Natural Food Coloring

After reading about artificial food coloring I have decided from now on that I either buy natural ones or make my own at home.  I found these ideas for making your own food coloring.  Check it out!

Natural food coloring you can make at home for frosting:
With 1 cup of frosting mix in the below ingredients......
1. Beet juice. It can be added to frosting for a rosy, pink hue.
2. Blueberries. Smash 14 of them, then drain the juice for a deep blue shade.
3. Both of the above: combine the two to create shades of purple.
4. Saffron. crush a tiny amount of saffron and let it brew in about two tablespoons of hot water.  You'll have a bright yellow, almost orange food coloring. 
4. Avocado. Smash half a small avocado, then combine with the frosting using a fork.  Be sure to add a few drops of lemon to preserve the color.
5. Chocolate. can be added to make a nice brown color.

Other ways of making food coloring:

• To make purple food coloring, all you need is one half of a big red-cabbage head. First, chop cabbage into big chunks and put them into a pot of boiling water. The amount of water should be just enough to cover the cabbage. After about an hour, the cabbage should lose its color while the water should turn dark purple. Remove from heat and let cool. Once it is completely cool, discard the cabbage (You can save the leftovers to put in soup or stew).
• Use dried hibiscus flowers. The process is very similar to what you do with the red cabbage. First, boil 1/2 cup of dried hibiscus with about 10 cups of water. Let it boil for about an hour. Remove from heat, strain and let cool. Creates a lovely red color. 
• To get a nice green......you probably have seen green tea cakes or ice cream before. Using green tea in desserts is a great way to enhance the look and fragrance. I've heard that some people sprinkle green tea powder over their salads as well. Green-tea potato salad, in particular, has become a kind of "fad food" among health-concerned foodies. You may also make green-tea pasta by boiling your pasta in a pot of brewed green tea.

Also check out this lovely site.......http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/03/colorful-baking-with-homemade-natural.html#  It's full of ideas on making your own food coloring. 

You can buy the store bought natural food dyes, but a lot of them are pretty pricey.  

Have fun creating!


http://organic.lovetoknow.com/Natural_Food_Coloring
http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/food-and-cooking/4-natural-food-coloring-ingredients-083649
http://hubpages.com/hub/make-food-coloring
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/03/colorful-baking-with-homemade-natural.html

Artificial Food Coloring

In the USA, the following seven artificial colorings are permitted in food (the most common in bold) as of 2007:

• FD&C Blue No. 1 – Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (blue shade) -  It has the capacity for inducing an allergic reaction in individuals with pre-existing moderate asthma.
• FD&C Blue No. 2 – Indigotine, E132 (Indigo shade) -Indigo carmine is harmful to the respiratory tract if swallowed. It is also an irritant to the skin and eyes.
• FD&C Green No. 3 – Fast Green FCF, E143 (turquoise shade)-  is poorly absorbed by the intestines. Its use as a food dye is prohibited in European Union and some other countries.  This substance has been found to have tumorigenic effects in experimental animals, as well as mutagenic effects in both experimental animals and humans. It furthermore risks irritation of eyes, skin, digestive tract, and respiratory tract in its undiluted form.
• FD&C Red No. 40 – Allura Red AC, E129 (red shade)- was originally manufactured from coal tar but is now mostly made from petroleum.  Related dyes include Sunset Yellow FCF, Scarlet GN, tartrazine, and Orange B.  Some reports suggest that consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and sodium benzoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behaviour and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lower IQs were observed in children.  It can also trigger cancer in the body. 
• FD&C Yellow No. 5 – Tartrazine, E102 (yellow shade)- People who have aspirin sensitivity may not tolerate it and it may be especially a bad choice for people who have frequent asthma. Tartrazine is derived from coal tar, which has led to concerns for all people who consume it. 
• FD&C Yellow No. 6 – Sunset Yellow FCF, E110 (orange shade)- is a possible carcinogen, which is frequently present in it as an impurity. Sunset Yellow itself may be responsible for causing an allergic reaction in people with an aspirin intolerance, resulting in various symptoms including gastric upset, diarrhea, vomiting, nettle rash (urticaria) and swelling of the skin (angioedema).  The colouring has also been linked to hyperactivity in young children.
• FD & C Red No. 3- Contains erythrosine, another coal tar based compound. There is suspicion that this colorant may be carcinogenic. Rat studies showed development of thyroid tumors when high doses of erythrosine were administered. In 1990 the U.S. FDA had instituted a partial ban on erythrosine, citing research that high doses have been found to cause cancer in rats.  Also could be a significant risk factor in human breast carcinogenesis.

The above are known as "primary colors"; when they are mixed to produce other colors, those colors are then known as "secondary colors".  These artificial colors are in a lot of the foods we consume, so please read the ingredients labels.  It's hard to avoid all artificial colors, but try your best and use natural food dyes when cooking and baking at home.  You can find a lot of them at Whole Foods.  I used the natural red food coloring made from beets, but I didn't realize that when adding heat the color would change.  My red velvet cake turned out to be purple velvet cake.  It still was still really yummy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_coloring
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/02/25/fd_c_dyes_sickness.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-food-coloring-made-of.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/022870.html

What I Eat

I've been getting emails from people asking me what I eat on a daily basis.  Well, I try to eat many different fruits and vegetables throughout the week as much as possible.  I'm starting to get even more creative with my cooking to get in my veggies.  I notice the best results with my body by eating small meals every two hours.  This took me a good 6 months to get my body used to my new eating style.    

