SVW: Single Vegetarian looking for Websites

I think I may OD on vegan blogs and websites soon and am desperate to find some great sites for vegetarians not just vegans. I've got to hand it to them, those vegans are super organized and love the Internet! I must be the prime example of a vegetarian blogger- too lazy to post consistently. Maybe, I'm too busy. I like the way that sounds a lot more and it's probably closer to accurate.

Have you found any great websites or blogs of the vegetarian persuasion? Shoot me a link in the comments section please!

When You're On The Go!

I have been super lazy about cooking recently. I think it was the heat, or at least that's what I'm blaming! I am excited about some awesome products I've recently discovered. I wonder if it's like this for all people transitioning into a vegetarian diet, but I've become obsessed with the array of easy, meat free, processed foods available to me. The whole point was to eat more organically and naturally, and now I can't stop thinking about Quorn breaded chik'n breasts.

Quorn is a UK brand of meat and soy free products (though not vegan as some contain eggs). It is made from mycoprotein which is a type of fungus like mushrooms or truffles. So far, this product is the closest in taste and texture to chicken that I've had. That is not to say it actually tastes like chicken, it doesn't, but the texture is more enjoyable than other products on the market. It is low in fat and cholesterol, and high in protein. Yum! I've tried the Chik'n Nuggets, Naked Chicken, and Garlic & Herb Chik'n Cutlets. All are delicious and easy to incorporate into any meal. I've made mock chicken salad with the naked chicken and it's a great sub in your recipes. I cannot wait to try the meatballs, turkey roast, and stuffed chik'n breasts. (Watch out Mom & Dad! This is what I'm bringing to Thanksgiving dinner). Now, if only they had coupons...

I am also obsessed with Newman's Own Organics Ginger O's. My sister turned me on to these and I've tried to be "good" and not buy them but my resolve wore out. These cookies (hell, the whole line or Newman's Own) is delicious and the profits after taxes go to charity. I love that they use organic ingredients, are free from trans fats, and taste delicious. You can have your cookie and eat it too! You can find coupons for Newman's Own here.

The other night, I tried WestSoy Seitan strips in a Szechuan style stir fry. As of now, the company website only lists their soy milk products so I'm not listing it here. It's weird and I don't know why they would ignore the other half of their catalog. Oh well... The stir fry was awesome! I was inspired by the scechuan style string beans I had from my favorite Chinese take out place. The sauce is spicy and delicious. Here's what I did to the best of my memory:

Brown the seitan strips in a bit of peanut oil, then set aside on a paper towel to drain. In a small pot, par boil green beans and chopped carrots. Add a bit more oil to the pan and add sliced onion, garlic clove, and orange pepper until tender. Add vegetable stock, hot sauce, tamari (or low sodium soy sauce), red pepper flakes, and a touch of flour to thicken. When reduced by half, add the green beans, carrots, and seitan. Saute until coated and serve with rice or quinoa.

Super yum and easy!

Which brings me to my last obsession: Tamari. I first heard about it in "The Kind Diet" and have been loyal ever since. Tamari is a richer, more complex, gluten free Japanese shoyu. My favorite brand is San-J which is available at most major groceries, Whole Foods, and Asian markets. It has a depth of dimension or umami (thanks Iron Chef!). Trust me when I tell you, you will never want soy sauce again!

Coconut What? Part Deux

Somehow I developed a gnarly cough and head cold again. (I blame a seriously cold and over crowded theatre. Thanks "Robin Hood"! The only cure as I see it is to go shopping for pre-made food and things chocked full of Vitamin C. Oh, the super strength cough medicine my doc gave me last time is also helping.

In a fit of coughing rage, I decided ice cream was the best way to go. Who doesn't like ice cream when you're feeling sick? What else works to counteract the fire that seems to emanate from your face? But, I don't want dairy. That has never helped a cough.

Enter onto the scene: Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream. The whole line of coconut milk ice cream is free from dairy/lactose, gluten, soy, cholesterol, trans fats, and certified vegan and Kosher.

