthiest of dishes. So, I end up making them, and then I am stuck eating them because it's too much food to waste. So, I decided that I will eventually perfect them over time, but at this time I am going to stick to healthier recipes that make me feel lighter and give me more energy rather than weigh me down. I find that latkes, kasha, and kugel are pretty heavy and that's why they are only eaten on occasion. And truth be told, I intended for this blog not only to reflect the vegan lifestyle, but also a consistently healthy lifestyle.

Yom Kippur was last week, and I did fast for the day. I did drink tea and water though, so it wasn't a true fast. I also went to work, so I didn't fully observe the holiday. The day was actually so refreshing because after work I went to infusion tea and broke the fast with the best gazpacho in town and a half of a veggie burger sandwich while reading my book, The Omnivores Dilemma. I also did a hot infusion yoga class later, and then went and saw the movie Religulous (which I highly recommend). I was thinking about the holiday of Yom Kippur and it occurred to me that it is actually pretty unhealthy. I believe that many people binge eat the night before, and then traditionally the family gets together to break the fast with a big feast. It's not healthy to shock your body like that. When going on and off a fast, you are supposed to slowly wean yourself off of food and then back on it. Generally you should eat light to get your body used to taking in less food, and then getting your digestive system used to food entering the body again.

I really feel like it is important to hold up traditions, which is why I still fast. I don't really do it for religious reasons as much as I do it for myself and feel that it is cleansing. I do not pray to any specific diety or go to services, but I just focus on what I would like to change about myself and how I will go about doing that. Among keeping traditions, I also think it is important to start new traditions, and that is what I did this past Yom Kippur with breaking the fast with a light and nontraditional dinner and then doing yoga. I think I will do that every year.

I have also been doing more research on obtaining all of the nutrients and vitamins into my diet that I need to keep an eye on now that I have stopped eating animal products. These vitamins and minerals are B12, Iron, Zinc, D, Omega 3's, and protein. I have been doing a lot of research on this, and I try to get all of these vitamins in my diet during breakfast. I talked to my cousin Brittney, who is a dietitian, and she mentioned to me that Iron is something that vegans need to watch because the iron in plant and animal products absorbs different than Iron in meat. I looked it up and there is heme and non heme iron. The iron in plant and grains are non heme and there are things you can do to help the absorption into your body. One thing is to mix iron with vitamin c. So, what I do is eat a cereal fortified with iron, B12, Vitamin D, and zinc. Some good cereals that I found are: Kashi Heart to Heart Toasted Honey Oat (please note that this cereal does contain honey), Publix Greenwise Raisin Bran, and Health Valley Organic Fiber Multigrain Flakes. Then I top it off with strawberries, which are high in vitamin c. I also top my cereal off with a granola blend which is high in fiber. I find that this keeps me full and helps me eat less throughout the day. Then, I use hemp milk (which I recently switched to) because it contains omega 3s and the essential amino acids (protein). I do want to mention that protein is pretty easy to get into your diet and it is really the least of concerns for any vegetarian or vegan, but using the hemp milk does guarantee that I am at least starting the day off getting protein into my diet. I also read that tea contributes to blocking the absorption of iron into your system, so I refrain from drinking or eating anything besides water until about an hour after I eat breakfast. I am still looking into the absorption studies for iron and zinc and I plan on going to get my blood tested in the next few months to make sure I am not deficient in anything.

Another thing I want to talk about are the negative studies of soy products. All of these studies are completely inconclusive and there are many more positive studies relating to soy than negative. I hear things such as soy may cause memory loss, breast cancer, dementia, and so on. I have read many of these studies and they are all very cloudy in the description of how they conducted these studies. For example, the study where they found soy products caused memory loss did not mention if the people they studied were vegetarian, vegan, how long they were consuming soy, how much soy they consumed, when they began and ended consuming soy, and if hey had medical problems to begin with. They also conducted this study on the elderly living in Indonesia who eat very differently than Americans. I also wonder who funded this study.... was it the animal or dairy industry? We also know that soy reduces bad cholesterol and that it is heavily eaten in Asian cultures "at a much younger age than people in the United States. In fact, the average woman living in East Asia eats about 10 times the quantity of soy foods as the average woman in the United States. Yet, East Asian women have lower rates of breast cancer than women in the United States." (http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/nutrition_bc/foods/soy.jsp) But, this could be effected by many things since there are many differences in the way we eat compared to the Japanese.

