Cool idea for snacking-on-the-go..

I have to watch my blood sugar levels (and many people do, even if you haven't been formally told that you should), so I am constantly snacking. And as a vegetarian (who is slowly but surely limiting her dairy intake), I have to be careful that I'm not caught somewhere empty handed, forced by my uncontrollable hunger and irritability to pace around a vending machine eying a bag of potato chips.

Of course I'll take fruit, yogurt, and cut up veggies from time to time. But another thing I've found to be absolutely delicious for my mid-morning snack is...



...baby food!!

I know this sounds absolutely bizarre. And to be honest with you, I've got some questionable looks from time to time. But it's delicious. It's organic (as long as you read the labels properly) and the fruit-based ones are vegan.

You might suggest that I buy regular pureed fruit cups that are still rather childish looking but aren't actual baby food, but I'll tell you why I don't do that. Firstly, most of them are full of sugar, which does not bode well for my sugar levels and let's face it, is really not good for anyone. Then there are the unsweetened ones, which basically come in apple flavor and nothing else. At least they don't in my supermarket.

Baby food comes in tons of delicious flavors and combinations. There are no additives (especially if it is organic, but even non-organic kinds have very little added to them, as most people don't want to stuff their babies full of weird chemical compounds and preservatives).

See, there is no downside! Well, except for the fact that I'm pretty sure our entire neighbourhood now thinks I'm with child, after one woman saw me in the supermarket with a dozen assorted bottles of baby food in my cart.

Recipe: Baked Mac & Cheese

Mac and cheese is not the healthiest thing in the world, but making it from home ensures you know all of the ingredients and can substitute cheeses to your liking (and to your dietary requirements). This is the perfect comfort food for these cold winter days!

Source: Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas
Type: lacto vegetarian

Ingredients
10-12 oz elbow macaroni
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp margarine*
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

*If you avoid whey/rennet/casein/D3 be sure to read your margarine label very carefully. I use Earth Balance, which is 100% vegan.

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400F. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
2) Meanwhile, dissolve flour in 1/2 cup milk and combine with the remaining milk, margarine and cheese in a saucepan. Slowly bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often. Cook over low heat until the sauce is smooth and thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3) Combine in a lightly oiled casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden and crusty.

Yields 6 generous servings.

Recipe: Vegan Chili

Strangely enough, when I was an omni for 22 years and I had never tried regular chili. I have a couple of vegan cousins, so my mom 'veganized' this traditional family recipe. Of course, my mom cooks without recipes, so when I asked her for the recipe she gave me very vague instructions. I'm fairly incompetent in the kitchen, and I need strict guidelines for what I'm doing. This is what I came up with...it is insanely delicious, and any excuse to use a slow cooker and come home to a finished meal is okay by me.

Source: family recipe
Type: Vegan

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green or red pepper (or both!), diced
1 carrot, diced
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
2 cans kidney beans
1 can tomato soup
1 package Yves Veggie Ground Round (or comparable substitute)
Salt, pepper and chili powder to taste

*Note that any of the vegetables/types of beans can be substituted according to personal tastes

Directions

1) Saute the vegetables in olive oil until soft.
2) Remove packaging from ground round and use a fork to break it into smaller chunks on a separate plate.
3) Add the ground round and spices to the vegetable mixture and heat through.
4) Combine the mixture with soup and beans in a slow cooker.
5) Cook on high for 3 hours.

Yields: 6 servings

List of Animal-derived products...for your iPod!

This is really cool.

I am pretty obsessive compulsive about writing grocery lists. I am very thorough, and list item after item in the order in which they come up in the supermarket (there may actually be a new word for this kind of obsessive compulsiveness). I think I'm so clever and organized and I pile into my car with my shopping crates and head to the store.

And like clockwork, every week there is something I seem to have forgotten to look into, especially with regard to new recipes I'm trying. If they don't come from a vegan cookbook I am very wary. While I am not a strict vegan, vegetarian cookbooks can be a bit misleading. For example, I don't consume gelatin or rennet, and I certainly don't consume any seafood, which includes fish oils. A lot of vegetarian cookbooks overlook these three categories, because in the past pescetarianism was often considered synonymous with vegetarianism, and the gelatin/rennet issue was deemed to be a part of veganism and not vegeterianism. However, it is my personal choice to not consume these products, and I am sure there are plenty of you out there in the same shoes as me.

