Going Vegan2018

Some people need time to transition from one style of eating to another. I'm one of those all-or-nothing people. I literally went from a cheese-bacon-fried chicken loving person one day to complete vegan the next. I started out doing it for Lent and a way to kind of cleanse my body.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION ALERT!

I had my gall bladder removed 18 years ago. For the first 11 solid years, I had to drink nasty powdered medicine mixed in water to "bind" me because my gall bladder stem wouldn't make bile. I suffered from horrible ongoing stomach cramps and if I didn't take my medicine each morning by 10 am, I would have to run to the bathroom once every couple hours. I suffered from constant diarrhea. By the 10th year of taking the medicine, it was losing its effectiveness and I had to add on a second medication. This time, it was a pill I had to take 20 minutes before eating ANYTHING. What a pain. And it gave me cotton-mouth.

I "went vegan" on February 22, 2012. By March 1st, I wasn't having any stomach cramps or diarrhea. I stopped taking the pills before eating. I felt wonderful! By the end of March, I stopped the powdered medicine and told my doctor. I don't know who was more ecstatic - him or me! Changing my diet has been a Godsend and I feel WONDERFUL.

During the whole time, I was learning more and more about the ethical side of veganism. The more I learned, the more steadfast I became in my decision. It's not a matter of "I CAN'T eat that", but instead "I WON'T eat that". Between my health and the animals, I will never go back to eating animal products. It's crazy how time flies - sometimes I can't believe almost 6 years have passed...yet I still remember what cheese and bacon and fried chicken taste like. BUT, I don't miss it!

I knew immediately that this way of life was best for me and I have not had any regrets. You are going to feel so good! Here are a bunch of my favorite recipes that are in my ongoing rotation:

COWBOY CAVIAR

1 can black beans, drained
1 can white corn, drained
2 avocados, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, tops only, diced
Mix together and stir in the vinaigrette:
¼ cup roasted garlic avocado oil (Olive Cart sells it, otherwise use EVOO)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder


VEGETARIAN CHILI

1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans
1 ½ cups cooked pinto beans
1 can Dakota Pride Mild Chili Beans (my secret weapon-only thing I buy at Aldi’s)
1 onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 ½ cups water
1 tblsp chix bullion powder (vegan)
1 tblsp chili powder
1 tblsp garlic salt
1 tblsp cumin

Bring everything to a boil and cook until onions and peppers are soft – about 15 minutes.


RATATOUILLE HOAGIE

Dice & saute up in a tablespoon of olive oil:

1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 clove garlic, minced

Once everything is getting fairly cooked, add in a can of diced tomatoes with juice and a couple tablespoons of tomato paste. Season with salt & pepper, basil and parsley. I like to toast hoagie buns, load them with this, add (vegan) mozzarella and put under the broiler for just a minute - until the cheese is melted.


VERY VEGGIE “SPAGHETTI”

1 Tbsp Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or regular EVOO)
1 Onion, diced
2 large Zucchini, shredded in food processor
2 large Carrots, shredded in food processor
2 cloves Garlic, minced
10 oz jar sliced Mushrooms
1 can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce, no salt added
1 can (15 oz) Diced Tomatoes, no salt added - DO NOT DRAIN
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp Flaxmeal
1 Tbsp dried Basil
1 Tbsp dried Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Saute onion, zucchini, carrots and garlic in oil. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through.
Using a julienne peeler, make a huge mound of raw carrot or zucchini "pasta"...then top it with very veggie sauce.


VEGAN MAYO

1 container silken tofu, drained
3 T white vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
6 T neutral tasting oil (I use canola)

Combine in a food processor until smooth. Will keep refrigerated for about 5 days. Makes about 1 1/2 cups worth.


BAKED TOFU

Press a block of Lite Firm Tofu to remove as much water as possible. Cut into 4 "patties". Spray a baking sheet with EVOO. Mix together 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke. Brush onto both sides of the patties, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Give one more quick spritz of EVOO. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Flip over and bake additional 15 minutes.


TOFUNA

1 batch Baked Tofu - roughly break them up and pulse them in a food processor. Put into a mixing bowl and add:

1 celery stalk, finely diced
1/2 cup vegan mayo
3 tablespoons dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
salt & pepper to taste

Mix thoroughly and thoroughly enjoy!


AVOCADO TOFU SANDWICH

Baked Tofu (cut into patties)

Avocado "mayo": Mash 1 avocado and combine with 1 T red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and parsley. Use this in place of mayo.

Serve in a pita with a slice of tomato.


DEVILISH CHICK SPREAD

3 cups chickpeas, cooked
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
Season Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Combine everything except chives in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse on and off until the mixture is nicely melded, but don’t puree—leave a little texture. Add the chives through the feed tube and pulse on and off a few times to whirl in.