The flavor of coconut is not over whelming; giving the ice cream a subtle sweetness and hint of the exotic. I tried the Cookies and Cream flavour and while it does not taste just like the dairy "real thing", it hit all the points I needed in a cold dessert: soothing to my throat and completely yummy. It is sweetened with agave nectar so I found it to be sweeter than dairy ice cream (even though it has less sugar), however this helped stop me from eating the whole pint in one sitting. Way to keep me within the recommended serving!

I can't wait to try some of their other flavours, especially the mango and lemonade coconut water sorbet. Purely Decadent offers another great alternative to dairy and soy-based desserts. I just wish they would fortify more of their foods with Calcium. It's present in the coconut yogurts I crave, but not in the frozen desserts.

Check out their website where you can find coupons and more info!

Salad Daze II

Happy Meatless Monday! I totally remembered in time- can you believe it? This morning I had sliced strawberries (now in season- yea!) and cantaloupe with a side of pretzels. What can I say? I was in a hurry this morning dealing with the cable guy and trying not to be incredibly late to work. My plan for the rest of the day is to devour some edamame, kale chips, and maybe soup for lunch. If all goes well, dinner will be a seitan picatta recipe I got from "The Kind Life", but I'm going to substitute tempeh instead. Cross fingers it works. (I'll post pics and the recipe if it does).

I kept hearing about nutritional yeast on several veggie blogs I follow and was tired of not knowing what the heck they were talking about. So, earlier this week I found myself wondering aimlessly around Whole Foods looking for the stuff. I had hoped it would come in a cute little glass jar and I could avoid the bulk food aisle completely, but no luck. Thankfully, I still had one glass spice jar left over from the time I received Hungarian paprika as a gift (It came in these cute pouches that revealed a plastic sandwich bag inside. Not very easy to use and messy). If you're thinking of taking the plunge, I suggest you get a similar jar. Plus, they're just so cute in the cupboard!

I have never bought anything in bulk before but thankfully the people at Whole Foods are so nice and took pity on me. It's a bit expensive (mine was $8.99 lb), but a little goes a long way so there's no need to go overboard.

Nutritional yeast is a complete source of protein, full of B vitamins, and low in fat making it a friend to vegetarians and vegans alike. It looks like large flakes of garlic powder and has a nutty/cheesy taste. You can use it in place of cheese in a dish or just sprinkle it into anything you make, such as salads, sauces, soups, potatoes, eggs, etc. I sprinkled about a tablespoon on top of a salad with Romain, spinach, cucumbers, celery, carrots, marinated artichoke hearts, garlic croutons, and balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! I can't wait to try it other ways.

Have you ever used nutritional yeast? Know any good recipes?

You Can Eat Well (And Healthy) in College Station

I spent the last weekend hanging out with my sister and celebrating her birthday in Bryan/College Station, TX. She's vegetarian and that can be pretty tough in the land of beef. Part of my mission while there was to find amazing healthful (and veggie friendly) options.

When I got in Thursday, neither of us were interested in making too much of a fuss for dinner. Freebirds opened it's first Texas location in College Station and it has slowly grown since then. Personally, I prefer it to Chipotle; though I understand if you do not live here you will not be able to partake in the joy and deliciousness that is Freebirds. This was my only real meat experience while there, I had the chicken hybird, and it was good.

Friday, we made a quick breakfast of eggs before heading to class. I love auditing classes with her whenever I visit and am now an expert in animal nutrition! For lunch, we headed over to Antonio's near campus. If you can put it on a pizza, they have it! I couldn't make up my mind until I saw the words "Potato and Cheese" on the white board. How had I never thought of putting potatoes on pizza! The crust was drizzled with olive oil then layered with sliced potato, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. My sister had a veggie pizza topped with black beans, feta, tomatoes, and avocado. Both were delicious! For dinner, her roommates threw a BBQ but I passed and enjoyed some of the Smart BBQ I gave my sister for her birthday. (I bought her a collection of vegetarian and vegan delicacies that she can't get there). I don't know if their other products are this good, but you cannot tell the difference and the sauce is awesome!

