Plant Based Diet/Vegan

[ides]

Anyone following a plant based/vegan diet? I've been heading this way for quite awhile and I'm trying to make the final move, which for me is giving up dairy. I eat way too much cheese and I've always had borderline high cholesterol. I've been vegetarian since 1995 and over the last couple of years I've started eating fish too. Dh has always been a meat eater however with a strong family history of heart disease he started a vegan non-fat diet about two weeks ago. So far I've learned how to cook without any oil. I honestly didn't think it was possible - sauteing stuff in a pan without oil? However it works and I don't have a sticking nightmare. It just cooks a bit different. I haven't attempted tofu yet. I'm just baking it as I think that might stick like hell while cooking. I've switched from half and half to soy creamer for my coffee and almond milk for baking. I also picked up the Forks over Knives cookbook and have a couple other on order. One thing that makes this kind of hard for me is that I'm carb sensitive so trying to be low/non fat + vegan + low carb is hard! I'm hoping making this switch will also help me over time lose the 30 xtra lbs on my body. Anyone got favorite recipes, substitutions, encouragement, btdt advice?

[Phoebe]

I am not plant-based completely or vegan.I would like to be. My main goal now is eliminating processed foods, then gradually introduce more plant-based dishes. My family is soooo picky. I just watched Forks over Knives. My friend has a plant-based group on FB where they post a lot of recipes and some information. PM me if you would like me to include you. She also recommended the Happy Herbivore blog and cookbooks (there are 3). The recipes are low fat and plant-based. My friend and her family love them. I haven't had a chance to try much because my family has been sick for two weeks. Good luck with it!

[MsSassyBaskets]

Not vegan or plant-based, we're just a low-meat, high-veggie household. My idea on the tofu -- try broiling/baking it on a Silpat. Those things are nonstick magic! I can only imagine how hard it would be for me to go oil-free in cooking -- I don't think it's possible when using cast iron. Good luck! Report back on how things are going!

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Here's a recent favorite:

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

• 2 large baked sweet potatoes cooled
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil of your choice, a nice cold-pressed oil appropriate for higher temperatures
• To the recipe I added but you could omit: Needed eggs to really hold it together. Just add until they hold together.

1. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil. Move an oven rack to the top and preheat oven to 400 degrees.2. Saute onions, carrots, celery, with olive oil until onions are starting to caramelize. Cool mixture until safe to put in the food processor. Set aside.3. Place cooked sweet potatoes in a big bowl and mash with a potato masher. Mix in onion mixture and quinoa until blended. Slowly start adding bread crumbs and until the mixture is pliable. When you can scoop a nice ball with a ice cream scoop and it stays in form you’ll know you’ve added enough crumbs. Place burger balls on your prepared cookie sheet. Once you have measured out all of your burger balls, take an oiled fork and flatten twice making a cute criss cross. Spray or dab a light coat of oil on top of each burger.4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes depending on how crunchy you would like the burgers. You might leave them in for 5 more minutes if you like them crunchy!

[ides]

I am not plant-based completely or vegan.I would like to be. My main goal now is eliminating processed foods, then gradually introduce more plant-based dishes. My family is soooo picky. I just watched Forks over Knives. My friend has a plant-based group on FB where they post a lot of recipes and some information. PM me if you would like me to include you. She also recommended the Happy Herbivore blog and cookbooks (there are 3). The recipes are low fat and plant-based. My friend and her family love them. I haven't had a chance to try much because my family has been sick for two weeks. Good luck with it!

Yes. I would like to be included! I'll pm you. I ordered the first Happy Herbivore cookbook as well as veganocicom (sp?) and vegan with a vengeance. I need to figure out a good source of protein that is easy in the morning. I had one of the blueberry muffins I made for dh and some coffee but was still hungry. I ended up devouring a wallaby greek yogurt. Now I feel a bit better. I used to live on peanut butter toast but am trying to slow down on the nuts too since it's so high fat. I'm not going fat free like dh but trying to limit it as well as get rid of dairy.

[ides]

Not vegan or plant-based, we're just a low-meat, high-veggie household. My idea on the tofu -- try broiling/baking it on a Silpat. Those things are nonstick magic! I can only imagine how hard it would be for me to go oil-free in cooking -- I don't think it's possible when using cast iron. Good luck! Report back on how things are going!

I've been cooking on a stainless steel pan. I can't do cast iron since dh is iron sensitive. Strangely enough if I preheat the stainless steel pan I get no stickage. If after a bit the veggies start to stick I add a little water and voila, no sticking. I'm also avoiding plastic and silicone for cooking but thanks for the Silpat idea. Maybe I'll research them more. I know silicone is supposed to be safe, I just don't trust it.

[ides]

Here's a recent favorite:

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

• 2 large baked sweet potatoes cooled
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil of your choice, a nice cold-pressed oil appropriate for higher temperatures
• To the recipe I added but you could omit: Needed eggs to really hold it together. Just add until they hold together.

1. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil. Move an oven rack to the top and preheat oven to 400 degrees.2. Saute onions, carrots, celery, with olive oil until onions are starting to caramelize. Cool mixture until safe to put in the food processor. Set aside.3. Place cooked sweet potatoes in a big bowl and mash with a potato masher. Mix in onion mixture and quinoa until blended. Slowly start adding bread crumbs and until the mixture is pliable. When you can scoop a nice ball with a ice cream scoop and it stays in form you’ll know you’ve added enough crumbs. Place burger balls on your prepared cookie sheet. Once you have measured out all of your burger balls, take an oiled fork and flatten twice making a cute criss cross. Spray or dab a light coat of oil on top of each burger.4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes depending on how crunchy you would like the burgers. You might leave them in for 5 more minutes if you like them crunchy!

Thanks. These sound yummy. I can leave out the oil and I could try using an egg substitute like flax and water to see if it give it's some hold.

[Thirteen]

DH keeps mentioning wanting to go vegan, but hasn't made any big moves yet.
I will be watching to see how others sound off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HouseofWool]

To be honest? I did the whole vegan/veggie thing for years. I was exhausted, my skin was crappy and I felt terrible even though we cooked at home and made balanced meals that featured complex proteins. I added back some animal proteins (in small amounts) and felt much better with in a few weeks. I truly think that humans evolved to be omnivores and that is the way we should eat. The key is moderation and limiting things like red meat and refined foods. YMMV

[spotty_dog]

When I think of successful low-fat vegan diets, I think Joel Fuhrman and Eat to Live. I had about the healthiest year of my life when I combined the basic tenets of Fuhrman (high-nutrient low-calorie foods like beans and greens -- "the salad IS the meal") and Dr. Andrew Weil (Mediterranean inspired balance of good fats). Weil convinced me that fish, especially wild caught salmon, had just too many benefits to give up completely. And I never saw a good reason to go fat-free (especially since that same year I was working out a LOT and needed calories). It looks like Fuhrman has a recipe book, and there are meal ideas in his original Eat to Live book I think. For breakfast, how about smoothies? I used to eat a lot of yogurt/frozen fruit/honey/flax smoothies -- you could sub milk alternatives for the yogurt, maybe whizz in some tofu for extra thickness and protein.

Of course there's also the classic fat-free vegan for heart health, Pritikin. But before embracing fat-free vegan as the #1 choice for a healthy lifestyle, I'd personally check out the ideas behind the Paleo diet/Nourishing Traditions/etc. I always like to examine opposite ends of a spectrum of opinions before forming my own conclusions, and the paleo people have a strong following (and some people whose thoughtfulness on this stuff I really respect have chosen this direction with great results...)

[SoonerTexan]

I don't think we will ever give up meat completely...I like it too much and I feel the same way as others about health benefits. However we rarely eat red meat or pork...mostly poultry or fish. And I've tried to consciously reduce the amount of meat we eat without it being hard. I can eat all vegetarian a few days a week and not miss it at all.

[MsSassyBaskets]

A couple vegetarian/vegan meals that I love:

Black bean tacos or enchiladas: Season and sautee your black beans just like you would ground beef, with chili powder, cumin and salt. For tacos, make a fresh chopped pico de gallo with tomatoes, avocado, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and salt (sweet corn goes well too). Combine into tortillas. For enchiladas, sautee and season your beans with onion and sliced peppers. Wrap in tortillas and cover with a thin layer of your favorite salsa before baking at 350 for 20 minutes. Cheese optional on both.

"Chickpea of the sea": Pulse chickpeas in the food processor until they are chopped but still chunky. Combine with your favorite tuna salad ingredients -- mustard, vinegar, celery, celery salt, diced onion, etc. You could use mayo, sub a vegan "mayo", or leave it out entirely. I just had a sandwich made with a batch of this that DH made a couple days ago. He added diced dill pickles, just like his mom used to do with tuna salad growing up. It was great! Use it as you would tuna salad, on a sandwich or salad.

To be honest though, I'm worried about where you're going to get your healthy fats! I would reconsider certain fats like fish, olive oil, avocado, flaxseed oil, etc...

[Bittersweet]

I have a few recipes that are staples in our house that just happen to be vegan (I've been a vegetarian since 1996 but love my diary ). I'll post them once I get home from work. But I didn't want to forget to add: i cook all of our tofu using a George Forman grill. Weird but totally works if the moisture has been pressed out of the tofu and it uses no oils.

[Sheherezade]

I'm dairy free (lactose issues) and also working on my carb addiction. I need protein though - so I can't see giving up fish or poultry entirely. I'll be watching this thread with interest!

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

"Chickpea of the sea": Pulse chickpeas in the food processor until they are chopped but still chunky. Combine with your favorite tuna salad ingredients -- mustard, vinegar, celery, celery salt, diced onion, etc. You could use mayo, sub a vegan "mayo", or leave it out entirely. I just had a sandwich made with a batch of this that DH made a couple days ago. He added diced dill pickles, just like his mom used to do with tuna salad growing up. It was great! Use it as you would tuna salad, on a sandwich or salad.

This is excellent!!! Going to try this very soon.