Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

Here in this post I have a more in depth account of cost of foods for myself and my mother. I am eating vegetarian and she is not. I just find the disparity fascinating. It's important to note that shared foods like bread are not included in these totals. And other supermarket purchases such as cleaning supplies and paper products are also not included. It's also interesting to see how convenience foods regardless of meat content drive up costs. And how yogurt is really pricey. It's fortunate for me that I find yogurt to be vile and disgusting. But those that  enjoy it will notice it's very expensive. And the oft touted mantra that fresh produce is expensive is clearly debunked. If you shop seasonally and locally it's cheaper than processed alternatives. You'll also notice my list has far less content. It's missing snacks, desserts and nurtionless add ins like coffee creamer. Even though I made an unplanned purchase in the Kitchen of India pouch which ...

One of the main things that's wrong with the world today is how we perceive beans. They are thought of as a side dish or a poor substitute for missing meat. The fact is they ought to be the star of your dishes. Even vegetarians and vegans are guilty of this crime. Trying endlessly to transmogrify beans into some sort of pseudo meat alternative. With bean burgers and soy faux meat products. I say let the beans shine. Don't try to make them into something they're not. Don't waste time trying to morph them into a substitute for dead cow or murdered chicken. Beans deserve better. They are so healthy and delicious on their own. We should be savoring them rather than trying to alter them to resemble something they are not. I dare you to swap out beans in any place you would normally use meat and not be amazed at how much better it is. Make yourself a bean sandwich. A bean patty. A bean loaf. A bean salad. The bean plays second fiddle to no one. Embrace the bean an...

I've been conducting this experiment of sorts.About the cost of eating veg versus the cost of eating meat. I've been keeping track of weekly food expenditures for myself and my mother. Eliminating shared foods like loaves of bread and bags of rolls. The data I've gathered so far, after only 4 weeks is pretty interesting. It's a pervasive belief that eating veg is more costly, but real life paints an entirely diffferent truth. I haven't documented the actual foods purchases. I should have. And will in the future. But suffice it to say that she eats meat and I don't. I've maintined a spreadsheet of weekly spending on food. The results of which are quite eye opening. Date Mom Me 7/29/2013 16.84 24.74 8/12/2013 26.28 11.98 8/05/2013 25.32 14.82 8/19/2013 32.94 9.63 101.38 61.17 My first week includes the cost of cola. I am a Pepsi fan and she is not. And while I don't drink too much of it at some point there's a need to replensih resouce...

Here are some of my personal tips for big flavor with low calories. When eating vegetarian or vegan flavor becomes very important. You need that satisfaction it can offer. Even if you eat meat, I think you'll find something new and amazing to add to your culinary repetoire. Ditch the mayo and use hummus instead. Hummus is mayo on steroids. This luscious pureee packs so much rich flavor you will be convinced its full of fat and calories. But the fact is it's healthy and low fat. Best of all it comes on an assortment of flavors to delight and mesmerize. Roasted garlic, olive, spinach and artichoke and spicy chipotle to name a few. I've tasted many hummuses. Sabra is head and shoulders above the rest. Tribe is also very good. Shoprite brand is delicious too. Athenos is the only kind I've experienced that is simply not good. You can even use hummus to replace cheese. It's that delicious. It also makes a nice salad topper when diluted with some vinegar. Embrace hot s...

This is an update to a previous post. I've been using vinegar as hair conditioner now for several months. I read somewhere on the internet, on some vegan site no doubt, that vinegar is great for conditioning your hair. I had already heard it was good for replacing fabric softener, so I was game. I was having terrible dandruff problems of late. I didn't understand why, since it was a relatively new issue. So I had to assume it was my conditioner. Or that I was conditioning too often. I usually wash my hair every other day and condition each time. I had been using Dove conditioner in conjunction with off brand baby shampoo. All my life I've washed my hair with baby shampoo. I always figured it was less harsh. I sometimes... once every few months will wash with a different shampoo. Just to mix things us. I decided to try vinegar as a conditioner just to see what would happen. I applied liberal amounts after my shower and ran it through my hair. Using my fingers to work i...

When I learned that there's a Bobby Flay's Burgers restaurant not to far away I was excited and intrigued. As a long time fan of both the Food Network and Iron Chef America the idea of consuming something conceptualized by the Iron Chef certainly piqued by interest. So naturally I googled it to learn more. I discovered a nice array of burgers with interesting flavor combinations. But was sorely disappointed that there was not vegetarian burger option. I would have thought that Bobby would also be masterful enough to create a stunning veggie burger patty. And was quite disappointed to find he had not. I would be more than happy to share my own personal favorite black bean burger recipe with him for possible inclusion on his menu. It's right up his alley with lime juice/zest, paprika and other southwestern influences. It's also vegan on top of being vegetarian. So two birds, one stone.  But no dead birds, obviously. And it's also very delicious if I do say so my...

Here's an interesting factoid about Houlihan's restaurant. Their vegetarian burger actually has more fat and more calories than the regular plain hamburger. Curious indeed. I suspect it's all the cheese and bbq sauce they smother on top of it. But I can't prove it. As I recall it's a really tasty veggie burger that doesn't really need all the accourtrements they pile onto it. It comes standard with both provolone and cheddar cheese and bbq sauce too. I had it plain... no cheese and no sauce and thought it was very good. An ooey, gooey mess of legumes and veggies that more than satisfied. I especially like that you can switch out the french fries for baked potato or seasonal vegetables. That's a nice detail. It's also nice how they illustrate on their menus what is vegetarian and also what can be modified to be vegan. It's considerate. Their food is more expensive than most chain restaurants, but it also taste better. It should as it features ...

These new potatoes arrived at the market recently. They come in classic russet and sweet too. They are individually wrapped in a plastic cover. The label proclaims you can microwve them in the plastic and offers simple microwaving instructions. They cost more than your traditional loose potatoes. Now I'm not a fan of microwaving food to begin with, but this is just crazy. The most egregious gimmick so far of the food industry trying to bilk the consumer out of more of their hard earned money. You have always been able to microwave potatoes. I personally recommend against it. But it can easily be done without any special packaging. You simply wash the potatoes are you normally wood and pierce each one a few times with a fork. Then cook in the microwave on high for roughly 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes and the quantity. There are no special tools required. There's no need to spend extra for a potato shrink wrapped in "special" plastic. Just buy the ...