On Saturday, we visited the Brazos Valley Farmers Market before heading out to the crawfish boil sponsored by Hill's. Oh, how I love thee crawfish! For dinner, I had heard about this cool cafe/art gallery in downtown Bryan that I wanted to try out. Bonus points that my sister had never been there! The Village serves hot and cold sandwiches and salads with live music most nights. They are on a mission to serve only organic produce with as much of it locally grown as possible. I had the Cold Cuke Sandwich (sliced cucumbers with pesto aioli on whole wheat) with a side of Asian slaw- so good! My sister had the Raspberry Veggie Sandwich (avocado, lettuce, tomato, roasted red onion, goat cheese, and raspberry chipotle mayo) with roast potatoes. The service was a bit slow and the prices are moderate, but everything was delicious and we plan to go back. There were at least 5 other things I wanted to eat! The evening concluded with a trip to Shake's frozen custard. It should be illegal! I love frozen custard so much.

Before I left on Sunday, we broke into more of the goodies I gave for her birthday. We had breakfast sandwiches- stuffed Ezekiel pita pockets with eggs, Morningstar Farms sausage patties, and Daiya cheese topped with salsa. They were so good I bought all the fixings for them as soon as I got back into town! I've talked about Daiya cheese before but this was my first time to try it. It melts quickly and evenly and has a taste similar to cheese but slightly nuttier. The raw texture was also a bit different, kind of like when you buy shredded cheese at the grocery only to discover you accidentally bought the kind where milk is the 4th or 5th ingredient instead of the 1st. It was good, and I will definitely buy it again when I need to make something vegan.

Vegan (and gluten free) cookies from Starbucks!

So, there are a couple veggie friendly options in College Station! It certainly helps when you are staying with friends or family and can cook a bit at home, but when is that not the case? Where is your favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurants where you live?

Spiral Diner- Out of This World

In a non-descript grey brick building in Oak Cliff, Texas sits the Spiral Diner, Dallas' favorite vegan restaurant and bakery (I apologize in advance for the copious use of exclamation marks). Their mission is simple: serve great tasting 100% vegan cuisine, using only the best (and mostly organic) ingredients they can. I fell in love with this restaurant before I even set foot in the door based entirely on their mission statement:

*Use only cruelty-free and environmentally friendly biodegradable cleaning products
*Only purchase recycled and un-bleached paper products (with the highest post-consumer content available)
*Always buy Certified Organic ingredients whenever possible with conventional only as a last resort
*Use environmentally friendly, biodegradable take-away containers and disposable cutlery (we also encourage our customers to bring their own reusable containers with them to help us reduce packaging waste)
*Recycle 100% of all the accepted materials that come through our kitchen
*Donate a portion of profit to local grassroots organizations that are fighting for human, animal, and environmental causes
*Reduce waste by purchasing in bulk as much as possible and donating excess food to local food banks and shelters
*Never compromise on the above principles

They also keep their prices low while paying their staff a decent wage (I'm not sure how much that is, but I support anyone making more than $2.15/hr).

My lovely and talented friend shine (Are you reading her blog? You really should), decided to go vegan for April. Click on the link for her to explain the "why's" to you. Needless to say, I fully support her and was so excited when she invited me to dinner at Spiral. I must have studied the menu five times before the big day, trying to figure out what I would try first.

I got there early (who would have guessed there would be no traffic on I-30?) and ordered the Agave Limeade to tide me over-yum! When shine arrived, she ordered the Hot Nacho Cheese and Chips for us to share. I've heard a lot about nut cheese (mark it) for a couple weeks but was scared and slightly afraid to try it. To put it simply, it's delicious; kind of like if bean dip and nacho cheese had a baby. I couldn't stop eating it!

