In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat, toss the onions in the oil and saute for 5-7 minutes until the onions are softened. Stir in the garlic and then stir in the wine; cook for 3-5 minutes until the wine has reduced. Stir in the beans, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and then mash until chunky. Stir in the sundried tomatoes and the non-dairy creamer.
November marks my FIRST complete year of following a vegan diet. I am an opera singer married to an aspiring conductor and even though these two lifestyles come together very nicely our eating lifestyles are so different. When I approached my husband about changing my eating lifestyle he did not know what was coming. I had been a vegetarian for two years back in 2005 but incorporated meat back in my life after I started dating my husband. After a year of marriage, my diet was in hysterics. I was suffering from migraines, digestive issues, and moodiness. When I switched to a vegan diet I slowly started seeing changes, especially after adding vitamins, minerals and more. As of last night, my husband told me that he can tell how quick I am on the racquetball court because I am not out of breath and I am living healthy. Even though my husband chooses not to be vegan, he enjoys all the dishes I prepare that are vegan, even requesting them again.
I know it sounds so cliche’ but I really was moved by Alicia Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet and nearly read the entire book on a flight back from Houston last year November 2009. Before dating my husband I had been focusing on a vegetarian diet but was easily swayed by stress to eating lots of dairy and unhealthy foods. After I started dating my husband I decided to give up my healthy eating. What did that do for me? I went up 2 dress sizes before the wedding and it got worse after the wedding. I added diet colas, meat, dairy, and too much sugar to my daily diet. As a result I suffered horrible migraines, worse than my normal heat and exercise -induced headaches, and decided it had to be diet-related.
After a year and a half of being married I sat with my husband and told him I needed to make drastic changes in my life. I was not a happy person around him at times because my food choices were making me a moody person. I think the fact that I cried showed him how serious I was being wanting to change my eating habits, he just wanted to make sure it was not going to affect what he was going to be eating. It was hard at first trying tomake 2 meals an evening, cooking meat for my husband and making an all-vegan meal for myself.
I am an experimenter when it comes to cooking so I knew that I was going to have fun making new meals. The more I tried the recipes in the The Kind Diet the more I knew what type of recipes I needed to make. I started substituting cheese for vegan cheeses, even though Daiya was not out yet. I purchased tofu, Match vegan meats, and Field Roast sausages and added more fruits and vegetables to my diet. As soon as I eliminated the diet colas and the increased amounts of sugar I lost my first 20 pounds.
I know it is hard for people to realize that I did not become vegan because of the pain caused to animals, but I know that in my becoming vegan I am not supporting the pain caused to animals. My becoming vegan was a personal conviction to become a healthier eater focusing on whole and natural foods. Every day is one step towards supporting the love of all God’s creation and if it means eating from the fruits of the earth, I will do that.
After visiting a naturopath in July 2010 I found out I was B12, Vitamin D, iron deficient. I added a whole vitamin and minerals regimen and started enjoying protein shakes and a more focused meal plan. I have been working out consistently at a gym daily and feel better than ever! I continue to strive towards my goal of not being deficient in an area and being at my goal weight. Being vegan is the best thing that has happened to me!
Being vegan has tremendously improved my migraines, increased breathing support for singing and changed my whole emotional well-being too!
If you enjoyed this check out these other guest posts:
Please enjoy this guest post from Britta Conner regarding her journey to veganism.
My journey into plant based eating began in October 2009. My birthday was in the month before and I make it a habit to get a check up around that time every year as a gift to myself.
I had long known that high cholesterol ran in my family, on both sides, so I knew it was likely that it would hit me at some point. In 2005 I was tested and found that my cholesterol was 224. Until that point I had eaten the Standard American Diet, mostly white and brown foods. I decided to do a diet overhaul and reduced white sugars, stopped buying white flour and I opted for all whole wheat products to include all breads and pastas. I started cooking more foods and relying far less on convenience foods. I started portion control and exercising and I dropped 15 pounds in a month. I reduced meat intake, and only ate red meat once a month or less.
I didn’t think about my cholesterol at all, I just assumed it was going down as I was eating healthier and exercising regularly as well as losing weight. I didn’t get it checked again until September 2009. It was 251. Somehow it had raised!
I have a friend who goes in and out of being vegan, she loaned me some reading material and I decided to commit to it for 6 months, when my insurance would pay for another cholesterol test. It was an interesting time becoming vegan, right around the holidays, but it was a wonderful time to try out new recipes and really dig in to the new way of eating.
I didn’t experience weight loss right away. It’s never been easy for me and though I had read many accounts of weight falling off of people who began a plant based diet, I was not one of them. By January I had only lost 2 pounds. I found that to lose weight, I still had to count calories, despite all the promises I had read that a change to vegan eating would be an end to weight problems.
