The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread

[Ashcottmanor]

Papa Levante I just bought those burgers too but haven't tried them yet. Let me know how you like them

 

[papa_levante]

They fall apart a bit too easily, but they taste oh-so yummy! Very pleased with them. I cannot wait to try falafel

How did you like them? (I had been waiting for you to show up.)

 

[Ashcottmanor]

They fall apart a bit too easily, but they taste oh-so yummy! Very pleased with them. I cannot wait to try falafel

How did you like them? (I had been waiting for you to show up.)

Hahaha! Well once you start talking about veggies burgers...how can I resist?

I haven't tried mine yet, the other day I made a big batch (and I mean BIG) of vegetable soup from this FatFreeVegan website and it is soooo good! I have been eating that for the last couple of days which isn't so bad because since I have started doing a lot of vegan baking I have gained a bit of tummy. Not good! So I guess I am on a bit of a soup diet now I'll post the recipe for you on here, you must try it, it's so good.

I'm glad you like the Sunshine burgers, I am going to try mine the next chance I get. Let me know how the Falafel one's are too! Those sound really good.

Here is the recipe for the vegan veggie soup. I added a few extras to mine like 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms and instead of the frozen green beans I added a few cups of fresh spinach. I can only eat green beans one way and definitely not in a soup. Hope you like it!

Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup
6 cups fat-free vegetable broth (but I used Imagine Un-Chicken broth)
cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic (from a jar or substitute four cloves minced garlic)
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
generous grinding of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 large zucchini, diced
1 19-ounce can (2 cups) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (may substitute Great Northern Beans or any white beans)


Sauté the carrots, onion and garlic in a large sprayed or non-stick pot for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and cannellini beans and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add the zucchini and cannellini and cook until the zucchini are tender.


I figure this as around 8 average-sized servings (three of us had 2 servings last night, and there were 2 servings left over for lunches today). Based on 8 servings, the nutritional breakdown, as close as I can figure it, is 86 Calories; trace Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 17g

Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 448mg Sodium; 5g fiber; 1 WW Point.

fatfreevegan

 

[BibiRose]

I just found a delicious recipe and I thought I'll share with you. I'm going to make them tomorrow.

Beet and Cauliflower Latkes
Take about 4 medium small sized beets, peeled and then grate them and set aside. Get a head of cauliflower, clean and cut into florets and cook in boiling water about 20 minutes. They should be soft enough to mash with the back of a fork, so drain and mash them and set to the side. The beets need to be drained of some of their liquid, do so by taking handfuls of the grated beets and squeeze well then add them to the cauliflower mash.
Add 3 eggs to the cauliflower and beet mix(a vegan can substitute eggs with breadcrumbs/ flour or Egg Beaters- something which will avoid them from smashing), sliced green onion, then salt and pepper to taste. If you like garlic, either mince or use a garlic press to add a clove to your mixture and mix it all together. The worst part of using beets is the color it turns your hands, but a bit of soap and scrubbing will fix that easily.
Take a pan (I used a non stick skillet) and heat to medium, adding just enough olive oil to the bottom to coat it. Take a small handful of the beet and cauliflower mixture and squish flat between your hands before adding it to the pan, making sure the patties don't touch. Also there may be a bit of liquid still so you'll want to squeeze them out before making the patties. About 5 minutes on each side will get them nice and crunchy on the outside. Make sure to let cool a few minutes before serving.

acquiredflavor.blogspot.com/2009/12/beet-cauliflower-latkes-not-exactly.html

 

[Ashcottmanor]

^ Those look really good BibiRose, I'm going to have to try those too.

So I made this recipe tonight from Bethenny Frankel's website and it is sooo good. Since I'm vegan I made mine with Tofu instead of ground turkey and omitted the feta cheese. I did sprinkle a bit of cheese on the top for the non-vegetarians in the house. This is really good with the Quinoa, I hope you like it!