For breakfast I usually have oatmeal with some truvia or agave (natural sweetners) or a bowl of healthy granola cereal (I look for the one with the least amount of sugar) with almond milk on weekdays because of not having much time.  On weekends I can make french toast, cinnamon rolls, tofu scramble, cinnamon toast with earth balance butter, etc.  I got an idea from Kris Carr who stars in the documentary, "Crazy Sexy Cancer."  She healed herself from stage 4 cancer.....the cancer that has a 100% death rate.  She does juicing for her morning meal consisting of cucumber, spinach, collard greens, and adding a different fruit for sweetness.  I want to start doing this hopefully next week.  We'll see.   

For snacks I keep it simple with some brown rice, a vegetable (broccoli, brussel sprouts, anything dark green), beans, and different sauces on top.  I sometimes make it taste Mexican by adding salsa and guacamole instead of a sauce.  I sometimes have chili with my rice and veggies too.  The best is when you make a teriyaki sauce at home and use it throughout the week.  I've also seen some YouTube videos of people on the raw diet making awesome healthy sauces to add to dishes.  Look on YouTube under "raw sauces" and a bunch will pop up.  It's best not to add sugar to your sauces.

For lunches and dinner I try to have half of my meal be full of vegetables.  There are tons of recipes online to try out.  My favorite are the cheesy enchiladas, but there are so many dishes I still want to try out.  I love using seitan, gardein, etc. in my dishes.  You can find some at Whole Foods or some Ralph's Fresh Fare locations.   

I also love to eat out.  It depends where we eat for what I end up ordering.  For Chinese I like to order the vegetarian soup, garlic sauteed mixed veggies, and a side of brown rice...sometimes I get the tofu dishes.  For Mexican I can order pretty much anything and ask for no meat, no cheese, and no sour cream.  For Japanese I get the asparagus avocado roll with brown rice, some miso soup, and sometimes there's other ordering options I try out.  For pizza I love to get mine thin crust with olives, garlic, and pineapple with no cheese.  You get tons more toppings by ordering it with no cheese.  For Italian I like marinara with spaghetti and you can sometimes get a side of veggies you can mix in.  There are many choices out there and sometimes I just have to be creative with ordering.  I can even find vegan foods at a steakhouse!

As you can see......I have plenty of food to select from and I'm never starving myself.  I still eat my dessert everyday and not worry about gaining weight.  Even fruit is tasting so amazing as a dessert since my taste buds are finally awake now.  I love it!     
 

Hydrogenated Oils = Poison

Hydrogenated oils are artificially processed oils that never appear in nature.  They are created by food producers for the convenience of food producers- primarily to add shelf life and consistency to foods so that those foods not only taste great, but can sit on the shelf for months at a time without going bad.

Food manufacturers are getting around the trans fat labeling by mixing small amounts of fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturated oils and calling it "interesterified oil."  Since there is less trans fat, they can sell this product to food manufacturers for use in commercial dressings, baked goods, candies and anything else that used to have partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.  This is the manufacturers solution to the trans fat problem and labeling requirements.  Also beware of mono-diglycerides, they are nothing more than hydrogenated oils.

Research studies show conclusively these deadly oils cause non-insulin dependent type II diabetes, or hyperinsulinemia. This is a disease which can eventually burn out the pancreas and cause insulin dependent diabetes. These changed molecular oils dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease, birth defects, breast cancer, and other types of cancers and auto immune diseases.  There are studies that show there is a 40% increase in breast cancer in women eating hydrogenated oils. 

Over 100 research studies show how harmful these oils are to the human body. However, these findings have been largely ignored by the mass media and the FDA.

Read your Food Labels!

More information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenation
http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm

http://www.truthpublishing.com/poisonfood_p/yprint-cat21284.htm

http://www.naturalnews.com/002686.html

Cooking Your Way Towards a Healthy Body

Cooking is the best way to get more nutritious foods for your body.  I have been doing way more cooking than I have ever done in my entire life.  I feel as though this is the main key to being healthy.  To think.....you know what's in your food because you were the one that put it all together.  I've been collecting vegan cookbooks to help me and I watch a lot of YouTube videos of people cooking plant-based foods. 

I know cooking your food takes time and planning, but it's so worth it if it makes you feel so much better.  A helpful tip is that you can cut up the food and prepare your food the night before.  You can put your food in a slow cooker all day and come home to a nice meal.  Make a chart for your week of meals and write the ingredients you need so when you go to the store then you know what to pick up.
 

Just a Helpful Tip to Resist the Bad Foods:
What keeps me away from getting fast-food, junk food, etc. is doing research on their ingredients.  It's pretty freaky what the FDA allows in our food that other countries won't allow.  I have a dish full of fun-sized candies that sits in front of me all day at work.  I used to eat at least 3 candies from it everyday......5 days a week.  Now that I know what's in it I can easily pass it up.  Just thinking about the toxins used in the candy freaks me out. Knowing what's in food will help you to resist the bad foods.
  

