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Showing posts from January, 2011

Activia Yogurt: Vegetarians Beware!

i've recently discovered that activia brand yogurt is not vegetarian. it contains gelatin. ew. and apparently, it also tastes bad on top of that. or so i'm told. i hate yogurt. but i've read the ingredients and have heard flavor testimonials from actual yogurt lovers. really... how hard is it to make vegetarian yogurt. it's like they're trying to sneak dead animals into your food. and by the way, just so you know, people at dannon and miss jamie lee curtis... bifidus regularis - it sounds like something from a wile e. coyote cartoon.

Easy One Pan Pasta Primaversa (Vegan)

Have you ever tried cooking your pasta in a really big frying pan? It's easy. It works. And it makes sauteing the pasta and veg in some oil really simple. Ingredients 1/2 16 ounce box pasta 5 cloves garlic minced 1/2 medium yellow onion sliced 1/3 cup frozzen green peas 1/2 cup frozen multi color bell peppers 1/2 cup frozen broccoli 2-4 tbls oilive oil 1 tsp margarine salt, pepper, garlic poweder and rosemary fill a really big, high sides skillet about 1/3 full with water. cover and set on high heat to bring to a boil. when nearly boiling add 1 tsp salt and your pasta. bring back to a boil and cook pasta uncovered according to package directions. adding more water during cooking if neccesary. 1/3 pan full of water is for 7 minute pasta. adjust quantity of water for longer cooking times. when done remove pasta from pan and store in heat safe container. Use a container which is big enough to hold your completed dish. Add hot pan back to hot burner. Add onions. Co

Easy Peasy Vegetarian

What I don't understand is how people think it's hard to be vegetarian. It's so fucking easy. Too easy almost. Cheese and milk make it a snap. Meat is disgusting anyway. Filled with bacteria and parasites. I was vegan for a while. Now, that was hard. There's nothing left to eat. Simple things like bread and rice mixes are bad. And while I aspire to vegan, it can be quite difficult. I guess it really depends on 'how' vegan you want to be. You can ignore the whey in most magarines and breads. Chalk it up to inevitability. All I'm really trying to say is vegetarian is easy. So quit whining about it and do it. There's still pizza and grilled cheese and chocolate milk. There are fake burgers and fake buffalo wings. What else do you need. Meat eaters are either just lazy, stupid or gullible. Because meat makes you sick and fat and unhealthy. The meat industry and the government they own wants you to believe you need it, but they are liars.

Progresso Vegetarian Soups

How long has progresso been labelling their vegetable soups as either vegetarian or non-vegetarian? Cuz I could swear that maybe 6 months ago they put no such warnings at the top of the ingredient list. But I'm not all that observant. Still it's certainly nice that they do, whenever it started. It's strange that vegetable soup isn't always vegetarian. It's a confusing and quirky world in which we live. One cannot assume because it says veg on the front that's it's truly veg inside. Most prepackaged rice mixes aren't either. There's lotsa stuff you can casually grab in the supermarket thinking it's animal-free when infact, it's anything but. To truly avoid animal products one must vigilantly read ingredients lists. A daunting task at times, considering how lengthy some can be. But here is a little help. Some items I've found that are safe. Campbell's Select Southwestern Style Vegetable Soup (vegan). Progresso Garden Vegetable, n

Kraft Uses Kids Stomachs to make their Macaroni and Cheese

It's true. They told me so themselves in an email reply to my query about the enzymes in their various cheese products. Kids of course, not being human children, but rather baby goats. Hmmm... that makes it so much better. It also can contain calf and lamb stomach enzymes. On the plus side, their 'natural' Swiss and grated Parmesan is animal free. as are their various styles of Philadelphia cream cheese. those are the only cheese they would vouch for as being veg. They say most are, but how to know which? they vaguely hinted that most soft cheeses are safe, but weren't specific on which styles. soft cheese? ricotta maybe. i dunno. i believe most ricotta's are okay, but you never know for certain. Kraft Cheddars and Romano they also specify definitely contain animal byproducts. Personally I'd steer clear of anything they didn't specifically mention as animal free. Which is natural Swiss, grated Parmesan and cream cheese. Their official email reply follows. I

