Recipe: Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes(mashed)
2 sticks of celery(minced)
1/2 onion (minced)
1/2 tsp rosemary
2 tbsp butter spread
2 tsp pepper
1 cup water
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all Ingredients in a heavy pot.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Add anything else you want.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Serve topped with chives.

Day I forgot what day already

Thank you to everyone who has been reading. I reached 100 page views! Started school. Made Guacamole Sushi (make it like normal sushi but with a guacamole filling). But, forgot it in the freezer. Am starting hotel and restaurant management.

Day 9

Terribly depressed that no one is is checking out this blog. Went shopping at Katy Mills. Slept in.

Thai Iced Tea

Okay. I'll admit it. This is plagiarized, but I forgot where I got it so if you find out where just tell me. Okay?

Ingredients:
4 tbsp thai tea (dried leaves)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 tsp cardamon

Directions:

1. Use the coffee maker to make 6 cups of tea.
2. Combine the rest of ingredients in a sauce pan.
3. Mix together and pour over ice.

Day 8

Today was cloudy and humid. Vegan thai iced tea and leftovers. School in 3 days. Green Day while it rains outside. Kidnapped my bird from my room in a suspicious looking container. Hoping (probably in vain) that I am not stupid. Concocting wild stories about my cousin's late return. Relating very much to Green Day song Misery. Reading sappy love stories. Getting emotional.

Day 7

I'm being suspended from yahoo for providing a link to this blog with my answers in the vegan and vegetarian section. On the plus side since I'm credited with -1 answers I have a 200% best answer rate. Today I ate ghormeh sabzi which is a kind of persian veggie stew. I didn't post the recipe because I used the dried packets and just followed the directions minus the meat. The impending doom called school has started to sink in.

How to Quit Eating Meat and Dairy

Meat and Dairy
Make a little card that you carry everywhere that has your reasons for going vegan on it.

Meat
Imagine the process it took to get to your plate. Start from the unsanitary and overcrowded areas where the meat lived, then take yourself to its slaughter where the cut out the bloody steak (or whatever it is that you're eating), and then to your plate.
Or, imagine it as human meat.

Dairy
Again imagine the unsanitary conditions.
Or, pretend it has something disgusting in it.

Weight loss suggestions

1. Buy cayenne pepper. This is your new best friend, add it to all your food. A compound in spicy food causes you to burn more calories.
2. Drink 10 8 oz. cups of water every day. This helps with fluid retention. For maximum benefit infuse your water with ginger, lemon, cinnamon, and cucumber.
3.Ditch the juice. Eat the fruit.
4.Eat fat with fiber.

Day 6

Day 6 was kale and cabbage and couscous. I also finallly got Warning (Green Day). Kinda upset that they don't have a vegan shirt in yahoo avatars.

Recipe: Kale Cabbage Stew

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch of kale chopped
1/2 cabbage chopped
1 chopped onion
1 can tomato sauce or canned tomatoes
1 cup cooked couscous
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Fry the onion with the cayenne pepper and couscous.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix together, put on low, and cover for 10 minutes
3. Mix and serve over rice.

How to convince your parents.

You want to go vegan but your parents say:
1. It's not healthy.
2. It's expensive.
3. I'm not cooking something separate just for you you.

You say:
1. It is entirely possible to survive and thrive on a vegan diet, I've researched the nutritional needs of vegans (for help check out the nutrition post on this blog) and I've made a list of foods I need to eat to stay healthy.
2. While some vegan products are more expensive, the staples of a vegan diet like beans, lentils, soy, fruits, and vegtables are relatively inexpensive. If your parents are really worried about expenses tell them to give you a budget, offer to give something up, or pay for your own food
3. Many vegan recipes are appealing to vegans and nonvegans alike, but if you need me to I can cook my own food.

Day 5

Today I made vegan pot pie and a banana soy shake and pancakes with a mixed berry sauce.
I did a lot of answering on yahoo questions about vegan and vegetarian stuff. And I watched The Green Mile.

Recipe: Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
-3 cups cooked pasta
-1/2 cup pickled artichokes
-1/4 cup olives
-2 diced tomatoes
-1/2 chopped red onion
-juice from one squeezed lime or lemon
-1 tbsp olive oil or 1/4 cup vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and serve.

Breakfast: Banana Soy shake

Ingredients:
-1 blender
-2 bananas
-3 tsp molasses
-4 tbsp (1/4 cup) water
-5 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Blend and chill.

Recipe Mushroom Onion Sandwich

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
-1/4 chopped onion
-fresh veggies
-any kind of bread

Directions:

1. Sautee the mushrooms and onions in olive oil.
2. Add salt and pepper and assemble the sandwich with fresh veggies.
   

Recipe: Mediterranean Delight Sandwich

Ingredients:
-1/4 sliced bell pepper
-1/2 sliced tomato
-2 slices of red onion
-1 tbsp hummus
-salad veggies or basil
-rosemary olive oil bread or any kind of crusty bread

Directions:

1. Spread the hummus over the bread then just assemble it like any sandwich.
2. You could also add salt and pepper and drizle it it with olive oil or a vinaigrette.

Nutritional needs of Vegans

Here are nutrients that may be deficient in a vegetarian diet and how you can get these nutrients from nonmeat sources:

1. Protein. Your body needs protein to maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. Vegetarians who eat eggs or dairy products have convenient sources of protein. Other sources of protein include soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
   
2. Calcium. This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. Low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli, are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with calcium and fortified soy milk and fruit juices are other options.
   
