Thursday, December 30, 2010

A Great Vegan/Vegetarian Resource

I was looking online for some new recipes to change things up a bit, and came across this great source from PETA:

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/recipes/default.aspx

I like this source because it breaks into meal categories, and there are a wide range of recipes. Some of the recipes are not vegan, but substitutions are easily made when an egg/dairy product are used in the vegetarian recipes. I made the meatballs in the 'sweet and sour meatballs' but without the sauce, and sauteed them without the crumb crust- they were GOOD! (I sauteed the onions and peppers to put into the meatballs)

I did not get around the making the applesauce yet, but I have the apples so I will need to try it soon!
I made another green smoothie this morning bu used a whole navel orange (without the peel, of course), and while the flavor is really good, the texture is a little weird. I'm attributing this to the fact that I'm not a big pulp fan in OJ, and this definitely had a lot of pulp. Maybe next time I'll use half an orange or so to decrease the texture.


On a side note, I went to my weight lifting class last night and felt much stronger and had a longer stamina for the workout. I upped my weights because I had such a good class! yay!


Meatballs:
12 oz. beef-flavored vegetarian sausage roll (try Lightlife Gimme Lean—www.lightlife.com)
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
Egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs (I use Ener-G)
A dash each of salt and pepper

Green Smoothie #2
2 handfuls of kale
1/2 banana
1 peeled navel orange
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup almond milk

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Green Tea Mango Smoothie and Spinach Artichoke Dip, Yum!

So far so good with the Vitamix, although I have run into a few snafu's due to my inexperience. I made a late night treat of a Green Tea Mango Smoothie last night- I made it a little too icy and when I went to pour it into a cup - didn't move at all initially and then ALL of it came down at once, spilling over the edge of the cup. (this might have been avoided if I were following a recipe and not winging it!). The smoothie was good, but a little watered down. I might try making the tea with almond milk next time to make it a little richer tasting for a late night treat.
This morning I made the same green smoothie I made yesterday, but replaced the blueberries with pineapple. I added all the frozen fruit at once and got a GREAT smoothie to start my day! Practice makes perfect!!
For lunch I couldn't resist trying another recipe, so I pulled out the getting started cookbook and whipped up some spinach artichoke dip with vegan versions of items, of course =) Making the dip took a whole 2 minutes, but had to bake in the oven for 20. I used hint of lime chips which WAY overpowered the dip, but in tasting it alone and on saltines it was delicious! I only ate about 1/7 of the dip so there are plenty of leftovers to share! (I was thinking this would also make an AWESOME spread to put on sandwiches!)
Tomorrow I'm thinking about trying to make the raw applesauce recipe, will report how it goes!


Green Tea Mango Smoothie (needs revision, but here's what I used the first go around)
2 bags green tea
1/2 cup hot water (make tea, let brew, then add ice cubes to cool)
1/2 fresh mango
~15 ice cubes

Spinach Artichoke Dip (getting started cookbook)
1/2 cup veganaise
1/2 cup Tofutti 'better than' sour cream
1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
salt
pepper
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 can artichoke (add at end, only blend 3-5 seconds on variable 3)- I doubled the amount of artichoke =)

Monday, December 27, 2010

My Christmas Present- A Vitamix!

I created this blog because while I was making the decision to get a Vitamix, (or put it on my Christmas list!) and if I would use it enough to be worth it, I simply could not get my hands on enough reviews! Once I opened the package and had the Vitamix on my counter, my questions grew exponentially and again hit the internet for reviews, suggestions, and recipes. This blog is my attempt to offer my personal experience, share recipes, and anything else I pick up along the way.  (And maybe act as an incentive to keep up eating healthy and using the Vitamix!)

To understand where I am now, it would be helpful to know what got me here in the first place. I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy Student with 1 1/2 years left in my program. As part of the health care continuum, I have become increasingly health conscious as my knowledge of the human body increases as with the wealth of information at my fingertips.  December 3rd of 2009 was the last day that I ate meat and adopted a primarily vegan lifestyle. I often refer to myself as a lactose-intolerant vegetarian, and solely cook vegan in my home and try to stick to vegan when eating out as much as I can. That said, the beginning of 2010 I began eating green smoothies and came across the Vitamix while looking up recipes. This is what planted the seed for me, yet as I researched it more the Vitamix became an ideal appliance to aid in my transition to healthy eating.


Christmas Morning- a Vitamix 5200!! (Thanks, Mom!)
As soon as I unwrapped the Vitamix I immediately delved into the recipe book that came with the appliance and my imagination began to flourish. The next day I brought it home and set it on the counter in parts since it is quite tall, (as so many have described) with the base, tamper, and canister in a row. With it sitting there taking up valuable countertop space, and knowing how much of an investment this was, a mixed sense of guilt and responsibility to put it to use overcame me. Having it there where I could see it every time I went into the kitchen made me start to think what my first experiement was going to be.
I watched the 'getting started' video that came with the Vitamix, and decided I would begin by making vegan versions of strawberry icecream, and broccoli cheddar soup.  (recipes at end of post) The strawberry icecream is by far THE BEST I have EVER had! (seriously...try this recipe, so quick and the outcome will surprise you!)  It makes a soft-serve type dessert but I threw the rest in a container and threw it in the freezer and by this morning it was regular icecream consistency! The soup was good, but I needed to add some salt since the soy/almond milk substitutes are a little sweet. The process was SO easy- icecream within 30 seconds (the tamper is a must here), and HOT soup within 5!

This morning I wanted to try a green smoothie recipe with the Vitamix that I had been using before with a 'normal' blender-- if I had not made it myself, I would not believe these were the same recipe. After tasting, I added a few ice cubes and some frozen peaches at the end and only processed for about 5 seconds (if that- rookie mistake!), and there were a few chunks of ice and peach in the smoothie.
Note to self: blend longer if you add extra frozen fruit!!
Other than that- silky smooth texture and SO delicious! The flavor was about the same, yet enhanced in an indescribable way. I even got my boyfriend (a meat loving self proclaimed 'fat kid on the inside') to try it- and he loved it!

My Vitamix hasn't been in commission for 24 hours yet, but I am excited to see where it can take me in my quest for healthier eating. If anyone is reading this, please post suggestions, recipes, and personal experiences too!


Recipes:

Strawberry Icecream:
1 pound frozen strawberries (no sugar added)
1 cup soymilk
1/2 cup sugar (I think 1/4 c. would be more than enough)
1 tsp vanilla
**i would estimate 4-5 servings, but I know everyone has different serving suggestions for icecream =)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (getting started cookbook):
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup cheddar veggie shreds (i actually used 1/4 cup, was good!)
1 cup chopped broccoli steamed
1 tsp chopped onion (I used 1/4 onion)
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 vegetable bullion cube
** For this soup,  I saved 1/4 of the broccoli for the end and put it in on variable 2 for 3-5 seconds to add some texture**

Green Smoothie #1:
3 handfuls of shredded kale
1 cup almond milk
i bananna
1 cup frozen blueberries (no sugar added)
3 icecubes
1/2 cup frozen peaches (no sugar added)
**this made 2 smoothies