Quick -n- Easy Hot Chick-none Maple Mustard Sandwich Idea

"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy." -Lao Tzu

Things you will need:

Sandwich:

2 slices of bread
4 Gardein Seven Grain Crispy tenders
Generous sprinkle of Daiya (or other vegan) Mozzarella cheese

Sauce:

1/2 tbsp Dijon or spicy mustard
1/2 tbsp maple syrup

What to do:

Mix mustard and maple syrup together, set aside. Toast the bread slices if you want. Microwave the frozen tenders for 1 minute. Then turn over, sprinkle vegan cheese, microwave for another 1 minute. With a spatula, place tenders on one of the bread slices. Spread the maple mustard mixture all over melted cheese on tenders and on bread. Top with the other slice of bread. Enjoy!

This is a super quick and easy dinner, lunch, or snack idea. Let's face it, sometimes you don't feel like cooking a big elaborate meal or snack. Being vegan does not have to be difficult. You can still make convenient meals with food you have on hand. These convenient foods are better for you than non-vegan processed ones, because they contain real ingredients and little to no unnatural ingredients or preservatives. This sandwich packs a decent protein punch also. The Daiya cheese contains no soy and the tenders are mainly made from quinoa and grains, with very little soy, in case any of you are soy sensitive. And of coarse you can use any bread you like. I got the Gardein tenders at BJ's Wholesale Club, but if you have trouble finding this brand (it is so worth it, their tenders and other products are one of the best "chicken" substitutes out there, in my opinion) you can use a Boca patty or any vegan substitute you can find. This is merely a quick sandwich idea that tastes more than just quick, it is really hearty and the sauce is so tasty with the tenders and Daiya; what a great flavor! You must try this, all you Naughty People out there! For now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off.

Yummy Comfort Food on a Cool Autumn Evening

"Comfort is the only thing our civilization can give us." -Oscar Wilde

'Comforting and Cheezy Zucchini Shiitake Bake' Recipe

4 slices of bread, cubed
1/4 cup melted buttery spread (such as Earth Balance)
2 cups zucchini, cubed
1 cub shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
7 oz. firm tofu
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Cube bread slices, place in large mixing bowl. Melt butter, poor over bread and mix. Cube zucchini, add to bow and mix. Do the same with mushrooms, onion, vegan cheese, and garlic salt.

Take tofu, Italian seasoning, and sea salt and blend in blender until smooth and creamy. Add that to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Once mixed thoroughly, spread mixture into a baking pan or dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. Let settle, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips:

-For the vegan cheese, I used 1 cup shredded Daiya and 1 cup cubed Vegan Rella. I like the way the shredded Daiya melts throughout, and the Vegan Rella melts chunky in pieces.
-I used a high fiber bread to make it even healthier.

This is a superb, warm comfort food for a cool, autumn day. This dish packs in a lot of veggies, fiber, and protein while at the same time tasting very naughty! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Please comment with your experience and/or tell me if you would like to make this dish!

The Simple Life!

"Live simply, so others may simply live." -Ghandi

After chatting with one of my good friends, I realized something. While most books on veganism are wonderful, they are not designed for the beginner vegan. Just like my last post, these are seasoned vegans who have been doing this for years. My last post talks a little about raw, macrobiotic, and alkaline foods, but it is not meant to jump start someone into veganism.

When I first became vegan, I was pretty much lost. I did what most people do in similar circumstance, cease eating common non-vegan foods until I find food I can "now have". Do tons of research. Then I simplified it for myself, and did exactly what this post is meant to do for you, took the guesswork out of this lifestyle. Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls are vegan (always check the back of that can, things can change). Some Betty Crocker cake mixes are vegan. Some canned frostings are vegan. Are they healthier than making it raw and from scratch? No, probably not. Will it transition you until you figure out what you want to do with all this new knowledge? Absolutely. After all these years of vegetarianism, I can choose from meal to meal whether I'm going to be gross and eat out of a box or can, or be all gourmet raw foodist, and anywhere in between. But how is someone who is new to becoming vegan supposed to take all this in? How the heck is someone going to go to the grocery store and ask for umeboshi plums and not get a look from the store clerk like, "Lady, have you stepped outside your mind?!"? While introducing oneself to a new lifestyle such a being vegan, I would suggest simplifying.

