Chef Tal Ronnen on Ellen Show Cooking Meatless Stew

I was experimenting making stew yesterday in a slow cooker and it turned out surprisingly good. I forgot to take a picture, but it was yummy! I've never made a stew so I just put a bunch of random things in the slow cooker. I used a vegetarian brown gravy powder packet (adds beefy flavor), tamari (soy sauce), nutritional yeast (adds cheesy flavor), sage, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, vegan Worcestershire sauce, veggie broth, homemade seitan, and some vegetables (shallots, garlic, carrots, yellow onion, white onion, and potatoes). I think next time I'll add some celery and some sweet potatoes.

I was able to find this video that shows how to make your own meatless hearty stew using some Gardein beef. This stew looked so yummy that I had to share it. There are also tons of vegan stew recipes online that anybody can try out.

For Fast Rice Try Rice Expressions

I hate cooking brown rice because I don't have time and it turns out so crunchy. I'm addicted to using Rice Expressions! It comes with 3 bags that are ready to be microwaved and it only takes 3 minutes. I have found that I can get 3 servings for myself out of one bag.....so about 9 servings of rice per box. If you are short on time, but still want to be healthy then pick up a box. You can find it in the freezer aisle. They also have other products including Organic Long Grain Rice, Organic Tex Mex Rice, Organic Thai Jasmine Rice, and Organic Rice Pilaf. I suggest sticking with the brown rice one because it is healthier, but it's nice to mix in another one every now and then.

http://www.riceandrecipes.com/expressions.php

Cluckphrey Patties ......Baked-Not Fried

I heard some bad reviews after already buying these from Whole Foods, but most were about their regular ones and not about the baked ones. People said it came out dry and crumbly. I gave the baked ones a try anyway. I microwaved one patty for 2 minutes since I'm short on time during my lunch break. I ate it without a bun or sauce (I had a lot of veggies with teriyaki sauce on the side) and was amazed at the similarity in taste between the Cluckphrey Patties and the Gardein tenders I recently tried out. I think microwaving it helped keep it moist. The breading was really tasty and the inside was similar to a chicken nugget from McD's. Overall it was really yummy and I would buy them again.

Serving Size: 1 Patty, Total Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 0g, Sodium: 370mg, Total Carb: 11g, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 0g, Protein: 12g

http://www.foodforlife.com/product-catalog/new-meatless-products/cluckphrey/cluckphrey-patties

The Most Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

My husband found this recipe on Vegan Yum Yum website and I have to say......they were the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had! I'm a huge fan of Cinnabon and these were way better. I changed the recipe just a little bit. I didn't have any egg replacers and the recipe said it was optional so I left them out. I used almond milk instead of soymilk. I also didn't have Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese so I left that out of the icing recipe. And I used whole wheat all-purpose flour instead of white. This recipe used up a whole tub of Earth Balance butter and had tons of sugar in it. This will be a nice treat for only if I'm craving a cinnamon roll. We gave some to our neighbors who are not vegan and they want the recipe. At first it seemed like a lot of time and effort for just a cinnamon roll, but once I tried it I knew it was worth it.

Go here for the recipe:

http://veganyumyum.com/2009/05/perfect-cinnamon-buns/

Reactions I've Been Getting

It's amazing all of the support I've gotten while trying to eat like a vegan. I've been getting a lot of emails from people asking for more information and from people who say they're going to give it a try.

I've also gotten bad reactions from people as well. It's as though I'm threatening them and/or judging them by not eating meat and dairy. I really do not care that other people eat meat and dairy. I think people should do what is best for them.

I found that saying I'm staying away from meat and dairy gets a better reaction instead of saying I'm trying to eat like a vegan. I even tell the pizza delivery guy I'm lactose intolerant so he is more understanding why I order my pizza without cheese. It's better than explaining that I'm trying to eat vegan because a lot of people don't even know what a vegan is.

I hope people know that I'm not a vegan.......I just try to eat like a vegan for a majority of my meals. I will still have the occasional bit of sushi or possibly a bit of whole wheat bread that might have an egg in it. I have my food slip-ups and I own some animal products so I wouldn't be considered a vegan.

I am staying mainly on a plant-based diet because I feel better than ever before, I haven't had any mood swings or depression, and I'm losing weight even without exercise (I should really start up exercising soon). I weighed myself last week and I'm down to 129lbs. I wasn't even that weight in high school! My husband, who is just eating a plant-based diet on weekdays, has been losing a noticeable amount of weight and is looking much healthier.

I hope that everyone reading my blog does what's best for them and that makes them feel their best. For me.....it's staying as much as possible on a plant-based diet.

Soyatoo! Soy Whip

I tried making my own homemade "cool whip" out of tofu, but it wasn't similar to whip cream at all. My husband came across Soyatoo! at the grocery store and we gave it a try. I added some powdered sugar and vanilla and it was really really close to actual whip cream. It did have some of a soy aftertaste, but it did the job. I do like the fact it's way less in calories.

Serving size is 2 Tbs: Calories 10, total fat .5g, sugars 1g

Yves Taco Stuffers

I had some veggies left over from the week and decided to make a veggie taco mix using Yves Taco Stuffers. It was so strong in flavor that I couldn't really enjoy it. The crumbles didn't look like taco meat at all. The smell of it was really really strong and not in a good way. I would say to pass on this and try something else if you're craving some taco "meat." If anything mix in some seitan flavored with some cilantro or try using some Mexican seasonings on some tofu.

It was gross!