This is what we had for dinner Tuesday night:
gnocchi - purchased from Harris Teeter, because I was already late leaving work and wanted dinner before 9pm!
Sauce and stuff:
Smart Dogs italian-style "sausage"
1/2 Vidalia onion
two small heads broccoli, separated into small florettes
8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
Italian seasoning, toasted garlic and red pepper flakes to taste
Pan fry the "sausage" according to pkg instructions, and on a separate burner, start a pot of water to boil. Take the sausage out and cut into bite size pieces, set aside. Saute the vegetables in a small amt of olive oil (or grapeseed oil if you prefer). Once the vegetables are crisp-tender, pour the can of tomato sauce over, reduce the heat to warm, and add spices according to your tastes. Boil the gnocchi for the required time according to pkg instructions (mine said 10 min), drain. Remove the veggie sauce from the heat completely and stir in the sausage, pour over gnocchi and serve with wholegrain Italian bread and a tossed salad. Yum! Time from front door to table - 30 minutes.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Thai Substitutions
We love Thai food. Much of it calls for fish sauce or oyster sauce. Try these variations as recommended by ThaiGrocer:
Fish Sauce - substitute a light soy sauce. For a more authentic flavor add bean curd (fermented soy).
Oyster Sauce - Sin Tai Hing has a completely vegetarian Oyster sauce made from mushroom and vegetable protein. (http://www.sintaihing.org/products.html#oyster)
Alternatively, Healthy Boy has a soy mushroom sauce that may be substituted. (http://importfood.com/sayw2405.html)
If you need other suggestions for substitutions, or want to make authentic Thai dishes, visit ThaiGrocer: http://thaigrocer.com/
YUM!
Fish Sauce - substitute a light soy sauce. For a more authentic flavor add bean curd (fermented soy).
Oyster Sauce - Sin Tai Hing has a completely vegetarian Oyster sauce made from mushroom and vegetable protein. (http://www.sintaihing.org/products.html#oyster)
Alternatively, Healthy Boy has a soy mushroom sauce that may be substituted. (http://importfood.com/sayw2405.html)
If you need other suggestions for substitutions, or want to make authentic Thai dishes, visit ThaiGrocer: http://thaigrocer.com/
YUM!
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Journey Proposed, part 2
Before I decided to become a vegan, I had been to the doctor's office with a number of complaints. Upon review, I discovered that I had had 19 prescriptions filled over a five-week period! This was insane. My list of ailments now read like the table of contents for a medical student's textbook:
Diabetes
Sleep Apnea
Morbid Obesity
Some episodes of reflux
Asthma
frequent yeast infections
pinched nerves due to the obesity
beginning arthritis
plantar fasciitis
insomnia
neck and shoulder pain
rashes
neuropathy
night cramps in my legs
I'm sure I've missed some, but as you can see, my quality of life was poor. There wasn't a time that I wasn't in pain from one thing or another. I don't believe I'm nearly old enough for this kind of list. I decided that if I can improve the quality of my life by what I choose to put on my fork, then so be it. I jumped off the cliff into that dark and scary place known as being vegan. I've lived there now for almost a month. I have learned that it is not so dark and scary, in fact, it's kind of fun. Even Thanksgiving was relatively easy, most of my favorites are vegan already or became vegan without anyone the wiser. I'm learning how to cook all over again, after 40 years of cooking around whatever slab of meat I was serving. And I'm loving the exploration of new recipes, the discoveries I make every day, and most of all, how great I feel. I'm losing an average of 3 pounds a week, and already my neck and shoulders give me very little trouble.
A huge thank you is due to my husband...when we married I already knew how to cook, he's now having to endure the "honeymoon" stage while his bride comes up with some successes, and no small amount of "klunkers". He is suffering it all with good humor and an honest opinion. I love him for that.
Stay tuned for recipes and more discoveries in the weeks to come!
