Ben and Jerry's have immortalized the skit with a new ice cream flavour called—"Schweddy Balls".
Note: according to Ben and Jerry's web site, all their ice cream is vegetarian-no meat products used in production.
2 weeks ago
My observations on being vegetarian, interspersed with vegetarian/ vegan/ raw food recipes, new food experiences and related stories.
Enjoy Those Schweddy Balls
Anyone who remembers the Saturday Night Live skit with Alec Baldwin and Molly Shannon talking about the Schweddy Balls will love this!
Ben and Jerry's have immortalized the skit with a new ice cream flavour called—"Schweddy Balls".
Note: according to Ben and Jerry's web site, all their ice cream is vegetarian-no meat products used in production.
Ben and Jerry's have immortalized the skit with a new ice cream flavour called—"Schweddy Balls".
Note: according to Ben and Jerry's web site, all their ice cream is vegetarian-no meat products used in production.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Nutritional Yeast
I friend at work told me about using nutritional yeast as a protein supplement. I've been using it for about 1 and half years now and I must say it took a bit of getting used to.
First strike against it: The name!
YEAST...that you eat...come on! This doesn't sound palatable at all. When you add the word Nutritional in front it sounds even more gross.
Second strike: The look!
Have you ever had tropical fish as pets? I have. I would feed the them flake food, I think it was called Tetra Min. It smelled like very strong fish. Well nutritional yeast looks exactly like that fish food except it's a pale to bright yellow colour—thankfully without the strong, fishy smell.
Third strike: How it's made!
Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast and is grown specifically for its nutritional value. Like edible mushrooms it a fungus, howver this type is grown on molasses. It is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses for a period of 7 days and then harvested.(Wikipedia)
Despite all that, it has an OK flavour, reminiscent of nuts or cheese. High in B12 and protein, it makes a great vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese.
First strike against it: The name!
YEAST...that you eat...come on! This doesn't sound palatable at all. When you add the word Nutritional in front it sounds even more gross.
Have you ever had tropical fish as pets? I have. I would feed the them flake food, I think it was called Tetra Min. It smelled like very strong fish. Well nutritional yeast looks exactly like that fish food except it's a pale to bright yellow colour—thankfully without the strong, fishy smell.
Third strike: How it's made!
Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast and is grown specifically for its nutritional value. Like edible mushrooms it a fungus, howver this type is grown on molasses. It is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses for a period of 7 days and then harvested.(Wikipedia)
Despite all that, it has an OK flavour, reminiscent of nuts or cheese. High in B12 and protein, it makes a great vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Tomatoe Pie
If you grow tomatoes and find yourself overwhelmed with excess...this is an great recipe to use em up. It's reminisant of a deep dish, cheese pizza. I've had people pile on the compliments, even when they normally don't comment recipes.
Tomatoe Pie
1 9-inch pie shell
1 large yellow or red onion, chopped
3 cups roughly chopped tomatoes, squeezed to remove excess juice
1/4 cup choped fresh basil
3 cups grated cheese (any mixture of vegetarian sharp cheddar, parmesan, monterey Jack, Gruyere or Mozarella)
3/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
The recipe calls for the pie shell to be baked and then cooled first. Since the pie is going to be baked in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, I figured that I could used a slightly cooked shell. I'm certain a raw crust would be OK but I havn't tried it yet.
Spread the onions evenly on the bottom of the shell. Next, layer the drained, chopped tomaotes and finally spread the fresh basil on top.
In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Spread this mixture, as the final layer over the pie.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees C.
Tomatoe Pie
1 9-inch pie shell
1 large yellow or red onion, chopped
3 cups roughly chopped tomatoes, squeezed to remove excess juice
1/4 cup choped fresh basil
3 cups grated cheese (any mixture of vegetarian sharp cheddar, parmesan, monterey Jack, Gruyere or Mozarella)
3/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
The recipe calls for the pie shell to be baked and then cooled first. Since the pie is going to be baked in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, I figured that I could used a slightly cooked shell. I'm certain a raw crust would be OK but I havn't tried it yet.
Spread the onions evenly on the bottom of the shell. Next, layer the drained, chopped tomaotes and finally spread the fresh basil on top.
In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Spread this mixture, as the final layer over the pie.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees C.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Being Vegetarian Does NOT Mean you are going to be Skinny!
I am constantly astounded by the number of ads and media that drills into our heads that veganism or a vegetarian lifestyle is a guaranteed way to lose weight. Peta is the worse culprit of this misconception as their "Save the Whales" campaign demonstrates.
OK, perhaps if you constantly stuff your face with burgers, chicken wings, fish fries, and cheese then changing to a vegetarian lifestyle will cause you to loose weight—but this will happen not because you've sworn off animal products but because your calorie content is lower. That's it!!