BTW it's MEATLESS MONDAY TODAY!!! YAY!!

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

• 6 Peppers (cut off top and bottom and use them)
• 1 pound turkey meat
• 1 cup Quinoa (cooked)
• ½ large onion
• 2 cups jarred tomato sauce
• 1.5 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp Tabasco
• 2.5 tsp Worchester
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Cook for 30 minutes Prep Time 30 minutes

1. Cook quinoa per directions. Add one cup grain to 2 cups water. Boil, then simmer until water is gone
2. Crumble turkey meat with wooden spoon over medium heat.
3. While turkey meat is cooking, chop the tops and bottoms of peppers into pieces and combine with chopped onion, garlic salt and tomato sauce. Saute over medium heat and add remaining ingrediants except the feta and pinenuts
4. Combine the above with cooked turkey, quinoa, pinenuts and feta cheese (save a small amount of feta to sprinkle on top later on)
5. Remove the inside of the peppers. Portion the mixture into each of the peppers and place them on a baking sheet. Top with feta cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

 

[ChiStreetStyle]

They fall apart a bit too easily, but they taste oh-so yummy! Very pleased with them. I cannot wait to try falafel :woot

Oh I LOVE falafel! I've been vegetarian for the past year, although I do eat fish once every couple of months. But lately, I've been feeling fatigued. I think it's diet related because when I eat fish I feel better. Is there a way to get the proper nutritional mixture and be 100% vegetarian? I'd really like to be strict but I am so busy that I don't have time to deeply research this, so I cheat from time to time. Any tips?

 

[papa_levante]

^ I wish I could help, but I think there is a lot of information on the internet about it. My friend Emily has been vegetarian since she was 4 years old. (Amazing, right?!) I always wonder what her body chemistry is like, how it works versus someone who has eaten meat for most of their life.

 

[Lilliana]

^ what you are experiencing probably isn't protein deficiency (which is really hard to acquire actually). I don't know how your normal diet looks like, just take care to eat some beans, lentils, quinoa or such at least once a week and don't rely solely on soy-products.

I think you might be feeling weak because of iron deficiency, which happens quite often to women (not only vegetarians). here is a link you might want to check out:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

you might also want to take a closer look if you have a sufficient intake of Omega-3 acids. The vegetarian options for those are flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, tofu, soybeans, and walnuts.

and 'ceterum censeo', don't forget the Vitamin B 12

 

[Lilliana]

Oh and for a super fast overview:

See you don't even need the milk products

 

[Ashcottmanor]

Yum, yum, I just ate a great snack, it's roasted seaweed by Sea's Gift, there no MSG, no sugar and it's all natural. There's about 15-20 small square sheets in one package, it has 25 cal. total and to me it tastes like buttered/salted popcorn, so good! You can find the little packets in the international food section at Whole Foods.

 

[Serenity*Now]

my new (2nd) fave snack! ^
(1st is these things called "sommersaults"...)

 

[cloudyshambles]

i eat a mostly vegan diet. (mostly? well, if someone offers me a piece of cake or a cookie or something like that i do not always refuse... and when eating out you cannot know all the ingredients used, but i don't stress myself about it, as long as it's meatfree!)
however, i don't buy any meat, dairy or eggs for my own household.
i decided to not buy any new leather products, but still use the ones i had before (shoes, my wallet, longchamp bags (just the handle is leather though)
i don't call myself a vegan though for the above mentioned reasons.

here's my dilemma: my father just got me a new leather jacket which i love the look of! i've always wanted a jacket like this but i feel slightly hypocritical now... since i've still been using my old leather products i know i shouldn't beat myself up about it.
in my humble opinion wearing leather is not quite the same as eating meat. (i know that some people would disagree) i'd rather see people wearing some leather shoes for years though than regularly eating meat. (i'm the kinda person who uses her things until they fall apart lol)

i know that there are many vegetarians who don't care about dairy or eggs, let alone leather,but even though i'm "just" a vegetarian i do feel slightly hypocritical. however, i decided to keep that jacket but not buy any new leather products.

ever had a dilemma like this? i applaud everyone who decides to reduce their meat consumption, even though they do not become vegetarians, but i guess i'm a little more strict with myself

 

[Ashcottmanor]

my new (2nd) fave snack! ^
(1st is these things called "sommersaults"...)