Can't Wait to See This Documentary

This documentary shows what eating a whole foods plant-based diet can do to your body. I'm starting to realize that I need to start eating less of the processed foods I've been eating. Even vegan foods can be highly processed. I've been using these processed foods as a step toward giving up my meats and dairy. I'm officially not addicted to those types of foods anymore. I'm thinking that once I'm done with the processed foods in my freezer that I should stop buying them completely. I want to start going towards eating more of the whole foods that are talked about in this documentary.

Remember you should always do your research before starting a new eating plan.

My Vegan Christmas

Getting together with the family is always a fun time, but when you start changing your eating it becomes tricky.  Usually there's not much for vegans to eat at family affairs and you try to either eat before or eat after or try picking at the non-animal foods.  I didn't have to worry about food this Christmas season thanks to my cousins.  They told my aunt and uncle how I've been eating differently and they were so accommodating.  They made potato salad, but they left some on the side for my husband and me that didn't have egg or mayo.  They also had some amazingly yummy baked beans with chunks of onion.  I was so amazed at the support I got from them and felt so loved.  Turns out one of my cousins is thinking about trying to eat like a vegan too!  That's just amazing to me!  It's just a wonderful feeling when family is so supportive.  If you have family members that aren't so supportive, then you should try eating before going to visit or bring your own dish to contribute.....just make sure it's yummy to show your family that vegan foods can have lots of flavor. 

Happy Holidays!!!!!!     

B-12

When you look at what nutrients are contained in plant-based food compared to what our bodies need, it's obvious that a vegan diet is plentiful in good stuff such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. and low on the junk (saturated fats, cholesterol, hormones/antibiotics, etc.). Animal-based sources of the good stuff (protein, calcium, etc.) are loaded with the junk, a problem vegans don't have to worry about.  Yay!

The only deficiency vegans are at risk for is the vitamin B12. This vitamin has a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood.  Neither plants nor animals make vitamin B12. When you realize B12 is a bacteria and animal-based foods contain B12 only due to bacterial contamination, it makes taking a supplement sound like a better alternative. Most people with B12 deficiencies and/or pernicious anemia are not vegans.  The RDA for adults for vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms daily.

Good sources of B12:

• Nutritional yeast fortified with B12-  About 2 rounded teaspoons of large flake nutritional yeast provides the recommended amount of vitamin B12 for adults.
•  Cereal fortified with B12- Be sure to check the label
• Alternative milks may be fortified with B12- be sure to check the label
• Vegan "meats" sometimes will be fortified with B12
• A vitamin supplement or multivitamin are great too

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm
http://www.sugarrocket.com/vegan/vegan-myths.php
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm

EWG Tap Water Database 2009

EWG's drinking water quality analysis found more than 200 contaminants with no enforceable safety limits in United States tap water.

This website will let you look up water tests in different areas throughout the United States. My own area turned up 30 total contaminants including arsenic! Yikes!


Check to see what's in your water........

EWG Tap Water Database 2009

You Are What You Eat with Host Gillian McKeith

A coworker of mine told me about this wonderful British show called, "You Are What You Eat." Gillian reminds me of Simon Cowell from American Idol. She's very tough when it comes to getting people on track with eating healthy. There's a lot of postings on YouTube of the show that you can check out. She's mainly encouraging people to eat like a vegan with an occasional white fish, but mostly fruits and vegetables. I've included a clip of the show of her making a hot dog. Enjoy!

More information on the show:
http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/273/index.jsp

Food Portions: Then vs. Now

Since taking the step to eat healthier foods I have started noticing other aspects to be healthier.  When I used to eat over at a friend's house their mom would tell my mom I was a healthy eater.  I didn't know that was their polite way of saying, "wow....your daughter eats a ton!"  I would dish up my food for dinner and my mom would look at me and ask, "Can you leave some for the rest of the family?"  I had no knowledge of correct portions and I would eat until I got sickly full.  After high school when I was in the high 150lbs. range I started to reevaluate my eating habits.   

Now I know about portions and to not eat so much.  It took me a good year to adjust to this new way of eating.  Now I eat every two hours and I make sure not to go overboard with my food portions. 

Here's an article on portions and how they've changed over the years.  The article also mentions how plates have changed in size.  Also, cookbook recipes have changed over the years making their serving sizes way bigger than originally.  A recipe for brownies back in the day would have 30 servings where the updated recipe is 12 servings.   

Page 1

Page 2

Meatball Sandwich

I made this sandwich using a whole wheat hot dog bun, spinach (from freezer), Nate's Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs, and some organic spaghetti sauce on top.  It took just a few minutes in the microwave for a delicious meal. 

As you probably noticed I already started eating my meal when I realized I should take a picture of it.  I had this meatball sandwich with a side of sauteed cabbage and spinach topped with some spaghetti sauce.  This was amazingly filling compared to what I used to eat......lean cuisine. 

Yummy yummy yummy   

My Skin

What I've noticed lately with the cold weather is that my skin has gotten really really dry.  I'm not sure if switching to a vegan like diet is to blame or it could be a combination of things like *cough* aging.  Lately I haven't been eating avocados or anything with omega-3 fatty acids in it, so what I did was I added more flaxseed to my diet.  If I don't add some to my meals then I take a flaxseed oil pill.  It's very similar to what I used to take which were the fish oil pills, but I had an allergic reaction to those.  I also have been way better about putting on lotion where I never did before. 

So if you notice your skin is getting extra dry then you should try adding some avocados, nuts, oils, or anything else with some healthy plant-based fat into your diet.  

