Any lifestyle change is going to, invariably, be met with intrigue…and sometimes criticism. Veganism is definitely one of those changes that might be met with concern (there’s a lot of myth that vegetarians and vegans are protein and nutrient deprived) and/or met with a scoff and the question, “well, what will you eat? Rabbit food?”

I assure you that while I do love me some rabbit food, carrots and celery yum yum, etc., I also like to feel full and to eat a variety of delicious foods. Most simply, vegans do not eat or use anything that contains animal products (so no meat, eggs, dairy, etc.). It can seem a challenge to find things without animal products when you go out to eat at non-vegan restaurants (for realz!), but making your own vegan recipes at home is a cinch!  Just start with the basics:

• Whole grains — Brown rice, whole wheat pastas, whole wheat bread (Note: Don’t fall for marketing gimmicks! “Multi-grain” and “whole wheat blend” are NOT the same as “100% whole wheat”; also read labels since some breads use eggs)
• Legumes/beans
• Vegetables

Then, if you’re feeling saucy, add:

• Tempeh — Fermented meat substitute made from whole soybeans (and sometimes whole grains, too). Has a more “rugged” and meaty texture than tofu and also higher protein.
• Tofu — A meat substitute made from a bean curd made from soy milk.
• Seitan — A meat substitute made from wheat gluten.
• Nuts — Adding chopped nuts to a salad is so cliche (yet delicious).  Add chopped nuts to everything for added protein (but still watch yer calories, yaknowwhatimean?)!
• Oils — Olive and canola are the best
• Herbs, spices — Fresh herbs and spices make a bland meat substitute go from meat mockery to meat flattery.

and:

• Soy sauce
• Marinade
• Hot sauce

and voila! you’ve got a hearty and healthy vegan meal!

Some of my vegan staples & faves include:

Fried brown rice, black beans and steamed vegetables

Sweet potato enchiladas

Strawberry bread

Thai-style stir-fried tofu

Sweet potato and asparagus quiche

Corndog minis

Homemade lemon Larabars

BBQ tofu pizza

Refried bean tacos with homemade potato chips

Lemon basil brown rice

Lentil bolognese tacos with avocado and hot sauce

Black bean and yellow and red pepper tacos

Don Lee Farms veggie patty with whole wheat pita and veggies

Miso soup and avocado rolls
[photo cred]

Whole-wheat cold pasta salad

Tofu/veggie spring rolls

Whole-wheat spaghetti
[photo cred]

Don’t worry — veganism doesn’t steal away your nostalgic foods either. You can still have PB&J and many cereals (including Puffins — my fave!), just eat the cereal with soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or whole grain drink (a mix of whole grains like brown rice and quinoa).
[photo cred]

Pissed that cheese comes from animals and not the heavens above? No worries — try a cheese substitute (but keep your expectations low, let’s be real lol).  Vegan Yum Yum has a delicious-lookin’ vegan recipe for mac and cheese here.

And, seriously, let’s not forget dessert (the most important meal of the day!   Vegan desserts just so happen to be the love of my life and nemesis of my hips. My fave vegan dessert recipes are here, here, here and here. You can also check out all dessert books by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. If you want to go out for a vegan treat, visit my fave vegan restaurant Native Foods in the LA & OC area, or visit Baby Cakes Bakery in Los Angeles, CA or NYC if you’re near there.

Food News

• Corner Bakery announces “Combos Under 600 Calories” here. 600 calories is still a lot for a sandwich (calorie counts DO NOT include the side-item the sandwich comes with), but I guess it’s better than eating a salad worth 1000 calories (jeebus — these horrific salads are everywhere, it’s shocking!). Note: Not many vegetarian options at Corner Bakery and maybe a couple vegan options if you remove the cheese…

Related Posts

• Vegetarian and Vegan Resources – Recently updated
• How to Eat Vegetarian Everywhere
• Vegan Thai Dishes

What restaurant do you think needs a healthy-foods option makeover the most? I recently went to California Pizza Kitchen and found that the only options under 500 calories were a cup of their soups.  I don’t know about you guys, but a cup of soup for a meal leaves me feeling pretty deprived and cranky as hell.

