The vegan appreciation thread!

>I haven't tried
>making seitan from scratch either. It looks a little
>complicated, but I want to try it because I love to get my
>hands dirty on occasion.

Amy, making seitan isn't complicated at all, but it is time-consuming. Worth the time, though. The first time I made it, I was very conscientious about kneeding out all the whey and rinsing it many times. It made a fabulous seitan, that one guest of mine kept insisting was meat! I was serving veggie chili, and she kept trying to 'convince' me that there was meat in it!

You pretty much just make a dough out of whole wheat flour or whole wheat + gluten flour (though you rinse out the bran and germ, it somehow works best to start with whole wheat rather than white flour). Knead it until it's very rubbery. Let it sit in some water, then knead some more and rinse until the water is clear. The more kneading and rinsing, the better.

Then take chunks of it and simmer (do NOT boil, or it puffs up and gets un-meat-like) for about an hour in a broth of tamari onions and ginger.

I followed the recipe in "The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook."
 
Here is one for seitan Michele:

Wheat Meat Stroganoff

2 T olive oil
12 ounces seitan, cut into 1/2 dice
2 T tomato paste
2 cups vegetable stock
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
8 ounces small white mushrooms
2 T unbleached all purpose four
1 and 1/2 T Paprika ( I only use 1 T)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegan sour cream

Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the seitan and brown on all sides, 7 to 8 min.
In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste and 1/4 cup of the stock, blending until smooth. Set aside
Heat the remaining 1 T olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, cover, and cook unitl softened, about 5 min. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered, until the luquid evaporates, about 3 min. Stir in the flour and paprika and cook, stirring for 1 min to remove the raw taste from the flour. Add the tomato paste mixture, stirring until smooth. Stir in the remaining 1 and 3/4 cups stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the flavors are blended and the sauce thichens somewhat, about 25 min.
Slowly whisk in the vegan sour cream until well blended. Add the seitan and simmer until heated through, about 5 min. Serve hot over cooked noodles or rice.
 
>1. I now know whey protein is dairy (silly me didn't know
>this) do you know of a good protein powder to substitute?
>Also, do you think I should finish the 5lb canister of whey
>protein powder or just give it away (actually Vitamin Shoppe
>said they would exchange it for me).

I would recommend a pea/rice protein blend (I don't like soy protein powders, because they are made from soy concentrates/isolates, and I have suspicions about their health benefits vs. soy "foods" like tofu, soy milk, tempeh and edamame) or even just a pea protein powder.

Another excellent veggie protein source, perhaps the best, is hemp protein powder. Nutiva makes the tastiest, IMO (and they are coming out with some new protein shake mixes very soon). Hemp protein is very assimilable by the human body, as hemp contains both albumin and edistin (the later is a type of protein that is primarly found in hemp, and is very digestible). It contains all 10 essential amino acids, and is usually organic (hemp has not been hybridized to the point of needing human assistance in resisting disease and insect infestation).

Spirulina and chlorella are good sources of protein, but they are hard to take because of the flavor (very 'green"). You might find them as ingredients in other protein powders. "Vega" protein powder (much more than that, more like a food replacement) contains hemp, maca (a superfood) and chlorella. I hated the taste of it at first, but now am more adapted to it, and like the berry flavor mixed with juice and frozen strawberries.

You can check out different types of protein powders (as well as other vegan foods...check out the "Pecan Joys"!) at www.veganessentials.com . I buy a lot from them: their customer service is excellent, shipping is reasonable (they just raised shipping prices by a dollar after 4 years or so at the same rate!) and speedy (I often order in the a.m., and the order is sent in the p.m. and I get it the next day!). They also screen every product very thoroughly so you can be assured it's vegan.


>2. My slip ups have been with the whey protein, small amounts
>of cheese and butter and some sweets. My face is breaking out
>(it usually doesn't breakout this time of month). Could the
>slip ups be the possible cause of this?

Breakouts can be a sign of detoxifying (your body taking advantage of the fact that you are changing your diet and getting rid of toxins it has accumulated....one way of doing this is through the skin). They could also be a reaction to dairy in your diet. Hard to know.
 
Carole, thank you! My DH will LOVE this recipe. He's been eating tofu for ages but he just recently discovered seitan. I can't wait to make this for him!

