Vegan/Vegetarian Thread (discussion, recipes, laughs)

[nycfem]

Question for all:

What do you like to add to your food to increase the nutritional value?

On a daily basis I add nutritional yeast to a lot of things as well as ground flax seed. Those are my two main stapes but I'd like to add more.

[Greco]

nycfembbw,

I add flax oil to my smoothies, and aloe vera every other day
with Vit C, berry powder as well.

Greco

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Question for all:

What do you like to add to your food to increase the nutritional value?

On a daily basis I add nutritional yeast to a lot of things as well as ground flax seed. Those are my two main stapes but I'd like to add more.

[Greco]

Today I got up wanting to experiment so juice dinner and dressing
were things I have on hand and wanted to combine

This morning I wanted to juice attempt something different, no banana.

cucumber

celery

apple

lemon

The juice was cool and energizing and lasted the whole day
It was different, I did miss the bananas but the apple was
sweet. Very hydrating juice that I'll continue to juice during
the heat of Summer.

And I was very hungry by the time I got home.
For dinner had:

sauteed in sesame oil

pineapple

roasted red peppers

spinach

capers

cilantro

over Jasmine rice

with celery cucumber salad

Dressing - experimental
blended pineapple
garlic
basil
lemon

I wasn't using a recipe, and was curious how pineapple
would saute turned out very comforting with the spinach
and capers red peppers

The sesame oil brought a nutty and again comforting flavor
will use this again a lot

One thing I find interesting is that I'm not missing meat, except
for the oyster craving I haven't had the urge for any other meat
thankfully.

And I feel full even with the juices.

I thought that it would be expensive eating organic veggies
and fruit but its actually been cheaper a surprise for sure.

Enjoying feeling clearer, lighter, running with no struggle

So is it perfect? No. I have a concern about what I will do
when I visit with family over the weekend. A lot of thoughts
about relationships and being vegan.

Enjoy your evening, Greco

[Nina]

I want to make quinoa
for some reason I have in my head that it's tricky to make
has anyone made it?
it's supposed to be an amazingly nutritious food...

any thoughts, suggestions, much appreciated

thanks

[nycfem]

It's super easy, as simple as making rice. Just use a rice maker if you have one

Originally Posted by Nina

I want to make quinoa
for some reason I have in my head that it's tricky to make
has anyone made it?
it's supposed to be an amazingly nutritious food...

any thoughts, suggestions, much appreciated

thanks

[nycfem]

Also, quinoa can taste bitter if not washed. It is so small that an extra fine strainer helps.

[Greco]

Quinoa is such a great tasting grain too

I put it in boiling water, washed of course, for 15-20mins
This is the time I cook it for so it comes out a little crunchy
and fluffy

Originally Posted by Nina

I want to make quinoa
for some reason I have in my head that it's tricky to make
has anyone made it?
it's supposed to be an amazingly nutritious food...

any thoughts, suggestions, much appreciated

thanks

[nycfem]

Sometimes I feel like when I'm not on my own turf (e.g. not staying in my own home for a weekend or out with people or at some event), it's so much harder to be veg. When I'm at home and in my normal routine, being veg feels beyond easy and satisfying! It feels divine! But suddenly when out of that situation, especially for prolonged periods, suddenly it feels so hard! It helps me to keep with me snacks that don't need refrigeration (nuts, fruit, dried edamame, PB packets, whole grain crackers, etc.). Eating every few hours helps not to compound the frustration of being out of one's element with gnawing hunger. If I am going to be somewhere new geographically, I look up on the net (e.g. happy cow, I think it's called) where the veg/health groceries are and the restaurants. I make a plan if I can. For instance, at the Reunion in Arkansas I set up a plan beforehand for going to a veg dim sum restaurant which ended up being fabulous. It can also be hard in situations of being away with with people who don't understand it or feel hostile towards it. You kind of have to prepare yourself for how you are going to deal with questions, ignorance, stupid jokes, aggressive jokes, forceful comments, etc. In a wonderful book, The Politics of Meat, Carol Adams smartly, I think, advises that it is not a good idea to discuss veg issues at the table- that people are more defensive, and that it's better to deflect and change the subject and if you choose to engage someone who is trying to do so, wait until they are not sitting with a plate of meat and you with veggies. I also find that it is most helpful to let people know ahead of time so that I get a sense of how friendly and veg accommodating they are or not. Also, sometimes people like to do little things to make their space more veg friendly for you. They might ask how they can be of help and I think it's good to say and not to say, "Oh, don't worry about me." If they are asking, then they care. Also, if you tell them ahead, then if the people tend to be boundary breakers (for instance, family often falls into this category for me), then I can tell them ahead that I don't want to discuss the issue and that jokes about my beliefs are not acceptable to me.