Firstly, lets start by scanning the ingredients list. Let's use a simple one and not even think about the *sneaky things food companies try to sneak into the food, lets use a simple one, like bread. You see words like yeast, water, salt, flour, whatever. Maybe you see some other things. So maybe you are unsure. Next scan to the end of the ingredients list. Usually there will be words in bold that say something like, "Contains Soy, Wheat, Milk Ingredients" Well the bread might just say, "Contains Wheat". So you're good, but maybe still a little unsure. Next check above the ingredients in the Nutrition box. Check the cholesterol content. If it says 0% most likely you are okay. Are you okay all of the time it says 0 % cholesterol? No, because it might contain gelatin or other *sneaky ingredients.

My point is to make it easier on yourself. If you love a certain kind of food that you normally mix in with meat, if that food is vegan, mix it with vegan fake meat instead. Don't try to get all gourmet macro raw vegan foodist just yet. Introduce these new foods into your diet slowly and eat a variety. Don't just eat raw if you don't want to. As long as you are eating vegan, you are still doing a world of difference for the animals, the environment, and for yourself.

As you may notice in my recipes, they are foods that your carnivorous neighbor might be eating. If you brought it over to your neighbor, they probably wouldn't even think it was vegan. There is a sort of simplicity to being able to say that you want cookies and just substitute for eggs and butter with ingredients that are easily available in the grocery store. You don't have to get all crazy with it right from the beginning. But by all means, experiment when/ if you are ready, that is awesome! Just don't starve! Eat your protein (Primal Strips are vegan jerky sticks and strips that can be as low as 80 calories and have 10 grams of protein!) and eat your grains (hello most pastas, rices, etc.) along with fruit and veggies, as long as you read the label and it is vegan, then don't worry about all the other stuff just yet. Make being vegan as easy as possible on yourself. Do you know how many friends and family members say to me, "I wish I could eat vegan. I just don't know how.". I didn't either. You learn. It is an adventure and a journey; just don't be so hard on yourself and you will do fine. As always, feel free to send along your questions and comments (below). I am happy to be help.


*sample sneaky ingredients: albumen (from eggs), casein (from dairy), L-cysteine (can be synthetic but sometimes can be made from bird feathers), whey (dairy), gelatin (boiled skin, bones, or other, from cows, pigs, horses, or sheep)

These sneaky ingredients do not come out and say that they are not vegan friendly and some look okay unless you know what they are. The above is just a sample and there are many more ingredients like this. Do your best but know that memorizing the list takes a while and I'm sure vegans out there slip up accidentally and when unaware. Just know that what you are doing is good. It is also about a boycott and by you not contributing to the meat and dairy industry, is huge and is a big help for a good cause. Simplify and do the best that you can.

Comprehensive sneaky ingredients lists links:

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/animal-ingredient-guide.aspx?search=ingredients

http://www.veganwolf.com/animal_ingredients.htm#NONVEGANLIST

One of My Theories...

Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.  -Jim Davis

I have a theory about raw vegan, alkalizing vegan, macrobiotic vegan foods, and most natural vegan foods. You can eat however much you want and not gain a single pound. Now this is just my theory and my own personal experience.

(Disclaimer: Now don't go gorging yourself and then write to me saying that its all my fault and that you want me to pay for your Jenny Craig.)

For example, I discovered these raw vegan macaroons from a nice company called Emmy's Organics. These little delights were the best coconut treasures I have tasted in a long time. I have not really had a macaroon for a long time, and these yummy treats were a pleasant surprise. I do find some vegan macaroons from time to time, however Emmy's really made an impression on me. The taste was great and the way I felt afterwards was good, healthy, and energized.