Whole Foods has a lot of natural body lotions you can find.  Be sure alcohol isn't on the top of the ingredients list because alcohol dries the skin.  There are lots of people who make natural and organic body butters and lotions on etsy.com as well.   

Ultimate Brownies

I looked up 3 different recipes for vegan brownies and tried this recipe first.  This recipe was so good that I might not even get to the other recipes.  It's rich with chocolaty goodness. 

If you don't want to make brownies from scratch.........just get the box brownie mix and instead of eggs use ground flaxseed with water.  One tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with three tablespoons of water and let sit for 2-3 minutes is equal to one egg.  Nobody would be able to tell the difference. 


Adapted From This Recipe

Vegan Brownies:
Ingredients~

• 3/4 cup flour (I used whole grain pastry flour)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Ghirardeli unsweetened cocoa)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup melted soy ice cream..... (I used Purely Decadent Coconut Ice Cream.....the volume of the ice cream you select will reduce when melted so start with a little more than half a cup)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (you can use a bit less if using coconut coconut milk ice cream)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional......of course I added some)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions ~

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 8" square pan.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
3. Whisk together the melted ice cream, vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla.  Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.  Pour into your prepared pan--the mixture will be somewhat thick.  Be sure to distribute in the pan evenly.  Bake about 15-20 minutes-- the top should be set.  I didn't bake mine long enough because I doubled my batch, but they were still yummy.  These brownies are best when they've set for an hour.

Cookie Bake-Off

My coworkers and I wanted to see what cookie people would prefer in a taste test.  The results were surprising.  We only told them after what each cookie was.  All they knew was that all the cookies were chocolate chip. 

A- 1 vote   ~    This one is the good ol' fashioned (animal products and unbleached flour)

B- 6 votes  ~   This one was made from rice flour, was chewy, and had a hint of cinnamon

C- 2 votes  ~   This one was the non-dairy, no animal product (aka vegan), made with whole wheat flour, and was soft

Everyone kept commenting that all of them were delicious.  The only difference people could tell was one had cinnamon, one a bit more salty, some more chewy, and some cooked more or less.  The best part of this experiment was finding people were surprised when "C" was revealed to be vegan.  One guy commented that usually you think of vegan as having no flavor, but the cookie proved to him that even food can still be yummy with no animal products.   

Aluminum in Baking Powder and Other Foods

Two of my coworkers challenged me to a bake-off with my vegan cookies against regular cookies and rice flour cookies.  Hope people like my cookies in comparison.  So I was making a batch of my vegan cookies for the bake-off and I just so happened to read the ingredients label on my baking powder.  It had listed Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate.  Since I know that Sulfates aren't great in hair products I looked up to see what Sodium Aluminum Sulafate is.

Aluminum has been found to adversely affect the reproductive and nervous systems in animal studies. Some human studies have also suggested a potential association between aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease.  The studies are inconclusive, but why take a chance?  I'd rather skip on the Sodium Aluminum Sulfate.  Here's a website that lists the usual products and food that would contain Aluminum ...... http://home.earthlink.net/~joannefstruve/_wsn/page2.html .  I didn't realize that the salt used at McDonald's had aluminum too.  Yikes! 

Here's how to make your own Baking Powder:
 1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cream of tartar
1/4 cup corn starch
Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Store in an airtight container. When using this product, bake immediately after mixing up the recipe batter. Yield: One cup of baking powder.

It's interesting when becoming more aware of ingredients in products.  I hope everyone starts to read not just the nutrition label, but also the ingredients labels of the food they buy. 

Here's more information:
http://www.healthcastle.com/aluminum.shtml
http://ezinearticles.com/?Hidden-Aluminum-in-Your-Diet---Baking-Powder&id=1732092
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baking_powder

Gardein Tuscan Breasts

I'm starting to forget the texture of regular chicken, so when trying these I felt as though I was eating chicken.  I'm sure if it's your first time having it you'll notice a difference in texture.  For me......I'm used to the texture and I'm loving it.  I really felt as though I had a chicken breast with my rice and vegetables.  It came with a sauce that was similar to spaghetti sauce.  I think I would have it with noodles next time. 

Serving Size 1 pc, Servings per container 2, Calories 120, Total fat 2g, Total sugars 0g, Total Protein 21g, Calcium 10%, Iron 40%

http://www.gardein.com/products.php?t=fresh&p=6

Starlite Crispy Soy Rolled Tacos~ Santa Fe Chicken Style

I had one of these lovlies along with my snack bowl I created (refried beans, brown rice, broccoli, salsa, tofutti sour cream).  I heated the rolled taco up in the microwave for 30 seconds.  These were killer!  I couldn't believe the wonderful flavor I experienced while eating it.  These will fool anybody to thinking they were having a regular taquito.  Delicious! 

Serving Size 1 pc, Servings per container 6, Calories 160, Total fat 6g, Total Carb 20g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Total Sugar 1g, Total Protein 7g, Vitamin A 2 %, Vitamin C 6%, Calcium 2%, Iron 10%

Ingredients: Flour Tortilla from Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour), Water, Texturized Soy Flour, Onion, Mushrooms, Corn, Beans, Green and Red Pepper, Soy Flour, Cornstarch, Tomatillos, Black Pepper, Celery Seed, Natural Spices, Salt, Yeast Extract, Evaporated Cane Juice, Garlic Powder, Expeller Soybean Oil.