<3,

The Cranky One

• I eat what smells good
• I stop eating when I’m full
• I don’t eat food like I’m having a conversation with it – I’m always alert and distractible (but see next point)
• If I’m truly enjoying my food, I’m not afraid to fight for it
• I find pleasures in all the little things (the scents of new people, especially)
• If I want something bad enough, I’ll beg for it
• I believe moderation is balancing a short run with couch-lounging for the rest of the day
• I don’t have “body image” issues because I never look in the mirror or weigh myself.  I only care about my body in so far as it’s capable to chase birds and beat Whitey (my roomate, the cat) to treats
• I firmly believe chasing my own tail is a fun exercise

Now, on to what Annabel really wanted me to share: the recipe for Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings made on Thanksgiving (originally found here)

• 1 pound sweet potatoes — 390 calories, 0.5g fat, 13.6g fiber, 7.1g protein
• 1 tablespoon canola oil — 124 calories, 14g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped — 9 calories, 0.1g fiber, 0.4 g protein
• 1 shallot, chopped — 22 calories, 0.8g protein
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups sliced bok choy — 36 calories, 0.6g fat, 2.8g fiber, 4.2g protein
• 1 cup bean sprouts — 31 calories, 0.2g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.2g protein
• 1 cup edamame, shelled — 254 calories, 11.5g fat, 7.6g fiber, 22.2g protein
• 12 wonton wrappers — 240 calories, 0.75g fat, 1.5g fiber, 9g protein
• 3 tablespoons white miso, plus more to taste — 75 calories, 1.5 g fat, 6g fiber, 6g protein
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced — 16 calories, 0.1g fat, 1.3g fiber, 0.9g protein
• Total Nutritional Information (4 servings): 1,197 calories, 29.25g fat, 34.8g fiber, 53.8g protein
  
• Nutritional Information Per Serving: 299.25, 7.31g fat, 8.7g fiber, 13.45g protein

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Prick holes in potatoes. Bake on a baking sheet until soft, turning once, about 1 hour. Cool, then peel and mash. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic and shallot, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pepper flakes. Stir garlic mixture, salt and pepper into potatoes. Place bok choy, sprouts and edamame in a pot with 2 cups water and set aside. Lay 1 wonton wrapper in palm of hand. Drop a heaping tablespoon of potato mixture in the center and make a fist to gather edges. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Set dumplings on top of vegetables in pot. Bring to a boil. Cook, covered, until wrappers are translucent, 3 to 6 minutes. Divide veggies and dumplings among 4 bowls. Add 4 cups water to pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add miso, stirring until it dissolves. Divide among bowls; top with scallions.

I would recommend removing the dumplings after translucent and setting aside, then adding the 4 cups of water (or use vegetable broth if you don’t have miso paste!) while continuing to heat, not boil.  Then when serving, add the dumplings to the bowls (otherwise they begin falling apart in the pot).  If you are watching your sodium, go ahead and swap low-sodium vegetable broth for water and omit miso.

<3, The Cranky Dog

Lessons learned when shopping for the ingredients for these dishes and when making them