What are sommersaults?

Cloudyshambles, I feel ya. I was just on vacation in the Cayman Islands and they have very little vegetarian options there. Basically I lived on fruit and a few salads until we tried 7Prime, it's a steakhouse my mom wanted to try (she came with me on the trip) at our hotel. I really don't care if other people eat meat in front of me or want to go to a steakhouse, as long as they have a vegetarian option for me. Anyways I asked the Chef a day in advance if he could do a vegan menu and he said yes, they actually get a lot of people staying there (the Ritz-Carlton) who have dietary restrictions. So he made me an unbelievable meal, it started with a mango chop salad, followed by a tofu-eggplant Parmesan (minus the Parmesan) and a chocolate coconut custard with fresh berries. I have never bee so full or happy in my life! It was awesome! I totally applaud the Ritz for that.
But I found out when I got home when the chef sent me the recipe he used chicken stock for the pasta. Ugh my hopes were dashed but hey, like you said when you go out you can't count on it being right. That's why I don't go out very much either. I'm glad though that have decided to cut back on your meat consumption too.

 

[papa_levante]

But I found out when I got home when the chef sent me the recipe he used chicken stock for the pasta.

Yeah, sometimes we can never win. But I think that the effort of doing our best is the most we can do. In the past year, I have "messed up" anywhere from 5 - 10 times, just once intentionally. (I was drunk and I had some Jell-O.)

 

[cloudyshambles]

What are sommersaults?

Cloudyshambles, I feel ya. I was just on vacation in the Cayman Islands and they have very little vegetarian options there. Basically I lived on fruit and a few salads until we tried 7Prime, it's a steakhouse my mom wanted to try (she came with me on the trip) at our hotel. I really don't care if other people eat meat in front of me or want to go to a steakhouse, as long as they have a vegetarian option for me. Anyways I asked the Chef a day in advance if he could do a vegan menu and he said yes, they actually get a lot of people staying there (the Ritz-Carlton) who have dietary restrictions. So he made me an unbelievable meal, it started with a mango chop salad, followed by a tofu-eggplant Parmesan (minus the Parmesan) and a chocolate coconut custard with fresh berries. I have never bee so full or happy in my life! It was awesome! I totally applaud the Ritz for that.
But I found out when I got home when the chef sent me the recipe he used chicken stock for the pasta. Ugh my hopes were dashed but hey, like you said when you go out you can't count on it being right. That's why I don't go out very much either. I'm glad though that have decided to cut back on your meat consumption too.

some restaurants list the ingredients on their menu and i always go for the most vegan option however, i've never asked whether they could do an extra vegan dish for me! i asked for an extra vegetarian dish in spain once and they asked whether i eat fish they came back twice to ask if i eat this and that... i was there with a travelling group and everyone got a set menu and they did some extra meals for me, which was nice, but i never got my dishes with the others from the group but in between their courses and all this extra attention left me a little embarrassed. especially since i was the only vegetarian in that group!
i'm going to spain again soon with my family and i'm already dreading it a little food wise... does anyone have some tips for vegetarians/vegans in barcelona?

 

[papa_levante]

especially since i was the only vegetarian in that group!
​

I hate this. People almost feel obligated to go out of their way so that you can eat something. I usually tell them that they can go wherever they want to and I will find something on the menu that's befitting for my lifestyle.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

^ Me too. I just asked the chef because it was a steakhouse and I had already looked at the menu and knew they didn't have anything for me on there, except a salad. And I was basically living on salads and fruit for the last four days so I was pretty desperate. But I was totally prepared for the chef to say he couldn't do anything and then I'd move on...but he was so nice about it and the pastry chef even made me a vegan chocolate mousse dessert! They were so nice and I highly recommend staying at the Ritz-Carlton if you're ever in the Cayman Islands. They're so accommodating.