If you eat well already—eating low fat cuts of meat, fish, low fat dairy and vegetables—you probably will NOT lose weight on a vegetarian diet. Especially if you substitute animal protein—low fat cuts of meat, fish etc—for high fat dairy products. You may even gain weight.
So if you think you are going to be skinny by switching to veg, take an honest look at how you eat now (and look at your calorie intake). If you calculate that you'll be taking in less calories by going veg, then you'll have success in losing weight this way. The calories will tell!
Remember—cows can get fat by eating only grasses.
OK, perhaps if you constantly stuff your face with burgers, chicken wings, fish fries, and cheese then changing to a vegetarian lifestyle will cause you to loose weight—but this will happen not because you've sworn off animal products but because your calorie content is lower. That's it!!
If you eat well already—eating low fat cuts of meat, fish, low fat dairy and vegetables—you probably will NOT lose weight on a vegetarian diet. Especially if you substitute animal protein—low fat cuts of meat, fish etc—for high fat dairy products. You may even gain weight.
So if you think you are going to be skinny by switching to veg, take an honest look at how you eat now (and look at your calorie intake). If you calculate that you'll be taking in less calories by going veg, then you'll have success in losing weight this way. The calories will tell!
Remember—cows can get fat by eating only grasses.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Swiss Chard Pesto
When I here the word "pesto" I always think of the basil, parm and pine nut variety. I've heard of substituting the parm with asiago or romano or using blanched almonds instead of pine nuts, but when I came across a recipe that uses swiss chard in it, I was intrigued. This recipe maintains the basil with the added bonus of the chard. I have lots of swiss chard growing in the garden and haven't had a chance to use it at all this summer so this was the perfect opportunity!!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Swiss chard, with lower stems removed
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup walnuts
2 ounces freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese (vegetarian variety)
1/2 cup of packed basil leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and wilt the chard leaves in the oil. remove from heat and let cool.
In a food processor combine the garlic, walnuts, basil and cheese. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground and mixed. Add the cooled, swiss chard and mix well.
Pour in the olive oil and mix until fully blended. Refrigerate or freeze.
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Monday, September 5, 2011
Ginger Pumpkin Bisque
The word "bisque" traditionally is used to describe a soup made with lobster or shell fish of some sort. Alternatively it is can be used to describe soup made with roasted vegetables. For this recipe I used roasted pumpkins instead of the canned variety therefore—bisque!
Possible Recipe Substitutions:
Olive Oil: Pumpkin seed oil can be substituted for the olive oil. It will give your soup a darker colour and a deeper flavour.
Shallots: The recipe also calls for 3/4 cups of shallots. If you don;t have them handy (or don't want to pay the crazy price) you can use one of the following substitutions:
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil or pumpkin seed oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup unbleached flour
4 cups vegetable
1/2 cup apple cider
1 (15- or 16-ounce) can pumpkin or 4 cups fresh, cooked pumpkin
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
Topping (optional)
Whipping cream or low fat sour cream
Fresh thyme
Heat oil over and add the shallots, onion, and ginger; cook until tender.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Pour in the broth and cider all at once, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. Cook and stir over until thickened and bubbly.
Mix in the pumpkin, maple syrup, bay leaves, dried thyme, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves. Cool slightly.
Blend the mixture in batches using a blender or food processor.
Once the entire lot is smooth, return it to the saucepan and stir in the cream.
Heat through, but do not boil.
When serving, swirl a little sour cream (or whipping cream) into each bowl and garnish with fresh thyme.
Makes 6 servings
Possible Recipe Substitutions:
Olive Oil: Pumpkin seed oil can be substituted for the olive oil. It will give your soup a darker colour and a deeper flavour.
Shallots: The recipe also calls for 3/4 cups of shallots. If you don;t have them handy (or don't want to pay the crazy price) you can use one of the following substitutions:
- 3/4 cup sweet onion + 2 tablespoons chopped garlic chives
- 1/2 cup regular cooking onions + 1 crushed clove garlic
- 1/2 cup beer
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1 medium apple (juiced)
1 tablespoon olive oil or pumpkin seed oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup unbleached flour
4 cups vegetable
1/2 cup apple cider
1 (15- or 16-ounce) can pumpkin or 4 cups fresh, cooked pumpkin
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
Topping (optional)
Whipping cream or low fat sour cream
Fresh thyme
Heat oil over and add the shallots, onion, and ginger; cook until tender.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Pour in the broth and cider all at once, stirring constantly to avoid lumping. Cook and stir over until thickened and bubbly.
Mix in the pumpkin, maple syrup, bay leaves, dried thyme, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves. Cool slightly.
Blend the mixture in batches using a blender or food processor.
Once the entire lot is smooth, return it to the saucepan and stir in the cream.
Heat through, but do not boil.
When serving, swirl a little sour cream (or whipping cream) into each bowl and garnish with fresh thyme.
Makes 6 servings
Sunday, September 4, 2011
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