Vegan Meals $2 and max. 15 minutes per meal!
Easy, cheap, healthy vegan meals… watch eco-vegan gal and see how it’s done.
What are the 12 Surprising Vegan Foods
… you can buy in supermarkets?
OK, most of the time approx. 85% I buy fresh foods and make my vegan meals at home but there are occasions where I do get tempted to buy cookies. This list is handy to have min mind. From the article:
The basics are a no-brainer when you’re trying to eat a diet free of animal products. But while things like meat, eggs and cheese are easy to avoid, adhering to a vegan diet is far more nuanced than it can seem – especially when processed foods with long ingredients lists and difficult-to-pronounce names can disguise animal products.
For example, white sugar can be filtered with bone char, charred animal bones that can make sugar appear whiter (although this process is reportedly used less and less in food these days). And certain candies, which may seem vegan-friendly, include the ingredient confectioner’s glaze, made from bug secretions.
I totally agree, which is one of the reasons I prepare my own meals.
While PETA supports a strict adherence to veganism, we put the task of vigorously reducing animal suffering ahead of personal purity. Boycotting products that are 99.9 percent vegan sends the message to manufacturers that there is no market for this food, which ends up hurting more animals.
I was surprised to find the Oreo on the Vegan list, yes the ingredients are vegan however palm oil is not environment friendly as rainforests are rapidly giving way to countless rows of neatly planted oil palm trees. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Get the list (but not the Oreo!) at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
How to Make Vegan Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise can add zing to your food. A good vegan and healthy mayonnaise is not always at hand or easy to find. I tried to get one in Tenerife, no luck, only one thing to do: make it myself. I believe I have tried about 15 different recipes, below I share the 3 that turned out to be the best. Even they are healthy they do contain oil, so use the mayonnaise with that in mind.
1. Lemon Tahini Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice equal to 1 average sized lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 6 fresh dates, pitted
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions:
Place all of the ingredients in your blender and blend until creamy and smooth. If you have a high-speed blender one minute should be enough. If not, then maybe 5 minutes.
2. Silken Tofu Vegan Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
- 4 oz soft silken tofu
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup olive oil – or walnut or avocado oil
- Salt, your favorite and your taste
Instructions:
Put tofu, lemon juice and mustard in a blender or use a wand blender for about 30 seconds or until the tofu is smooth.
While blending, slowly add in the oil until dense and the mixture thickens. Add the salt and blend.
Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste
3. Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise
This recipe makes 2 cups or half a litre of mayonnaise. If you’re not likely to use that much within two or three weeks, then make a half batch only.
Ingredients
- 12.3 ounce / 350 g firm silken tofu
- 1/2 cup / 2 ounces /1 dl raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard, any variety
- salt to taste
Instructions:
Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend at highest speed until light and creamy. Add salt to taste and blend again. Seal tightly and keep refrigerated. Stir before each use.
To make this in a food processor or regular blender, soak the cashews for 12 hours and process until smooth.
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The photo is a traditional Danish “smorrebrød/smorgas”, rye bread, potato, mayonnaise and chives.
Photo credit: Cyclone Bill
Why 5 Reasons To Go Vegan is the Secret Ingredient
Are you thinking about changing your diets? Do you see the rise of veganism and do not understand the reasons why some people choose to go vegan? While changing to a different diet could be a personal choice and has no specific reason, here are five top reasons why to switch to veganism.
Animal rights
Many vegans attribute the change in their diet to counteract animal cruelty and as an opposition to killing animals for food. This is becoming more relevant recently as industrialised food production has reduced animals to basic confined objects in very crowded spaces and some harsh and inhumane conditions. There is also the simple reason that animals are living being and should not be exploited and killed for human consumption.
Environmental concerns
Raising cattle and other animals primarily for food production produces a high level of methane gas that has very severe environmental ramifications. In addition to that, raising animals for meat and dairy production requires the clear cut of large areas of land not only to raise the animals but to also to produce their feed. Furthermore, hormones and antibiotics are introduced into animals and therefore into the ecosystem.
Philosophical and ideological concerns
For many the choice to adopt veganism is based on philosophical or ideological reasons associated to a change in lifestyle. For some it is animal right, for other it is to feel at peace with nature and all its inhabitants.
Health concerns
Many people decide to switch to a vegan diet for health reasons. There has been some research to show that vegan diets are linked to better health, lower chance of getting lung and colorectal cancers and even a noticeable reduction in cardiovascular diseases. Plant-based foods also have a higher concentration of vitamins and antioxidants that are essential for a healthy and fresh looking skin. Furthermore, the body requires less energy to digest vegetables and legumes which makes you feel healthier and more energetic.
Cleaner and less processed foods
If you stick to wholesome products and cook for yourself you avoid a lot of chemicals and non-healthy ingredients that are usually added to meats and processed foods. While fertilizers and other chemicals can be used to grow vegetables, they do not get absorbed by your body in the same way and certainly do not accumulate as they would when eaten by animals that are higher on the food chain.
Vegan Health and Fitness for Advanced
There is a common assumption that people who are on a vegan diet don’t get enough nutrients to be professional athletes or have an advanced level of physical activity. This assumption is actually based on the recurrent habit of famous athletes to go on a plant-based diet but switching back to eating meat, which reinforces the message that it is not good for your health.
However, athletes like Brendan Brazier are a living example of how this switch is completely possible to have a high fitness level on a plant-based diet.
Why is it difficult to be a vegan athlete?
The difficulty of this issue lies primarily in switching to a vegan diet. It is difficult especially that most vegetables and legumes generally have higher percentages of carbs and lower percentages of protein and hence the same quantity of food gives the recipient less nutrients and energy. Furthermore, you can be getting lower levels of calcium and sodium that are crucially important for athletes. Those deficiencies are at the root of three major problems.
• Constant feeling of hunger: this is often the result of low protein and dietary fats. Our bodies need essential fats that are usually gained from dairy and other animal product but are more difficult to get from vegetables.
• Muscles cramps: this is usually the result of low calcium and sodium levels, two minerals that vegans tend to have a deficiency in.
• Low energy: this can be due to the lack of iron and other minerals. Hard physical activity depletes iron and can cause anemia.
What should an athlete do to address those problems?
While this can be a challenge, it is certainly a solvable problem despite the need for some persistence.
• Constant feeling of hunger: make sure to eat protein at every meal and for snacks. Other important ingredients include nuts and seeds oil that can help get all the essential oils and fats that the body needs.
• Muscle cramps: start adding salt to one or two meals each day to compensate for the loss of sodium and as for calcium it is important that you start eating almonds, bananas and green vegetables on almost every meal to compensate for the loss. Try supplements if you need to.
• Low energy: can be fought by eating beans, nuts and dried fruits that are high in iron. It is also a good practice to regularly your iron levels.