So, finally, instead of panicking and pacing up and down the aisles with everything short of a magnifying glass over an ingredients list (which, is often fruitless all in its own, because if there are minimal amounts of these substances in the item, the company is not required by law to include them in the ingredents list), there is another option.

At home I've got a few extensive lists of what is safe/not safe with regard to my diet, but who on earth remembers to bring one of those with them everytime they go to the store? Well, I'm sure a lot of people do, but for those of us that are a wee bit more scatterbrained than that, there's now a Animal-Derived Product List available for download to your iPod!.

See, while I forget most things when I head to the store, one thing that is always in my purse is my iPod.

If you're interested in downloading the list, please check out this website. The file consists of information compiled using Happy Cow with regard to vegetarian/vegan diets. What I find especially useful is the list pertaining to cosmetics. I'm slowly transitioning into an organic vegetarian cosmetic diet as well, because you wouldn't believe how many standard issue beauty products out there are not vegetarian! Just as companies are slowly rejecting the use of animal testing, many still use animal-based substances in their products, so it's important to be mindful of this when reaching for your bottle of shampoo.

I just thought I'd quickly share this cool little link with you...now I must tend to my pot of vegan chili. I'm revising an old family recipe that traditionally uses beef, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it translates well to a vegan dish, and hopefully I can share it with you later this week.

Sometimes, convenience trumps freshness.

My life can be chaotic at times. I'm a graduate student and a teaching assistant, so while it's nice to not have a set Monday to Friday work schedule, it is sometimes difficult to fly by the seat of your pants. Some days can end up in pure chaos, with students showing up to my office at unscheduled times, emails that need to be answered at all hours of the night and my own research to be conducted somewhere in between. While I really do enjoy trying new things, exploring potential new favorite recipes and dreaming up my own concoctions, somedays I am starving and I want food immediately. And I don't want to have to do any of the preparation myself.

In the old days I would just consult my three drawers full of takeout menus and fast food coupons. As a vegetarian, my options have been reduced so dramatically that all that is left is three lonely flyers for various vegetarian restaurants (or at the very least, restaurants which I've researched that have vegetarian options. By that I mean REALLY have vegetarian options, not just a random soy burger and questionable french fries). All of which can be pricy and none of which deliver. Boo.

So, I always make sure that I have some frozen goodies on hand that are delicious and most importantly, quick, with very little requirements of me, other than opening a cardboard box and throwing something in the oven.

Again, this isn't everyday. I do prefer to prepare things myself and eat fresh, but come on, we all have those days where we just want to stuff our faces quickly in front of the television. It's okay to admit it.

As a result, I wanted to share my most favorite vegan-friendly convenience food. It's fast. It's easy. It makes you wish there were more in the box.



Starlite Cuisine's rolled tacos.
Oh, I am drooling just looking at 'em.

They come in many delicious flavors, but my personal favourite is chipotle. They've got a good amount of zip to them, if you like spicy foods. If you prefer something a bit more tame, give the garlic 'chicken' or santa fe 'chicken' a try. There's also a black bean one that has recently come available at my favorite vegetarian grocer, but I haven' had a chance to try it yet. However, I'm yet to find a flavor of these little buggers that I don't like, so odds are it will be delicious too.

They're not exactly that healthy, or that low fat, and they don't have all the nutrients we require from a meal. But on those hectic days that call for pajamas and extreme amounts of vegetation in front of the tv or a good book, these are my absolute favorite.



I haven't seen them in my regular big box supermarket, but I do get them at my vegetarian grocer. There is a chance that they might be available at other kinds of food specialty stores, as these places often have vegetarian sections. Check out the Starlite Cuisine website for more information on how to get some. And if all else fails, talk to the manager of your supermarket. I worked as a cashier at our local grocery store for a year, and customers would constantly make suggestions about products we should carry. Management would always look into it, as stores are always looking for new things to stock the shelves with.

Life Insurance Discount for Vegetarians

I was flipping through the most recent issue of the Vegetarian Times yesterday and I came across a blurb that I found particularly interesting.

It seems as though big business might be on the brink of finally admitting to something we've known all along: the health benefits of engaging in an active vegetarian lifestyle.

I am coming up on the one year anniversary of my meatless lifestyle (and I am planning on celebrating at Zen Garden, my most favourite veg restaurant), and one thing that still baffles me is how many people question my physical health. Not only physical health, but also mental health and (get ready for a 'huh?!?!!!' moment), my intellectual health. Yes, one unnamed person told me that he read an article (which he conveniently couldn't remember the title of) that vegetarians 'have been proven' to be less intelligent than meat eaters.

