Vegetarians ( and Vegans ) Thread!!!

[nuchickontheblock]

Back in the day (early 70's) I used to sprout seeds/bean, etc. So this week I decided to sprout some chickpeas to make some raw hummus for our new raw diet. Hmmmm. . . I forgot how. So I soaked the hell out of those chickpeas for 5 days (changing the water and rinsing them regularly) and they didn't sprout. Yesterday I smartened up and looked on line. Oh yeah. Eventually you need to take them out of the soak water to let them sprout. Finally today we had little sprouts that were big enough to make some hummus with. It is pretty yummy.

Today is day 8 of our raw lifestyle. So far so good. We've been successful -- I'm a good cook and cooking is kind of automatic. now I need to learn how to be an uncook and an unbaker - it's a steep learning curve. I'm glad there are so many websites out there with info and recipes. I've made some very nice dishes, guacamole, marinara sauce, raw chili, a parmesan style "cheese", and of course a variety of smoothies. and crackers. and sweet potato chips (twice). and cookies are currently in the dehydrator. And tomorrow I'm making a date torte to bring to a family gathering. I've got to have the snack stuff around. A piece of fruit doesn't always do it.

Now I just need to figure out how to organize all this so that I'm not in the kitchen for hours each day and we have some grab and go meals.

 

[NoZolbitty]

I long to go vegan but as my recent thread explained/asked, I can't because of my severe dietary restrictions. I can't have most fruits and fruit juices, with the exception of bananas, peaches and pears. No tomatoes or corn, high fiber veggies cause problems. Very few legumes, although I can cheat a bit on those. No dairy products except hard cheeses. Eggs in limited amounts. No soy, no nuts.

Your dietary restrictions sound familar Are you permitted dairy? Iknow for me dairy is highly restricted and I developed a taste for Rice milk for cereal, making french toast or drinking.

 

[Mattemma]

Does anyone eat a variation of Moujadara?

I have linked one recipe,but a general search will bring up a lot of variations.

My mom made one for my birthday recently.Hers was just seasoned with salt and pepper.Lentil and bulgur cooked seperate.Onions nice and crispy the way I like them.She heated up the lentil,bulgur,and some jarred jalepenoes in a pan for a few minutes.Put some mix in a pita with onions and a dolop(sp) of homemade plain yogurt. It was pretty good.

Even dh ate it and he is such a meat man!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=519204

Going to make some today along with some fried eggplant,tomato,and garlic...which is great cold with a bit of lemon and some fresh bread.

 

[Crittercrazed]

Hey guys! I know this isn't on topic, but I figured that I'd share some good news and bad news that I found out with you.

GOOD NEWS (We all need more of that!)

I called up CHEEZ-IT and asked them about the enzymes in their product. I was only asking for a DUOZ Sharp Cheddar and Parmesan box at my house, but they answered my question for all of their products: the enzymes are made from yeast. (aka plant enzymes.) They said that all of their CHEEZ-IT's and even the Austin snacks (peanut butter, cheese, ect.) are made from yeast enzymes.

BAD NEWS (Someone's gotta tell you.)

I called up MARS and asked them about their Combos BAKED SNACKS. They said that their enzymes are made from veal (aka 'rennet' from baby cows...) So to anyone that's vegetarian or is against eating baby cows, I would avoid Combos.

This is all 100% true. I called them up about a half hour ago. If you don't believe me or want to double check here are the numbers for the two products:

CHEEZ-IT: 1-877-453-5837 You may be on hold for a few minutes, but you'll get to talk to someone eventually. They're not available on Saturdays or Sundays.

Combos (aka Mars): 1-800-556-7881: I wasn't on hold that long. They also are not available to answer questions on Saturdays and Sundays.

OKAY

NOT OKAY

 

[Kevin565]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[HenFriend]

I have been vegetarian for 25 years. Can't quite make the leap to being vegan but am trying to cut down on dairy. Have boyfriend who is omnivore and is hard sometimes to cook 2 different things although he will eat veggie several times a week. I only eat eggs from my own or my sister's hens as I know they are well cared for. Recently tried "smoked cheddar style" vegan "cheese", was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Marty1876]

Wow, I didn't realize they were using calf rennet enzymes... I'm not vegan, or anything, but it is good to know. Thanks for taking the time to make the call.

 

[Crittercrazed]

No problem! I was surprised to hear that too. I mean, come on... why use veal in cheese? It's silly, but then again it's what makes the product.

Another heads up!:


I got an email back from Rothbury Farms. I asked about what kind of enzymes were in their croutons (because there's cheese in it) and here was her reply:

"Good morning,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us about our Rothbury Farms Seasoned Croutons. It is always nice to hear from our consumers. The enzymes are from both microbial and animal sources (beef), which would be the cheese. Hope this information will be helpful.

Thank you! "

 

[veganloraine]

Veal is a by-product of the dairy industry, so it kind of makes sense to me to use it in cheese.

 

[Crittercrazed]

Yeah, I can see that. To me by-products seem a little gross, but it's what people like and what people want, so there's not much I can do to change it. It's too bad, though. I really liked a lot of these items...


I am currently awaiting a reply from Tillamook cheeses, Goldfish, and Frigo. I'll update you guys as soon as I get their reply.



(Didn't think it take so musch work just to eat a cube of cheese! )