Diavolo Lentils and Barley - Vegan

This is an easy to prepare dish that has a lot of flavor in it. If you like diavolo sauce this will really hit the spot. For those not in the know, diavolo sauce is hot Italian tomato sauce. It's sorta like buffalo sauce of chili, but with an Italian flair. I had my first taste of it from Francesco rinaldi tomato sauce in the jar. I really like it. I've had it in a few restaurants too. And I believe this recipe is comparable to anything your standard eatery can dish out. Sans the animals of course. Ingredients 1/3 cup dry barely 1/3 cup dry lentils 2 tsps louisinana hot sauce 1 can vegetable broth 1 tsp olive oil 1/4 cup frozen tri-color bell peppers 6 cloves garlic minced 1/4 cup diced onion (red or yellow) 1/3 cup frozen spinach 1 can plain diced tomatoes 2 tsps spicy mustard 2 tsps white vinegar paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and ground black pepper nutritional yeast It probably sounds like a lot of ingredients, but the cooking process

Redefining the Modern Day Vegetarian

Vegetarian and vegan are very strict terms. vegetarians eat no living things. Vegan consume no animal products at all where feasible possible. I'm not one for labels. Or groups. I applaud vegans for their dedication to avoiding using animals. And respect vegetarians for trying to decrease killing. I take issue, however, with the egg thing. Eggs are technically vegetarian. Nothing has died. Hens lay unfertilized eggs. No harm done. Except most egg laying hens are tortured. They are literally treated like egg laying machines. Kept in dark, confined hen houses. If cruelty is what you hope to avoid, eating eggs is not accomplishing that. Certain sea life on the other hand is less cruel in my opinion. Wild caught fish for instance. They led a natural life up until the day they died. Bivalves like scallops, mussels and clams. Have no brain. They can't be tortured. They cannot think or feel. Shrimp, pretty low on the life-form hierarchy. Akin to eating an ant. Personally, I'd rath

Rebellion

you know what i find really sad. the fact that most people are more concerned with which celebrtiy married who and what others broke up than they are with the fact that animal byproducts are hidden in supposedly vegetarian foods. lots of people in the world are opposed to eating veal and for good reason. yet most of these people consume cheeses, completely unaware that the enzymes to produce them come from calf (veal) stomach. a simple, wholesome thing, such as kraft macaroni and cheese can contain goat and calf stomach enzymes. and all over the world their are vegetarians eating it, thinking it's harmless. why do food labels not list such things? where is the FDA to protect vegetarians and vegans from eating animal ingredient sources? do we not have the same rights to know as meat eaters? are our food requirements less worthy somehow? america and lots of other countries too, their economies run on meat and meat byproducts. milks. eggs. cheese. what would happen to the world if sud

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

This very simple and easy recipe uses pouch mashes taters to quickly cook a satisfying and complete meal. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, yet is extremely nourishing. Ingredients 1 pouch Idahoan garlic masheed potatoes 1/4 cup frozen mustard greens or spinach 1/2 cup canned black beans rinsed 1/3 can of white shoepeg corn (about 1/4 cup) 1/4 cup frozen baby carrots 4 cloves fresh garlic largely diced (optional) 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast Set two cups water to boil in a medium to large pot as per mashed potato package directions. Adding greens or spinach and carrots to the water. When pot begins to make sounds, but isn't yet at a boil at garlic, beans and corn. Wait for pot to come to a boil. Turn off heat. Add potato packet. Stir until thoroughly combined. Remove to cool burner and continue to stir until completely thickened. Sprinkle hot individual servings with yeast and stir to combine. Super filling and very tasty. Packed with nutrients.

More Vegetarian Cheeses

Domino's Pizza claims their standard pizza mozzarella is vegetarian. They make no such claims for other cheesea they may use. Borden company told me they use microbial enzymes exclusively. So all their cheese should be veggie. More vegetarian cheese info here.

Chain Veggie Burgers Taste Test

I've sampled the veggie burgers at three different major chain restaurants and have decided which are the best. Hoolihan's A big, gooey, sloopy burger. Full of giant peas and other veg. Tasted delicious. Fell apart all over the plate. But fabulous flavors and textures. Especially good with cheddar cheese. But beware, this veggie burger comes standard with a pile of cheese and bbq sauce. Provolone cheese is one of the default add ons. To make it truly veg be sure to eschew the provolone. Provolone is rarely, if ever, vegetarian. BBQ sauce, that's a personal preference, but this big soft veggie burger didn't need any additional flavor. I loved it just the way it was. Cheeburger Also a tasty veggie burger. The best part about cheeburger is you can decorate yours with any of a huge array of toppings for no additional charge. The roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts are really good on their veggie burger. Pickles and garlic are pretty tasty as well. But let your im