For dinner, I had the Chopped BBQ San'ich which is made from marinated and grilled seitan with a spicy BBQ sauce, dill pickles, red onion, and "mayo". In hindsight, I probably should have ordered the grapes as my side dish, but who can argue with the genius paring of potato salad and BBQ? The sauce was a lot zestier than I anticipated, but delicious none the less. While it didn't have quite the same texture as beef, I can see why seitan is such a popular meat replacement. Shine was in the mood for some comfort food and ordered one of the blue plate specials, chili mac. It looked really good and the pasta was nice and soft. For desert, I ordered a brownie with walnuts and she had a vanilla cupcake with the most outrageous yellow and green icing. My brownie was heaven. I usually don't like nuts in my deserts, but these were soft, not mushy, verses the crunchy I usually detest (mark it squared). Her cupcake had a really interesting flavor neither of us could pin point, but it wasn't bad.

[side note: Whole Foods Vegan Chocolate Chips are heaven and I may end up eating a whole bag of them!]

All in all, I give Spiral Diner 4 stars and cannot wait until my sister is in town so we can go again (though truth be told, I'm probably going back a lot sooner)! It's a great place for vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike!!

Soup du Jour!

There's something adorable about boxed soups- I love them! They take up less space in my cabinet and can be easily refrigerated for future use without getting that tin can taste. Plus, they simply look gourmet. My favorite brand is Imagine, which is all organic and mostly vegan! Check out their website for more info including recipes and a coupon!

As much as I love the look of boxed soup, I'm not a big soup girl. The idea that it's a meal in itself never quite permeated my brain. Perhaps this has more to do with eating highly processed, salty canned soups as a child. What I love now, is dressing up a basic soup to make it heartier (if needed) or simply more interesting. The other day, dressed up my Imagine Potato and Leek soup with roasted red peppers and green onions. I thought about adding chunks of potatoes or leeks, but was in a bit of a hurry so I put it off for next time.

Roasting a red pepper at home is easy and incredibly messy. [side note: it turned into such an ordeal, I bought a jar of already roasted peppers the next time I was at whole foods.] I've never roasted a pepper at home, indoors, before but it looked simple enough. The hardest part was figuring out what recipe to use. I ended up placing my pepper directly on the rack under the broiler, turning it regularly until the skin was crisp and black (about 10 minutes). Then I wrapped it in a damp paper towel and let it cool before peeling the skin off. It's important that all the skin be charred and wrinkly or else this step will be a pain in the butt! An alternate method calls for baking the peppers on a cookie sheet in a 500 oven until charred.

Next, I diced the peppers and green onions and placed them on top. My garnish was a piece of toasted french bread with olive oil. Delish!

The next morning, I was determined to use more 0f my beautiful peppers, so I made a breakfast pita. have a told you about Ezekiel whole grain products? They are amazing! I've had the pita's several times. You buy them in the refrigerated or frozen food section, and can even keep them frozen until ready to eat.

For my breakfast pita, I heated the pita in a dry pan for a couple minutes each side. Set aside. Heat about 1-2 T of olive oil (or any kind of healthy oil- almond, sunflower, palm), then sauté diced onion and roasted red pepper until soft. In a bowl, scramble two eggs with a dash of milk, salt, and pepper. Add to vegetables in pan. It's important to let the eggs sit for a bit in the pan. Stirring them constantly breaks the protein apart and ruins them. In my pita, I spread a bit of guacamole and sour cream. Because I can't help myself, I sprinkled some Cajun seasoning in one of the pita pockets- yum! Just before the eggs are done, add a bit of shredded cheese then spoon the mixture into your pita pockets. So good! My secret weapon- Taco Bell hot sauce. Add it when you do the cheese and it's amazing.

What are your favorite soups?

Tofutti Cutie! Why thank you!

On the recommedation of my lovely sister, I bought a box of Tofutti Cutie ice cream sandwiches. Here is what happened:

After a delicious lunch of mesquite turkey, avocado, roasted red pepper, cucumber, onions, vinegar, oregano, all on a toasted wheat bun (I love a good sandwich); I decided to finally break into the Tofutti Cuties. They had been burning a hole in my freezer for days.