Soy is almost unavoidable, especially if you eat processed food or fast food. Soy lecithin is in almost everything as an emulsifier, and I think that it is important to know this so you know what you are consuming. Corn is actually used in almost everything that we eat that is fast food or processed, and soy is used in the agriculture industry the same way. If the price of corn is at a high, these products will most likely be using soy until the price of corn goes down. This is why you see the ingrediants say: This contains one or more of the following: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sunflower Oil, Soy Lecithin, Corn Oil, Etc. So, most likely, you have consumed more soy than you know. My point is that it is important to know that so that you make sure you are eating soy in moderation if you feel you need to watch your soy consumption. This is one of the reasons I switched to hemp milk, and I do order extra veggies a lot instead of tofu as a protein substitute. I love tofu to death, but even though these studies are inconclusive, it's better to be safe. Remember... Moderation is key!

Well, I think I have blogged enough this weekend!

Love,
Monica

Chocolate Ganache Topped with fruit

Serves 3

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of vanilla soy milk (or plain)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

about 1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup dried banana
about 9 strawberries, sliced

In saucepan, heat soy milk. You don't want it to come to a boil, but just medium heat. Once it's reached that point, turn off heat and pour in chocolate chips and maple syrup. I actually heated the milk in the microwave for 4 and a half minutes. Mix well until a smooth creamy consistancy. It should start to thicken as it cools. Once it's smooth, pour into a small bowl or make it pretty in a martini glass, and top with the fruit listed above, or any fruit of choice.

Delights and Afterthoughts:

Last night after I finished my dinner, I had a little bit of a sweet tooth and was looking through my cabinets to see what I could make for dessert. I remembered that I had some semi sweet chocolate chips, and the thought of eating melted chocolate sounded yummy. Then, I remembered that a few months ago I made a Chocolate Ganache topping for some vanilla cupcakes, and I thought I could use that as a base and maybe make it a little more decadent by adding maple syrup and fruit. The fruit even makes it seem like a healthier dessert even though downing about 1/3 cup of chocolate chips a serving doesn't seem that healthy, so save this for special occasions! If you wanted to make it even more decadant you could add powdered sugar and cinamon to top the fruit, but the dessert is rich enough without all of the extras.

It's really easy! Hope you like it!

Pancakes with Fruit Toppings

It's football season, and one of the things that I look forward to all year are the tailgates. One thing that I look forward to the most though is what I like to call "breakfast tailgates." There is just something about getting to the University in the morning, setting up, and eating breakfast with friends outside that is just so comforting. I think it reminds me of when I was younger and used to go camping. This was the first breakfast tailgate of the season for UCF football (Go Knights!) and I thought this was the perfect time to try out some vegan pancakes. This was my first time making pancake batter, so I did borrow a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Moskowitz as a base for my pancakes. Here is is:

Serving size: About 6 pancakes

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons canola oil (plus oil for pan or griddle)
1/3 cup water
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Blueberries
Strawberries

Wash blueberries and place in a bowl
Wash and cut strawberries and place in a bowl.
Place in refrigerator or over ice until ready to serve.

I find it easiest to mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet ingrediants and then mix them together. So, first mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Then in another bowl, mix together the canola oil, water, soy milk, vanilla, and maple syrup.

Then, pour the wet ingrediants into the dry and mix while you are pouring it until combined. Just continue to mix, but do not overmix. You still want some small lumps. If it is too mixed then the pancakes will turn out tough and rubbery.

Preheat skillet or griddle to medium heat. You can test the skillet by pouring a small amount of water on it, and if it the drops bounce, then it is ready. You don't want it too hot either. It shouldn't be smoking.

When ready, apply a thin layer of canola oil, and take a ladle or spoon and pour the batter out in a circular motion so that it's an even pancake. And, make sure to use the same amount of batter every time so they are around the same size. Cook the pancakes until browned at the bottom and bubbles start to form at the top. This should take about 4 minutes. Then, flip pancake and cook until browned on the other side until the pancake is barely firm to the touch.

When finished, choose your pancake and top with blueberries and strawberries.

Delights and Afterthoughts:

I honestly had no idea what to expect from these pancakes since this was my first time making them. I made the batter the night before and cooked one just to make sure I didn't totally screw up! I was very happy at how they turned out, so I went ahead and chilled the batter overnight and felt confident that everyone would be happy with them that showed up to the breakfast tailgate.

When my friend John was finished cooking them on the griddle, I went ahead and set out the fruit and everyone that showed up early grabbed a plate, some pancakes, and some fruit toppings. They turned out to be hit, so I can't wait to make some other variations.

Some variations that I think would be tasty are:
**Chop the strawberries up pretty small and cook them in the pancakes.
**Fold the fresh blueberries in while cooking to make blueberry pancakes.
**It might also be nice to add some almond extract
**For special occasions, like valentines day, fold in some chocolate chips or substitute chocolate soymilk instead of vanilla soymilk.

