Vegan recipes

althea

Vegan recipes

althea

I'm asking, not offering.  LOL  Please post vegan recipes here. 

I've ordered some health food products recently, desperate in my attempts to deal with a thyroid out of balance which makes me so tired I can hardly function.  My medical professionals are worthless on this front.  So I'm pursuing some natural healing idealology for now.  I must say, I've had more good days in the last 2 weeks than I had all winter since I started on a  'superfood' vitality kit. The literature that comes with the program strongly recommends a vegan diet. 

I'm so tired of being tired I'm actually open to the idea of going vegan.  I love dairy products.  I NEVER run out of milk or butter.  I love to bake.  I can envision more whole grains, but what would take the place of eggs to hold some recipes together?  If my life depended on being vegan starting today, I really wouldn't know how to prepare a meal other than a salad.  Does anyone here have vegan recipes you'd like to share?  Or links to sites with recipes you've liked?  

Jellydonut

Althea,

Sorry, I've never cooked vegan but you may want to check out the "Christina Cooks Naturally" thread.  She does have vegan recipes on her website and I believe in her cookbooks.

Her cooking naturally show was on PBS for many years and she was the only natural foods cook ever on PBS.

Jelly

Rosemary44

Well you start with bean recipes.  They're filling and full of fiber.  I'll start with my lentils which is full of flavor:

Lentil soup

1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2  carrots, chopped small
1 small zucchini, chopped small pieces
6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (organic if you can find)
1 (small) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf 
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed

¼ cup of barley (optional, adds more fiber)

Black pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, sage, crushed red pepper and fennel seeds to taste

In a large pot combine all ingredients except diced tomato; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover. Simmer for about 1 hour or until lentils and barley are tender. Add water, if necessary, for desired consistency.  Add diced tomato to pot right before serving.

Then I have a good spinach recipe:

saute' in olive oil, pine nuts and raisins till plump, add loads of spinach and toss for a minute, sprinkle a little garlic powder on top before tossing.

Then there's pea soup, that's easy.  Onion, garlic, shredded carrot, pepper, served with garlic croutons on top.

Then there's russett potato and cabbage soup.

8 cups of water

2 large unpeeled russet potatoes,  (I cut them into chunks)

2 cups chopped carrots

1 half of small cabbage sliced long

2 big, fat parsnips, peeled and sliced into chunks

season to taste, these measurements are low:

1/2 tsp. thyme

½ tsp. Sage

½ tsp. basil

2 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

before serving add

1cup lo-fat milk

1 can progresso tomato & basil soup, heat for a minute or so. 

1. Bring water to boiling in a large pot (I use a big soup pot)

2. Add potatoes, onion, carrots, cabbage, parsnips, and all seasonings

3. Bring soup back to a boil & simmer, uncovered, about 45 min. or until vegetables are tender and then you

4. Add milk & tomato soup & heat gently until soup is heated through right before serving. 

Can be served with a dallop of sour cream in bowl.

Chinese restaurants have some great tasting veggie dishes.  They tend to overcook all the nutrients out.  Ask for crispy veggies.

Kashi sells an organic veggie pizza, I toss up some spinach and kale, mushrooms in some olive oil, put it on top of the pizza and let it cook.

Enjoy, I'll keep thinking of more because I just throw things together.   

spar2

yesterday we sliced small yellow squash and zucinni. Halfed them and sprinkled with ms. dash and salt put them on the outside grill, when just about done sprinkled thickly with parmesian cheese, they were wonderful.

althea

jelly, thanks for the link to the christina site.  I'm sure not breaking any speed records turning into a vegan.  When I went to the library to get some cookbooks, a shaker cookbook on the next shelf drew me like a beacon.  Last weekend I made an awesome three layer cake with white flour, butter, and 12 egg whites, plus two more egg whites and confectioners sugar in the frosting.  It was awesome.  I've also started baking my own bread using some of the shaker recipes.  I don't know which is worse -- shortening made from soy bean oil, or milk and butter. 

To compensate for my debauchery, I tried a recipe from Vegan Planet for soup.  I made my own vegetable stock, and then a corn chowder.  Never in my life have I made a soup that I liked, but I actually liked this one!  

I don't care for bean or lentils, so my future as a vegan looks grim.  What did take me by surprise in the Planet book was a wealth of information about ingredients unfamiliar to me.  I have not explored sea vegetables yet.  Don't even know if they're available in my stores locally, but I am seeking out new ingredients with every trip to the grocery.  I have some seitan in my refrigerator, which is made from wheat primarily and is used as a meat substitute.  

I've also been visiting the site at my.crazysexylife.com where there is a wealth of recipe suggestions for vegan lifestyles.  I have a dual purpose in striving toward being vegan.  Some sources say it's the most healthy diet available.  Not everyone agrees on that topic, but then there's my other reason for wanting to be vegan.  I object to the way animals are treated.  I object to the plethora of antibiotics and hormones they receive.  I object to their living conditions.  And if I'm going to object to eating meat, the conditions imposed on the animals for dairy and egg production are at least as bad if not worse.  So, here I am, the reluctant potential vegan.  ...but I use my juicer every day and love it.  

ChrisP

Althea,

I hope the vegetarian/vegan diet works as well for you as it has for me. I, too, was a "reluctant vegetarian" (and vegan) for 7 years after my daughter was born, and again (post-cancer) I find myself needing to go back. It does take time to adjust to the cooking and the taste. Something I found recently is "Better than Vegetable Boullion" in the grocery store. It add a ton of flavor and is the least salty of all the pre-made boullions.

Neal Barnard, MD has a cookbook called Food for Life, with very low fat vegan recipies. He is part of Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine. They have a website called the cancerproject.org, where, in addition to cancer info, they also have recipes and links to other sites.

A good vegetarian cookbook is Lean, Luscious and Meatless (vol 3 in the Lean and Luscious series) by Bobbie Hinman and Millie Snyder. I don’t know if either of the books are still available in the bookstores, I found the Lean, Luscious in a second hand store, I think. It may be good to start there and see how you feel. Be sure to check labels, you’d be surprised how many products have milk derivatives (such as whey, and casiene).

I hope this info helps!

Chris

Anonymous

Althea,

Although I was just recently diagnosed with bc, I have been vegetarian for 35 years (I'm 47), and vegan for the last 2 1/2 years. I love to cook and I LOVE to bake. And I can tell you that, once you get some good recipes under your belt, it is not that hard being vegan. 

Here are three of my favorite websites for vegan recipes:

1) http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/ 

2) www.VegWeb.com

3) http://whatdoiknow.typepad.com/recipes/recipe-index.html 

As far as what to use as substitutes in baking - for eggs, you can get a product called Ener-G Egg Replacer (www.ener-g.com) or soaking some flax seeds in water makes a bit of a liquid that can act as a binder. Or check out the websites above for recipes that don't call for eggs. Cow's milk can be replaced with soy, rice, hemp or nut milk. There is a vegan margarine called "Earth Balance" that can be used instead of butter. It tastes pretty good on its own, too. Many vegan baked goods use oil instead of butter. 

I am a vegan for ethical reasons (I also work for an animal protection nonprofit) and was pleasantly surprised when my oncologist recommended that I stop eating dairy and eggs (I told her that I had several years ago). 

-- Jo