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Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
the case of the no lettuce for you, only bread, even though we serve salads restaurant
For father's day (which was my first restaurant experience since becoming vegan a month ago), my dad picked Marion Cheese Market in Oak Park, IL.
Based on the name, I went to dinner with the realization that I would most likely NOT be eating anything... I mean it's a CHEESE market. But, I was surprised to see that they had a tempeh sandwich on their menu. I asked the waiter if they could put the sandwich in a lettuce wrap or even just on a bed of lettuce as a salad due to not knowing what the bread was made with... nor trusting them if they told me it was vegan. He looked at me like I had three heads attached to my neck and said "No. We can't do that." At first I thought he had a dry sense of humor and was being sarcastic with me, so I said "Okay, so you can't put a sandwich on a piece of lettuce instead of bread? Even though you sell salad?" He looked at me with confusion and said, "No. That's not something that we do." My sister in law even chimed in stating that I'm a vegan, and that there's no way to put it on a salad? He stuck with his "No."
The waiter went around the table asking for everyone's order, when he got to me he asked, "So, what can I get for you?" I said, "I'm good." He then said, "Are you sure I can't accomodate you with something?" Then I looked at him like he had 4 heads attached to his neck and politely declined.
Now, if you're not a vegan or vegetarian you might think this is ridiculous, but this isn't the first time that common sense looses to ignorance. Unrelated to veganism; It's like the time I went into Starbucks and they didn't have any regular coffee. Oy vey, what a world... what a world.
Needless to say I won't be recommending this to any vegetarians or vegans... even though their menu clearly states "Please read our menus carefully and tell us what you cannot eat ask your server about our vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options".... i guess that means that they'll accomodate you as long as you don't ask for a lettuce substitute? yeah... that totally makes sense. Pin It Now!
why i drink almond milk over soy milk or cows milk
"i just don't understand the new concept of almond milk. if i were to drink milk, i'd drink the real thing; i'd drink dairy milk!"
I can't tell you how many times i've heard that one in relation to any milk that isn't dairy milk. but there's a few things wrong with it. but with all things, i feel like a lot of people hear something and take is as truth. i on the other hand do a lot of research and read a lot of books on both sides of an argument and decide which one makes the most sense to me. that's how i chose almond milk, well that and i've never liked the taste of dairy milk.
Most people think and refer to almond milk as a new thing or new trend, but it's actually been around since the middle ages as a substitute for dairy milk. reason for this was that they didn't have any way to refrigerate the dairy milk, it would spoil quickly. they would make cheese and butter right away to preserve the dairy milk. but for cooking and baking... you guessed it they used none other than almond milk, since it's easier to store.
on to the nutrition:
I used to drink soy milk, until I found out that soy milk is not good for you due to being linked to multiple health conditions. There are multiple websites on the dangers of drinking soy milk, and the possible links to breast cancer in women is one that I'm not going to risk.
And, the reason why I don't drink dairy milk other than the fact that I never liked the taste as a child or an adult, (Your taste buds change, and you should really continue to try foods that you initially didn't like, because you might be surprised your taste has changed.) is that i never understood why we would drink another species milk that was meant for their young calf. The image of a species larger and more intelligent than us pumping human women and repeatedly artificially impregnating them to produce milk for their species is a crazy thought... but when you put yourself in their position, it makes you think about how crazy we treat these animals, and with such disrespect and disregard. This is why I don't drink dairy milk. To me, it just doesn't make sense, a cow normally lives around 25 years in a normal life, but a dairy cow lives only 3-5 years due to their "living" conditions. And since that mother cow was pregnant her calf is taken away from her and used as veal. That is reason enough for me to not drink or support an industry like that. Not to mention all the hormones and other things you're receiving while drinking dairy milk.
One of the largest misconceptions about healthy bones is that you need calcium for them to be strong and healthy, but most people can't absorb calcium, so you need Vitamin D for healthy bones. There are also reports that the calcium in milk isn't able to be absorbed into our human bodies, and that it goes right through your system and can cause prostate cancer in men. There are tons of other things about milk that are bad, as I've just really scratched the surface of why milk is bad for you, but I always encourage everyone to do their own research and decide for yourself what is best for you and your body.
Food For Thought: 75% of the world is lactose intolerant, so if we were really meant to drink dairy milk... wouldn't that number be less?
Here are the ones I use.
FOR BAKING:
FOR DRINKING:
The book Skinny Bitch has some great information about being a vegan (and cutting out unnecessary items out of your daily life) and what exactly goes into making milk. Pin It Now!
orange you glad i didn't say it's monday?
RATING: 10 OUT OF 10. ABSOLUTELY FILLING AND SATISFYING.
this morning i woke up and wanted something different from my usual naked juice and banana or oatmeal with blueberries. And since it's sunday i can actually cook in the morning (i'm not a morning person and usually running out the door during the weekdays).
and while still in bed, i went through all the things i have and wondered what i could make myself for breakfast that would be yummy & satisfying. last night i had a blue moon with an orange slice... so i have half an orange in the fridge. i bought a loaf of french bread yesterday. i have almond milk in the fridge.... *ding*... that's when i remembered seeing this recipe for orange french toast on vegan stoner (an awesome website for quick easy vegan recipes). now, i've only eaten french toast a handful of times in my 26 years, because the eggs would gross me out too much. well today i'm in heaven. this recipe was all i could have wanted this morning and more, and the fact that it took about 5 minutes made it even more spectacular. i changed a few things to my preference, but here's the recipe.
