Protein Diet for Vegetarians

from: http://www.whatahealthyfamilyeats.com/2012/04/gluten-free-vegan-and-raw-chia….

Ingredients (for one serving)

1 cup raw unsweetened almond milk (or commercial brand if you don’t have raw)
3 tbsp whole Chia seeds from your health food store (I like Running Food Chia for the milled version)
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1 pinch of cinnamon (to taste)
Garnish with fruit (I used peaches and a dried papaya)

Pour milk into a small bowl and then add the and other ingredients. Stir with a small wisk for at least two minutes so that the chia begins to hydrate but doesn’t become clumpy.

Set in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. This can be enjoyed as a breakfast OR add more sweetener and enjoy as a dessert!

from: http://m.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/blogs/vegvoyages-asian-travel-for-vege…

What most omnivores don’t realize is that vegetarians and vegans love to eat. Just because we value health, respect for animals and the environment doesn’t mean we have given up good eating. And traveling while veggie, though not as hard as it once was, can still be a little frustrating — especially if you’re a foodie.

Enter VegVoyages, a company that combines travel throughout Asia with veggie and vegan eating adventures. About 75 percent of the tours are for vegans, the other 25 percent are for vegetarians. All meals are included in the tours, as well as “… accommodations, transportation, activities, and taxes, ensuring that travelers know beforehand exactly what their vacation costs — and the value of what they get for their money.”

Because the tour groups are generally smaller, stays are at local hotels along the travel route, not impersonal mega-chains. The company really stresses getting to know the culture of the country you visit on the tours, including the pretty and not-so-pretty sides of it. B&B’s, beachside cabins, historical mansions, eco-accommodations and family run hotels are all part of the experience. Travel is equally varied, from boat to open-top jeep to rickshaw and bike.

And of course, there’s lots of delicious eating along every route, whether that’s in Malaysia, India, Laos, or any of the other destinations the group tours. And not only does the group travel veggie-style, the organizers really put their money where their mouth is: “In addition, an underlining commitment of VegVoyages is to actively support grassroots animal rights and social organizations that make a difference in the communities we travel to.

Whether it is a hospital for local street animals, a rural village school, an orphanage, a refuge and rehabilitation center for abused and exploited animals or an organization that helps those with disabilities who otherwise could not afford it — when you join a VegVoyages adventure, you are helping to make a difference as part of the cost of everyone of our adventures goes directly to these groups and their causes.”

I’ve been trying to cut back or eliminate gluten but every time, lack of a decent bread lures me back to the gluten.
I’ve finally found a good recipe for gluten free bread from a traveling family with 3 celiac children. They have a great website about their Australian travels here: http://www.livinontheroad.com.au/2012/coeliac-travel/

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

coconut milk 400ml
oil 3 tablespoons (I have tried avacado, olive and macadamia. They are all nice)
3 eggs
balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon
sticky rice flour 1 cup (160g)
brown rice flour 1 cup (160g)
potato flour (not potato starch) 1.25cups (220g)
soy flour 1/3 cup (50g)
tapioca flour 1/2 cup (75g)
sugar 1/4 cup
salt 1.5 teaspoons
xanthan gum 1 tablespoon
tandaco yeast 2 teaspoons.

I combine the wet ingredients and mix the dry ingredients. I then mix them all together and put it in the breadmaker, selecting the gluten free setting. The gluten-free setting has a shorter rising time and a higher baking temperature than normal wheat bread.

It is actually suitable for making sandwiches with. We have also used it on the dough setting for pizza dough. The breadmaker beeps at a certain point if requested to add in extra ingredients. I have used this basic recipe to make olive and pesto bread, chocolate bread, and fruit bread.

story from: http://blog.seattlepi.com/people/2012/04/11/carrie-underwood-loves-vegan-diet/

Country star Carrie Underwood’s vegan diet is helping the singer make better choices at mealtimes. A longtime vegetarian, the singer gave up all dairy and animal products last year after a friend became vegan and started looking “amazing.” And Underwood’s really beginning to notice how great she feels now that she’s given up fatty treats too.

She tells ABC News Radio she owes her big lifestyle change to her healthy pal: “(It was) like something had happened in her life. There was some switch flipped. Something was up. Her skin was glowing. Her eyes were gorgeous. Like, her body was amazing. “Something had happened, and I was like, ‘What are you doing? I need to know. The world needs to know.’ And she said, ‘I went vegan.’”

And now Underwood is encouraging others to try the health kick, adding, “It’s easier for me, actually, when I go out to eat because if I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m vegan. I can’t have that cheesy pasta.’”

from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/9173890/The-new-vegetarian-to…
By Vava Berry

Slices of tofu marinated in garlic and rosemary then fried in breadcrumbs and served with a tangy salsa and some nutmeggy green beans Serves four

400g (14oz) firm tofu
½ tbsp rosemary, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
zest and juice of 1 lemon
350g (12oz) tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tbsp raisins
1½ tbsp salted capers, rinsed and soaked for 10 minutes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
350g (12oz) green beans
100g (3½oz) fresh breadcrumbs
60g (2oz) pine nuts, toasted and crushed 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
3 large egg yolks
freshly grated nutmeg

Cut the drained tofu into 12 slices, each about 0.5cm (¼in) thick, and place in a large shallow dish. Mix the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and juice in a bowl. Season.

Spoon half the marinade over the slices, flip them and spread with the rest. Cover and leave at room temperature for an hour. Mix the tomatoes, raisins, drained capers, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 1 tbsp olive oil. Season and set aside. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for five minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.

Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F/gas mark ½ and have two shallow bowls ready. In one mix the breadcrumbs, pine nuts and sesame seeds; in the other beat the egg yolks. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying-pan. Take a tofu slice from the marinade, dip it in egg yolk then coat with breadcrumbs. Repeat with the other slices. Fry on a low heat for two minutes each side, checking that the breadcrumbs do not brown too fast.

