Comments on: Once again Oprah copies me

By: robin

robin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:14:22 +0000

Hi, Selina. Welcome! I recommend a little aversion therapy. The thing that did it for me was watching “Meet Your Meat” and some of the other videos on the GoVeg.com website. You’ll never look at meatloaf, turkey burgers, chicken, etc. the same.

And pork? FORGET IT. Watch and see how you feel.

By: Selina

Selina — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:11:17 +0000

Hi everyone. This is my first time on here and its very interesting. Let me just say that i have been considering being a vegetarian for a few months now. I don’t eat a lot of meat anyway but i just can’t seem to tear myself away from certain meals that i love (meatloaf, turkey burgers, chicken etc.) But i have been eating much healthier than i use to. I hope you can offer me some advice because i would really like to make that transition and eventually maybe become a vegan. HELP!!!!

By: Alkelda

Alkelda — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:37:51 +0000

I’m coming to this a little late, and am glad that BJ brought up the soy concerns. FYI, I use unsweetened almond milk for my cereal because I love cereal but can’t do straight milk. I was a vegetarian for four years, and joked later that it was the reason why I was so grouchy for four years! Really, though, there isn’t one diet for all people, and I discovered that I needed a jolt of red meat every now and then because I wasn’t absorbing iron well any other way. Do you have Vegan With a Vengeance, Robin? I bought it but haven’t used it yet. It’s supposed to showcase the decadent side of veganism for everyone who thinks that vegans just eat bean sprouts and shredded cardboard.

My two good vegan party foods are stuffed grape leaves and triangular spinach pies. Let me know if you need recipes.

Veganism seems almost mainstream to me, now that I’ve met a number of raw-foodies.

By: robin

robin — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:16:06 +0000

Michelle and Patrick, thanks for those great-looking recipes! And speaking of great-looking, Michelle, what is up with that recipe site of yours? Oh, my gosh! Beautiful! I totally want one! I’m really, really impressed.

Judy, thanks a lot for that information.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 26 May 2008 16:48:33 +0000

I am looking forward to seeing the recipes posted, Robin. Thanks Patrick for sharing some already. My favorite vegan dessert recipe is chocolate pie. Everybody loves it and it is completely simple to make. People don’t believe that it is tofu: http://www.marondweb.com/recipes/sweets19.html

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:45:52 +0000

I can now report that the vegetarian chili was yummy. It went well with a homemade cornbread. You’d have to be ovo-lacto-veg to have the cornbread I made though…

Here’s a vegan cornbread, which is basically the same recipe I made with dairy substitutions, except mine called for 1 cup of sugar(I used splenda)
http://www.kosherblog.net/2005/03/09/blue_ribbon_vegan_cornbread/

By: Judy

Judy — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:23:55 +0000

Vivian, if your daughter does not like the rice milk you try, be sure to try a different brand. They all have their own unique taste. There are several brands I do not like, but have found one I do…and I prefer the vanilla flavored for my cereal…it gives it enough flavor so I do not have to add sugar. BTW…never could do the soy thing…gave me migraines.

By: robin

robin — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:06:59 +0000

Vivian, give me a little time and I’ll put up some links to some great recipes, including brownies!

By: Vivian

Vivian — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:48:54 +0000

Michelle,
Thanks for this interesting bit of information about the soymilk. I’m switching over to rice milk today.

Robin,
I’d love to get your vegan brownie recipe. I’m mostly vegetarian and my kids love to eat whatever I eat. My husband, though, wants the red meat.

I haven’t gone vegan because nuts play too much of a part in the recipes and one of my kids is severely allergic to nuts.

Great things to think about!

By: robin

robin — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:25:55 +0000

P, can’t help you with the low-carb thing. I’m not even thinking of carbs. Vegetarian chili sounds great, though.

For those of you who care, tonight’s dinner:

I made my own batch of seitan, which I wasn’t sure about because that stuff is SO weird (you mix vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, some garlic, some vegetable broth, mix it into this very weird paste, then boil it for an hour–how can that be edible? But it totally was, especially because the recipe called for cutting it up in pieces and drenching it in flour, then browning it like it was meat. Really good).

Anyway, tonight was seitan picatta, with browned seitan over mashed potatoes, with barely boiled green beans sticking out of the potatoes just like it was a restaurant presentation, and then the sauce was shallots, garlic, vegetable broth, and white wine, with some capers and kalamati olives added at the end.

Very tasty, but also very labor-intensive. Don’t think I’ll do that one again. So far the best recipe has been that stroganoff I made earlier this week.

And for dessert (because I’m trying out various desserts so I’ll know what I can confidently bring to family parties), a batch of brownies with vegan chocolate chips (no milk chocolate) melted in the center. Now those were a big hit.

What I’m really striving for here is some meals that my meat-eater (and hunter) husband will eat. He said he really liked tonight’s, and I know he liked the stroganoff. I want to slip a few vegan meals into his diet every week. The key to that is making the food tasty, not just healthy.