I don't mind being the only vegan in the group, I was recently at a wedding and they had a set menu which was a beef filet and halibut on rissotto and steamed veggies. I only ate the rissotto and veggies and gave the meat away. Everyone was asking if I got enough to eat and feeling bad but I was fine because I had something before I left the house knowing that they were probably going to serve some sort of meat for dinner. But it's still embarrassing just the same to have everyone fawning over you because you can't eat what they eat. I don't mind so much being vegan, it's the "stigma" thats attached to it that bothers me. People think because you're a vegan that you're some hippie-meat-Nazi who thinks that everyone should be like them and that you're a bad person if you do eat meat and that is TOTALLY the opposite of how I am. I don't mind if the person next to me is eating meat or even enjoys it. It's there prerogative to do that, but personally I can't stand eating another living thing and all the bad stuff it's doing to my body if I did.

That's the one thing that needs to change, is the stigma attached to vegans.

 

[Andrea.RL]

Hi everyone.
So my sister is doing a cook/hotellerie school and has been learning about cheeses... She told that apparently they put some powder in all of them that comes from calfs? Anyway, that completely disgusted me and i read about what gelatins were... Eww.
So im thinking about going vegetarian, well partly because i dont like any of the lentilles ect that bring proteins and well i like chicken (so for health reasons) But i dont eat fish, porc, turkey, red meats etc (and my sister loves ducks so she forbidd us to eat them ) (ive stopped some time ago and when id try once in a while the taste/smell/blood makes me sick)
I wanted to know where i could find a site where they list common products and say if they are vegetarian friendly or not, and also if someone could advise what kind of vitamins and complements are best to stay healthy.
Anyway i think im making a good choice. I just ate lunch being careful of what i was cooking, and i feel great! Plus im not hurting any animals (except chickens sorry...) and its a good gesture for ecology!

(ps: i dont want to offend anyone with my question or anything, but i was wondering why vegetarians didnt drink cow milk or eateggs? Its probably a question of how they treat the animals... But i was thinking that since they dont kill the animals for it and that the eggs arent ones that give little chicks... ? )

 

[Crakk]

I hate this. People almost feel obligated to go out of their way so that you can eat something. I usually tell them that they can go wherever they want to and I will find something on the menu that's befitting for my lifestyle.

I don't know how it is for vegans, but I must say, as a lacto-vegetarian, it is so easy for me find something on a menu. I would like to transition to veganism, heck, I have played with it quite a bit but have always fallen off the wagon.

 

[papa_levante]

I don't mind so much being vegan, it's the "stigma" thats attached to it that bothers me. People think because you're a vegan that you're some hippie-meat-Nazi who thinks that everyone should be like them and that you're a bad person if you do eat meat and that is TOTALLY the opposite of how I am. I don't mind if the person next to me is eating meat or even enjoys it. It's there prerogative to do that.

Ashcottmanor,
A lot of people also assume that we can't eat meat in front of them. I don't know where they get this idea, but I am not a crazy extremist trying to convert the whole world. Far from it.

Andrea.RL,
As far as I know, vegetarians do drink cow's milk and eat chicken eggs. I think for vegans (IMHO) it's more about where and how we get our milk and eggs that vegan do not support. (This is what I believe.) Sure, getting milk from a cow doesn't hurt the cow, but living in awful conditions, pumped full of hormones and steroids or what have you, etc. I cannot support.

But i was wondering why vegetarians didnt drink cow milk or eateggs? Its probably a question of how they treat the animals... But i was thinking that since they dont kill the animals for it and that the eggs arent ones that give little chicks... ?