They're so cute! I was worried about the size, being used to the monster cakes of other brands, but it turned out to be just right.

I can't believe I could stop eating it long enough to take another picture. (I apologize for the quality, my phone is not very snazzy). I have to say, I like these better than milk based ice cream sandwiches. I'm sorry Blue Bell, you'll always be in my heart, but these are amazing! They have a slight coffee flavor from them, which I attribute to the chocolate. They have a few more calories than the closest milk-based competitor (130 vs 110), however they are completely vegan, with no trans fat, cholesterol, and low in sugar.

All of their products are vegetarian and most are vegan . They are certified Kosher Pavre (being not meat or dairy) and all dairy free. The other great thing is you can buy them at major chain groceries, not just your local health food store. Double yea!

Have you tried Tofutti Cuties? What did you think? Let me know!

Also, if you are not yet following this blog, I hope you will do so today. If you are, I hope you will recommend it to your friends and contribute to the discussion. Thanks!!!

Coconut what?!

While out for happy hour last week, I heard my new acquaintance wax poetically about coconut water. She loves it- loves it- and says she must spend $40 a week on the stuff. My first thought was, "Damn, it must be yummy", followed immediately by, "How much does the stuff cost?!"

The brand most recommended is Vita Coco, a 100% natural product. It comes in lots of flavours including: plain, passion fruit (the one I tried), pineapple, peach & mango, and acai & pomegranate. Coconut water is full of electrolytes (which give your body energy) and potassium (which helps keep your body hydrated). It is fat free and cholesterol free. It is a fruit product, so there is naturally occurring sugar (my 11.7 oz pack had 18g- a little less than half of what's found in regular sodas). Vita Coco is also great, because it's packaged in Tetra Paks which are easier on the environment and can be recycled.

While I was at Whole Foods, preparing to gorge myself in the prepared foods section; I decided to give coconut water a try. The logic behind spending $40/week became clear- my single serving was over $2. This stuff better be good!

I liked the flavor of Vita Coco. It had just a hint of coconut but the passion fruit really came through. I did find it to be very sweet, so it may make for a good substitute to soda; maybe with a bit of club soda to add some fizz. The texture of a product is always a big deal for me. This one was a bit thicker than water, but less than juice (if that makes any sense). It is not unpleasant. My suggestion: this stuff tastes best when ice cold, so pour it into a tall glass of ice to enjoy.

While I enjoyed Vita Coco, and especially enjoyed that I was getting more potassium than two bananas (which is super important to me as I suffer from "growing pains" and Charley horses); the price makes this a "special treat" item only. They don't currently offer coupons directly, so I'll have to wait to see if Whole Foods ever puts it on sale. I'm not holding my breath.

Have you tried coconut water? What did you think?

Chipotle Breakfast Quesadillas

My new lifestyle calls for eating a hell of a lot less meat, so I went in search of decent meat substitutes immediately. Based on several online recommendations, the product I was looking for was called Field Roast Grain Meat Co. It didn't sound very appetizing, "grain meat", but I learned it just refers to their blend of "Mien Ching" and "Seitan" that substitutes for traditional meat. As the "original grain meat" creators, they offer everything from sausages to loafs to cutlets to cheese! You can purchase their products at most health food stores like Whole Foods and Central Market.

Wednesday, I downloaded their recipe for their Chorizo-Style Breakfast Quesadilla and cracked open my package of Mexican Chipotle Sausage. The first thing I noticed of the bat was that the spice mixture used in the sausages turned my fingers and cutting board orange ( I later noticed it left it's trace around my mouth as well- uck). The scent was enticing, but the texture was much tougher than beef sausage. It took a lot more pressure to cut into it, which made my bowels nervous for later. Not to worry, everything turned out fine. (And that is my contribution to the TMI blogger movement!)

The recipe is super simple and could be manipulated to include, or exclude, any ingredients. Vegans- I bet tofu scramble would be an amazing substitute for the eggs and you can use vegan cheese too. Yum!