When I fit some raw, macrobiotic, or alkalizing foods into my diet, it really makes me feel amazing. And I eat tons of it, at least enough to fix my craving, and I do not find any weight gain trouble with this type of cuisine. I do notice that when I have eaten garbage food (highly processed, unnatural stuff), I feel yucky and I also end up eating way more than my body probably needs. Maybe that is my body's way of trying to get the intended nutrient it was looking for, out of the garbage food, however when you eat that stuff your body must need so much more food to even get nutrients from it. When you eat natural foods, your body really gets fulfilled easily, so you tend to eat less, but also are able to indulge without the guilt.

As a lover of food, I love being vegan. I can eat all my favorite "junk foods" and indulgences, and still be healthier than the average American, and I do feel great about what I'm doing, since no animals are harmed because of my way of life. Good times.

Breakfast for Dinner? Why That's absurd!

"I must have a drink of breakfast." -W.C. Fields

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Ingredients you will need:

1 small potato (shredded)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 package Fak'n (vegetarian "bacon")
1 8oz package tofu (I like cubed for this recipe), drained and crumbled some
1 cup canned crushed tomato
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese
1 can reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 1/2 tbsp. Earth Balance (or other vegan buttery spread)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground sea salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
Dried parsley for garnish

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Chop fak'n strips and saute in fry pan with 1/2 tbsp. buttery spread then set aside.

Saute chopped onions in a fry pan on medium high heat with 2 tbsp. buttery spread until soft. Then add shredded potatoes and cook until slightly brown. Drain your cubed tofu then pat dry with paper towel. Place the tofu in a bowl and crumble with a fork.

Next add tofu into the fry pan and cook until the potatoes and mixture is a nice brown and potatoes are cooked. Your oven should be preheated by now. While the potato tofu mixture is cooking, take half the can of crescent rolls (four triangles of the perforated dough) and stretch and spread the best you can on the bottom of your casserole or baking dish.

Let the dough bake for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the fakn'n to the tofu mixture and mix in. Also mix in the crushed tomatoes, the cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up then spread over the baked crescent crust in the casserole dish. Then take the other half of the crescent rolls and stretch them on top. Bake casserole for 20 minutes or until bubbly and top crust is golden brown. Let settle for a few moments then serve! Sprinkle a pinch of parsley for garnish/ presentation. Enjoy!

Maple, Wanuts, On Cookies? Oh My!

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face."
-John Donne

Fall for My 'Maple Nut Cookie' Recipe

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground sea salt
1 1/2 tsp. all spice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter/ margarine (like Earth Balance)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 "egg's worth" of egg replacer (like Ener-G, banana, or applesauce)

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp. soy milk (or rice milk, or almond milk, or coconut milk; whatever you like)
2 tsp. butter/ margarine (like Earth Balance)

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

To make cookies, mix all the cookie ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Then use electric mixer on low until everything batter is evenly mixed, slightly moist, and starting to look crumbly. Next, pack with hands so batter is in a big ball like dough. Get all those crumbles together and really mush them into the ball of dough. Then take a tablespoon and scoop dough into it. Pack it into the tablespoon until it is full and holds together nicely. Press lightly into one side of the dough in the tablespoon and it should slide right out. Place onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper (I got a great unbleached all natural roll from Whole Foods). Place mounds of cookie dough about 2 inches apart. This recipe should yield about 25 cookies. Cook in oven for about 15 minutes.

To make frosting, combine all frosting ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk then mix until smooth.

Let cookies cool in pan. When cool to touch, transfer to wire rack and let cool for about 10 more minutes. When cookies seem cool enough to frost, give frosting one more mix in bowl before you begin using it, then frost the cookies. Lastly, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. Then enjoy!

These cookies were amazing on a cool crisp autumn afternoon, with a nice cup of coffee, amongst great company. They were a big hit too! This is a super quick and easy recipe to make that tastes amazing, and is perfect for fall.

One Smart Beatle

I read an interview with Paul McCartney where he was talking about how he became vegetarian...and it was brilliant! He hit the nail on the head. This is an excellent article to read and I encourage you to do so whether or not you are vegetarian or plan to become vegetarian, that doesn't matter, to hear a topic as such, eloquently discussed by the famous Beatle, is amazing. This is a must read for any Beatles fan!

Click here to read Paul's interview!