How Did You Do It?

I was thinking over the weekend…is the way I am going about this right? Is there a right way?

How did you do it? Did you do it gradually like I am doing? How long did it take you? Did you just wake up one day and decided this was the day and have not looked back since? Did you read something/see something that made you change?

Very interested in hearing your answers!

I’m Back

Yikes! It has been a while. Too long. Life got very busy for me and my blogging suffered as a result. I am still new to blogging so it was an easy thing for me to overlook.

But I am back.

I have not fallen off the going vegan wagon, in fact, I have been doing great and have made a lot of progress. I just finished up a book called “The Quantum Wellness Cleanse” by Kathy Freston and it was such a great read. I’ll post a review in the coming weeks. I’ve discovered many new recipes that I’ll share as well. I just ordered “The Kind Diet” by Alicia Silverstone and I am so excited to read it and try her recipes!

So much to share in the next while! Looking forward to it, I hope you are too!

Just because it is vegan…

…does not mean it is healthy! This is something that I have been learning alot of.

A big misconception about leading a vegan lifestyle is that you will be so much healthier because everything you eat will be healthy. Now I am not sure if this is a common misconception, but it was one that I had. I am now learning how untrue this can be.

Vegan food CAN be very healthy if you do it right. Have you seen the Happy Herbivore blog? It has become one of my go to faves. Amazing, delicious vegan recipes that are all low in fat.  If you are just starting out like me and are looking for healthy vegan food, this is where you should start.

I have bought quite a few vegan cook books in the past while and the majority of them are amazing, they contain alot of healthy recipes, but there is one dessert cookbook in particular (hey, I’ve said it before, I am a dessert girls!), it that has received alot of praise, it shall also remain nameless in this post, that I am very disappointed with.

I had read alot of positive reviews on the book and I know what you are thinking: “It’s dessert, what do you expect?” Well yes, I do realize that dessert is not supposed to really be healthy, that it is a treat. I love treating myself and I don’t feel guilt about it (well most of the time!) And yes, this book does contain many delicious looking treats, the thing that disappointed me was the amount of processed ingredients that the recipes call for. Yes, they were all vegan, but wow, they were not quality ingredients at all.

Anyhow, disappointed with that purchase but I will now return from my tangent! Vegan cooking can be very wholesome, delicious and fun. You just have to find the right recipes, the right books/blogs and get to know a bit about ingredients and their origin.

Do you have a favourite healthy vegan recipe? A favourite unhealthy one? 🙂

Vegan Granola Bars

Yikes! It has been a while since my last post! I’ve been very busy in the past while! In my short hiatus, I have tried so many new vegan yums and I plan on sharing my experiences with you in the coming days.

So one of the yummy vegan things I made recently were vegan granola bars. Since deciding to go vegan, something that I have a hard time with is finding things to snack on that are healthy and vegan. This recipe solves this dilemma!

I found the recipe on the net. It was not originally a vegan recipe but I have “veganized” it 🙂 These bars are delicious, and healthy.

I use as many organic ingredients as possible with all of my cooking and this recipe is just one variation. the possibilities are endless because you can add anything that you want to it! Coconut, cranberries, dried apricots, any nut, feel free to experiment! One things to note though, if you do add alot of dried fruit, you may need to reduce the amount of sugar and maple syrup. I’d love to hear your variations!

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup ground flax
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup hemp seeds                                          
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds whisked into 3 tablespoons of water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.

2. In large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, wheat germ, flax, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the centre, pour in the maple syrup, flax mixture, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the pan.

3. Bake for about 30 minutes. If you like chewy bars, reduce time by about 5 minutes. If you like crunchy bars, leave for the full 30 plus a few more minutes. Be sure to keep your eyes on the bars though, mine browned a bit too much around the edges during my first attempt.

4. Cut into squares (my preferred shape :)) or bars. Don’t wait too long after removing from the oven (especially if you like crunchy bars) or they will be too hard to cut properly and you will have one giant bar 🙂

Vegan Ingredients: A Whole New World

Grocery shopping has become a whole new experience to me. I had no idea that all of these really cool ingredients existed that I used to pass right by each week. Makes me wonder how many other items I overlook every week that I would end up loving if I’d only give them a try.

Things such as vital wheat gluten…I had no idea what this was before starting this! Then there is nutritional yeast…have not tried it yet, but I have a while list of recipes that I want to try that call for it. Have not tried seitan yet, but looking forward to it. Mmm…tried So Delicious vegan coconut “ice cream”. And the wide range of beans and vegetables that I am now cooking with…wow!