Michele
 
> I'm
>actually so glad that my 'out to eat' options are limited
>because I really don't want to fill my body with junk anymore.
>I no longer need or desire those options.
>

I know what you mean.
I used to sometimes feel bad about not having so many options to eat out, or refusing the sugary-lardy-frosted cake at work, but then I finally came to the realization that there's no reason to feel bad about 'being left out' because I DON'T EVEN WANT THAT STUFF!

Most foods that are advertised on TV, for example, aren't even "foods" in my book: junk, dead carcasses, sugar and white flour.
 
>I remember watching Oprah the other day about toxic
>foods, etc, and I felt so proud that I already knew ALL of
>that stuff. It all seemed like basic nutrition to me.

Same here!

Of COURSE you don't eat partially hydrogenated foods (though the guy on there slipped up by just telling people look for "no trans fats" on the label, which is NOT a clear indicator of lack of trans fats, just fewer than .5 per serving). Of COURSE high fructose corn sweetener/syrup is something you should avoid. It did seem like "nutrition 101" to me!
 
>
>I'm glad to see so many vegans on this site. It's good to
>'hang out' with people with whom I not only share interests in
>fitness and health, but are also vegan.
>
I feel exactly the same Kathyrn. I have also learned so much from you about Veganism. Thanks for always answering my questions and your constant help...:)
 
>I hope someone will post some great main dish veggie recipes
>and a few for tofu and seitan (my DH loves these but I don't
>have many good recipes for them).


I'm a pretty lazy cook, so I mostly just throw things together. Here's a seitan stir fry I like (can be fajita filling if you like):

Saute (I use cooking sherry or mirin, a japanese cooking saki, and a bit of olive oil) sliced red pepper and onion (and whatever tickles your fancy), then add sliced seitan.

That's it! I also sometmes add chunks of tofu, for a seitan/tofu combo.

FOr tofu, I like a tofu frittata. Saute (same as above) chopped onions, red and green pepper, mushrooms (and whatever). Add tofu that has been drained, rinsed, crumbled and mixed with a bit of tumeric, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper. Moosh the tofu on top of the sautes veggies, cover and let cook until tofu is heated through.

ALWAYS use the water-packed tofu for this. The asceptically packaged (Mori-Nu) tofu doesn't have the nice texture, and is more suited for blending into puddings or soups or dips).
 
Thanks Kathryn! Simple is good--lol! These look great. My DH will be so impressed when I serve up some yummy tofu and seitan dishes for him. Thanks for the tip on which type of Tofu to buy. It does throw me at the grocery store and I'm never quite sure which one to get.

Michele
 
>Kathryn-
> What happens if the Mori Nu brand of Tofu is frozen and
>thawed?
>does the texture improve?
>I like the convenience of the Mori Nu's long shelf life.
>
I've never frozen Mori Nu, but I don't think it will have the same 'meaty' texture as frozen regular tofu. It really is just best for the blended foods. (Some people use it for stir fries, but I don't like the "cooked egg white" texture it has).

Try it and see!
 
Kathryn,

My DH and I use to be vegetarians (we ate seafood and dairy) for 13 years, but we decided to have poultry for family gatherings. And for a few years now, we are still eating poultry.

From reading these posts, I sure miss it. I'm strongly thinking reverting back to vegetarianism and then vegan.

I buy unbleached white bread flour, and use it for making wild yeast sourdough bread. I'm so impressed with it, and worked hard to make a perfect loaf. I even add wheat germ to it. Is this considered a good choice of food?

From
"Whoo Hoo"
-Cathe Friedrich-
 
>My DH and I use to be vegetarians (we ate seafood and dairy)
>

I don't consider seafood vegetarian, but a misuse of the term. "Semi-veggie" maybe.

MMM....sourdough bread! I haven't had 'regular' bread for quite a while (I eat sprouted grain breads), but I love sourdough!

Unbleached white flour doesn't have the germ or bran of whole wheat, just the starchy part. By adding wheat germ, you are adding back some of the nutrients, but not all. Why not try a mix of whole wheat and unbleached? Or some spelt flour? You may have to experiment to find that "perfect" loaf again (but it's fun, isn't it? ;-) ) Or for even more nutrients, try sprouting some wheat or spelt (just takes 2-3 days, until the 'tail' is about as long as the wheat or spelt grain), drying and griding it into a flour, and adding that to your flour mixture?
 
