Vegan/Vegetarian in the news!!!

Good day everyone! Hope all is well out there in veg land! I wanted to do a special post as something has come to my attention lately. The amount of press that surrounds vegan/vegetarianism these days. Now far be it from me to deny that maybe this subject has been gaining ground for quite some time, and I am (newly vegan) just starting to notice. But it seems like everywhere I turn, an article, magazine or even a feature on talk shows (Hello...Oprah!) is sprouting up! I have included a picture of some of the things I have discovered! One of the newspaper articles featuring a vegetarian recipe came in my mail as an extra from our local paper. The other article was just recently displayed in the USA Today about the going meatless and vegan. The Eating Well and Cooking Light magazine both feature vegetarian and and vegan recipes in almost every issue. The best one of all? The VegNews magazine! I had no idea this existed until browsing the magazine section at my local Barnes and Noble a couple of weeks ago. It is a whole magazine dedicated to vegan ism, how awesome is that? They have recipes, travel, and famous vegans (This month had Portia de Rossi on the cover with an interview about her and her vegan wife Ellen). There is also a website by the same name!

All this press really makes a person think that there just might be something to this lifestyle. There has to be benefits for it to be getting so much headway. The more you dig, the more you find on the subject and the more people you discover that live that lifestyle. I showed a link on my Facebook page a while back about an interview with the infamous Steve-O from the Jackass clan. He was a former chain smoking drug and alcohol abuser who is now a healthy vegan! That was an inspirational story to read that someone can go from one extreme to the other and really come out on top. He now has a PETA add as well!

I think all of these things are just little daily reminders...affirmations that I am headed down the right path. Until next time friends ( and I promise to include a delicious recipe!)

The best discovery I have made yet in this journey..a wonderful ground meat substitute

Hello out there in the World Wide Web!!! I hope everyone has been having a wonderful summer! Let's start with addressing the big elephant in the room...my recent lack of posts! Well I took a summer class that required my full attention, then had a very important wedding in the family to prepare for. Nevertheless, I am back hopefully with some really great new stuff. Oh, and I guess I should say "I'm sorry"! I should be keeping you (the readers) up to date on this stuff :p. I have been through some great recipes and great experiences over this last month of veganism. So now it's time to share!!

One of the best things I have came across I happen to stumbled upon just this last month...TVP! Texturized Vegetable Protein. I know what you are thinking "That shit sounds horrendous" but I promise you it isn't. It is a clumped soy flour and is frequently used as a ground meat substitute in many dishes and even fake bacon bits (one of my personal favorites). This stuff is so close to the texture of real ground meat, I really believe it could be used to fool any meat eaters! Plus it seems to take on the flavor of whats around it, so you can use it in almost any dish. It is high in protein and the best part? You can find this stuff in bulk bins for under $2 a pound!!!! So I recommend maybe trying to sub out a meat dish with TVP once a week! Just as much protein without the other things that meat brings to the table (literally).

The cookbook that showed me this awesome great new thing was a wonderful little gem I discovered at the library. Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson. She has such great recipes in that book, with beautiful pictures to boot. I decided to try the Very Sloppy Joes recipe out of it and I couldn't believe what I was eating. Hands down, probably the best sloppy joes I have ever had meat or no meat, and that is a dish I have loved from a little girl. I made the Double Chocolate Strawberry Pie out of it and it was just as awesome. I have checked out a lot of vegan cookbooks from my local library, but that is one I plan on buying and keeping forever. Here is the link to her website and book.
http://www.juliehasson.com/vegan-diner/

Now on to the recipes! I actually am going to use a few recipes using TVP from The Happy Herbivore. This cookbook holds a special place in my heart as it was my first vegan one. What I love most about it is all the recipes use real, everyday ingredients. They are basic enough that they leave plenty of room to adjust to the user's tastes. Did I mention that the author Lindsay is a sweetheart and will answer any questions you have about her cookbook or recipes via facebook, blog responses, or e-mails? That speaks volumes for her and her work! Almost all her recipes are low-fat or fat free and labeled by things like soy or gluten free, kid or omnivore friendly! Here again is the link to Lindsay's blog and cookbook (she comes out with a new one soon!)
http://happyherbivore.com/

Without further hesitation, I give you the recipes from The Happy Herbivore, TVP Tacos and Bacon Bits...


3/4 cup No-Beef Broth (recipe is in the book, I used organic veggie broth and it worked fine)
2 tbsp steak sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp onion flakes
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
hot sauce or cayenne power to taste
1 cup TVP
4 taco shells (we doubled the recipe and used Ezekial live sprouted tortillas so it made 8 tacos)

Bring broth to a boil

Turn off heat and remaining ingredients up to, but not including TVP stirring

Add TVP, cover, and let TVP soak up all the liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir if necessary.

Add TVP mixture to taco shells and top with desired fillings (we used chopped spinach, tomatoes, peppers, onions, salsa, and guacamole).

the picture comes from The Happy Herbivore cookbook

Now for the bacon bits recipe (this is so easy, there is no reason to buy those imitation bacon bits from the store and they taste so much like the real thing!)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

2 tsp pure maple syrup

1/4 tsp granulated garlic powder

1/8 tsp paprika

1/2 TVP

salt as needed

Combine all ingredients except TVP and salt but including 1 tbsp of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn off heat, and immediately add TVP

Stir until all liquid is absorbed. Add salt as needed

Fry in a nonstick pan to dehydrate until crispy stirring often

pic also from the cookbook (could you tell I was still in slack mode?)

Til next time veg friends!!