WHAT YOU NEED:
1/2 Orange (Juiced in a juicer) {if you don't have a fresh orange, boxed orange juice will work too}
Equal Parts Unsweetened Almond Milk to the Orange Juice
Slices of Bread (I used French Bread)
Spoonful of Butter (I used Earth Balance)
3 spoonfuls of cinnamon (Vegan Stoner used 1 spoonful... but I LOVE cinnamon)
2 spoonfuls of powdered sugar
maple syrup
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Mix the orange juice & almond milk in a bowl. (It makes a vegan buttermilk).
2. Dip both sides of your bread in the "buttermilk".
3. Heat up a pan and place the butter in it.
4. Place the bread slices in the pan and flip until brown and golden on both sides.
5. Move bread to plate, top with syrup and cinnamon powdered sugar.
6. Enjoy!
Update: I've now made this 3 times for breakfast and or dinner... sooo yummy.
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queen of the grill
there's something so great about being outside in the summer and grilling. the smells that come along with it, and the taste of hickory flavoring on your veggies. yum! i bought a mini weber grill when i became vegan so that i'm not a burden to others, and also for my own piece of mind. knowing that it'll be animal free is so great! tonight i grilled a vegan boca burger and (my mom made) roasted potatoes with onions and peppers and i finished it off with a ice cold blue moon w/ an orange slice. while i was grilling i started to read You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried, a book about John Hughes and his impact on so many generations that seems to have no end. My favorite movie is 16 Candles, and I can quote the entire movie line for line. he's one of my favorite writers and directiors. he just got it.
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you can't judge a package by it's name... only it's label
so... when you first become vegan there's a lot of label reading. i mean a LOT of label reading. a 30 minute grocery trip on the day after I became vegan lasted almost 3 hours and included 4 separate stores. below is a list of items that you need to look out for to determine if that item is vegan or not vegan friendly. it will be sad and quite disappointing during your first shopping trip, and continue to be, yet the yummy food that you can eat in place of your old favorites is worth the initial disappointments. (my grocery cart is now about 85-90% fruits & veggies).
casein: a class of milk proteins often found in items marked "non dairy"
whey: or milk serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled or strained.
ghee: a common milk derivative
oleic acid: a fat from sheep or cattle
lecithin: from animal tissues and eggs
pepsin: from pigs stomachs
stearic acid: animal fats & oils
rennin / rennet: enzymes from a calf's stomach
albumen: protein found in egg whites
gelatin: protein from animal bones / cartilage / tendons / skin
and here's some items that might surprise you being vegan or non-vegan, and NO, I'm not claiming that these are healthy items or that i even eat these, it's just interesting what's really in the food we eat.
"but wait," you say. "where's the information on why these items aren't vegan?" well you didn't think i'd do all the work for you... did you? :) Pin It Now!
bananas for ice cream?
RATING: 3 OUT OF 10 - NOT HORRIBLY BAD, BUT I WON'T BE MAKING AGAIN.
I found this recipe on Pinterest, it's for Vegan Cake Batter Ice Cream. Now, with a name like that, I had super high expectations for this ice "cream". Well, to be completely honest it wasn't half bad... but it wasn't nearly as awesome as I had thought it would be. That being said, I for sure am going to make banana ice "cream" again, but I'll just leave it as banana. It was crazy how much the consistency is so similar to frozen yogurt or soft serve. I just feel like the extracts in this recipe were too strong and a little overpowering and fake tasting, so I'll make this again with the extracts cut in half. So, here's the recipe that I made, because well you might make it and love it to pieces. I personally won't make this again as I thought it was too powerful and tasted artificial.
WHAT YOU NEED:
(5) frozen bananas
(2 tbs) pure vanilla extract
(1 tsp) butter extract
(1/4 tsp) almond extract
(1/4 tsp) maple extract
(1/4 tsp) baking soda
(2 tbs) agave nectar
(as many or few as you like) sprinkles
WHAT YOU DO:
1. Peel 5 bananas and cut into pieces. Place in a freezer bag and place bag in freezer until frozen. (Around 6 hours). Once frozen, place the bananas in a food processor or blender.
2. Pulse for about a minute or two. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and then pulse for a few seconds or until bananas are smooth.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of butter extract.
4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon of maple extract.
5. Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of agave nectar.
7. Put the lid on the processor, and then pulse until well blended.
8. Add as many sprinkles to your liking. Pulse again, until sprinkles are well incorporated into the ice "cream".
9. I'd recommend placing into freezer safe bowl and then refreezing for a harder constancy that's more like ice cream.
10. Enjoy!
There are so many different things to add, fresh fruit, chocolate, caramel... it's pretty endless.
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some things can not be unseen
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