3. Vitamin B-12. Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a supplement that contains this vitamin.
   
4. Iron. Like vitamin B-12, iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb nonanimal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C — such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli — at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.
   
5. Zinc. This mineral is an essential component of many enzymes and plays a role in cell division and in the formation of proteins. Good sources of zinc include whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat germ.
   
   Source:
   http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Recipe:Raisin Rice for Raisin Haters

Ingredients:
-3 cups cooked rice (basmati or other long grain)
-1 cup presoaked raisins
-1 chopped onion
-1 tbsp turmeric
-1 tbsp grated ginger
-2 tbsp olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sautee everything except the rice in a large pan or shallow pot until onions start to become clear.
2. Mix everything with rice and serve in place of rice.

Recipe: Vegan Pot Pie

Ingredients:
-2 cups mixed veggies (like carrots, peas, beans, broccoli, bell pepper, etc.)
-1 or2 fully cooked diced potatoes
-1 cup chopped kale or spinach
-1 small chopped zuchini
-1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
-1 onion
-2 or 3 cloves of garlic
-1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs (like tarragon, rosemary, green onions, basil, etc.)
-2 tbsp nutritional yeast(otional)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 vegan pie crusts thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook the bottom crust for 8- 10 minutes.
3. Mix together the first to ingredients and slow cook with cornstarch,1 cup water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until tender.
4. Meanwhile sautee the rest of the ingredients.
5. When the veggies are tender add them to the sautee pan and mix thoroughly.
6. Transfer the veggies to the cooked crust and flip the uncooked crust on top.
7. Bake for 30- 45 minutes.
8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Breakfast: Vegan pancakes with berries sauce

Ingredients:
-pancake mix
-flax meal
-soy or rice milk
-1 cup frozen mixed berries
-1 or 2 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Make pancakes according to directions subsituting 1tbsp of flax meal+2 tbsp water= 1 egg and substituting soy or rice milk for dairy.
2. Put berries and sugar in a sauce pan and simmer until bubbling
3. Serve pancakes topped with berries and/or fake butter

Day 4 Eating Out

On day 4 of being vegan I had vegan pancakes topped berry sauce, 2 sheets of nori, vegan pad thai (you can ask for it at Thai spice, they have little green stars by their vegetarian options). Little Caesar's has a vegan pizza. You can ask many places to simply not prepare your food with meat. I will list more options for eating vegan in restaurants soon!

Recipe: Sesame Stir Fry

Ingredients:
-1 boca burger(torn into small pieces)
-1 half onion (chopped)
-1 bell pepper
- 1 cup dark leafy greans (like kale or spinach)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup other mixed stir fry veggies

Directions:

1. Stir fry everything together, but add the leafy veggies last.

Diary 2

Day 2 of being vegan. 1 banana+1veggie burger+ garlic rice+ 4 sushi wrappers+ refried beans+ broiled peaches+ Green Day. I spent the day listening to Green Day, cooking, and internet. And listening to other people talk. By other people, I mean my cousin who is very very vain and not vegan or vegetarian.

Dessert: Broiled Peaches

Ingrdients
-very well drained canned peaches
-1/2 tsp each salt, Cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Directions

1. Mix all ingrdients together.
2. Put all of the ingredients in an oven safe dish and broil in oven at the highest setting for five minutes.

Recipe: Refried beans

Ingredients:
3 cups presoaked beans
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp salt
1/2 chopped onion
additional salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

1. Bring the beans to a boil.
2. Rinse and repeat.
3. Add salt and cook until tender.
4. Continue cooking until all water has evaporated
5. Add oil, onion and other seasonings.
6. Eat.

Diary 1

Today was my first day of being vegan. It wasn't hard. I ate a banana, a veggie burger, bean stew, and the peaches and cream from the posted recipe. And an apple. And I finally downloaded Ubuntu to my mom's screwed up former laptop (its mine now (^_^)). And I didn't have any meat, dairy, or fish :D!

Dessert: Peaches and Cream

Servings 4

Ingredients:
-1/4 tsp. each of nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper
-2 cups diced canned peaches (well drained)
-1/4 cup syrup from peaches
-3/4 cup soymilk
-1 tbsp cornstarch
-1/2 cup crushed crackers
-1 tbsp. brown sugar

Directions

1. Cook peaches with the three spices in a pan until hot.
2. Transfer cooked peaches into a shallow serving bowl.
3. Add soymilk, syrup, and cornstarch into the pan and cook until thickened.
4. Pour soymilk mixture over peaches and top with crushed crackers and brown sugar.

Why go vegan?

1. Eating animals and animal byproducts causes animal suffering.
Q:What about free range farms?
A:Poultry can be labeled free range as long as they have an "opportunity" to access the outdoors. It doesn't matter if its an hour on a verdant pasture or a minute on a muddy strip of land covered with droppings.

Q:How does drinking milk hurt cows?
A:Most milk is produced by cows in intensive production systems. These systems cram alot of cows in a little space and feed them on high grain diets. Dairy cows are forced to give birth before they reach maturity, and the male calves are slaughtered early for veal and the female calves are colostrum, then either a milk replacer or unsaleable waste milk.

Q:How can farmers profit if the animals are sick or dying?
A:It is more profitable to have the biggest bird and have higher mortality.

2. Being vegan is better for the environment.

Q: What causes more greenhouse gas emissions rearing cattle or driving cars?
A: You guessed it! Rearing cattle does. http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html
http://www.activeg.org/articles/437.html

3. 6 months of showers= 1 pound of meat

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/52266917.html