1. Won ton wrappers and miso paste are hard items to find.  Don’t screw around — just go straight to Whole Foods.
2. A lot of pastry dough has hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (Pillsbury brand, for instance – go figure, right?).  Also, I never was able to find a whole wheat version.  Heidi from 101 Cookbooks recommends the Dufour brand though I did not find it at either Whole Foods or Pavilions.  I ended up going with these mini phyllo shells since they had an ingredient list I was happy with (and they’re also really cute!).
3. Miso paste is more expensive than I thought — $8! (hey, $8 is a lot when you’re a broke college student!)
4. There are a wide variety of misos.  I had to guess the right one since the recipe calls for “white miso” and that was not one of the miso designations on the varieties I encountered.  Apparently miso can be classified by taste or ingredient. Whole Foods did not appear to have a white color miso paste (now I know it’s called Shiromiso).  I ended up choosing the genmai (brown rice) miso — it has a nice rust color.  Here’s the different varieties of miso, in case you’re interested.
5. Won ton wrappers are awesome.  I got the Nasoya brand.  How have I not used these before?  I am going to make the boyf some leftover turkey and mashed potato won tons tonight and make spinach and potato won tons for myself!  I am also envisioning all sorts of dessert won tons in my future.
6. I should always start cooking well before the “eating time” given to family members.  The meal was to start at 3 p.m. and I was barely peeling the sweet potatoes at that point.  Thankfully no one was waiting on my vegetarian dishes — the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing sufficed just fine.
7. Holiday gatherings really are a test of those demons I referred to yesterday.  In hindsight, I may have trivialized how family functions can be more of a dysfunction for someone who is recovering from disordered behaviors.  Did you catch this NYT article on some of the quandaries faced when eating with family on holidays?  I can relate to a lot of the experiences captured in the piece.  I’ll have to keep this in mind for next time!  Another thing I’m trying to keep in mind?

I’m a work of art in progress…

I think embracing how far I’ve come and yet still acknowledging the path before me is much healthier than either denying my need to evolve or dwelling on any perceived failures.  Speaking of healthy attitudes, I wish I would have passed this along to you on Wednesday — hopefully these sentiments will help you more than the guilt-based holiday eating guides out there.

In terms of my eating behavior yesterday –  I ate until I was full and then when I felt less full, I had some pumpkin cheesecake and later a slice of pumpkin pie.  No dwelling shall ensue.  No complaining.  No guilt.  Ya know why?  When I woke up this morning and checked myself out in the mirror I was still me.  I think we forget these things and think that after one day of convivial eating we’re going to wake up a different person or a person with an additional ass tacked on to her rear.  Come on now.

How was your Thanksgiving?  What was your favorite dish?  Do you ever feel the “dys” making its way in your family -functions?

p.s. Complete nutritional break-down on the dishes prepared above to be amended to this post later today.  I’ve got to get some studying done to appease the cranky one’s foreboding thoughts of paper failure!

<3, The Cranky One

I acted with you, posed with you, cradled you like a newborn baby and had high hopes for you (of satisfying my cranky belly).  In short — you disappoint me.  Though, thanks to you, I have now perfected my “you’re so not as good as I thought you’d be” disappointed face…

I guess when it comes down to it — I was expecting spaghetti.  My mouth watered at the thought of those stringy carb-packed noodles dancing on my tongue and dazzling my taste buds.  Instead, I got stringy, not-so-carb-packed, vegetable goo. I mean, it is a good tasting vegetable no doubt, but definitely no substitute for spaghetti in my book!  Do I need to take a step back? Take one less sip from the giant Haterade I’m currently consuming?  Do ya’ll (yes, I’m Randy Jackson today, apparently) really think spaghetti squash is a good substitute for spaghetti?

I guess – for the sake of being a “good blogger” (*giggles*) – I shall show you proof that I did indeed cook my dear friend and eat him (boy, if the cops were to read this out of context…)

Poked and then cooked him in microwave for 12 minutes as per instructions on his little sticker

De-seeded, scooped and then sauteed him with garlic, salt and pepper. Then served with pasta sauce.

I then ate half, put it down, and decided to finish my meal with chocolate chip cookies. Tee-hee — I am the picture of health these days!

I should note — if you try spaghetti squash and like it enough to use it as a substitute, I’m stoked for you because one cup of cooked spaghetti squash has 42 calories compared to the 221 calories in white, enriched spaghetti.  That’s quite a difference!

