The Ultimate Veg Thread | Page 2 | INFJ Forum

The Ultimate Veg Thread

[MENTION=5667]Jacobi[/MENTION] egg fried rice- YUMMM!!!! There are very few times I miss eggs, but that is one of them. Check out the Tasty Page link in my last post. She has a great fried rice recipe. Annnnd I just typo-ed fried as "friend". "Friend rice" sounds healthier than "fried". ;)

Spinach is delicious, too. :D
 
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Not food related, but animal rights related. :D Victory!

President Barack Obama signed a new law last week that will set unprecedented protections for animals by restricting animal testing and requiring regulators to develop new technology-based alternatives.

The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act updates the 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, forces non-animal tests to be used whenever possible, and establishes a precedent for the developing of animal-free testing, such as in vitro and in silico methods. “The Lautenberg Act is a meaningful step forward for public safety because it promotes superior, human-relevant chemical test methods over slow, costly and unreliable tests on animals,"

http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=8017&catId=1
 
I haven't tried this yet, but possibly perfect recipe for the first weekend of July!

http://www.abcvegan.com/fresh-picked-strawberry-vegan-ice-cream/


Fresh Strawberry (vegan) Ice Cream
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Yield: 2 pints

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup melted refined coconut oil
1/2 cup room temperature unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup maple syrup ( or rice syrup )
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup room temperature aquafaba ( liquid from a can of chickpeas or other beans )
1/2 cup strawberry puree ( fresh or frozen strawberries - though I recommend fresh picked! - blended or mashed )
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
Instructions

Add all ingredients except chopped strawberries into a Vitamix or other similar blender.
Blend for at least 2 minutes, or until your mixture is completely smooth.
Churn in your ice cream maker until the mixture has the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
Add chopped strawberries, churn until mixed in.
Freeze for a few hours or overnight.
 
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Have any of you guys tried the Ottolenghi "Plenty" cookbook? I made some of the pasta recipes in Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian", they were fun, but I got the feeling there's a lot more to it.

I sort of don't really cook. I would like to, but my mother cooks like SO much, there is ALWAYS too much food to eat. I wish she'd stop cooking so much but I can't exactly ask her to stop something she enjoys. Even now that I'm living separately from her for a while, she gives me all this food she's cooked when I see her! It is actually slightly weird.

Anyway, I hate carrots. They're so bitter and flavourless! Parsnip is similar. I like almost everything else though, I think. Except creamed corn, that stuff is foul. I love classic simple steamed greens like broccoli and snow peas. I love zucchini. I love onion and tomato so much it's ridiculous. And I love chillies, lemons, and of course I love herbs!
 
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Did anyone get into the kale fad? I did, but I think the whole thing really died down when it got some bad press about being bad for you in large quantities.

Also, is anyone into canning???

Also, MUSHROOMS
 
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I don't have "Plenty", but I've looked at it in book shops and I'm intrigued. Yotam Ottolenghi has a few cookbooks out that look good. I'd love to hear some feedback on this book, too.

I don't like carrots, either. They taste like dirt to me. I eat them anyway because they're good for me. I can handle them shredded and in a few other recipes. I'm not a big fan of fennel, either. I was once offered a plate of sauted fennel (nothing else - just fennel) at an event as the "vegetarian choice". I thought, "This is why people think vegetarians are weird. This is what they think we eat." LOL!

I eat kale often, but "everything in moderation".
Many members of the Brassicaceae contain thallium. From what I've read, the plants absorb thallium due to thallium in the soil from pollution. :( Thallium is highest in the stems of plants, so tomatoes (the fruit, not the stem) have less of it, while kale, a stem, may have more.
(There are high levels of thallium in shellfish, too.)

While I understand, I think you are lucky to have a mom who likes to cook and share her food. Hahaha. Maybe you could freeze some of what she gives you?
 
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I bought "Plenty" but I haven't really tried it. My mother took one look at it and said "I already cook like this". But while I was working in the bookstore it was a tremendously huge seller. That book flew out the door by the truckload. Sometimes when a book sells a great deal it's actually a very crap book that has taken off due to some sort of fad, but other times it's because there is something good about it, and I think this is probably one of the cases when there's something good about it.