THREE BEAN SALAD

1.5 cups cooked kidney beans
1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups cooked green beans
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced

Dressing:

2 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
parsley, salt & pepper to taste

Mix dressing, stir in beans, onion and bell pepper and let marinate for at least 2 hours.


LOADED BAKED SWEET POTATO

(ingredients listed tops 2 sweet potatoes):

Combine 1/4 cup beans (red, black, white, pinto...your choice), 1 diced tomato, 1/2 diced onion, 1 tablespoon ground flax, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix it all up and top the sweet potatoes.

I usually just stab the potatoes with a fork several times and microwave them for 10 minutes and they turn out perfect!


STIR-FRY SAUCE

I heat up a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, 1 can of chinese veggies (drained), 1 can of water chestnuts (drained), then pour the following sauce. I know stir-fry is supposed to be quick-cooking, but after I pour my sauce on, I like to keep it on the heat for about 5 minutes, stirring the sauce around and letting it soak in to the veggies.

Whisk together:

1 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp light agave
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ponzu sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp corn starch


EASY PEANUT NOODLES

1 pack brown rice noodles (makes 1 serving)
2 T smooth peanut butter
1 T soy sauce
1 T water
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like spicy)

To prepare noodles, boil water in small sauce pan. Once boiling, turn off heat, add noodles and set timer for 5 minutes. While noodles are cooking, in a single serving bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth sauce consistency. When noodles are done, drain, add to bowl and stir into noodles. Top with more red pepper flakes if you like it super spicy.


PEANUT NOODLES

1 lb. pasta
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook pasta according to box directions. In a saucepan, heat water, soy sauce, ginger and vinegar on medium-low heat. When warm, add peanut butter. Allow it to melt a couple minutes, then use a whisk to smooth it out. Add a couple tablespoons of water, if needed, for your desired consistency. Just before pouring over cooked pasta, turn off heat and whisk in the sesame oil. Pour over pasta, sprinkle on red pepper flakes.


EASY BLACK BEAN CHILI

4 cups cooked black beans
1 jar (16 oz) of your favorite salsa
1 diced onion
2 diced green bell peppers
2 cups water
½ Tblsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients and cook on medium-high (low boil) until onions and peppers are soft, stirring occasionally. Serve over polenta:


EASY POLENTA

1 cup medium-coarse ground cornmeal
3 ¼ cups water
Pinch of salt
1 Tblsp vegan chix bullion

Bring water, salt and bullion to a boil. Turn to medium/medium-high heat and slowly add the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook for 10-15 minutes, continually stirring. It will bubble and spit at you, so be careful.

At this point, it is still mold-able, so I put ½ cup into a bowl and pour 1 cup of chili over it. The polenta will set quite fast, so this is when I scoop it into the ½ cup measure, press it down, then turn it onto a plastic plate to let it cool and set.


QUINOA VEGGIE PLATE

Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 tsp vegan chix bouillion (optional)
1 cup frozen green beans
1 cup frozen cut carrots
1 cup frozen peppers and onions

*Sauce:
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup diced tomato with juice
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp dried minced onion
Dash of garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
Sprinkling of Adobo Seasoning

Directions
Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add vegan chix flavored bullion, if desired. After boiling, stir in rinsed quinoa, lower heat to medium low, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until quinoa is semi-translucent.

While quinoa is cooking, steam green beans, carrots, peppers and onions for 12 minutes.

For sauce, combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, dried minced onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and heat on stove for 5 to 10 minutes.*

To plate, divide quinoa onto two plates, top each with half of the veggies and sprinkle on Adobo seasoning. Divide the tomato sauce and pour over each plate and top each one with 1/2 tsp of nutritional yeast.

Tips
*To speed this up, you can substitute your favorite pasta sauce for the sauce recipe.

I’m a cardiac nurse and what I have seen on the job has really frightened me. Cardiac diseases are the #1 cause of death in the U.S.A. and are rapidly increasing in other countries as well. I often get patients in their twenties and thirties. Medical institutions are recommending low saturated fat diets to all patients- that limits the amount of meats, eggs, and cheese that anyone should have. This is called the “Cardiac Diet”. The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarian and vegan diets are healthy in all life stages of life- if well planned. That means a large variety of fruits, vegetables, grains etc. People only run into problems if they eat junk food and not enough variety. From a nutrition perspective going vegan is an excellent move that can keep you out of the hospital. I was vegetarian last year and I’m trying to go vegan this year because it makes me feel so much better. It’s hard to describe but basically I feel more alert when I’m awake and I fall asleep easily when I lay down for bed. I feel like I can get more done each day. This year I took up a second job, haven’t had a single sick day, and ran 6 marathons in 6 states. Limiting foods can be hard but I’m so excited about what I will be able to accomplish in the future. Now I realize that my food choices were limiting my opportunities.