...................... (cue sounds of birds chirping in the distance while I gaped at the man in silence).

Well, I managed to figure out where the article came from, or at least a similar article promoting the same findings. It was apparently put out by Health Canada's Food Guide. Which is owned by the Canadian government. Which, no doubt, wants to promote the consumption of Canadian beef after several mad cow incidents in Alberta, so that the industry can start pulling in cash again. This man did not draw any of these connections, he just saw an article that supported his belief, came from what the average person sees as a trusted source, and therefore saw it as truth.

What my little rant is getting at is that the myth that vegetarianism and veganism is detrimental to health is still alive and well, yet ignorance regarding meat's relationship to to the top killers of our time (obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes) is downplayed, dismissed as 'hippie jargon', or outright ignored.

Well finally, finally, big business might be catching on to what we have known for a long time.

Animal Friends Insurance, based out of the United Kingdom, is an insurance company that is offering premium discounts on life insurance for vegetarians. This company is rewarding its vegetarian clients for their ethical and health-conscious choices with approximately 10% discount on their life insurance premiums.

I worked as a receptionist for a local insurance company while I was an undergraduate student, so I was in charge of filling out applications and other forms with regard to new clients. Life insurance applications are very extensive: pages and pages of questions about pretty much every aspect of your life (smoking, alcohol consumption, sky diving, amount of time spent in a car, etc.) and aside from questions about diabetes or other major illnesses, very little is asked about an applicant's dietary choices. I always found this fascinating, as our existence begins and is sustained by the substances we put into our bodies.

In light of recent media awareness of the obesity epidemic, some insurance companies are becoming aware of the importance of diet and are beginning to ask applicants questions about the kinds of foods they eat. However, Animal Friends Insurance is the first company that I have come across that actually specifies the benefits of a full on vegetarian lifestyle as opposed to other omnivore-style diets. Plus, as an added bonus, they donate all of their net profits to animal welfare charities.

The life insurance industry is one of the most traditional and conservative entities that we have in our society. It carries a bottom line mentality and it is in the business of making money, not necessarily providing it's clients with what is entitled to them. We are probably a long way off from major life companies in North America taking initiative in recognizing the benefits of an animal friendly lifestyle. I am fully aware that Animal Friends Insurance is a small player in this industry, but I wanted to take a moment to applaud their innovation, consideration and perseverance in what can be difficult industry to be a part of.

If you're interested in life insurance, call up some local company representatives and see if they have any discounts for vegetarians. If not, ask why. Further, ask for appropriate contact information for head offices, and drop them a letter explaining why you think this is important. I know some insurance companies, such as State Farm, offer reduced car insurance rates to students with an 80% average or higher, why not offer the same discount to socially responsible individuals that care for animals, the earth, and their own bodies?

And finally, I pulled up a google search on vegetarian life insurance and came across this website. There doesn't appear to be much going on yet, but if you click on the contact link, an email address is provided where you can makes suggestions and give insights on how we move toward making this a reality.

It is time that the myth of the frail and feeble vegetarian is put to rest.

Recipe: Cincinnati Chili Mac

I was a bit apprehensive about this recipe before I tried it because I'm generally not a fan of cinnamon, but this recipe uses the absolute perfect amount, giving the recipe a unique kick from traditional pasta/chili dishes. And an added bonus is that your house will pick up the deliciously sweet smell while you're putting dinner together

Source: The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas
Type: Vegan, with lacto vegetarian option

Ingredients

1 tbsp light olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 4oz can green chilis*
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 16 oz cans red kidney beans
2 tsps chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pack of spaghetti noodles**

Optional:
Grated cheddar cheese

* I had trouble finding the right size can of chilis for this recipe in the canned vegetable aisle of the supermarket, but looking in the Mexican food aisle I found that El Paso makes the exact size can this recipe calls for.
** Make as much spaghetti as you would normally make per person (I know this varies depending on appetites and ages).

Directions

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the green and red pepper and continue to saute until the onion is golden.

2) Stir in the remaining ingredients except the noodles and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the flavorings completely blended.

3) Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti noodles according to the directions on the package.

4) For each serving, place a small amount of spaghetti in a wide shallow bowl and top with some of the chili. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

Yields 6 servings

Nutritional Information (per serving):
496 calories
5 grams of fat

Happy New Year!

Here's to hoping that 2008 brings peace, health, happiness and respect for all living creatures.

Happy New Year!