2 Month Update

I'm amazed it's already been 2 months on a plant-based diet.  I haven't been able to weigh myself recently, but last time I was able to weigh myself I lost 10 pounds and this is with no exercise.  I was still having my dessert everyday and I still lost.  I'm way too happy. 

Some things I have noticed the past few months......

I have been saving a lot more money on groceries and when my husband and I eat out.  Meat and dairy added up and going for more fresh vegetables and fruits is cheaper.  We still have a cheaper bill even when buying the organic fruits and veggies.  Yay for non-genetically modified and no pesticides in our food! 

When I get less sleep than I'd like I'm not as affected as I would've been while I was eating meat and dairy.  I am able to sleep heavier and get more rest in shorter amount of time.  My husband and I would need naps during our weekends, but since we changed our eating habits we haven't needed a nap.  Our naps used to be a good 2-4 hours.......what a waste of the weekend. 

I used to get really stressed at work and would have to take vitamins to try to control my adrenaline.  I don't need those stress pills anymore.

The best part is that even without exercise my husband and I have been losing weight.  My hope is to start exercising next week to start getting toned.  We'll see.

My asthma was under control for the month of December!  I know this is from having no dairy because I've had asthma problems every December and this is the first time I didn't struggle to breathe.  I had little coughs here and there, but it's nothing compared to what it used to be. 

I love meat, but I will continue to eat vegan because of all the benefits I've experienced so far.  It's so worth it to feel and look healthier.   

Weight-Loss on a Plant-based Diet

People around me have noticed a change in me and have noticed I've been losing weight. The first question they ask me is...."How did you do it?" Once I tell them they say, "That's great, but I could never do that," and some end up asking me for more information. There's been a lot of people wanting to try to eat like a vegan.

My sister-in-law only stopped having dairy and she's been losing weight and says she doesn't feel bloated anymore. My coworker has lost 5 pounds in one week of trying out no meat and no dairy. There's also other people that are trying it out on weekdays that have told me that they notice they have way more energy and feel better. Even my husband (the hard-core meat eater) has been eating like a vegan on weekdays for about a month now. He's losing weight, but most importantly he has more energy and he's in a happy mood more.

I'm surprised how many people have said they are trying to eat like a vegan. I've included this video of Patricia to show you that not only did she lose weight, but she has more energy and didn't have to take her cholesterol medication. She lowered her cholesterol the safe and natural way. Congrats to Patricia!

La Dolce Vegan! by Sarah Kramer

This cookbook is jam packed with lots of different recipes to try out.  I love the retro feel of the book and  her recipes for making your own source of protein.  I tried out her faux beef recipe and it came out really tasty for a mock meat.  A lot of her recipes have been compiled by people giving her their favorite vegan recipes so most of them should be yummy.  Also a nice thing is that most of these ingredients for the recipes can be found at a local grocery store.   There are recipes for breakfasts, snacks, dressings, soups, entrees, sauces, side dishes, desserts, baked goods, faux foods, and more.
 
My problem with the book is all the pictures of her in pinup poses and making silly faces.  I want pictures of the food!  It is also hard to find recipes with the index because her recipes are all silly names so you can't really find a recipe well.  I tried to look up an ingredient hoping to find a recipe on it and I couldn't find it in the index.

At least the recipes look appealing and there's even a recipe for homemade marshmallows ......can't go wrong with trying out this book for yourself.  She also has several other books available........Check them out too!   

Here's Sarah on youtube making Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOzAgEQrYBg

Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso

Holy Cow!  I can have queso!!!!  I originally saw this from a newsletter from Hungry-girl.com and then my friend told me about it.  I ended up ordering two jars from a site and have been scared to try them for more than two months.  I'm really bad at trying new things and ended up hanging onto the jars until I was really ready to try it.  I just kept telling myself it will taste okay and it will taste like diet food. 

I heated up a spoonful in the microwave and dipped my chip into the queso.  I took a bite and realized I was missing out during the few months I was afraid to try it.  I loved the dip!  It was creamy and had an awesome nacho cheese taste.  The best part........there's only 160 calories in the entire jar!!!  Plus it has zero fat!!!  I wouldn't recommend eating the entire jar in one sitting, but I'm way impressed there's so few calories for such an awesome tasting nacho cheese dip.  Mmmmmmmmmmm!   

More information:
http://fatgoblin.com/
Where to buy:
http://fatgoblin.com/Where_to_find_us.html

Nutritional Information: Serving Size: 1 oz, Calories: 10 (160 for the entire 16 oz jar!), Calories from Fat: 0, Total Fat: 0, Saturated Fat: 0, Trans Fat: 0, Cholesterol: 0, Sodium: 180mg, Total Carbohydrate: 2g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 0 Protein: 1 g

The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

When I started trying to eat vegan I was given this book by a friend.  I was amazed that the book was 288 pages full of every sort of baking good, frosting recipes, beverages, puddings, and more.  I tried out the pumpkin pie and her recipe for pancakes.  Both tasted so amazing!  I ended up switching some ingredients to make her recipes a bit healthier like using whole wheat instead.  Colleen does an amazing job at switching out animal products out of the recipes so they end up tasting as if they did have them.  She includes baking tips and a detailed description of alternatives to use in baking.  She also includes some really great points that I never thought of such as:

 "There are at least two commercial "egg replacers" available.....both fabulous products that last forever in your pantry, providing a convenient and economical alternative to perishable chickens' eggs.  For instance, one 16-ounce box of Ener-G Egg Replacer makes the equivalent of 112 eggs!"