There are just so many options!

Let me know if you try these out and how you made them!

Tempeh Piccata with Bell Peppers over Angel Hair Pasta

One of my favorite dishes when I wasn't vegan was a chicken piccata by Giada De Laurentiis. One of the things that i have been doing is going through my old cookbooks and finding my favorite recipes and making them vegan-style. So, for this one I decided to make a Tempeh Piccata with Bell Peppers over angel hair pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 green pepper
  
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons earth balance "butter" or non-hydrogenated margerine
  
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 package whole wheat angel hair pasta
• 1 package tempeh (I used garden veggie, but any kind will do)
  

Directions

A. First, remove the tempeh from the package and cut in whatever shape you desire. I cut the tempeh in triangles.

B. In a small saucepan over medium high heat (or in the microwave), melt 4 tablespoons of "butter" with 5 tablespoons of olive oil, add salt, pepper, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and capers. Use this as a marinade for the tempeh, and chill in the refrigerator for at least a half hour.

C. Cut all of the bell peppers in a cube shape. I'm sure thin slices would also be nice.

D. Chop parsley and set to the side.

E. Boil water with a splash of olive oil, and add angel hair pasta. Turn heat to medium, and stir frequently to make sure that it doesn't stick together, and don't overcook. When the noodles are done (8 to 10 minutes), drain the pasta and never run water over it. When pasta is finished it comes out a little starchy and it is a common misconception to rinse with water. The reason that you do not rinse is because when the sauce is added to the noodles the starch helps the sauce stick to the pasta. If it still bothers you that the noodles are starchy after you drain them, then just toss with a small amount of olive oil.

F. When you are ready, add the tempeh and all of the marinade to a large skillet. Cook about 5 minutes on each side, and then add the bell peppers. Cook just until the peppers are cooked through, but still crisp. That should just be about 3 more minutes.

G. Remove the bell pepper and tempeh from the skillet with a slotted spatula and place in large bowl.

H. Continue to stir the sauce, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Add remaining 2 tablespoons "butter" to sauce and whisk vigorously.

I. Add noodles to the large bowl with the tempeh and bell peppers, add parsley, pour sauce over the top, and toss everything together.

J. You're ready to eat!

Delights and Afterthoughts:

This dish is wonderful because it is really easy to make. If you don't have time to marinade the tempeh, then that should be fine if you want to just throw the tempeh and bell peppers in the skillet with the sauce. I just find that you get a deeper flavor when you marinade it a bit. Also, keep in mind that tempeh can be a little bitter and an acquired taste, so if this is your first attempt with tempeh, you may want to start out with a neutral flavor such as original, five grain, or flax. This was my first time using garden veggie tempeh and the flavor was a little overpowering if you are not used to tempeh.

I love this sauce and I think it would really be good with anything. I just used what I had in my pantry and refrigerator. I think that this would also be good with tofu or just veggies such as broccoli, zuchini, mushrooms, and carrots. I have always found that angel hair pasta works best with this sauce, but it would also go well with something like couscous or penne pasta.

There are also many things you can do to incorporate to it to make it your own. For example, adding garlic would be excellent, or adding chilli powder, a jalapeno, or tobasco for a little bit of spice.

I hope you have fun with this and enjoy it!

Vegan on Vacation!

First of all, sorry that I haven't updated the blog in awhile. I traveled to St. Louis over the past weekend and it has taken me awhile to get back on track with the cooking and blogging. There are some meals that I have made that I do have to perfect and hope to do so in the next few weeks so that I can have more recipes for you. These dishes are a tofu scramble with fried matzoh, also known as Matzoh Brie. It's very delicious and usually made with egg and matzoh. And, I still have to perfect Potato Latkes. I plan to have these to you within the next month. I also plan on making a schezuan noodle dish as well as a tempeh and veggie piccata over the next few weeks.

Going to St. Louis was a much needed vacation. I was able to spend time with my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins that I don't see very often. I didn't find it so hard to be vegan on vacation considering my cousins, Lauren and Brittney, are both vegetarians, and Brittney used to be a pretty strict vegan. I stayed with my aunt and uncle, so they went ahead and made sure to pick up food such as cereal, bagles, and other things that were animal product free. That was very appreciated. When we went out to eat they made sure to help me out with what I could or could not order. It was difficult at times because I wasn't used to my surroundings. I have pretty much figured out the Orlando area as far as what places are vegan friendly or what things I can order at certain places when going out with friends, but I had to start all over in St. Louis. So, I tried to call places beforehand and plan my menu out when I was there. I did just fine, but I did find that St. Louis is not the most vegan friendly city. Regardless, I was really happy to spend this time with my family and feel much closer to them now. I am going to make more of an effort to see them more often. Perhaps that should be my New Years Resolution.