What is your favourite ingredient/product that you have discovered since becoming vegan?

Vegans Don’t Eat Honey???

Hmmm…this one never occurred to me! I was over on the Happy Herbivore blog (great blog by the way!) and read about her approach to honey.

When I started this whole thing, honey was not something I thought about. I don’t really consume honey that much, I do have a bottle in the cupboard from before, and really only used it for when I was baking bread, so it will not be something that will be difficult to eliminate. I have discovered the loveliness called agave…more on that in another post!

It has me thinking though, are there any other products that I have overlooked. Is there a website that lists all the do’s and don’ts when it comes to food?

Is there a food item that surprised you when you became vegan?

 

Edited to Add: @veganyogini on twitter sent me this great list that goes through some common ingredients that are animal derived: http://www.examiner.com/x-22107-Louisville-Vegan-Examiner~y2009m9d5-Hidden-animal-ingredients

Zucchini Currant Spelt Muffins

I have already made these delicious vegan muffins twice!

I used the recipe for Zucchini Spelt muffins found in the Vegan Brunch recipe book and just added currants (the original recipe is plain with no added dried fruit or nuts).  They are extremely simple to make and are kid friendly, mine love them! And of course, you don’t need to add the currants. You can leave them plain or try something else…raisins, walnuts, whatever you feel would go great.

The muffins come out incredibly moist and are perfect with a cup of tea. Yum!

Cravings

Since starting this whole journey, I have been pretty good with cravings. They bother me for a little while but then I eventually forget them.

Before starting this, dairy and dairy based items filled my list of favourites…ice cream, shortbread, pound cake, cream cheese, and my favourite…cheesecake. And this is just part of the list (can you tell I am a dessert girl?).

Since I have given up dairy (well almost, I still battle the cheese thing at times :)), I don’t really crave it at all. Milk makes me sick at the thought of drinking it…ugh. I know if I do go back to the way things were, my skin would flare up again and I just would not feel good. After having something like that out of your diet for so long, adding it back can cause havoc on your system!

Luckily, I have found some amazing vegan blogs on the net and have been able to find some wonderful vegan cookbooks. Alternatives to all of my favourites exist and I am looking forward to making and trying all of them!

So I am interested to know, when you first became a vegan, what did you crave, or what do you still crave?

Vegan Dad’s Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes

One of my favourite vegan recipe blogs is Vegan Dad. For a few reasons, the main 2 being 1) The recipes all look so delicious 2) Most are kid friendly, which is an important thing around here!

Now mine don’t look as pretty as his do (still new to this blogging thing, my pics will improve, promise!), but I bet they tasted just as good. They were simple to make and made a nice light supper. I served ours with a small spinach salad and a dollop of organic ketchup. Yum!

They were a hit…almost. Little one did not eat much but she was not feeling well that evening, but had she been 100% I am sure she would have devoured these. Big one, husband and I all loved them. These chickpea cakes will definitely be making a repeat appearance!

Head on over to Vegan Dad’s blog to see the full recipe.

Mmm..vegan chocolate chip cookies

Is there anything better than a delicious homemade chocolate chip cookie? It’s one of my faves and thankfully it did not take me long to find a vegan version. And you know what? They taste just like their non-vegan counterparts, you will not be able to tell the difference!

I found the recipe over on Green Living Online where Lindsay Hutton has a great blog called Gone Vegan. In her recipe, the cookie is a double chocolate cookie, which I am not a fan of, so I modified her recipe a bit and came up with my own, and the results were wonderful. I used whole wheat flour instead of white, used organic cane sugar instead of white granulated and omitted the cocoa powder and added more flour in its place.

One really cool thing that I learned while making this recipe is that flax seeds plus water is an egg substitute. That knowledge opens up all sorts of new windows for me! Not sure if it can be used in all baking recipes though…anyone know?

So here is my modified recipe (and yes, that is a picture of my actual cookies above before they were all devoured by my family, they did not last long!)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 24)

1 tbsp ground flaxseed (equivalent of 1 egg)

3 tbsp water

3/4 cup of nondairy margarine

½ cup organic cane sugar

 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a blender or using a stick blender, whip the flaxseed and water together until mixture reaches a thick and creamy consistency (about one minute). Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the margarine and sugar until creamy. Add the flax mixture and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until combined well. Add an extra drop of water if the mixture seems a bit dry. 

4. Stir in the chocolate chips. Form into balls and flatten slightly on a non-stick or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes, or until slightly browned on the bottom. 

5. Enjoy, and be sure to eat one while they are still warm and melty 🙂