Wow.....I'll be saving money baking this way too!  Sweet! 

Best part is that all the recipes are free of saturated fat, cholesterol, and lactose! 
I'm so grateful to my friend for giving me this wonderful book that I will keep forever.  I'm so happy I can have my baked goods with a healthier twist.   

Cheesy Beans and Rice Enchiladas

These enchiladas came out so well!  It's crazy to think that I got a cheese taste in this enchilada dish all from nutritional yeast!  It was surprisingly good after I got over the look of the "cheese."  It reminded me of mustard and I was so nervous to try it, but it was really yummy.  It's the perfect addition to the enchilada sauce on top.  I got this recipe from VegWeb.com submitted by Laura, but I changed a lot of the recipe.  I kept the "cheese" sauce the same, but forgot to add the mustard that was supposed to be in it.  You can make this recipe your own creation by adding other sorts of things like bell peppers and whatnot.  Have fun! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour (I used wheat all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Butter
• 1 tsp mustard (I forgot to add)
• 1 (10-ounce) cans enchilada sauce  (I made enchilada sauce from a powder packet...made according to directions........ and then added a can of enchilada sauce to it)
• 2 ( 15 ounce) canned beans, drained  (I used one pinto bean and one black bean)
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can olives
• 2-3 cups of brown rice (I used one bag of frozen brown rice from Rice Expressions...be sure to cook in microwave before adding) 
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, diced
• 6 whole wheat tortillas (you can use any kind of tortilla)

Directions:

1. "Cheese" Sauce: In a medium-large saucepan, combine flour, nutritional yeast, salt and garlic powder.  Whisk in water.  Heat on medium heat until bubbling and thick.  Remove from heat and add Earth Balance Butter and mustard. 
2. In a frying pan saute the green onion, white onion and the garlic cloves until white onion becomes translucent.  I sprinkled a bit of pepper on top while sauteing.
3. In a bowl mix the olives, beans, corn and brown rice together and set aside.  This will be the filling of the enchiladas.
4. Pour less than half of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9"x 13" pan to cover the bottom.  Cover each side of tortilla in enchilada sauce and stuff with the filling (beans, olives, corn and rice mix) and some of the sauteed onions and garlic.  Roll and push to one end of the pan.  Continue until the whole pan is filled with the stuffed tortillas.  Pour half of the left over enchilada sauce on top.  With the rest of the enchilada sauce mix a little less than half of the "cheese" sauce with it and cover the top of the enchiladas.  With the left over "cheese" sauce sprinkle on each enchilada.
5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until brown, 30 to 45 minutes.

You can enjoy with some Tofutti sour cream, salsa and guacamole!

Amazing Recipes to Check Out

I discovered this lovely site full of vegetarian and vegan recipes called VegWeb.com.  People can post their recipes and a lot of the recipes have pictures of the food....... which I like.  Users can also rate what they think and add comments about the dishes.  I like the comments posted about the recipe because then I can see if people really liked it or how they changed the recipe to make it better. 

I suggest clicking "recipes" and then clicking "popular recipes" to find the top favorite dishes.  They have every sort of recipe you could imagine listed here.  I found some recipes I hope to try out soon. 

http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=561234b5fc238de1135fc3eadc6a0fdc&action=recipes;start=0;sort=views;desc

Tofurky Beer Brats

During my lunch I heated up half of a Tofurky beer brat.  I put it on a whole wheat hot dog bun with some Nathan's mustard, pickles, and some sauerkraut. The texture was soft because I microwaved it, but I can imagine it toughening up to the texture of a real brat if I cooked it on the grill.  It had the perfect blend of spices.  I love how the company used Full Sail Ale to flavor the brats because it made it taste so yummy.  I didn't like the fact it was so high in fat, but when compared to the real thing the Tofurky had half the fat and 0 Cholesterol.  This will be great for the next Oktoberfest! 

Servings Per Package: 4, Serving Size 3.5 oz (100g) 1 brat, Total Fat 13g,  Calories 260, Protein 27g, Sugars 2g, Iron 10%

Ingredients: Water, vital wheat gluten, expeller pressed non-genetically engineered canola oil or hi oleic safflower oil, organic tofu (water, organic soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), onions, spices, textured wheat protein, Full Sail Amber Ale (water, malted barley, hops, yeast), autolyzed yeast extract, carrageenan, garlic, konjac flour. 
 http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/sausages.html

Mimi Kirk.....Guess How Old She Is

She is 72 years old! She recently won Sexiest Vegetarian over 50. She was born in 1938 before television was around. She talks about how portions used to be smaller and they would eat fresh foods. Then she talks about TV dinner trays coming out, but even then the portions were smaller than they are now. She also discusses her decision that made her change over to becoming vegetarian....then vegan...then to eating mostly raw foods. The best part is when she talks about aging not being the end and that you can still feel great even into your 70's.

She's very inspirational to me and makes me want to eventually give up the processed "meats" that I've been getting during my transition to eating vegan. I don't think I could go mostly raw in my diet, but I'm sure when I'm in my 60's that it might be more of an option for me. Until then I'll keep trying to stick with eating vegan as much as possible.

