Vegan Living: The Next Step

Support. I intend to join a vegan support group because the next step for me is to progress, ultimately, to a vegan lifestyle and I want to be well-informed and connected.

Let Us Drink Vegan

Here are a few drinks that can be enjoyed by everyone. For obvious reasons, I use organic ingredients for all drinks. Enjoy! Healthy. This is a cleansing drink that taste good and will make you feel good. "Clean Sweep" (Makes 1 about 14 ounces) 1 celery stick 11oz carrots (about 5) 5oz green grapes parsley (several large sprigs) Step 1. Push the celery and carrots through juicer, then add the parsley sprigs and then add the grapes. Juice until throughly combined. Step 2. Slice 1/2 carrot and celery into strips Step 3. Pour juice into glass(es) and serve with celery and carrot sticks as stirrers. Vital. When you lack engergy this drink is a guaranteed pick me up. "Veggie Boost" (Makes 16 ounces) 3 tomatoes 1 fresh red or green chilli pepper 9oz carrots (about 3) 1 orange (juiced) crushed ice (to serve) Step 1. Quarter the tomatoes and chop the pepper (if you want a milder juice, remove the seeds before chopping). Step 2. Scrub the carrots and push through the juicer, then follow with the tomatoes and peper. Add the orange juice and stir well to mix. Step 3. Fill two 8oz glasses with crushed ice, pour the juice over and serve.

Vegan Living: By-Products

Exploring whether to discontinue the traditional Western way of eating often leads to examining Eastern philosophies that ultimately lead to examining yoga, meditation, and alternative medicine.

I have found that yoga, meditation, and a holistic lifestyle have allowed me to experience a balanced life free of illness, despite my chronic conditions.

Today's Tip: Energy Booster

When I need a boost in my "get-along," I add one tablespoon of unsulfured blackstrap molasses to 1 cup of hot water. I've been drinking this beverage, instead of coffee, for years; it may take a little while to get use to the taste, but it is worth it. Blackstrap molasses is a rich source of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. Try it!

On Today's Menu - Dinner

What I choose to prepare for dinner depends largely on what time I will actually eat. Before grad school, I'd try to eat no later than 8:00pm, and meals eaten after 8-8:30pm would be as light as possible. Being in grad school while trying to maintain my usual routine has been very challenging, if not impossible. For dinner today I prepared whole wheat spaghetti casserole with baby herb salad.

Pasta Casserole:
This recipe will serve 4
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes

4 medium size Roma tomatoes, chopped
8 ounces of tomato sauce
8 ounces of whole black olives, pitted
1/2 medium size onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
pinch of cayeene pepper
1/2 pound pasta (Penne is my usual choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Plass ingredients except pasta in a pan and cook over low to medium heat, until onions are a little soft. Cook pasta for 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Mix the sauce and pasta together and place ina a casserole dish. Bake covered for 20 minutes.

Today for Lunch --

I don't eat much for breakfast; I usually make a smoothie or my high fiber mixture. I try to eat lunch everyday; today I had a sandwich. But before I became a grad student, lunch was usually the biggest meal of the day for me, and any other time, I would have also had a salad and/or soup.

Avocado and Tomato Sandwich

2 slices of pumpernickel bread
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 tomato, sliced
1 slice of red onion
a handful of baby spinach
1 tbsp soy mayonnaise

Kitchen Equipment - The Essentials

Juciers:
I have two, the Champion and Jack LaLanne’s Power Juicer. The Champion is a centrifugal juicer that extracts a great amount of juice, leaving very dry pulp, and its durable. I' bought mine in 1985. The Power Juicer has a different blade, which extracts less juice, but its wide-mounth design is very convienient.

Blender:
Blenders are perfect for mixing any and everything! It is a must have tool for blending smoothies, but is also great for blending gravies, sauces, and salad dressings. I use blenders daily, and have not had much success at not having to replace one after about 7 years. I've been using the Cuisinart SmartPower blender for about three years now -- it think it may surpass the 7-year mark.

Cast-Iron Skillet
I was born in Alabama and lived there the first 8 years of my life. My kitchen without a cast-iron skillet would be sacrilegious .

Coffee Grinder
I don't drink coffee, but I use the grinder to grind nuts and flaxseeds.

