I have to say that I am excited about this. Already obsessively reading labels and looking up unknown ingredients on the web. Hubby, Kevin, not so much… I was a vegan for 6 months in the ‘90s and he thought it was a pain. No problems eating at home really. I’ve been a vegetarian for over 20 years so I am skilled at making something for each of us. But going out to eat and events with family and friends was a bit of a challenge.
I remember making dinner for Kevin when we were first dating (spaghetti of course) and he asked me, “So how long are you going to be a vegetarian?” I guess he thought that I was just being trendy! It did start out as a trend I suppose. I was 18 and one day I just decided to stop eating meat. It always bothered me thinking about where meat came from. I think my Mom cried when I told her, worried that I would be nutritionally deprived. But it stuck. I never ate meat again and never missed it one bit. It was meant for me. My family and friends have always been supportive and gone out of their way to accommodate me. I am so grateful for that. My grandmother, Annie, worried about my nutrition too and especially protein. One time she made me cheese enchiladas with hard boiled eggs! Tasted better than it sounds for sure!
See my kickoff meals below and my vegan peanut butter cookie recipe!
Vegan clock started 4/6/11 at 4 p.m.
Snack--Nuts and dried fruit
Dinner/Dessert--Lentil soup, banana, 2 apple rice cakes with peanut butter (A lesson in soy lecithin found in the rice cakes – I learned that soy lecithin is vegan and there is animal based lecithin.)
Breakfast--Vegan pancakes with peanut butter and jam (I need to work on this recipe. Flat and unappealing looking – I won’t be able to sneak this one by Kevin just yet!)
Lunch--Rice and lentil salad, chopped apple, and homemade dressing
Snack--Vegan peanut butter cookies (see recipe below)
Dinner--Salad topped with vegan masala patty (spicy) from Trader Joe’s, chopped apple, and more of that yummy dressing
All this without shopping yet for vegan provisions. I do need to get some soy/rice/almond milk soon. Time for a taste test!
Also, searched online for vegan bread options... No, Wonder Bread is not vegan, though PETA claims it is. Apparently PETA will give their vegan stamp if it only has a small % of animal product. What the heck!? Needless, I will not be using them for a source of information! Happy to report that my favorite Milton’s bread is vegan – Healthy Multi Grain Plus. My Aunt Jo told me about this bread years ago when trying to wean myself from white bread. It’s the best!
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
I adapted this recipe from my Aunt Linda’s recipe. These are a hit – quick, easy, and oh so good! One bowl, no mixer – love it! No flour – but not low carb – lots of sugar!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 Cups Sugar (I like Trader Joe’s organic sugar – regular sugar will work, but it is not vegan due to the processing)
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 Smashed Banana (or 2 eggs if you are so inclined)
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Peanut Butter (I like Trader Joe’s Crunchy – just dump the whole jar in)
Whisk to combine the sugar and baking soda. Stir in the banana and vanilla. Add peanut butter and stir with a wooden spoon until stiffened.
I use a small sized cookie scoop – 12 per pan – they do not spread too much. Bake for 10 minutes exactly – tops will be cracked – 11 minutes and the tops will brown – no effect on taste, just not as appealing looking. Cool on pan for 10 minutes and transfer to wire racks.
Makes 36 cookies
Relish!
Sounds like a successful first day! I am proud of you! That is my favorite cookie recipe (we do the one with eggs), so easy and made from ingredients we always have on hand! The lentil and rice salad sounds good! Can you jot down a recipe for that? :)
ReplyDeleteThank, Jen! You are my first follower!! I haven't mastered lentils and rice yet. I need your recipe, please! Above was Far East brand --vegan of course. Not bad in a pinch, but a little mushy.
ReplyDeleteI mean Near East!
ReplyDeleteI was going to say you'll fit nicely into your bikini at the beach after adopting this new lifestyle until I saw this cookie recipe! But on the bright side, I can't wait to have some of these cookies at the beach! :)
ReplyDeleteLet me know which milk substitute you like. I prefer the almond milk. I get to consume a little less soy (trying to avoid too much of any one thing), Andrew will even use it in his protein shakes.
ReplyDeleteThe cookies were great, btw. Not only vegan but gluten free, too! I do think the sugar could be reduced (maybe even cut in half) and the cookies would still be good, while not hindering bikini readiness as much.
I have a vegan cashew cheese sauce recipe we need to try out soon. I experimented with it once and it was almost there. I think one more try and it'll be perfect. Great on nachos with soy chorizo.
I like WestSoy Vanilla. It's organic and seems to have the fewest ingredients. Also bought Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Vanilla to try, but that is a miss on my part. I just realized that it contains calcium carbonate, which can be shells of marine organisms, snails, pearls, and or eggshells. So I will have to read more labels and look online to see if their is vegan almond milk. I would think so?
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to try the cookie recipe with less sugar. Bikini season is almost here! Last night I made vegan chocolate cookies, but the recipe called for cinnamon and that made for an unusual taste. Will try that one again without the cinnamon and post the recipe if it's a hit. Kevin liked them enough though to take a few to work. :)
I found a cool website from Vegan Lunchbox blogger, Jennifer McCann: http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html. It's neat -- you enter ingredients and it creates a recipe for a vegan loaf. Neat!
I would love to be your taste tester for your cashew cheese sauce!
I dug a little deeper on the calcium carbonate. Seems it can also be derived from earth minerals too. The Almond Breeze label indicates Vegan so the calcium carbonate used must be mineral. I will give it a try. This is complicated!
ReplyDelete