Here's another clip on YouTube of her being interviewed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdeC3OJJIzA&feature=related

If You're Feeling Icky Try This

When my husband first started trying out eating vegan meals on weekdays he noticed he was tired and didn't feel energized like I did.  I asked him what he was eating.  The main thing he left out were the green vegetables.  He was eating corn and whatnot, but if he really wanted to feel great and energized he had to eat the green vegetables.  He's had more energy since eating more of the green veggies. 

My favorites are spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage.  I add them to a lot of my meals and I also have them as side dishes with a tasty sauce on top.  People who eat meat and dairy would feel healthier if they increased their green veggie intake.  Even the standard food pyramid shows people should be eating at least twice the amount of veggies and fruit than meat and dairy. 

Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, or carnivore........you should be eating a lot of the green vegetables if you want to feel your best.

Biscuit Recipe

I used whole wheat, but you can easily use regular all purpose flour or even half wheat and half white flour. I ended up over baking these biscuits so they were crunchy on the bottom. They were still yummy with some Earth Balance butter. They taste like a buttermilk biscuit and they were so easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour (you can use white all-purpose instead)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbs. Earth Balance Butter (I suggest making it room temperature, but you don't have to)
• 3/4 cup almond milk (you can also use another milk alternative like soy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the Earth Balance butter to the flour mixture until it looks crumbly. Stir in almond milk and form the dough into a ball.
3. I ended up shaping the dough into 2 inch thick biscuits by hand, but you can also roll out the dough and use a circle cookie cutter instead.
4. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden.

This is perfect on the side of soup, stew, or any other meal you'd like accompanied with a buttermilk-like biscuit.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend gave me a recipe she wanted me to try out to see if they would taste like a regular cookie. I gave it a try after we ran out of the vegan chocolate chip cookies from Trader Joe's. The first batch came out crunchy, flat, and over baked. I lowered the temperature in the recipe, lowered the baking time, and put the dough in the fridge 30minutes before trying it again with the second batch. They came out absolutely delicious!!!! Nobody would ever know they were non-dairy and egg-free. I'm keeping this recipe forever! The best part was I didn't have to worry about salmonella......I can eat the dough worry free.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup Earth Balance Butter (softened....must be room temperature)
• 2 Tbs. soy milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. Toffuti cream cheese
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole grain wheat pastry flour)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't use this in the recipe)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (the recipe said 375 which is too hot).
2. Beat the brown sugar, softened Earth Balance butter, milk and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Then add cream cheese and beat it in.
4. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.
5. Combine the powdered mix and the liquid mix together until all are mixed together.
6. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts with spoon.
7. I suggest putting the cookie batter in the fridge from 30 minutes to an hour before baking. It helps the cookies stay thick and yummy.
8. Drop rounded tablespoonsful on ungreased baking sheet (I made my cookies into more like 2-3 tablespoonsful)
9. Bake for 10 min. Be sure to check on your cookies before the 10 minute mark to see their progress. Some ovens bake cookies faster than others.
10. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on backing sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Yeast....to get a Healthy Cheesy Fix

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is a favorite for recipes or as a condiment. It has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. I've used it to add a cheesy flavor to recipes. I hope to make a mac n' cheese out of this stuff soon. Some people even use it to flavor their popcorn.

It is a good source of protein and vitamins especially the B-complex vitamins and is a complete protein containing 18 amino acids. It has 15 different minerals and is also naturally low in fat and sodium. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B-12.

It is also helpful if you are diabetic or borderline, as nutritional yeast contains chromium, a trace mineral known as the Glucose Tolerance Factor, or (GTF). If you have fluctuating blood sugar levels or a tendency towards low blood pressure, regular intake of nutritional yeast may help.

For greatest nutritional value, select a non-GMO nutritional yeast that is fortified with vitamin B12.

For more information:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4454257_benefit-from-nutritional-yeast.html#ixzz16zrYWZhK
http://www.ehow.com/how_4454257_benefit-from-nutritional-yeast.html#ixzz16zrAtrAa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/nutyeast.htm

Soy Ramen Soup

I have a really hard time knowing exactly the amounts of things I put in when creating new dishes. I can give you estimates for what I used for this soup. I suggest taste tests while you create your soup. I made a lot of soup, so you might want to cut back on amounts for when making.

Ingredients:

• whole head of cabbage
• about 20 asparagus
• 2 heads of garlic
• 1 shallot
• 2 onions
• 5 green onion
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2-3 tbs. sake cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
• 1 cup or more soy sauce
• 7 cups water (more or less)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Asian ramen noodles or any other Asian noodles you find

Directions:

1. Chop up all the veggies and put into a big pot. On medium heat put a little vegetable oil and sprinkle some pepper over them and saute vegetables until onions become translucent.
2. In a separate pot boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. I used all the noodles that came in the package. Once done be sure to drain the noodles and set aside.
3. In the pot with the sauteed vegetables put in vegetable broth, cooking sake, ginger powder, soy sauce, and water. Be sure to taste the broth to see if it's to your liking.
4. Once the soup starts getting hot you can add the noodles and then serve.

Don't be afraid to experiment on putting different amounts of ingredients in. If you think it's not salty enough....then add more soy sauce.........if it's too strong .....then add more water....etc.