Second of all, The Jewish Holiday, Rosh Hashanah, is coming up. It starts on sundown Monday, Sept 29th. So, over the weekend I am going to put together just a few of my favorite holiday dishes for the next week. What I plan on are: Kasha and Shells with Vegan Gravy, Apples and Agave, and a vegetable dish.

If you aren't familiar, Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. The new year (5769) is a time to plan a better life and look back at the mistakes of the past year, and to plan the changes you will make in the new year. During Rosh Hashanah one of the traditions is dipping apples in honey, which symbolizes a sweet new year. This year I am going to use agave in place of honey. Another symbol of this holiday is the hearing the sound of the Shofar blown in the temple. The Shofar is a rams horn, which is blown like a trumpet. I am not quite sure of what the symbolic nature of this is. I looked it up, but I actually found that The Bible gives no specific reason for this practice except that it has been suggested is that the Shofar's sound is a call to repentance. Does anyone have any insight on the symbolism of the Shofar and how it ties into the new year?

On another note, while I was reading this, I all of the suddon found it kind of upsetting that a rams horn is used. I did a small amount of research on how to obtain a Shofar and I read that they can be obtained from slaughterhouses. Maybe it's time to start a new tradition and use another instrument that doesn't come from an animal.

The holiday that follows the new year is called Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is probably the most important Jewish Holiday, and is a holiday where you are supposed to stay home and fast from sundown to sundown. During this time, one focuses on the sins or the mistakes that they have made over the past year and repent and make amends. Yom Kippur only atones sins between you and whatever or whoever you consider as a God, not between you and other people. If you feel like you have committed sins with another person, you must personally talk to the people to make amends. The fasting is supposed to cause a feeling of suffering while you focus on theses mistakes within the past year. Once sundown has arrived, it is traditional to get together with family and friends and have a big dinner to break the fast. Even though I am not very religious and have not attended temple in a few years, I always observe the holidays on my own and fast on Yom Kippur. I do focus on things that I want to change from the year before and I do talk to people that I feel like I may have upset for any reason and apologize. I actually don't stay home from work, but I do observe the holiday. I find it to be cleansing and I feel ready for the new year.

After Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, there are other holidays to follow, and I plan to expand on my menu of traditional Jewish dishes vegan style for those holidays as well.

So, please keep checking for updates on my blog, and if you want notifications of updates, please check out my myspace and become my friend. http://www.myspace.com/thenewvegan

Have a fabulous weekend,

Monica

Pasta Salad with Shells

Serves 6-8

11 ounce bag or box of small shell-shaped pasta (whole wheat if you can find it)
3 cloves garlic
1 yellow bell pepper
About 15-18 red cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 handful black olives, pitted
2 tablespoons fresh chives
1/3 cup fresh basil
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and garlic. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until al dente, and drain. Put the pasta in a bowl, and take the garlic out and mash. Set aside to add to the dressing.

While the pasta is cooking, chop the tomatoes, cucumber, and black olives into small pieces, about the size of the pasta or smaller. You don't want it pureed, so I don't suggest using a food processor, but just roughly chop, and place in the bowl with the pasta.

Dice the yellow bell pepper, and use the same pot you used to cook the pasta, and cook the pepper in just about 1/2 cup hot water just to soften. This only takes 3 to 5 minutes. You want the pepper cooked, but still crisp. Drain and add to the pasta.

Roughly chop the herbs and add to pasta

Mix the mashed garlic cloves, the oil, lemon juice, and vinegar, and a little salt and pepper together in a separate bowl. Pour over pasta and mix well. Chill for about 2 hours or overnight, and serve. It's so simple and people will love it!

Delights and Afterthoughts:

My favorite salad is actually just quartered cucumber and tomato topped with balsamic vinegar. I thought about making a pasta salad that could use those ingrediants and this is what I came up with. After I first made this salad and tried it, I felt like it was a little plain, so I decided to add lemon juice. I wanted to start small, so I just added a tablespoon, and that ended up being enough. It added just enough flavor to change it from plain to perfect. I brought this pasta salad to my friends Labor Day party, and it went pretty quick. It's so simple to make, refreshing, and quite a crowd pleaser. Try it out, and Let me know what you think!

The Skinny on all Your Vegan Questions!

Hey there!

I guess it's been a little over 2 months since I have been vegan. It seems like longer because it's just such a part of my lifestyle now. Although, it seems like every month that goes by, I learn a little more and feel like I've moved onto a new level.