Keep the first batch warm in the oven while you cook the second. Put the final 2 tbsp of olive oil in another frying-pan and stir-fry the beans for about two minutes. Season and sprinkle with generous gratings of nutmeg. Serve the tofu with the green beans and the salsa.

Photo: YUKI SUGIURA

from: www.gobblegreen.com

Wooden eggs are a fabulous vegan substitute for Easter decorating that last longer than the real deal!

Egg Decorating Alternatives
As vegans, the use of eggs for decorating purposes over the Easter holiday is unappealing. Fortunately, you can still enjoy bonding with family and friends during the Easter holiday without partaking in the cruelty and waste associated with egg production and consumption.

Try substituting other art projects like painting wooden or plastic eggs rather than the real deal. Your artistic creations will last longer so that you can remember your Easter holiday experience all year round!

from: http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/cooking_at_home/158677/recipe–ve…

Vegetarian Whole Wheat Pizza With Goat Cheese By: Dan Eaton

Today’s recipe uses store-bought whole wheat pizza dough to make a vegetarian pizza with sauteed onions, peppers and goat cheese.

Ingredients :
1 3/4 pounds whole-wheat pizza dough
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
2-3 medium onions
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 medium fresh peppers
2 large cloves of garlic
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme
Olive oil
Black pepper (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and then peel, halve and thinly slice the medium onions and also deseed, quarter and thinly slice the fresh peppers. Any color pepper can be used.

Saute it all in a large nonstick pan in a little olive oil, with the green onion, minced garlic cloves and fresh-chopped thyme. While keeping an eye on the vegetables, roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface and transfer that rectangular shape to an oiled baking tray and let that rest as the vegetables finish up.

After the onions and peppers have been cooking along for 10 minutes or so, turn the heat off and let them cool down. At that point, transfer that mixture to the top of the pizza, sprinkle on the crumbled goat cheese and grated parmesan cheese, add a crack of black pepper if you like, drizzle the outside edge of the dough with olive oil and pop the tray into the preheated oven. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to bake.

In this week’s Recipes for Health, Martha Rose Shulman offers five ways to create vegetarian burgers at home. She writes: I wanted to work on veggie burgers because I have never had a commercial one that I liked. They all taste overprocessed to me, with no fresh flavors. I’ve had much better luck making burgers from Luke Volger’s excellent cookbook “Veggie Burgers Every Which Way.” I especially like his bean and vegetable combos.

Puréed beans make a great binder for grain and vegetable burgers, and an egg added to the mixture will help to hold it together. (If you want to keep them vegan you can, though you have to be careful when you flip the burgers over because they tend to fall apart.)

I found that all of these burgers somehow tasted better a day after they were assembled ? the flavors had gelled, the burgers held together better, and a burger that seemed a bit dry to me right after cooking did not seem so dry the next day when reheated. I can’t tell you why.

Like Mr. Volger, I found the best way to cook these vegetarian burgers was to brown them on one side in an ovenproof frying pan, then turn them and stick the pan in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Turning can be tricky, but if the burgers do crumble, just patch them back together with your spatula, apply a little pressure and put the pan into the oven. Here are five new recipes for homemade veggie burgers:
Go here http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/a-vegetarian-burger-bash/

from: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich/?ut…

Yield: Salad for 3-4 sandwiches
Prep Time: 10 minutesTotal Time

This Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich is a great quick and easy lunch option that is good for you too! The salad also makes a great dip!

ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans (I use Bush’s Garbanzo Beans)
1 large ripe avocado
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Juice from 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bread of your choice (I use whole wheat bread)
Fresh spinach leaves or other sandwich toppings: lettuce, tomato slices, sprouts, etc.

directions:
1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Place on a paper towel and remove the outer skins. You can leave them on, but I like to remove them.
2. In a medium bowl, using a fork or potato masher smash the chickpeas and avocado together. Add in cilantro, green onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Spread salad on bread and top with your favorite sandwich toppings. I like to add fresh spinach leaves.

Note: This salad also makes a great dip. Serve with cut up veggies, crackers, or pita chips. Also, this salad is best eaten the day it is made because it will turn brown due to the avocado.

If you like this Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich, you might also like:
BBQ Cheddar Chickpea Burgers from How Sweet It Is Smashed
Chickpea Salad from Smitten Kitchen Hummus and
Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Naturally Ella Guacamole
Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Two Peas and Their Pod

Love this post by Matt the No Meat Athlete. He gives a great example of what to eat for a full day as a vegetarian.
go here to see the complete article:
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/what-vegetarians-eat-all-day/

What Vegetarians Eat All Day (And It’s Not Just Salad!)

Almost without fail, any time a runner tells me that he or she is really thinking about giving this vegetarian thing a try but is afraid to make the leap, it’s one of three questions that’s holding him or her back: It’s not just salad and bread, either.

Will I have to actually cook? Do I have to eat salad all day? How am I going to get enough nutrition (especially protein) to support my training?

Let’s handle the first one right now: the answer is yes. You have to cook your own food. Unless your spouse does all the cooking and he or she is on board with your crazy plan, you’re going to have to learn to cook. (Here “learn” is an overstatement; all you really need to be able to do is follow directions.)

It’s simply not possible in most parts of the world to get the variety of healthy vegetarian foods you need from a takeout window or microwaveable meals. But cooking is fun, and lots of people who have never done it start cooking for this reason and find that they love it. (In a future email, I’ll provide some resources for those of you who think a Dutch oven is what it’s called when…well, you know.)

So that’s out of the way. Let’s look at the next two questions.
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/what-vegetarians-eat-all-day/