Day 21 - Vegan Kick Start

The Vegan Kick Start is over and I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on the Vegan challenge.

What did I like?

I enjoyed trying new recipes and learning more about the lifestyle.  I also enjoyed the community forum for meal ideas and to share other people's experiences with the Vegan Kick Start.

What was difficult?
 
At times I found it a little challenging. For example, eating how can be a bit of a challenge especially if you are going with others who choose a non vegan friendly restaurant. Also, as far as a permanent life style change I don't know if I am ready to commit. My current diet is vegetarian and I try to eat as few as animal products as possible. At home I cook with all non-animal products,

With that said, I also didn't have any intention on becoming a vegetarian and now I couldn't think of eating an type of animal. Who knows how my interest in vegan diet will go! Stay tuned...

Day 20 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 20 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• French Toast
• Cherry, Banana, ad Orange Juice Smoothie

Lunch:

• Split Japanese Pan Noodles and Indonesian Peanut Saute from Noodles and Company

Dinner:

• Pecan Crusted Seitan (from the Kind Diet) served on Capellini
• Steamed Carrots

Desert:

• Peanut Butter Cups (from the Kind Diet) 

Day 19 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 19 of the Vegan Kick Start and I had a not so vegan day. Here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• Waffle with Syrup
• Banana

Lunch:

• Tom Kha Sot (A coconut milk-based soup made with oyster mushrooms, galanga, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass soup from Tum Rup Thai in Uptown) 
• Rice

Snacks:

•  Nuts and Dried Fruit

Dinner: 

• Cheese Enchilada and Chili Relleno with Rice and Beans
• Chips, Queso, and Salsa

Day 18 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 18 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing

Dinner:

• Brown Rice
• Seitan with Stir Fried Corn, Carrots, and Parsnips

Snacks:

• Clementine
• Sorbet

Day 17 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 17 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Cherry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Vegetable and Chickpea Soup

Snacks:

• Almonds
• Clementine
• Apple
• Sorbet

Dinner:

• Garlic Buttered Noodles (whole wheat, of course!)
• Field Roast Vegetarian Sausage
• Broccoli 

Day 16 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 16 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Red Onion, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing

Snacks:

• Cucumbers with Almonds
• Apple
• Clementine
• Hemp Non Dairy Ice Cream with Vegan Chocolate Chips and Almond Slies

Dinner:

• Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls
• Tom Kha Sot (A coconut milk-based soup made with oyster mushrooms, galanga, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass soup from Tum Rup Thai in Uptown) 
• Rice

Day 15 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 15 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:


Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Red Onion, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing

Snacks:

• Cucumbers with Almonds
• Apple
• Clementine
• Sorbet

Dinner:

• Quinoa with Stir-Fried Tofu, Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Carrot 

Day 14 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 14 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• Mini Mixed Berry Muffin
• Cherry Smoothie

Lunch:

• Veggie Taco with Chips and Salsa from Baja Sol

Dinner:

• Pasta with Red Sauce

For the red sauce I sauted onions and garlic in a little Earth's Balance for about five minutes then added sliced carrots to the pan and cooked for another five minutes or so. Next I added a couple of handfuls of spinach and cooked until wilted. Finally, I added a can of Canellini beans and a can of tomato sauce along with salt, pepper, and basil for seasoning. I simmered the sauce for 5-7 minuntes and served over fettuchinne noodles. Less than 30 minutes from start to finish and quite good, if I do say so myself!

Day 13 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 13 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:

Breakfast:

• Peach, Raspberry, and Banana Smoothie

Lunch:

• Split Japaneese Pan Noodles and Indonesian Peanut Saute from Noodles and Company

Dinner:

• Chick Pea Cutlets from Veganomican
• Mashed Potatoes
• Steamed Greens

I tried the Chick Pea Cutlet recipe from Veganomican and it was delicious. It had a very "meaty" texture and would be a great option if cooking for non veggies.When I first thought of making my own cutlets I thought it would be more involved, but the recipe was relatively simple and took less than 30 minutes. I served it with mash potoatoes and green mixture of differents types of kale and collard.

Day 12 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 12 of the Vegan Kick Start and I have to confess I had cheese. Not only did I have cheese, but I used cheese as a drug. I was overly tired, stress, and hungry when we went out to eat tonight and the pull of cheese was so strong. Cheese can create such strong cravings. When I went vegetarian it was a gradual process and I see going vegan is going to be the same. I definitely think I am moving towards a vegan diet and have made definite changes in my eating habits. I'm not going to worry about the cheese slip up. I'm just going to continue moving forward on the journey.