In the end – dear spaghetti squash – you are what they call “false advertising.” It’s ok, I still love you. Once I’ve held and cradled you, there’s no turning back. Just know this, little baby: in life – there’s no point in masquerading as a substitute when you’re so much better as an original.

Ever had a craving for something and used a healthier substitute only to realize it’s no substitute for the real thing? I feel there’s a moral to this story…

Give-Away Round Up

• Win some Recovery Socks here
• Win some Bot Water here

p.s.  If you’re still on the hunt for vegetarian- and vegan-friendly Thanksgiving ideas, I continue to update this post.

p.p.s.  If you’re a Friends show lover like me, you can watch all 10 Thanksgiving episodes online here for free!  Thanks, Court, for pointing me there!

<3, The Cranky One

Ok, get ready for the food porn because I’m going to give the first recipe of three of my new favorite low calorie and healthy vegetarian dishes.  These would all make great Thanksgiving entrees if you are cooking a vegetarian meal or even if you need a side dish that’s “all eaters” approved.

“Tofu, Meet My Boyfriend” Enchiladas

Can you see the melted cheese on the left? C’mon that’s freakin’ foodgasmic!

Ingredients

• One package 14-oz package firm tofu
• 1 cup of corn
• One small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup white onion, chopped
• One 12-pack of corn tortillas — I used Trader Joes’
• One large can of enchilada sauce
• 2 cups spinach
• 12 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese (I bought Trader Joes’ low-fat mozzarella slices – as each slice is one ounce and 80 calories)
• Salt, pepper, paprika, seasoning salt, to taste

Directions

• Drain the tofu; place all of the enchilada sauce in a wide, shallow bowl; place raw, washed and dried, spinach in a small bowl
• In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper and corn over medium heat for about 2 minutes then add the block of tofu
• Break up the tofu while sauteing as you would if you were making a ground meat dish
• Add seasoning and cook until the veggies are translucent, turn off heat
• Heat the tortillas one by one, both sides, over an open flame — carefully! (*sings “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…*)
• Immediately after the tortilla is heated, dip it in the enchilada sauce (both sides — yes, this is messy!), fill with some tofu mixture, a few leafs of spinach, and one ounce of cheese then fold tightly and place seam down on a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Repeat with all tortillas.  Top off enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce, to taste.
• Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for about ten minutes.  You can sprinkle some shredded cheese on top before you bake – for presentation’s sake — but make sure to add those calories to the nutritionals I provide below!
• Give one to your carnivorous boyfriend and watch him chew with delight
• Nutritional information for one enchilada: 183.8 calories, 8.4g fat, 446.0mg sodium, 20.0g carbs, 3.3g fiber, 13.5g protein (Calculated with Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator and did not include seasoning in calculations, and inflated the use of enchilada sauce in the case you used the entire can)
• To make even more low-cal — Use only half-an ounce of cheese.  That’s what I did — but I figure I’m abnormally stingy in my cheese use…

What to look forward to for part 2:

Holy Mother of All that is Sweet Potato Enchiladas

How are you faring in terms of happy eating this holiday season?  What’s on the menu for Thanksgiving?

<3, The Cranky One

p.s. Did you enter my give-away? I might throw in a little something fun for the winner!

p.p.s. My boyfriend thinks all my food photos look like food that’s already been eaten…lol.  So, I’m especially sorry if the blown up photo of tofu vomit made you lose your appetite!

My brain’s off on some deserted Island sipping Pina Coladas, so I am simply going to show two new food concoctions of mine — one an entree, the other a lazy snack.

Bella’s Vegetarian Enchiladas (Clever title, no?)

These were made primarily for my twin so I was not as conscious of cheese usage as I would have been had I been making them primarily for myself.  I encourage you to adjust the ingredients as you see fit, but let me tell ya…these were so amazing I dropped to my knees and thanked the can of Rosarita beans for being such a flexible vegetarian menu option.