Perfluoroalkyls found in Fast Food Wrappers

You know that eating fast food is not good for you, but now you have a new reason to avoid it. It turns out that the wrapper used for fast food products are toxic. (the chemical is also found in microwavable popcorn....microwave popcorn in a paper bag instead......http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Popcorn)

Perfluoroalkyls, which are chemicals used to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers, are being ingested by people through their food and showing up as contaminants in blood. Perfluoroalkyls includes perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). According to recent survey results, these chemicals can be detected in nearly all people in the US, including children! The chemicals can leech into your food, then into your bloodstream, where it takes about four years for the level in the body to go down by half, even if no more is taken in. These chemicals can, and do, transfer from the wrappers into the food, and that food wrappers are in fact a source of human exposure to PFCAs, including PFOA.

The Many Dangers of these chemicals..............

These chemicals are part of an expanding group of chemicals commonly referred to as "gender-bending" chemicals, because they can disrupt your endocrine system and affect your sex hormones. But researchers have also linked them to a range of other health dangers.

In animal studies, PFOA has been associated with:

• "Significant increases in treatment related deaths" in rat offspring at doses that did not affect the mothers
• Serious changes in the weight of various organs, including the brain, prostate, liver, thymus, and kidneys
• The deaths of a significant number of rat pups of mothers that had been exposed to PFOA
• Damage to the pituitary at all doses in female rat offspring (The pituitary secretes hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, and many metabolic processes. Change in pituitary size is associated with toxicity)
• Tumor development after prolonged exposure

Other studies have linked various PFC's to:

• Infertility -- A study published in the journal Human Reproduction lasts year found that both PFOA and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), dramatically increased the odds of infertility. PFOS increased the risk of infertility anywhere from 70 to 134 percent, while PFOA was linked to a 60 to 154 percent increase in the chance of infertility.
• Thyroid disease -- A study published in May of this year in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that PFOA can damage your thyroid function. Individuals with the highest PFOA concentrations were more than twice as likely to report current thyroid disease, compared to those with the lowest PFOA concentrations. Your thyroid contains thyroglobulin protein, which binds to iodine to form hormones, which in turn influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in your body. Thyroid hormones are also required for growth and development in children. Thyroid disease, if left untreated, can lead to heart disease, infertility, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis.
• Cancer -- PFOA has been associated with tumors in at least four different organs in animal tests (liver, pancreas, testicles and mammary glands in rats), and has been associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers. The EPA has ruled PFCs as "likely carcinogens," and has stated that PFOA "poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans."
• Immune system problems -- Several studies by scientists in Sweden indicate that PFC's have an adverse effect on your immune system. As described in a report on PFC's by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), PFOA was found to decrease all immune cell subpopulations studied, in the thymus and spleen, and caused immunosupression.
• Increased LDL cholesterol levels – A recent study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine implicates both PFOA and PFOS. Children and teens with higher PFOA levels had higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, while PFOS was associated with increased total cholesterol, including both LDL cholesterol and HDL or "good" cholesterol.

More information and articles:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22116.cfm

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/01/chemicals-in-fast-food-wrappers-show-up-in-human-blood.aspx

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/11/10/toxic-fast-food-wrappers-eating-more-than-you-bargained-for

http://www.ifood.tv/blog/beware-of-fast-food-wrappers-popcorn-bags

Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream

I usually don't have much sour cream in the food I eat, but when I had some chili I just had to try Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream with it. To me it tasted exactly like regular sour cream. This one has no milk, no cholesterol, no lactose, no butterfat, and no hydrogenated oil. This would be perfect for onion dip too. Mmm. I'm surprised this isn't everywhere!

Serving Size: 2 Tbsp, Calories 85, Total Fat 5g, Sugars 2g, Protein 1g

http://www.tofutti.com/ss-hydro.shtml

Grocery Store Visit

I've been going to Whole Foods since starting my vegan crusade, so it's been almost 2 months. It was late last night and I needed to get some vegetables for a Soy Ramen soup I wanted to make for tonight. I went to the closest grocery store and I noticed I didn't smell the vegetables and fruit like I do when walking into Whole Foods. They were right by the door like in Whole Foods, but I couldn't smell them. Has anybody else noticed that? Not to mention the grocery stores are starting to get more dark inside as if somebody turned off half the lights. It's really bright in Whole Foods so I can see what I'm buying.

I started getting used to reading labels at Whole Foods and being able to recognize what the ingredients are. I looked at products at the regular grocery store and it was full of ingredients that I couldn't pronounce. It's so scary that I used to buy products and not know what I was really eating. I've started getting grossed out by products I used to eat all the time. Maybe it's because I broke my addiction.

I will continue to go to Whole Foods and other healthy grocery stores because most of their food is not chemically enhanced and I know what's exactly in my food.

Organic Vegetarian Chili from Whole Foods

This was a nice surprise! I was amazed that the chili was so tasty and full of flavor. It has pinto beans and some soy protein in it. The soy protein looks like crumbled beef and makes you feel as though you're eating a meat chili. I mixed this with some brown rice and some tofutti sour cream, but you can also put it with anything you normally would with chili. My husband likes it on top of some pasta or on a veggie dog. Nobody would be able to tell there's no meat in this chili.

Serving size: 1 cup, Servings per container: 2, Calories 240, total fat 5g, Sodium 530mg, Sugars 3g, Protein 13g, Vitamin A 10%, Iron 15%, Calcium 8%