Here is today's food:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Red Onion, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing

Snacks:

• Almonds
• Apple

Dinner: 

• Cheese Enchilada and Chili Relleno with Rice and Beans
• Chips, Queso, and Salsa

Day 11 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 11 of the Vegan Kick Start and I had:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Vegetable and Chickpea Soup

Snacks:

• Almonds
• Apple
• Sorbet

Dinner:

• Garlic Buttered Noodles (whole wheat, of course!)
• Field Roast Vegetarian Sausage
• Broccol

 

Day 10 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day 10 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:


Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Peanut Butter
• Banana

Lunch:

• Veggie Delight Sub from Subway

Dinner:

• Veggie Burger on Whole Wheat Bread with Onions and Spinach
• Steamed Brocolli

Snacks:

• Almonds 
• Clementine
• Apple
• Rice Dream with Vegan Chocolate Chips and Almond Slices

Day 9 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day 9 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had:


Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Peanut Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Veggie Delight Sub from Subway
• Potato Chips

Dinner:

• Seitan with Stir Fried Cauliflower, Carrots, and Onions served in a Whole Wheat Tortilla with Red Cabbage and Spinach

Snacks:

• Almonds with Cucumbers
• Apple
• Rice Dream with Vegan Chocolate Chips and Almond Slices 

Day 8 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day eight of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had today:


Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Red Onion, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing

Snacks:

• Cucumbers with Almonds
• Apple
• Clementine
• Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dinner:

• Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza

 I was craving cookies so I made vegan chocolate chip cookies using the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe and using an egg sustitute. Normally, I've been using an Ener-G egg replacer, but decided to try the grounded flax and water mixture this time. I think I prefer the flax seed mixure to the Ener-G egg replacer in this particular  recipe. The cookies seemed more moist and I like the flavor the flax added.

Day 7 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day 7 of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had today:


Breakfast:

• Carrot Muffins
• Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Lunch: 

• Black Bean Soup from Panerra  

Dinner:

• Lentils and Rice
• Green Beans

My six year-old loves carrot muffins. We make them nearly every weekend for breakfast and make sure there are extras for her lunch. We use a muffin recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home and substitue egg replacer for the eggs to make it vegan.

Dinner was lentils and rice made from a recipe in the Veganomican cookbook. It was delicious and easy! I put the lentils, rice and seasoning in the rice cooker early in the day and had dinner ready to go with very little effort. This is a great meal to make up extra batches and freeze to have a quick and easy meal on hand.

I nearly forgot to mention desert. I had Coconut Bliss Ice Cream sprinkled with a few vegan chocolate chips and sliced almonds. I've been experimenting with non-dairy ice creams and this is by far my favorite I've tried. It's non-dairy, sweetened with agave, and made with fair trade ingredients. If your craving something sweet this is something you can eat and feel good about.

Day 6 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day six of the Vegan Kick Start and here is what I had:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie

Lunch:

• Almonds
• Banana

Dinner: 

• Vegetable Pizza - Onions, Green Peppers, Black Olive, Green Olives, and lost of red sauce 

Snacks:

• Chai Tea with Soy Milk

Went out for pizza tonight at a local pizzeria in my home town. I ordered my own pizza with out cheese and with lots of vegetables. It was good, but next time I would order the thick crust instead of the thin crust and extra sauce. It was a little dry. Overall, really good pizza experience!

Day 5 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day five of the Vegan Kick Start and here is what I had:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Cashews, Almonds, and Dried Fruit Trail Mix
• Clementine
• Apple

Snacks:

• Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

Dinner:  

• Chips and Salsa
• Vegetable Fajitas

Lunch was originally a can of Lentil soup, but I have recently switched offices at work and I had no can opener for the soup. I had to make do with what I could find a convenient store and thought the trail mix was a decent choice.

It's our family tradition to go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant every Friday night. It was pretty easy to eat vegan there. The fajitas tasted great. I did catch my self almost dipping my chip into cheese out of habbit!

Are Jelly Belly Jelly Bean's vegan? I leaning towards yes, but have not confirmed at this point. I had jsut a couple after dinner while watching TV.

Day 4 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day four of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had today:

Breakfast:

• Breakfast Rice Pudding
• Mixed Berry and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Apple

Lunch:

• Seitan with Stir Fried Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower served in a Whole Wheat Tortilla with Brown Rice

Snacks:

• Banana
• Clementine
• Sorbet

Dinner:

• Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Amy's Organics has some great products. I've tried both the Soy Cheese and the Roasted Vegetable pizzas and think they are both delicious, but I have to say the Roasted Vegetable is my favorite. It is topped with marinated organic shiitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sweet onions and marinated artichoke hearts. You don't even miss the cheese!

