It’s a New Year and time for new decisions. Many people will get back on the diet bandwagon; a decision which will be bitter-sweet for most of them. Personally, I hate the word “diet”. It is a misconstrued four-letter word which evokes visions of supermodels dancing through one’s head. Since the majority of us fall under the shorter than 5’10” category and check the older than 25 box, we can do ourselves a favor and put the supermodel image to bed already. We cannot, however, put to bed our health. Make a decision this year to be healthy, not “skinny”! Make healthy choices and your body will follow. Make your insides happy and you will be happy – it’s as simple as that.
As a vegan, I’m frequently asked how I get my protein. The recommended dietary allowance for both men and women is 0.8 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight (people with special needs, such as pregnant women, are advised to get a little more). Our bodies – hair, muscles, fingernails, etc... – are made up mostly of different kinds of protein that consist of varying combinations of amino acids. In much the same way that the 26 letters of the alphabet can form millions of different words, 20 amino acids serve to form different proteins. Half these amino acids can be manufactured by the human body, the other 10 cannot. These remaining amino acids are easily obtained by eating a balanced vegan diet. I always stress how careful you must be when ingesting animal proteins. The consumption of animal protein has been linked to some types of cancer, Alzheimer’s and other avoidable diseases. Plant-based protein sources contain healthy fiber and complex carbohydrates.
So, here is your Easy Protein Formula: Your Weight ÷ 2.2 x 0.8 = Your recommended per day protein amount.
My recommended intake is around 44 grams. I was curious to see how many grams of protein I was actually getting, so I tracked my meals for a couple days and found I could use a bit more. I was getting between 26-38 grams of protein per day, so I need to try to work in about 10 more grams per day. I stocked up on beans, grains and tofu at the store and will try to whip together some tasty vegan dishes over the next few days.
Here’s to getting as healthy and happy as we can be! Happy 2011!
This is what we had for dinner last night... It was oh-so-delicious! The hubby liked it (which is always what I inform meat eaters about a vegan dish). If it’s Husband Approved, it’s good to go!
1 Alton Brown Taco Spice Mix: 2 Tbs. chili powder 1 Tbs. ground cumin 2 tsp. cornstarch 2 tsp. kosher salt 1 ½ tsp. hot smoked paprika 1 tsp. ground coriander ½ tsp. cayenne pepper 1-2 Tbs. oil (canola, safflower, veg, etc.) or ¼ cup veggie broth 1 Medium Onion Tortillas (preferably corn b/c it’s better for you!) Vegan Sour Cream Lettuce, tomato, [vegan] cheese, other toppings
A Side of Love: 2 (15 ounce) cans cooked black beans 2 Tbs. oil (canola, safflower, veg, coconut, etc.) 2 Tbs. minced yellow onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. kosher salt ¼ cup masa de harina (or corn meal) Tomatillo [green] Salsa
First, let’s start on the taco “meat”: Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a sauté pan of your choice. Add onion & sauté about 1 minute; add 1 Tbs. of the taco seasoning and cook on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. Add soy crumbles (totally fine if they’re frozen) and 1 more Tbs. of taco seasoning. Cook about 3-5 minutes (until it has thawed) and decide if you need to add more oil. You’ll probably need to since soy crumbles have a lot less fat than ground beef. 1 lb of Ground beef = 1,200 Calories, 93.6g fat & 37.6 saturated fat! Dude, good thing you’re using soy crumbles!! Taste your mixture to see if you’d like another Tbs. of taco seasoning (I did!). It was perfect after that!
Move the onion/soy crumble mixture to the back burner and let it relax for a bit. Time to make taco shells. Why not buy them? Because the taste like cardboard and you don’t like cardboard, do ya??
Preheat oven to 350F. Look around your kitchen and see what you can fashion into a taco shaper. My husband suggested his rib rack holder-thingie.
Worked great! I used a little foil to hold the tortilla in place for the first 4 minutes, then took it off and baked another 4 minutes.
Now…it’s time for a Side of Love! You might be asking yourself, what the hell is a side of love? Technically it is two black bean cakes topped with tomatillo salsa, sour cream, feta cheese and red onions. I had this at a restaurant in Atlanta, GA called The Flying Biscuit. It seemed easy enough to recreate, so I did…with my own spin.
Directions for a Side of Love:
Rinse and drain black beans in a colander. In a small sauté pan heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, cumin and salt until onions are translucent.
Place beans & onion mixture in a bowl and mash with a potato masher until well combined (I like to leave a few whole beans for texture). Gradually add masa, allowing mixture to absorb it before adding more. Test dough by rolling it in the palm of your hand. Keep adding masa until dough doesn’t stick to your hand and holds the shape of a ball.
Divide dough into 12-14 balls and flatten into cakes. Mine were about “large golf ball” sized.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Sauté cakes until lightly browned on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. I topped mine with green salsa, soy cheese, vegan sour cream and banana peppers. Voila! A healthy, yummy, interesting and attractive dinner!