Cutlery:
Because I have to chop and dice a lot of the raw foods that are common to vegan and vegetarian eating, a vegetable cleaver, sharpener and cutting board are essential. I've found that carbon steel or high-quality stainless-steel are best. Carbon steel knives are more durable and are easier to sharpen.

Food Processor:
I like to chop and dice by hand, but I have a small food processor because it saves time when chopping a large amount of fruit or vegetables.

Stainless-Steel Steamer:
There are 2 common varieties of vegetable steamer: a portable steaming tray that folds up and a corn pot, which is a pot within a pot; the inner pot has holds that allows the steam through.

Staples in my kitchen - Herbs

I use dried herbs, mainly, but use fresh herbs when I know they will be used immediately. The exception to this is garlic and parsley, which I always use fresh.

Bay Leaves: Soups (especially lentil and split pea)
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Soups, stews, salads, and stir-frys.
Curry: Casseroles
Dill: I use in potato salad.
Garlic: Soups, sauces -- almost all vegetable casseroles.
Oregano: I use in tomato dishes and green salads.
Parsley: Soups, salads, and dips.
Rosemary: Soups, stews, potatoes and most vegetable dishes.
Thyme: Most vegetable and rice dishes
Turmeric: Tofu dishes

Staples in my kitchen - Seasonings

Tamari. This is an excellent alternative to regular soy sauce. It's lower in sodium and contains no preservatives; regular soy sauce contains wheat with either alcohol or sodium benzoate added as a preservative.

Vegetable Bouillon and Paste. This is a basic ingredient that stock can be created from. Check the ingredients carefully; make sure there are no preservatives or chemicals, like monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Whole Sea Salt. Whole sea salt differs from regular table salt in that it comes from seawater that has been vacuum-dried at low temperatures and, as such, retains all the sea water minerals. Whole natural sea salt is not white, but grayish in color.

Staples in my kitchen - Pasta


Pasta, like rice and beans, is a complex carbohydrate, and is when made from whole forms, provide with dietary fiber, which aids digestion. Whole wheat spaghetti is my favorite but the variety of flavors seems endless, including artichoke, sesame, spinach, herb, and beet.

I don't think I need to convince anyone of pasta's convenience, versatility, and great taste. It should be a staple in every kitchen.

Staples in my kitchen: Rice

A note about rice. If you like to buy in bulk, as I do, make sure the grains are fresh. Take a quick sniff at the scoop. Basmati and jasmine rices have smoky aroma; others have a light sweet scent, if any at all. Store in a cool place away for direct sunlight.

Short-Grain Brown: Sweet and a little sticky.

Long-Grain Brown (my favorite): Mild and neutral tasting. It's great with any main course.

White Basmati: This rice has a smoky flavor and should be rinsed before using because it comes coated with a starchy powder.

Jasmine: This is quite similar to Basmati, but it's more tender and sweeter. It also should be rinsed before using. I tend to use Basmati and Jasmine rices in a pilaf.

Staples in my kitchen - Beans

A note about beans:

Even though there are hundreds of varieties, only about 10 - 15 varieties are commonly used. Besides providing necessary protein, beans contain almost no cholesterol, little fat, and important vitamins and minerals; they are also a good source of carbohydrates. Best of all they are simple to prepare.

I always use dry beans, which should be pre-soaked in water overnight before using; this shortens the cooking time and helps the body digest them. The following are some of my favorite: Adzuki beans, black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans, green/yellow/red lentils, amd spit peas.

Most of these take from 1-2 hours to prepare (lentils and split peas can take 25-45 mins.) If a pressure cooker is used, cooking time could be cut in half.

Staples in my kitchen - Tofu

Firm is good for stir-fries and deep-frying
Medium is easily blended and is good for sauces and desserts
Soft and silken is also easily blended and is good for desserts, dips, and sauces

Tofu is made from soy milk. I like the fact that alone it's practically tasteless, which makes it good a substitute or filler (try a silken version with your favorite recipe for Guacamole). Tofu is like a sponge, it will soak up whatever it's surrounded by and will take its flavor. Before preparing a stir-fry, I like to marinate cubed firm tofu, that has been deep-fried, in a sweet & sour and tamari sauce.