Day 3 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day three of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had today:


Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Red Onion, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing
• Baked Tofu

Snacks:

• Cucumbers with Almonds
• Apple 

Dinner:  

•  Hoppin' John Salad served on Spinach with Tortilla Chips

Day 2 - Vegan Kick Start

It's Day Two of the Vegan Kick Start and here's what I had today:

Breakfast:

• Breakfast Rice Pudding
• Mixed Berry and Orange Juice Smoothie

Lunch:

• Seitan with Stir Fried Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower served in a Whole Wheat Tortilla and topped with Cabbage and Spinach (leftover from last night)

Dinner:

• Garlic Buttered Noodles (whole wheat, of course!)
• Field Roast Vegetarian Sausage
• Broccoli and Onions 

Snacks:

• Apple
• Clementine
• Sorbet

This morning for breakfast I tried the Breakfast Rice Pudding from this week's Vegan Kick Start suggested menu. I usually eat mostly fruit for breakfast, but have been finding myself really hungry before lunch even when I have a good amount of fruit or smoothie in the morning. I decided to start experimenting with eating a more substantial breakfast to see how it affects my hunger and my energy level. I've never tried rice for breakfast and was a little hesitant because I work out in the morning and don't like anything too heavy before I run. I am happy to report that the Rice Breakfast Pudding tasted great and it definitely wasn't too heavy before my run. Furthermore, I didn't have intense hunger feelings at all in the morning and had a good level of energy.

Our dinner tonight is a favorite at our house that we have weekly. It's simply butter noodles served with Field Roast vegetarian sausage and vegetables. I used Earth Balance Vegan Butter for the butter noodles and garlic salt for seasoning. We switch out the vegetables to keep it fresh and tonight's version had broccoli and caramelized onions. The Field Roast Sausage is excellent and I would highly recommend both the Italian and the Smoked Apple flavors. This is by far my favorite veggie meat product!

Day 1 - Vegan Kick Start

It's day one of the 21-Day Vegan Kick Start! Here's what I had today:

Breakfast:

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter
• Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and Orange Juice Smoothie
• Banana

Lunch:

• Confetti Couscous
• Spinach Salad with Red Peppers, Carrots, Cabbage, Flax, and Annie's Goddess Dressing

Dinner

• Brown Rice
• Seitan with Stir Fried Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower served in a Whole Wheat Tortilla and topped with Cabbage and Spinach

Snacks:

• Cucumbers with Almonds
• Apple
• Sorbet

What I ate today is pretty typical of my normal day. I would say I eat 80-90% vegan on a regular basis. I have been a vegetarian for years and in the last year have switched to all non-dairy options at home. I now use earth balance butter, soy milk, and egg replacer for all my cooking. My family has been open minded about switching to the non-dairy options and I feel like we haven't sacrificed any taste.

I normally only eat dairy products when we eat out and in bakery products or candy.  We eat out at a Mexican Restaurant once a week and it typically involves a whole lot of cheese. When I took part in the January Vegan Kick Start it was pretty easy to stick to the chips, salsa, and vegetable fajitas. At the time, I felt totally full filled. However, the pull of the cheese is strong and I ended up going back to the weekly cheese fest. I'm hoping to move even more towards an animal free diet with this kick start.

I also want to concentrate on reducing my sugar intake. Even though I successfully completed 21 days of vegan eating in January there was quite a bit of vegan junk food involved. I found myself at a local co-op on quite a few occasions buying vegan cookies. Normally I don't have as many sweets as I did during January so I'm going to try and stick closer to the PCRM suggested meal plan because I'm interested in seeing if I have a difference in energy level with out the dairy and processed sugar.

Here's to a fun and adventurous 21 days of vegan eating!

Couscous Confetti Salad

The first week's menu for the 21-Day Vegan Kick Start was sent out yesterday. I couldn't wait until Monday to get started so I made the Couscous Confetti Salad last night.

It was very quick and easy to make.  I love all the different types of vegetables in one salad. I served it with baked tofu and green beans. The kids were not fans of the salad. I think the vinigar taste was too sharp, but I kept a little couscous seperate for them to try and they did like that. The salad was a hit for both my husband and me. The recipe was big enough we'll have leftovers salad to use in a meal or two this week.

21-Day Vegan Kick Start!