We actually hate the same things. I was going to say I hate fennel too but I didn't want to make myself sound like some sort of vegetable hater, I thought I had already talked enough hate. I feel like there's all this pressure to love carrots and fennel. I just don't love them at all!! I mean I can sometimes eat them in a way that I'm OK with. I even remember one occasion when I ate fennel in pasta and I really enjoyed it. But generally no I do not like carrots and fennel! Parsnip... I dunno. Maybe not quite in the same category of rejection for me. But close.

What else do you like? Do you like brussels sprouts? OMG, I love them so much. And I LOVE broad beans. *whistles* Hahaha.

I think that is interesting about Kale. I think you're totally right... everything in moderation.

And you're right about my mother... I need to be appreciative. She is a really good cook. Last night she made kind of like an eggplant parmagiana and she made a chilli jam to go with it, and the chilli jam had onions and ginger, and it was amazing. (We are a ginger fanatic household.) She said the chilli jam was really easy to make too.
 
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OK, I'll be right over for dinner. LOL LOL. She sounds like a great cook!

I loooove Brussels sprouts. I roast them with a lemon/maple vinaigrette and slivered almonds, or chopped hazelnuts. Yummmmmm.

I also discovered if you slice them very thin in a Cuisinart or mandoline, it creates more volume, so you can serve more people. We used to go to a vegan restaurant that did this, and when I recreated the recipe at home I realized we were paying @ $8 for two Brussels sprouts. Hahahaha.


Ohhhhhh, I kind of envy you for working at a book store.
 
As promised, I'm posting some health-conscious recipes.


This is similar to a kale salad I make. I reduce the garlic from 3 cloves to only 1. (I like garlic, but this does not need 3 cloves.) I use Tuscan kale because it has a mild flavor. Avoid kale with thicker, tougher stalks because it will be bitter.
Kale Salad
http://cookieandkate.com/2013/chopped-kale-salad-with-edamame-carrot-and-avocado/


Here is a recipe similar to a black bean and corn salad I make. Super tasty, especially for warmer weather:
Black Bean Salad
http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/black-bean-and-corn-salad/

(If you want basic a basic, healthful, vegan dish, black beans and rice is a complete protein, so whip up any time-tested recipe for that. It's also inexpensive!)


I eat a lot of udon noodle soups during the winter. You can add different ingredients to the soup.
Udon Soup
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/...room-soy-cabbage-vegan-experience-recipe.html

Butternut Squash Soup
An easy and comforting winter food is butternut squash soup. I'm including a links with many options for butternut squash soups:
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=butternut+squash+soup

Another cold weather comfort food - Moroccan style stew. This is similar to the recipe I use:
Moroccan-style Stew
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/moroccan-vegetable-stew


Jamie Oliver's Roasted Cauliflower:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/whole-roasted-cauliflower/

And Brussel Sprout Salad:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/rice-recipes/wild-rice-brussels-sprout-super-salad/


I've mentioned this book before. It's one my my favorite vegan cookbooks. Terry uses inexpensive, easy to find, American ingredients. I often spend Sundays cooking from this book and store the food for weekly meals when my husband has long hours.
Afro Vegan
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607745313/?tag=infjs-20

This is my other staple vegan cookbook. Vegan w/ a Vengeance:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738218332/?tag=infjs-20

Honestly, for most recipes, I use standard cookbooks I grew up with and just leave out or sub vegan foods for the conventional item. After a while of cooking healthier recipes and/or vegan ingredients, you'll instinctually know what to add and subtract to make a recipe healthier. The only tricky part is baking. - You really need to understand ingredients to make substitutions.

I've never used recipes for smoothies, but you can find recipes all over the web, such as here:
Smoothies
http://www.prevention.com/food/20-super-healthy-smoothie-recipes/slide/6

Note: I would add ingredients like chia gel, spirulina, fresh turmeric, protein powder, nuts, goji berries, acai, raw cocoa powder, flax, etc - TO TASTE. Some of these ingredients have strong flavors. Blueberries will cover most icky flavors. :) Yes! Raw Cocoa Powder is a superfood, so you can have dessert and be healthier. :)

'Superfood' Source
http://www.sunfood.com/dried-fruit.html

Chia gel:
http://wholefoodsexplorer.com/2014/07/09/chia-gel/


Cancer-fighting vegan foods and recipes!
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/incredible-cancer-fighting-foods-to-add-to-your-plate/


Guidelines for limited income healthy shopping:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/whole-foods-plant-based-fifty-dollars-a-week/

- Money-saving tips: Avoid Wholefoods and big name grocery stores, except for dairy and egg subs, and speciality items. Find a grocer that specializes in supplying restaurants and/or a farmer's market - the produce will be more affordable. Buy beans and grains in bulk.

