Vegan/Vegetarian Thread (discussion, recipes, laughs)

[kittygrrl]

Originally Posted by Hollylane

I tried these tonight:


I tossed these with a spinach spaghetti sauce combined with a delicious new salsa I bought recently and they were pretty good. The texture is a bit odd, but I could get use to it, and I'm planning to try the angel hair variety in a vegan pho this week.

The main reason I tried these is because they are calorie free, vegan, and made from soluble fiber (0 carbs). They are also very filling, because they expand once they enter your stomach.

Has anyone else tried these?

No Holly, but ty for sharing your adventures, its rilly nice of you!

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Hollylane

I tried these tonight:


I tossed these with a spinach spaghetti sauce combined with a delicious new salsa I bought recently and they were pretty good. The texture is a bit odd, but I could get use to it, and I'm planning to try the angel hair variety in a vegan pho this week.

The main reason I tried these is because they are calorie free, vegan, and made from soluble fiber (0 carbs). They are also very filling, because they expand once they enter your stomach.

Has anyone else tried these?

I have not had that brand but have tried shiratake before and really liked them. How interesting. Today I was talking to the owner of a vegetarian/vegan restaurant about all of the gluten free products that they make. Hoping to learn a few things. I will see if they are using these.

[nycfem]

Yes, these are the noodles I mentioned before, just different brand (I usually use hungry girl brand), Shirataki noodles. I usually prepare by:

-washing them, drying them (blotting out the liquid), and microwaving them (I do all this to take away the sort of fishy smell and also to texturize them more like noodles)

How did you prepare?

I also have found and enjoyed these pre-prepared occasionally at stores in a spicy sauce (like an entree that you just heat). Very quick and yummy.

Originally Posted by Hollylane

I tried these tonight:


I tossed these with a spinach spaghetti sauce combined with a delicious new salsa I bought recently and they were pretty good. The texture is a bit odd, but I could get use to it, and I'm planning to try the angel hair variety in a vegan pho this week.

The main reason I tried these is because they are calorie free, vegan, and made from soluble fiber (0 carbs). They are also very filling, because they expand once they enter your stomach.

Has anyone else tried these?

[PurpleQuestions84]

I really wanted to like them but i couldnt get over the texure...

Originally Posted by Hollylane

\



I tried these tonight:


I tossed these with a spinach spaghetti sauce combined with a delicious new salsa I bought recently and they were pretty good. The texture is a bit odd, but I could get use to it, and I'm planning to try the angel hair variety in a vegan pho this week.

The main reason I tried these is because they are calorie free, vegan, and made from soluble fiber (0 carbs). They are also very filling, because they expand once they enter your stomach.

Has anyone else tried these?

[Hollylane]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Yes, these are the noodles I mentioned before, just different brand (I usually use hungry girl brand), Shirataki noodles. I usually prepare by:

-washing them, drying them (blotting out the liquid), and microwaving them (I do all this to take away the sort of fishy smell and also to texturize them more like noodles)

How did you prepare?

I also have found and enjoyed these pre-prepared occasionally at stores in a spicy sauce (like an entree that you just heat). Very quick and yummy.

I think the main difference between these and the Shirataki noodles you posted about is that these do not have tofu as an ingredient. This leaves them with zero carbs (less than 1 gram of soluble fiber), vs 3 carbs. I am still looking for the brand you mentioned, and I'm wondering if the texture is better because of the addition of soy. However, I would probably pick these more often because carbohydrates add up so quickly, and since I need more fat (non-animal), I am getting it from sources like peanut butter (3-5 carbs 200 + calories), the yummy chocolate sunflower almond butter (I believe this one is 3 carbs, and 200 calories), and olive oil. Because I am eating vegan, I am getting more carbs per meal, and I would love to have more higher fiber options (fiber cancels out some carbohydrate content), but my stomach condition would worsen if I add too much fiber.

When I prepared them this time, I simply used the instructions on the bag (drain, rinse, blanch, dry with paper towels). I wonder if microwaving them afterward would change the texture (they remind me of chewing on rubber bands, not that I do that ) if they do not contain soy. They did have a vinegar smell to them, that I was worried about, but it went away once I had tossed them with the pasta sauce. I am looking forward to seeing how they taste in a stir fry, because I've noticed that they do not seem to absorb the pasta sauce.

[Hollylane]

Originally Posted by PurpleQuestions84

I really wanted to like them but i couldnt get over the texure...

I can completely understand this. It is odd. I just tried to think of them as a different kind of noodle, and not meant to have the same texture as traditional pasta.

[Greco]

Hi Veggie Lovers,

Well, I have what I think is a dumb question, but I must ask it...background, I now have an electric stove with, get this, a glass top, no burners...so, question, how does this affect the cooking, steaming, etc? I'm not using it yet, but like to prepare before hand. Region where I'm living now is nothing but electric everything! Have they not thought of sustainability? OK, I don't want to rant, but am interested in information about cooking on this glass top electric stove.

warm regards, Greco

[kittygrrl]

humbug! There is just no truly yummy substitute for carb-rich noodles

[nycfem]

I kind of agree and just at least make them complex carbs- whole grain noodles and try to go for less noodles, more veggies.

