I can`t claim to be either Vegan or Vegetarian but I do try to make sure at least 3 main meals a week are meat free. I know what you mean, after a meat free meal I do feel full in a much healthier way and after meat its a less pleasant fullness no matter how much I have just enjoyed what I`ve eaten. Even when I am cooking meat, in stews, casseroles, chillies, curries and the like I have been using much less meat and chicken and adding more veggies and so far I have no complaints from my little crew.

So, one thing I sometimes miss as a vegan is biting into something chewy. Like a burger. I stopped eating any vegan meat substitutes quite a while ago, so 98% of what I consume I make myself from whole foods. And I absolutely gag at the idea of eating a portabello mushroom, so mushroom burgers are out. So I found a recipe for making seitan and let me tell you, it's a game changer. I made vegan cheesesteak sandwiches with it tonight, with a sweet potato nacho cheese sauce and I was in heaven. The best!

The recipe for the seitan is:

https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/how-to-make-seitan/

To make the broth in the recipe, I did use low sodium vegetable broth and added the following:

1 tsp Better than Boullion Roasted Garlic Base
1 tsp Better than Boullion No Chicken Base
2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
pinch onion powder
pinch garlic powder
pinch pepper
pinch salt

The flavor was so good. So nice to have something to add to a recipe to give it more texture.

Thank you! I've always wanted to try and make seitan. Looks really easy.

Super easy. Just a word of advice. If you do make it, let it rest after kneading in a glass or metal bowl and then cut it on a ceramic plate. DO NOT do what I did and put it on a wooden cutting board to rest and cut up. It stuck like glue. It will still stick to the plate but not nearly as bad as the wooden cutting board. Enjoy!

https://simpleveganblog.com/green-goddess-bowl/
https://simpleveganblog.com/oil-free-chimichurri-sauce/

I made this yesterday and had another bowl tonight. (My last portion is tomorrow and I am already planning on making this again) So good! I do not like quinoa so I made cauliflower rice and sauteed it in a tablespoon of evoo and added a pinch of sea salt and ground pepper. I sauteed the cauliflower until it had a bit of color. And the chimichurri sauce is amazing. (I added extra cayenne since I like spicy.) I also only added a half cup of water because I like it thicker. I will say, as a thicker sauce, this can definitely be used as a dip for tortillas if you want something different. Or even a topping for vegan chili.

So, within the past 3 weeks, I have been monitoring my caloric intake and keeping it to between 1100 and 1200 calories per day. What an eye opener to really pay attention to a true serving size, even with a plant-based diet. I also upped my daily work outs to be more strenuous. Many positive outcomes, however I started to get a lot of bruises, especially on the back of my calves. Big ugly ones. It almost looked like someone was hitting me. I did some research and realized it is an iron deficiency. I went to the local Vitamin Shoppe for a vegan iron supplement recommendation. I told the guy I definitely did not want one that would jack up my system. A woman at another store told me to take Megafood Blood Builder Mini's, and they are amazing. My bruises faded quickly and I haven't gotten any weird ones that can't be accounted for. And no constipation. Not only does it have iron, but it also is made with beets, oranges, and broccoli. One other added plus is it also contains B12, which vegans lack in their diet.

So, an FYI for anyone looking for a vegan iron supplement.

https://www.amazon.com/MegaFood-Buil...+builder+minis

I got the bruising thing in high school when I dieted too much, but not since then.

I take 500 B12 and D2000, and it normalized my levels. They had come up low in a physical as an adult but as soon as I started the vitamins, it all worked out.

Green
 

Are you vegan, Greco?

Tonight I made a stir-fry of carrots, onions, tofu, curry, and BBQ sauce, always a favorite of mine.