Diabetes
Sleep Apnea
Morbid Obesity
Some episodes of reflux
Asthma
frequent yeast infections
pinched nerves due to the obesity
beginning arthritis
plantar fasciitis
insomnia
neck and shoulder pain
rashes
neuropathy
night cramps in my legs
I'm sure I've missed some, but as you can see, my quality of life was poor. There wasn't a time that I wasn't in pain from one thing or another. I don't believe I'm nearly old enough for this kind of list. I decided that if I can improve the quality of my life by what I choose to put on my fork, then so be it. I jumped off the cliff into that dark and scary place known as being vegan. I've lived there now for almost a month. I have learned that it is not so dark and scary, in fact, it's kind of fun. Even Thanksgiving was relatively easy, most of my favorites are vegan already or became vegan without anyone the wiser. I'm learning how to cook all over again, after 40 years of cooking around whatever slab of meat I was serving. And I'm loving the exploration of new recipes, the discoveries I make every day, and most of all, how great I feel. I'm losing an average of 3 pounds a week, and already my neck and shoulders give me very little trouble.
A huge thank you is due to my husband...when we married I already knew how to cook, he's now having to endure the "honeymoon" stage while his bride comes up with some successes, and no small amount of "klunkers". He is suffering it all with good humor and an honest opinion. I love him for that.
Stay tuned for recipes and more discoveries in the weeks to come!
The Journey proposed
Earlier this year, I learned that there would be a weight-loss study conducted at work. Always looking for an easier or more effective way to lose weight, I was excited. I was less enthusiastic when I learned it was a vegan diet. But I didn't dismiss it immediately, instead, I began to think about how my life would have to change if I were to give up meat and dairy. I already knew plenty of people who had undertaken this path, and were happier and healthier. But I still viewed them as, well, nice, but a little odd. You know, like a normal person who sees dead people or who has an alien encounter. A little on the fringe.
Still, I was resolved to go to the informational meeting, and I'm so glad I did! I was already convinced that I wouldn't be able to make this kind of commitment. It was too different, I didn't know how, it was a dark and scary place. Then someone in the meeting talked about how ALL, yes ALL of her joint pain disappeared when she had been a vegan, and how it was returning now that she had gone back to being a vegetarian. "No more joint pain? Where do I sign?" I thought.
The next day I happened to have an appointment with my doctor for my regular diabetes checkup. Some things, like my A1C, were well controlled with medication. It was a 6.5, not fantastic, but not bad. But my cholesterol was 231 and my LDL (bad cholesterol) was 55, not good when you consider I'm already on medication for them. I mentioned I wanted to take part in this vegan diet study through work, and wow! You would have thought his team just won the world cup or something! His response was so positive that I knew I was going to go through with it. His enthusiasm, as well as that from friends, was completely contagious.
I was so excited, and also so concerned about my health, that I started the next day, rather than waiting for the study to begin. I was told this was acceptable. I really felt like my body was counting down for the final throw in the towel moment, that I was committing suicide by food. I had a serious talk with my husband, and he agreed to go on this journey with me! There was no good reason at all not to proceed. It still seemed like a dark and scary place, but the alternative was unacceptable. The date was Nov 12th. Read more about my starting situation in the next blog, if I haven't bored you yet.
I should mention that reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell was also a major factor in my decision. It's an amazing book that should be required reading somehow.
Still, I was resolved to go to the informational meeting, and I'm so glad I did! I was already convinced that I wouldn't be able to make this kind of commitment. It was too different, I didn't know how, it was a dark and scary place. Then someone in the meeting talked about how ALL, yes ALL of her joint pain disappeared when she had been a vegan, and how it was returning now that she had gone back to being a vegetarian. "No more joint pain? Where do I sign?" I thought.
The next day I happened to have an appointment with my doctor for my regular diabetes checkup. Some things, like my A1C, were well controlled with medication. It was a 6.5, not fantastic, but not bad. But my cholesterol was 231 and my LDL (bad cholesterol) was 55, not good when you consider I'm already on medication for them. I mentioned I wanted to take part in this vegan diet study through work, and wow! You would have thought his team just won the world cup or something! His response was so positive that I knew I was going to go through with it. His enthusiasm, as well as that from friends, was completely contagious.
I was so excited, and also so concerned about my health, that I started the next day, rather than waiting for the study to begin. I was told this was acceptable. I really felt like my body was counting down for the final throw in the towel moment, that I was committing suicide by food. I had a serious talk with my husband, and he agreed to go on this journey with me! There was no good reason at all not to proceed. It still seemed like a dark and scary place, but the alternative was unacceptable. The date was Nov 12th. Read more about my starting situation in the next blog, if I haven't bored you yet.
I should mention that reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell was also a major factor in my decision. It's an amazing book that should be required reading somehow.
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