Ingredients

• 10 corn tortillas — 550 calories, 7.5 g fat, 15 g fiber, 10 g protein
• Red enchilada sauce – 14 oz – 140 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• One 16 oz can of vegetarian refried pinto beans – 420 calories, 7 g fat, 21 g fiber, 21 g protein
• One medium tomato, chopped — 22 calories, 0.2 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 1.1 g protein
• 1 cup sweet, canned corn, rinsed — 133 calories, 1.6 g fat, 3.3 g fiber, 4.3 g protein
• One medium white onion chopped finely — 49 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 1 g protein
• One small red bell pepper chopped finely — 19 calories, 0.2 g fat, 1.6 g fiber, 0.7 g protein
• 1 cup  Trader Joe’s Lite Shredded Mozzarella Cheese — 360 calories, 24 g fat, 0 g fiber, 40 g protein
• 1 cup cup Trader Joe’s Fancy Shredded Mexican Blend — 440 calories, 36 g fat, 0 g fiber, 24 g protein
• Nutritional information for entire recipe:  2,133 calories, 76.6 g fat, 43.9 g fiber, 102.1 g protein
• For one enchilada: 213.3 calories, 7.66 g fat, 4.39 g fiber, 10.21 g protein
• *Note* — The estimated calorie content of this recipe is super inflated since you won’t end up using all the cheese and, in fact, if I hadn’t been making these with other people’s taste buds in mind, I would have used hardly any cheese at all and would have only used the low-fat variety. Also, I would have used whole-wheat tortillas instead of corn. But, honestly, these enchiladas taste absolutely decadent and delicious the way they are!

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 11×8 pan with Pam Cooking Spray
• In a saucepan, saute the tomato, corn, onion and red bell pepper in Pam Cooking Spray until translucent.  Add the entire can of beans and heat until warm.
• Heat the tortillas over the stove (I do this ghetto style where you heat them over an open flame, but I’d suggest you heat them in a pan sprayed with Pam Cooking Spray.
• Place enchilada sauce in a bowl and dip the heated tortillas, one by one, until covered on both sides with the sauce.
• Fill each tortilla with some of the bean mixture and some of the low-fat cheese. Roll up and place in the cooking dish.
• You should be able to fit 10 enchiladas in the dish.  Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce, about an inch over the tortillas.  You will have leftover sauce.
• Sprinkle the remaining low fat cheese and all of the regular fancy cheese on top.
• Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.

Sweet & Spice On the Greek Isle

A slice of this…

Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread — 80 calories, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

+
Some of this layered on top…

Oikos Organic Fat-Free Greek Yogurt, Vanilla (4 oz) — 80 calories, o g fat, o g fiber, 11 g protein
=

YUM.  That’s a sweet and hearty snack that totals 160 calories, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber, 14 g protein

Free Stuff?

Wanna win some cheerios and also see what other contests are out there?  Check out this post here (I’m lovin’ this chick’s site!)

Monday

Hey, guess what tomorrow is!!  It’s weigh-in day!  Dun, dun, dun!  Check in with Jen and me tomorrow to see how we’re coming along with the challenge. This will be week 6 and we’ve only got 3 more weeks to meet our goals! Not only are our egos and wallets on the line, there are some sweet-ass prizes to be had — but only if we reach our goal.  Think we can do it?

How did you guys do this weekend? Don’t tell me any of you fell off the wagon, did ya?

Ok, so it wasn’t so majestic, but as I dusted the DVR (yes, dusted the DVR, you think I’m lying when I say I am a perfectionist with a slight case of A.D.D.?), I spotted the old book and like a bolt of lightening, the cooking bug attacked.  I ran off to the market and was on a mission! By the way, does anyone out there still use cooking “books” or do you all get you recipes from online these days?