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

humbug! There is just no truly yummy substitute for carb-rich noodles

[Greco]

Actually, spelt noodles are good, with texture that is pretty much like "regular" pasta.

Greco

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

humbug! There is just no truly yummy substitute for carb-rich noodles

[nycfem]

Whole-grain spelt pasta is BB's and my favorite, though that is carbs, just the healthier, complex kind

Originally Posted by Greco

Actually, spelt noodles are good, with texture that is pretty much like "regular" pasta.

Greco

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Greco

Hi Veggie Lovers,

Well, I have what I think is a dumb question, but I must ask it...background, I now have an electric stove with, get this, a glass top, no burners...so, question, how does this affect the cooking, steaming, etc? I'm not using it yet, but like to prepare before hand. Region where I'm living now is nothing but electric everything! Have they not thought of sustainability? OK, I don't want to rant, but am interested in information about cooking on this glass top electric stove.

warm regards, Greco

Hi Greco,

My experience is that glass top stoves heat up fast and keep the temperature pretty steady. So my advice is not to walk away from anything that you are cooking until you get used to it. You will not have the quick change control over temps as you would with gas. So if you are bringing a pot down from say, boiling to simmering you may need to remove the pot from the burner for a few minutes to let the temperature adjust. Also cleaning the glass can be a challenge. They scratch up easily. There are certain non abrasive cleaners that you can buy however.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

Whole-grain spelt pasta is BB's and my favorite, though that is carbs, just the healthier, complex kind

Also high in protein. A good clean source of nutrition. Do you have a brand that you can suggest?

[Sun]

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

humbug! There is just no truly yummy substitute for carb-rich noodles

Ok this made me lol. Nice to see Hello Kitty in agreement with you.
I am with you on this but I do like some of the whole grain noodles it just took me a while to develop a taste for them.

[Greco]

Thanks Sun your reply is exactly the information I was looking for...another bit of a learning curve.

Greco

Originally Posted by Sun

Hi Greco,

My experience is that glass top stoves heat up fast and keep the temperature pretty steady. So my advice is not to walk away from anything that you are cooking until you get used to it. You will not have the quick change control over temps as you would with gas. So if you are bringing a pot down from say, boiling to simmering you may need to remove the pot from the burner for a few minutes to let the temperature adjust. Also cleaning the glass can be a challenge. They scratch up easily. There are certain non abrasive cleaners that you can buy however.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Greco

Thanks Sun your reply is exactly the information I was looking for...another bit of a learning curve.

Greco

Happy to help Greco. I had to learn the hard way, so I hope that you have better luck than I did. lol. When I lived in San Francisco I had one of those glass top stoves. Guessing it was safer to have electric than gas in earthquake central, but oh how I was grieving not having gas. The other thing is that I am used to flipping things in the pan for saute' and that is hard to impossible to do and not scratch the glass so I had to remember that one. Not easy to break an old habit like that.

[Greco]

I do that as well when sauteing so here we go...why anyone would have electric stove when gas, wood exists I'll never know...smiling, so I'll let you know how it goes, may have to live on green smoothies instead of cooking anything...just kidding.

Thanks again Sun, Greco

Originally Posted by Sun

Happy to help Greco. I had to learn the hard way, so I hope that you have better luck than I did. lol. When I lived in San Francisco I had one of those glass top stoves. Guessing it was safer to have electric than gas in earthquake central, but oh how I was grieving not having gas. The other thing is that I am used to flipping things in the pan for saute' and that is hard to impossible to do and not scratch the glass so I had to remember that one. Not easy to break an old habit like that.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Greco

I do that as well when sauteing so here we go...why anyone would have electric stove when gas, wood exists I'll never know...smiling, so I'll let you know how it goes, may have to live on green smoothies instead of cooking anything...just kidding.

Thanks again Sun, Greco

In my case it was an apartment in an earthquake zone so a lot of places did not use gas. Less chance of fire if an earthquake hit. Which it did while I was there but that was a mild one.

Give me a wood or charcoal fire any day!

[kittygrrl]

Glass top stoves are pretty cool..i had one when they first came out, a bit hard to clean if you don't wipe up spills right away but then you don't have to worry about a boil over going to the innards of your stove..it seems to burn a little bit hotter then the usual electric stove (ie high on reg elec would be maybe a med?) Hard to say, as this was years ago..but they are great stoves and if they have a convection oven it's even very convenient..once you play with them a bit you might actually find you like them!

[Greco]

Good evening Veggie Lovers,

Alright, I have finally acquiesced to seafood, I do love seafood.

Story: One of my Clients went fishing for Coho clams (I'm not sure of the spelling of that), anyway yes I was tempted, so I cooked them, following is the process:

Cooked brown rice pasta, a bit of sea salt, put to the side w/olive oil

Sauteed garlic, onions, tarragon, carrots, celery w/olive oil amd roasted hot peppers very slowly

steamed the clams until they opened, put these into the saute for about 5 mins.

Delicious!

I did miss lemon, but hadn't bought any before cooking...am imagining a very sensual lady cooking this for us...ok, ok, I have a lady in mind, of course.

Enough, have a good one Veggie Lovers, I continue to be a Veggie Lover as well.

Greco