During the first month and a half, I still had cravings for certain foods. For example, the first few weeks of being vegan, all I could think about was mac and cheese. I've been meaning to make a vegan version, but I just haven't attempted. Then, I was craving deviled eggs. That was the weirdest thing because how often does someone have deviled eggs? I actually stopped craving meat and fish weeks ago. The only time I would crave either meat or fish would be when I was hungry and flipping through a cookbook. Then, I would want it, but only if I saw a picture. I never gave in and had any meat or animal products, and once I ate and was full, the cravings were gone. This past two weeks or so, I can honestly say I am over the craving phase. I guess it's like quitting smoking because now I can look at pictures and watch people eat mac and cheese and not wish that I had some. I even bought some vegan sausage patties and vegan meatballs from Whole Foods, but they have just been sitting in my freezer. I just don't seem to even crave the taste of meat anymore. So, that's what I mean when I say I've moved onto a new level.

I also was learning how to go out to eat and what to order. At first I thought I would have to accept that when going out to a restaurant, I would have to eat some animal products, but I realized I don't want to do that. I have learned how and what to order at certain places in order for it to be vegan. It's actually not that difficult, and most servers are actually helpful when I ask about making sure whatever I order has no animal products. For the most part, they are happy to make something special for me. Of course, it takes some work such as calling the restaurants beforehand to ask about options, or going online to look at menus and ingrediants. But, once you get past that, the process is pretty consistent at most restaurants.

I have also been doing research from the beginning on what supplements I might need, and the only things that vegans have to make sure they consume are vitamin are B12 and Omega 3 fatty acids. I learned that there are three types of Omega 3s, ALA, DHA, and EPA. The body converts ALA into DHA and EPA. But, there has been inconclusive research on how the body converts it and there are some things that may prevent the conversion. Most vegans get omega 3s from ground up flax seeds (ALA), but I realized I am really bad at remembering to sprinkle flax seeds on my food to make sure I get enough of it in my diet. The thing with fish, is that it's already converted into EPA and DHA, so that is why it is reccomended. Oh, and just FYI - Omega 3s are not automatically in fish, but actually supplied by the algae that fish eat in large quantities. So, what I am working on right now is how I can make sure that I get the right amount of Omega 3s in my diet, and how to make sure it is converted properly. What I have decided to do at this point is eat a few walnuts, (which is very high in Omega 3s) everyday so I at least get the ALA type of Omega 3, and hope that it's converting to DHA and EPA.

As far as B12 goes, most vegans use nutritional yeast (which has a cheesy flavor), but again, I am really bad at using it daily. So, right now I'm taking a supplement, but I would like to find out how to incorporate in my diet naturally. As far as everything else, as long as I eat a balanced diet (which I do) I am getting everything I need. Many people say to me, "What supplements are you taking now because I know that you can't get some of the things that is supplied through meat?" And, this question has started to frustrate me because it's totally untrue and the meat and dairy industry has completely misinformed society. I just want to make it clear that meat has nothing in it that I can't get from eating a balanced diet. Yes, there are some things that I must attempt to add more of to my diet, such as Vitamin B12 and Omega 3s, but they are certainly provided in other ways than through meat.

So basically, over the next few weeks, I am going to do some extra research and attept to answer the same 4 or 5 questions I get over and over about being vegan. And, if you have a question not on my list, then ask away. I love to do research on the subject and report back to you!

So, here are the next few blogs topics:

1. Getting Protein: Many people ask how I get my protein, or what substitues I use for meat. This is actually really easy, and protein is all over the place. I also want do what I can to change people's thinking about using the phrase "meat substitute." Since you don't need meat in the first place, there is really no such thing as a meat substitute.
2. Omega 3 fatty acids: I explained a lot about this above. I'm still doing research, so I'll get back soon.
3. Do you eat honey?: Vegans seem to sway back and forth on this issue. I really don't know where I stand on it, but I find myself avoiding honey. Maybe it is because I am not fully informed on the subject, so I'll be working on researching this topic in the near future.
4. Vitamin B12: I talked about this above too, so I'll get back to you soon!
5. Do you eat meat because it's unhealthy, or is it an ethical issue?: It's actually a little of both, and I think I explained a little before about this in a previous blog. It's actually because of three things:
A. The animal agriculture industry is destroying the environment
B. I am disgusted by the cruel animal practices and misleading information that they give out
C. Meat has been connected to many negative health issues, and because of this, I would rather stay away. Also, I just feel better when I don't eat meat.

I'll expand more on these issues later!

Have a great week!

Monica