If beginning feels overwhelming, try Lighter. It is really cool. You'll receive a box including ingredients and easy recipes, training you to think healthier and cook healthier meals.
https://www.lighter.world
 
Thank you @Asa for taking the time to do this thread.

I'm Pescatarian myself and even at that, the only fish I take is Salmon. Have been this way since I was a boy. ( Beauty of growing up in a fishing port )

But I still like to look up meal ideas for the other 99% of my food intake. I only take Salmon , once or twice a week so it leaves me lots of room to experiment with.

My staples that have never failed me are,

Quinoa,Cous Cous, Noodles, Baked Potato , Oats and a mixed bag of spicy leaf salad and baby spinach.

It's good to see people taking an interest in eating healthy as I think a lot of people don't realise just how important food choices are on a whole range of areas.

Will be keeping an eye on this thread,

cheers.
 
I pickled my green tomatoes this year. They are quite tasty pickled with garlic. I also pickled some beets.

Growing stuff saves a lot of money if you have the right climate. Even with a bad year this year most of my vegetables came out of my yard.
 
Had fresh broad beans yesterday for the first time in yonks. Butter, pepper, salt, a light seasoning of cajun. Really tasty. I forgot how good they were!
 
Arrgh.. this whole thread makes me feel like I'm the worst person in the world.. lol. (ok show of hands am I ? - hey @Milktoast Bandit just one hand ok ? sheesh voter fraud). I have really tried to eat healthy and be a vegatarian. Just the other day I was looking at an article about Skyr, and if you don't know what that is you should feel bad, about voting me the worst person in the world.

But ? I'm still me. I like salad in the summer, light vegatables, some fruit etc.. but it's the winter. I'm a bear. I need to eat pizza and chocolate and hiberate. Oh and for the Americans? I'm a 'human' bear. So you can't have a licence to hunt me. Besides, this is a Veg thread, not a hunting thread, you shouldn't even be looking here..

(Hears gunfire.. ) omg.. Milky - you don't have a licence !!
 
Skyr -- I wish there were vegan Skyr.

LOL! We vegetarians can own guns, too! (I don't think it is wise to be without a gun where I live.)

After trekking my land all day (to post it, actually) in the cold I made a huge pot of black beans and rice. Such a wonderful way to thaw out. Salad on the side.
 
Arrgh.. this whole thread makes me feel like I'm the worst person in the world.. lol. (ok show of hands am I ? - hey @Milktoast Bandit just one hand ok ? sheesh voter fraud). I have really tried to eat healthy and be a vegatarian. Just the other day I was looking at an article about Skyr, and if you don't know what that is you should feel bad, about voting me the worst person in the world.

But ? I'm still me. I like salad in the summer, light vegatables, some fruit etc.. but it's the winter. I'm a bear. I need to eat pizza and chocolate and hiberate. Oh and for the Americans? I'm a 'human' bear. So you can't have a licence to hunt me. Besides, this is a Veg thread, not a hunting thread, you shouldn't even be looking here..

(Hears gunfire.. ) omg.. Milky - you don't have a licence !!

I DO WHAT I WANT!!!!!

 
Vegan Heart of Palm Salad - "Crab Salad Style" By Emily Valentine, um, I mean, Christine Elise McCarthy:

 
You're not the first to say that @ruji
Haha!

I put it in quotes because it is meant to be like crab, but is made with palm hearts. I don't really like it when veggie food is called a meat name, TBH, but in this case the only way to describe it is by mentioning the dish that inspired it.

She's an entertaining person in general, too.
 
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What's the word on fermented food? I tried some Plum tomatoes, quartered garlic, Vidalia onion, fresh basil and other dried spices with Celtic salt and white pepper that had been on my friends counter for 9 days then put in the refridgerator. She served it up with bean bread triangles after scraping it's cap off. I didn't care for the bitter taste of the tomato concoction, however I did nibble the bread.

Does anyone else use fermentation? And if so, in what way?