[Nina]

when my son was 12, or 13 he came home from his dad's (we did 50/50) and I told him I was making 'grandma helen's chicken' for dinner...he looked at me and said "I am a vegetarian'...and that. was. that....they were studying the rain forests in school and he put together the amount of land and resources it took to feel cattle (or some kind of thing) and, since we didn't eat much meat anyway, he decided not to eat it any more...and he hasn't...to this day...this december he will be (G_D willing) 34 years old...he had, and does, travel all over the world, and he sticks to it...he researches ahead of time, and does what he needs to do to eat what he needs to eat...he did say that, if he'd stayed in the east coast he might have re-thought things since he found the eating out options to be pretty limited...now that he's back in san francisco he doesn't have any complaints...

I am sorry, and surprised to read Jen, that people have been snitty to you about being a vegetarian...I hope that as time has passed you run into less and less folks who have negative things to say...

[2myladyblue]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Question for all:

What do you like to add to your food to increase the nutritional value?

On a daily basis I add nutritional yeast to a lot of things as well as ground flax seed. Those are my two main stapes but I'd like to add more.

Hemp!

-Blue

[nycfem]

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

[homoe]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

It sounds good! If the noodles are gone then I just re-heat the veggies (maybe adding some snow pea pods) and serve it on a bed of rice.......

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

gasoline ... and a match.

[kittygrrl]

roasted potato, garlic and a little magick

[Gemme]

Not sure where you are on the carb spectrum but I'm with homoe. I love a good Jasmine rice with sautéed veggies. Also, maybe shredded cheese (or substitute) on top of the veggies on top of the rice. If you like a bit of heat, maybe add some roasted poblanos?

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

I one time took left over veggies from an meal and blended them up in an DIY recipe for making cat treats (Petunia loved the ones I made for her).

LINK: 5 Easy DIY Cat Treat Recipes


Sometimes, if I have too much left over veggies, whether it's from an single meal or just veggies in the crisper drawer of the fridge that need to be used up soon, I'll save them back and use them in an soup.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

I one time took left over veggies from an meal and blended them up in an DIY recipe for making cat treats (Petunia loved the ones I made for her).

LINK: 5 Easy DIY Cat Treat Recipes


Sometimes, if I have too much left over veggies, whether it's from an single meal or just veggies in the crisper drawer of the fridge that need to be used up soon, I'll save them back and use them in an soup.

What a cool idea! Before doing so, make sure there's nothing poisonous in the batches. Some fruits and veggies can make pets sick or even kill them, like onions.

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by nycfem

Tonight was kind of a strange meal. I wok-cooked veggies in their own juices (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and spinach) and then added shirataku noodles, soy sauce, and balsamic vinaigrette! It was hearty and edible, but barely! I did save the leftovers because I'm totally the type that does not get rid of leftovers and MUST not waste them, so I'm stuck with it tomorrow! I finished the noodles so it is mainly the veggies, and mainly the bell pepper. Imagine this mixture but with almost all the noodles having been consumed. What would you add tomorrow to make it tastier?

So in all seriousness, I am not sure since the base flavors of soy and balsamic vinaigrette are pretty strong. The only two things I can think of, and I really wracked my brain, would be to add a citrus flavor to it like lemon or lime juice. If you have mostly peppers left, why not make either a pasta salad, with the peppers, some other lightly flavored vegetables, and instead of dressing use some olive or avocado oil and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Or, make some sauteed cauliflower rice with salt and pepper in olive oil, cook some other vegetables like, pea pods (I think someone mentioned them) more onions and mushrooms, add some soy sauce and it's like a fajita over cauliflower rice. Cook the vegetables in toasted sesame seed oil to give it a really good flavor. I am stuck as to whether you should throw the peppers in because of the vinaigrette. The sesame oil and soy sauce could overpower it. Good luck.

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

The sesame oil and soy sauce could overpower it.

This would be a good thing. Not sure that this was conveyed.

[nycfem]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback on how to "dress" the leftovers. Sometimes reading it helps me understand flavoring and such. I ended up simply adding kidney beans to it. It certainly wasn't anything I'd repeat, but at least I was able to finish it!