So one of the changes I recently made was I eat breakfast every morning. I had not done this daily since jr. high school. I have always read that this was suggested before working out, but I just stuck with my coffee and then would eat mid morning. With eating breakfast before I exercise, I find myself not dying by the end of my workouts or famished afterwards. The three breakfasts that I alternate through-out the week are really filling.

https://minimalistbaker.com/southwest-tofu-scramble/
With this recipe, I use Lacinato kale because it is not bitter like other types.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...do-recipe.html Sometimes I just add a couple of slices of tomato instead of avocado and sprinkle with fresh ground sea salt and pepper.
https://simpleveganblog.com/fat-free...refried-beans/
I make the refried beans for this recipe and quarter the amount. I add a touch of water when reheating since it can be dry.

https://veganhuggs.com/vegan-breakfast-sandwich/
I use chipotle mayo from Just Mayo to give this a kick. I also do not add vegan cheese. Fair warning, the black salt that is in the recipe, for those who are unaware, is to give the tofu an eggy flavor. and smells of sulfur. It is really strong. I crack the kitchen windows and the porch door when I make this so the smell doesn't linger. You can obviously skip that ingredient if it sounds off putting.

If anyone tries any of these, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. :)

j
 

j. Have been since watching "Earthlings"
several years ago. Check out my green
smoothies recipes...Greco

I made a very tasty sandwich this evening: whole wheat bread, mustard, arugala, sham (fake ham), and avocado with a pickle on the side. The avocado made all the difference. Yum!

Vegan Crab Cakes-these came out really good and the sriracha aioli is so flavorful.

https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/veg...riracha-aioli/

I baked these rather than cook in oil.

I made this last night and it was good, fast and easy. It is vegan chorizo, (Definitely not gluten-free though)

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/...rumbles-450153

Next time I make it I think I will use it in a taco salad. I make my own taco shells by coating the underside of a cupcake pan with a thin layer of canola oil, nestle the shell in between cups and cook at 375 and for about 15 minutes. (more or less depending on how browned you like your shell)

I never liked meat. Even as a small child I knew I did not like the stuff. Fortunately for me, my parents did not force me to eat it. My dad was a farmer (he grew mostly grains for cattle feed) but started growing me all kinds of vegetables. So I was a vegetarian long before there was such a thing. In the last 20 years or so, I started to eat chicken breast. (occasionally)

However, I still have heart disease and crazy high cholesterol. Obviously it's not my fault and most likely genetic but it is what it is. Through the years, I have been on the DASH diets and the Mediterranean eating plans minus most of the meats. Both were good, healthy ways of eating but not good enough. Cholesterol is STILL not under 200 despite having to take statins.

SO..............

I'm embarking on the plant based eating plan. It's not a huge change from vegetarian eating. It allows you to have 10% of your diet be eggs/chicken/seafood. The biggest eye opener for me was the ZERO OIL concept. Mediterranean was big on the "healthy oils".

Anyone else eating a plant based diet? I'm only a month into this so I'd love to hear from others....

I'm new to the plant based diet too, but I'm not sure about use of oils. I use one of three types of oils (evoo, coconut, or grape seed oil's), but I use them sparingly.

I mostly use oil in food prep for veggie stir fry or when I make batches of homemade dressing, Dominique.

If you or anyone posts tips or ideas, I'll be reading and learning too.

ratatouille on the stove :)
 

This is the second time I have made this. You can keep it several days....(so make a lot) you can eat it hot, cold, or on some toasted bread.

green quinoa tabbouleh
 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/26...d=cardslot%201



I made this early this morning. I used only one tablespoon of EVOO. It is really good.

Totally loved the "dressing" as he called it.

I made the cheese from this recipe and it is really good. Since I don't eat pasta I have used this on spaghetti squash and different spiralized noodles, like zucchini, butternut squash and sweet potato. The only thing I changed was I omitted the agave nectar as when I made it the first time I found it too sweet. And I am also much more generous with the nutritional yeast as I love the flavor. It makes a lot, so either half the recipe or plan to eat it for a while. A little cheese goes a long way over the "noodles".

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/plant-...an-mac-n-yeast

I am making this tonight, and am going to use lettuce as my wrap instead of pita or naan. Vegan gyro with tzatziki sauce.

https://delightfuldeliciousdelovelyb...zatziki-sauce/

Lastly, Tumeric chickpeas with garlic tahini is such a good meal. Light, flavorful and easy. The time consuming part (but not labor intensive) is making the tumeric chickpeas. But once they are made, you have plenty of chickpeas for this and any other recipe you want to use them for.

https://www.101cookbooks.com/archive...mericgartahini