From the book The New Vegetarian Cookbook by Roz Denny (1995):

Lentil Bolognese (*edited slightly to my taste*)

Ingredients

• Onion, one large white, chopped — 63 calories, 0.2 g fat, 2.1 g fiber, 1.4 g protein
• Garlic, 2 cloves – 9 calories, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, 0.4 g protein
• Carrots, raw, 2 medium, chopped – 50 calories, 0.2g fat, 3.4g fiber, 1.1 g protein
• Celery, raw, 2 stalks, large (11″-12″ long) – 17 calories, 0.2g fat, 2 g fiber, 0.9 g protein
• Olive Oil, 0.5 tbsp – 59.5 calories, 6.75g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• Lentils, 2/3 cup (raw) – 454, 1.4g fat, 39.2g fiber, 33.2g protein
• Diced Tomatoes, 1 can – 90 calories, 0 g fat, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein
• Vegetable Broth, 2 cups (I used one 14 oz can) – 30 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• Marjoram, dried, 1 tsp

Directions

• In a large sauce pan, gently “fry” the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until they are soft.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth and marjoram
• Bring the mixture to boil then partially cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes until thick and soft.

• Above is how it looks when cooked.
• Nutritional information for entire dish (4.5 cups):  772.50 calories, 8.57g fat, 49.8g fiber, 40g protein
• Per 1/2 cup serving (9 servings):  85.83 calories, 0.95g fat, 5.53 g fiber, 4.44g protein

I ate it with this Heartland whole wheat pasta cooked according to the directions:

1 cup dry has 210 calories, 1.5 g fat, 5 g fiber, 7 g protein

Over a bed of herb salad mix, I added 2/3 cup cooked whole wheat pasta and 2/3 cup lentil bolognese with a side of home-made salsa for this beauty:

Sides included brown rice with peas and corn

and red potatoes cooked only with Pam, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper

Talk about a healthy feast! I absolutely, whole-stomach-ly recommend the lentil dish. 

Cooking has become a very important part of my developing a healthy relationship with food and also a very important tool in managing the nutritional content of things I put into my body.  The pros are vast and would take too long to list.  The cons are that sometimes it’s time consuming, the foods don’t always come out tasting great (see vegan cookie debacle here) and sometimes you just want to sit down and be pampered after a long day instead of standing, measuring, chopping, etc.  So, does anyone want to sign up to be my personal healthy-food-only chef? I’ll pay you with cheesy renditions of your favorite love songs (or your old school hip hop favorites if it’s a laugh you’re after) and lessons in how to perfect the most unattractive laugh known to man…

If you’re new to the whole cooking in the kitchen deal – yikes, read my beginner’s guide here.

Developing (or further refining) my relationship with food reminds me of this:

Like those ravenous sharks from Finding Nemo, I have to remind myself that certain triggers and cravings are really to be avoided (by the way, think the person who thought up the line “fish are friends, not food” was a vegetarian?).  It almost does feel like I’m going against nature in having to be so restrictive at times.  I know it’s all about moderation and a healthy balance (this is what I preach on here all the time!), but sometimes it’s just easier written than practiced.  Do you ever find it hard to find that balance between eating right and eating what you want or how much of what you want?  Any tips?

I’m not gonna lie…I did throw a pity party today and, no, you were not invited.  It was a bitter, party-of-one type…

“Hi, I’m Annabel and very cranky today! Feed me!”

I could delve into why the blues might’ve hit, but it’s pretty pointless.  I’m one of those “repress” my troubles sort of people. For better or worse.

What do you do when you’re feeling blue? Are you a “let’s talk about it” person or a “let’s sweep it under the rug” type or what?

Despite a case of the pity party, I still managed to get in a 3-mile run and ate about 1800 calories (300 more than I wanted to, but can you blame me for indulging in all those home-made fortifying foods?).

What’s your relationship like with the kitchen and/or cooking in general? Friends, foes, secret lovers, sporadic flings?

Night night!

- The Cranky One