The recipe is a bit misleading though on how many this will feed and how best to present it in the tortilla. For the amounts shown I would use two tortillas, spread the filling over one and top with another. Then it will feed 2 people. For one person, I used half of the sausage and 1 egg plus 1 egg white when I made this again today for brunch. It fit in one tortilla a lot better and was still super delicious!
While I was aware the whole time I was not eating meat, it was delicious and filling. I can't remember the last time I wasn't hungry an hour after eating! I am definitely going to try the other flavors of sausage, and see if I can't find their cutlets as well.

Have you tried Field Roast? What did you like/dislike??

Breakfast is My Favorite Time of Year

You know what they say when you plan ahead- Be prepared for change. Yesterday's Meat Free Monday went off without a hitch, though not quite in the way I expected. An unexpected call to dinner sent me out into the streets, and without my yams! I was good though and had a salad, green beans, and mashed potatoes for dinner. Still, all I could think about were my poor lonely sweet potatoes at home. I can't wait to eat them today. I am also planning the Green Eggs No Ham for dinner tonight, except I just realized I don't own a muffin tin. How do I own every other piece of cooking equipment save a muffin tin? I wonder if I can use a coffee mug. Can you put coffee mugs in the oven?

My favorite thing in the world is having a day off work. Not necessarily because I won't be working, but because it is the only time I get to really make breakfast. Pancakes, breakfast tacos, migas; you name it. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. I was never one to skip it, even in adulthood. You just feel so much better during the day if you have something in your belly, and you find you're actually hungry for lunch, not just eating to eat.

Breakfast meats were my favorite- sausage, bacon, oh my! When I stopped eating pork over 10 years ago it made breakfast a bit trickier. Thankfully, we live in a world where beef, turkey, and vegetarian options are becoming more and more available. My favorite breakfast sausages come from Tom Thumb/Safeway under their "Eating Right" brand. I've tried Morning Star Farms and another brand I don't remember (I think I've blocked it from my mind), but these are the best. I've had their vegetarian sausage patties and links and can honestly not tell a difference. It's also so much better for me then the beef or even turkey options available. As they are a store brand, they are often on special (not to mention cheaper normally). Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Soy what?

I spent my Friday wandering around the new Whole Foods that just opened not far from my house. The news on the street (okay, from a girl who works there), is that it is bigger and better than ever. Having completed one week on my new diet lifestyle kick, it was definitely time to clean and restock the fridge.

Everything was beautiful! I'm trying to buy mostly what's in season and as local as I can get it. That's a pretty tall order at the grocery, even one like Whole Foods; so I'm looking forward to visiting the farmers market a little further into spring. So, what is in season now? It all depends on where you live and the season (obviously), but you can find a handy list Sustainable Table, one of my favorite websites for information on organic, local, and legislative information. From there, I made a list of what was in season that I liked: cabbage, celery, grapefruit, greens, herbs, onions, oranges, spinach, strawberries, and sweet potatoes. Yum!

Part of what got me into this was health reasons. I've been suffering from allergies a lot lately and it hasn't been pretty. I love milk and cheese and yogurt, but the mucus it causes/exacerbates has become a heavy price to pay. I heard about the brand Soy Delicious from The Kind Life, a vegan lifestyle website founded by Alicia Silverstone. It is a great source for recipes and knowledge. I've tried soy milk before but just couldn't get behind it. It does not taste like milk and has a consistency I found troubling. This is where Soy Delicious comes in. Not only do they make soy based products, but they also have a line of coconut milk products like ice cream and yogurt. Let me tell you, the yogurt is divine! I tried the Passionate Mango (love that name) coconut milk yogurt. On first glance, the consistency reminded me of baby food, but it went down smoothly and I finished the whole thing. I don't even normally finish my milk yogurt. It also didn't have chunks of fruit in it which I like as well. Their products are all vegan, kosher, and organic. You should definitely try them out. You can even print off a coupon from their website here.

Happy eating, and let me know what you think after you try it!