I love this thread! My DH and I have been vegans for, gosh, over a year now and haven't looked back.
DH lost about 20-25 pounds fairly quickly and loves the food questions that his lifestyle elicits from others. He also loves the number of beans he gets to eat as those are top of his list for foods.
I didn't have that many pounds to lose, but it has done a great deal, as Amy said, to eliminate the guilt over food choices. And I love how it has gotten me to try foods I've never tried before.
Also, I adore the challenge of "veganizing" recipes and getting my family to realize that these are simple changes that don't change the taste or actually improve the taste of food.
My brother and his girlfriend are also now vegans, for about 2 months, and loving every minute of it.
I've recently had to cut back on my soy consumption, but edamame are still one of my favs, as is seitan. I love to make "barbecue" pizza out of seitan or tempeh with homemade oatbran/vital wheat gluten crust and tomato paste barbecue sauce.
Actually, one of our favorite treats is frozen cultured soy that is sweetened with only fruit juice. I think Whole Soy makes this, but I'm not sure.

Also, from what I know sourdough is low glycemic, and wheat germ is great, but you can make sourdough from whole wheat flour which a nutritional improvement over unbleached white bread flour. Just because it hasn't been bleached doesn't mean that most of the natural grain hasn't been stripped in the process of making it "white".
Mattea
 
>>My DH and I use to be vegetarians (we ate seafood and
>dairy)
>>
>
>I don't consider seafood vegetarian, but a misuse of the term.
> "Semi-veggie" maybe.
>

This made me laugh - we have a neighbor who refers to herself as a vegetarian. However, she regularly eats fish, turkey, chicken and pork. What is up with that?!? Basically, she avoids red meat - that's it. But, she's "a vegetarian."

Yeah. Right. If you say so! :)

m.
 
Hello again to all the veg-heads. I agree that it is nice to chitchat about this fabulous and gentle lifestyle. Kathryn and Carole, thanks for the seitan pointers and recipes. What I mostly do with seitan is pretty simple, actually we had it for dinner tonight. And Michele, you and DH might like this. I buy the chicken-style seitan made by whitewave. It's sold refrigerated in a tub. You just drain it, cook the seitan in a skillet with a little oil, then boil the liquid you drain with a little cornstarch. It thickens and makes a tasty gravy. The instructions for this are right on the package.
OK Kathryn, we have an eerily lot in common. Both of us are vegans, Catheites, francophiles, and live in Illinois! Pretty weird! I'm glad we've crossed paths at last. I have enjoyed your posts for a long time. Thanks for your interesting comments on this thread.
To echo what some of the others have said here, this way of eating is actually pretty easy to maintain once you make it through the adjustment period. The adjustment was probably easier for me as I was a vegetarian for about 13 years before making the switch. And I had already given up cows milk just because I prefer the taste of the alternatives. I had also already given up eggs because of a terrible case of food poisoning I got from an omelette about a year before going vegan (made from organic, free-range eggs too!) I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. I had a few slipups going vegan but I think this is part of the adjustment. When I wrote before that I cook a lot, I should say that this is only what I consider to be a lot. To me, cooking at all is cooking a lot.:p So this actually isn't much work compared to other diets. I'll admit that it is a radical change for many and that this is really the true challenge-food has so much impact on our relationships with friends, famililies, and coworkers, on our day to day existence. That's what I think is at stake (pun intended) when people say they can't imagine doing it. To those who feel this way but still want to try it, just know that every vegan has had the "I can't do this" thoughts. You can do it if you want to and if you give yourself time. If you can do IMAX3, you can dp this! And it's easy enough to just try it. It's not a death sentence (pun intended again!) No one's gonna call the vegan police if you have a weak moment.;-)
As far as feeling deprived, I honestly never do. I feel no sense of loss over what I have given up. I learned to know my weaknesses and this is important. I know that I can become a crazy beast-woman when I get really hungry. This paired with some kind of tempting non-vegan food item being near me can be a dangerous mix. But this hardly ever happens and when it does I can talk myself out of it. I eat something, and if I really feel that I deserve a brownie or a donut then I tell myself that I can just go to my local co-op and buy the vegan version, which tastes better to me anyway. So far I haven't actually had to go out to buy the vegan junk food, but I think it's comforting knowing that it is an option. And it's getting much easier anyway. Last week my coworker brought in brownies and they honestly did not appeal to me at all. I should mention that I love chocolate too.
Happy veggie thoughts to all!
-Amy
 
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