Six months from beginning to eat vegan I went back to the doctor and found out that my cholesterol was 188. No longer the danger zone. I hope it continues to drop, but if it doesn’t, my heart is safe at this level. I got checked again this October, after a full year as a vegan and I am waiting on results.
In that time I have had more weight loss success. I went from 174 pounds on a 5’1″ frame (after my second child was born) to 152. I am about half way to my goal weight. In the beginning as a vegan I made a lot of the less healthy vegan foods to prove to myself that I wouldn’t have to lack the things I grew up loving. I made candies, baked goods, and rich savory things. I also did this for my husband, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of vegan eating. I eventually moved away from this and now use those foods for parties and special occasions. I get the bulk of my nutrition from whole grains (like bulgar wheat, cous cous, millet and brown and wild rice), vegetables, beans and some nuts and fruits. I am also adding a lot of raw foods into my diet. I still have a long way to go with my dietary reform, I make mistakes and hinder my own progress frequently, but I am getting there one step at a time.
If you enjoyed this check out these other guest posts:
1 14-ounce can white kidney beans, rinsed (reserving 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons shoyu
1-1/4 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 9-inch prepared pie shell, thawed
1/2 tablespoon olive oil (for brushing)
1 teaspoon shoyu (for brushing)
What You Do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for 7 to 9 minutes until onions soften and begin to caramelize. Set aside.
In a food processor, add white beans (except 1/4 reserved cup), walnuts, lemon juice, and shoyu, and pulse to lightly chop (do not purée). Remove half of chopped mixture from food processor and transfer to a large bowl.
Transfer sautéed onions to the remaining mixture in food processor. Purée until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Transfer purée to bowl with lightly chopped beans and walnut mixture. Add spinach, cranberries, thyme, and cup of reserved beans. Stir to combine and transfer to prepared pie shell, spreading evenly.
Combine oil and tamari, and brush on top of pie and crust. Bake for 35 minutes until lightly browned.
I was to create an original recipe using the pasta and at least one of the other ingredients; all entries will be put in a poll on the MarxFoods blog from November 15 – 19, 2010 you can vote here!
Truffled Creamy Porcini Pasta
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
8oz button mushrooms, sliced
1T olive oil
1T dijon mustard
1 cup vegetable broth
1-oz dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4t ume plum vinegar
1/2t garlic powder
1/4t cayenne pepper
Tofu Cream:
1 pkg of extra firm water packed tofu
1T olive oil
5t lemon juice
2t white wine vinegar
1t agave nectar
1/4t truffle salt
1t dill
1t smoked paprika
Directions:
Place all the ingredients for the tofu cream into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Boil water for pasta and while the water is boiling and pasta is cooking prepare the sauce.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil place the onions in and saute for 7-10 minutes until softened.
Stir in the button mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft.
Stir in the dijon mustard and the vegetable broth.
Stir in the tofu cream until completely blended; cook for a minute.
Stir in the nutritional yeast, ume plum vinegar, garlic powder and cayenne pepper; taste for salt and pepper.
Stir in the pasta and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and vegan parmesan.
Our pizza from the last post was actually inspired by a visit to American Flatbread a few weeks ago where we sipped the best beer and ate the most delicious pizza. This is one of our go to restaurants because they have amazing flatbread that is made from local and/or organic ingredients. Plus they keep it simple- their menu has a salad (which is amazing) and a number of flatbread creations as well as an option to create your own flatbread. THAT IS IT. They don’t need to put anything more on that menu because it is perfect keeping it simple. They also have a special salad, vegetarian pizza and omnivore pizza each night as well as dessert specials.
On top of having a great salad and flatbreads they easily accommodate vegans and they brew their own beer. Now their dining menu maybe short and sweet but the beer list is extensive and filled with a great selection of microbrews as well as their house made which are all really good.
Veganized Special- white pizza with delicata squash, apples, garlic and maple glazed hazelnuts
I know we are crazy, this weekend one of my girlfriends came over and we spent the entire Saturday afternoon/evening making crafts for Christmas gifts. We also enjoyed this wonderful pizza that was so delicious.
Kale, Squash and Apple White Pizza
Recipe:
1 whole wheat pizza crust (I buy prepared dough from our health food store)
1/2 delicata squash, thinly sliced and roasted at 375F for 25 minutes
2-3 cups of dinosaur kale, chopped and sauteed with 1T olive oil and 1T garlic until soft
1 small apple sliced
1/2 cup diced tofu, sauteed in 1T olive oil and 1T garlic until browned
Garlic Base- 2T Vegan margarine, 1/2T vegan parmesan and 3 cloves of roasted garlic; blend to a paste
red chili flakes, optional
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 450F.
Roll out your dough and place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Spread the garlic base on your pizza and then begin to place on all of the toppings. Sprinkle with chili flakes if desired and a little salt and pepper.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until the crust is brown.