 The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is sponsoring a 21-Day Vegan Kick Start beginning on March 1. Here's some information about the program:

Get Ready to Kickstart Your Health on March 1!

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., one of America’s leading health advocates, this program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. Low-fat vegan—plant-based—diets are the easiest way to trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, cut cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse heart disease, and reduce cancer risk. They even trim our carbon footprint.

The Kickstart will give you an all-access pass to:

I took part in 21-Day Vegan Kick Start the PCRM sponsored in January and successfully completed 21 days of vegan. However, I also tried out too much vegan junk food! I'm going to take part again in the March Kick Start and attempt to stay closer to the PCRM meal suggestions. I am interested in finding out if I have an increased level of energy if I cut out dairy and cut down significantly on sugar intake. I would highly recommend this kick start if you have been thinking about moving towards a vegan diet or just want to improve your eating habbits. The information on the PCRM website is very helpful and inspiring.  I am planning on posting my daily meals along with any recipes I try during the kick start.

Penne Puttanesca with Veggie Meatballs

Tonight for dinner I made Penne Puttancesca with Veggie Meatballs. The recipe came from the February 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times. I've tried a few store bought veggie meatballs and thought they were fine, but not fantastic so I was very excited to make my own.  Here's the recipe:

Penne Puttanesca with Veggie Meatballs
4 oz. dried penne pasta
7 oz. (half of 14-oz. pkg.) soy sausage substitute, such as Gimme Lean (1 cup packed)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish, optional
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil, divided
1/4 tsp. ground fresh pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.), divided
1 cup tomato sauce
2 Tbs. chopped black olives, optional

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine soy sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, 1 Tbs basil, 1 tsp. garlic, and pepper with fingers.
2. Coat large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  roll soy sausage mixture into 12 balls, about 2 Tbs. each. Cook meatballs 5 to 6 minutes, or until evenly browned. Add tomato sauce, olives, remaining 1 Tbs. basil, and remaining 1 tsp. garlic. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 3-5 minutes to let flavors meld.
3. Drain pasta and stir into tomato sauce mixture.

I thought the meal was really flavorful and so easy to make. Plus it took less than 30 minutes from start to finish! I did substitute a vegan Parmesan cheese and would probably opt to leave out the cheese entirely next time. However, the meatballs and the sauce both tasted great. The veggie meatballs had a very nice texture and flavor. I will definitely be making this again!

Valentine Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrated at our house by making valentine cut-out cookies. We used the following recipe we got from a kid cookie making class we took at Whole Foods. I love this recipe because there are no eggs and you can eat the dough! We used dairy free substitutes for the butter, cream cheese and milk and the cookies tasted great.

Easy Cut Out Cookies
1 1/4 cups Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter and mix until crumbly. Beat in cream cheese and vanilla until it is clumpy. Add water until it comes together. knead dough into one big ball. Roll out dough until it's nice and thin. Cut out shapes and bake for ten minutes. Let cool, then decorate with icing (recipe below). Makes about 18 big cookies.

All Purpose Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
Food coloring, if desired

Directions: Whisk until smooth. Makes about 1 cup


Here's a couple pictures of the finished cookies!

The Key to Quick Healthy Dinners for Families

Want to make dinner for you family, but it seems like an overwhelming task after working all day? Two things are key:

• Cook in bulk and freeze leftovers for future meals.
• Keep it simple.

Cooking in bulk is a nice way to build up your reserves for easy dinners. Make a big batch of brown rice on the weekend and put the leftovers in freezer bags in meal-sized portions. The idea of freezing grains revolutionized cooking dinner for me. No longer did I need to cook rice for an hour to get dinner ready for my family. If you rotate the types of grains you make in bulk on the weekend you will have a variety of grains to choose from in your freezer. My first thought on freezing the rice was, “Does it taste good when you thaw it?” Yes, it does! You can either set it out in the fridge in the morning to thaw, use the microwave, or the stove top. I usually end up using the microwave because its so quick. If your rice feels a little dry you can put a damp paper towel on top of it in the microwave and it will help with the moisture.

Second, keep it simple. You've got your grain so now you need is a protein and some vegetables. Next choose some protein for your meal such as seitan, tempeh, tofu, or my family's favorite Field Roast sausage. I start by cooking the veggie meat in a pan and cutting up the vegetables while the protein is cooking. Then I add my vegetables to the same pan, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the vegetable, and voila you have a meal.

You can take this same idea and get a different meal every night by swapping out the type of grain, protein and veggie you choose. It's also easy to make the meal seem fresh by varying the seasonings you use.