All this took me about an hour (start to finish), so it wasn’t that bad. Plus, leftovers tonight should only take about 10 minutes or less!
I came across an interesting article recently. It discusses food politics between a couple: she is a vegan, he is an omnivore. Wow, doesn’t this sound familiar?! I was not a vegetarian when I met my husband. The only thing that was not a part of my diet at the time was red meat which I cut out when I was 18.
My decision to stop eating animals was twofold: Health and Compassion, in that order. My passage into the world of vegetarianism was not a hurried one. First, red meat, then other mammals (chicken, pork, turkey, etc…), lastly, fish got the boot. Then, I decided to give up dairy for two reasons. First, I am lactose intolerant. My body rejects milk and milk-based products for a reason; I shouldn’t force it to accept something I don’t need. Secondly, I had my gall bladder removed in April of 2007. After undergoing a surgery, albeit a minor one, I never want to go through that again if I can help it; eating a plant-based diet is the healthiest/best way to ensure that.
I still eat food that tastes good and I can still indulge my sweet tooth! I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything; I actually feel like I’ve gained so much.
You can’t watch what goes on inside a slaughterhouse and push those images to the back of your mind. You can’t watch animals writhing in pain, being treated with the same respect you give gum on your shoe and comfortably swallow your Big Mac. (What happens after you swallow that burger??)
But, what about “organic meat”? It still carries hormones, cholesterol and the fact that a living being is being raised only to be killed. Plus, organic meat wastes precious resources like water, grain and land and pollutes the air we breathe. I’ll spare you the details, but if you’d like more info GoVeg.com is a fantastic fact-based site.
Back to my original reason for this post: Can vegetarians and omnivores live in harmony? In a [vegan] nutshell, yes! The hubby and I do it all the time. It’s called compromise. It takes practice and some juggling of viewpoints. Ultimately, food is a basic element in everyone’s life; we all need it to survive. Start there.
I try not to bring up the “V word”, but seems like there is food everywhere. Nearly every social gathering will include food. “Piggies” in blankets, crab puffs, sausage balls, cheese balls, veggies w/ some kind of sour cream/mayo concoction – all things taboo in Monica’s Book of Ethics. In the south, there’s even bacon in the veggies! Oh, the horror!
Bringing up your views of religion, abortion or politics tends to go over easier in a social situation than mentions you’re a vegan. Sometimes it really sucks being a vegan in a meat-eaters world. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. No fancy Italian leather shoes or handbags for me! I can’t pick up a lot of my vegan necessities at a regular grocery store. I can’t go to just any restaurant. I must always bring food to gatherings (but I would do that regardless); a girl can’t live on raw veggies and crackers alone! Well, she can, but she’d get bloated/gassy and that isn’t cute!
Having reservations about what someone else chooses to eat can be as insulting as questioning their religion. Trust me, I’ve had years of experience with people giving me the Stink Eye as soon as the word vegetarian – or worse, vegan – comes out of my mouth. It’s like living in a Marilyn Manson concert when you’re the only member of Young Life.
It’s hard to connect with people when they feel you’re judging them. Food isn’t just nourishment; it is a major bonding experience. It conjures memories of family dinners, holidays, special events like graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. These moments bond us and the dishes we make for these moments speak volumes. You can tell who cooks with love and who shops hastily in the frozen food section.
But, yeah, I do judge others; I judge them as soon as they judge me. As soon as my morals and values are diminished and disrespected, you can be sure I will lose any respect I had for your right to eat what you want to. Deliberately shoving meat through your plump cheeks while ill-mannered moans of ecstasy waft out will guarantee a place for you on my No Likey list. (Yeah, this has actually happened…several times). I won’t waste my breath on the horrors of factory farming or the global impact the meat industry has on our delicate planet because they won’t appreciate any of it and they aren’t worth it. At the end of the day, it’s their heart being destroying, so go on and have another burger. I will not respect anyone's right to act like a total jackass. This is what irritates me the most; the ignorance of where food comes from and how it gets to your table.
Respect my right to eat compassionately and I will respect your right to eat meat.
There must be compromise in everyone’s life. It is an essential tool of existing in peace. This philosophy can be applied to nearly every conflict on the planet. If we all learn to give a little more, bitch a little less and make a little room next to our beliefs, this world would be a more peaceful place. Be open to a new experience, influence or behavior, you may find it makes you a better, more successful person. Omnivores and Herbivores (i.e. my husband and I) can cohabitate in peace and harmony because of our mutual love of so many other things. The majority of my friends, co-workers and family are meat eaters. I get along perfectly fine with them all. And it is always a joy when someone asks for diet/nutritional advice or is simply curious about my lifestyle. It isn’t my evil plan to turn the world vegetarian. I just want us all to get along.
Vegan Taco Salad