Week 1 is done!

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Kate

I’ve successfully made it a whole week without intentionally falling off the dairy-free wagon and into a plate of cheese! Although, as discussed earlier in the week I did have some label reading issues that led to some unplanned dairy ingestion. I feel pretty good about the week, all things considered, as I learned a valuable lesson about checking the ingredients of something before I eat it. This is actually something I’ve known for a long time and it is good to get this refresher course in label reading. Over the years I’ve done a number of different diets and/or “life style” changes with regard to food and I’ve found that the ones that have worked best for me have involved really knowing what I eat and not just eating food because it is diet or its box is the right color or because the number of points it is worth is already labeled on the package. I think it is pretty clear that a lot of stuff can get snuck into a processed food product (to make it taste better or make it cheaper or make it look right or make it keep longer) And, while I get it, I like my food to taste good, I like it to be inexpensive, I like it to look nice, and I like to to stay fresh until I can eat it, that doesn’t mean I actually want to be eating all of these things that end up in processed food.

Anyway, one of the things that The Skinny Bitches recommend is that you keep track of what you eat while you’re making these dietary changes and how you feel an hour later, 2 hours later, etc. And, so I’ve been making notes to myself. I am going to share some of them with you now.

Sunday-enjoyed the quiche today. this might not be too bad.

Wednesday-after lunch: danced in the German office. Grumpington wanted to know if I was drunk. told him I was just happy about my carrot quiche. (And, no, I’m not drunk.)

Thursday-after lunch: At laundromat. clothes almost dry. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to claw anyone’s face off.

Friday-after lunch: only ate half of my lunch in favor of handfuls of jelly beans. want to take a nap now.

So, the basic trend that I’ve been noticing is that I feel more even and I feel more energetic. I don’t feel like I’m on some crazy energy/emotion roller coaster all the time. Now, I don’t know if this is the lack of animal products in my diet (I did eat egg and a burger this week, so its not a complete lack of animal), the fact that I’ve been paying attention to what I’m eating and so eating on time (this fact is helped by actually planning out my meals and snacks for the week and sticking to the plan), the fact that it has been super sunny this week, even if it was a little chilly, the fact that I turned in a draft of my QP to my second reader or a combination of all of these things, but I feel great. Amazing, actually. My mind feels quite clear, I’ve been able to focus and get things done. I really hope this is a side effect of the life-style change and that I find more of this going forward. Because of this is what it is like to cut animal products out of my diet, I can see myself really committing to the cause.

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Pasg Hapus!

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Kate

Easter Eggs

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Farmer’s Pie*

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Kate

So, I know how farmer’s pie (formerly Shepherd’s Pie) got on the menu-it got on the menu because I was just looking for tasty dairy-free foods and I wasn’t thinking of cooking time or how come recipes require a ton of prep. Like this recipe, for example. It is definitely not a weekday recipe. Note to future self.

This recipe includes 3/4 cup of homemade kale pesto and half a recipe of fu-tagge cheese, which is the (also homemade) dairy-free knock off of cottage cheese. Neither of these things were difficult to make. The pesto required chopping and food processing and the fu-tagge cheese just required pressing, crumbling and mixing with a dressing. But, these things had to be done before the main pie preparation could begin.

This recipe also required making mashed potatoes and a lentil and vegetable mixture. None of these were difficult, but they can all be a little time-consuming, even when you cut corners to save time. From beginning to end (and including puttering around time) the whole process took around 2 hours. This is why it is not a weekday recipe.

So, here’s the process: You chop up some clean spuds and boil them.

The spuds, when they’re done, get mashed and mixed with margarine, almond milk, pesto and chopped walnuts. These themselves would make a lovely side dish. They were tasty but they were also very pretty.

While all this mixing is taking place, a cup of lentils (the recipe said red lentils, but I’m still working through my five pounds of exciting halloween lentils that I bought when they were on sale at Diwali, so guess which ones I used) should be cooking on the stove. After this, zucchini, onions, tomatoes and garlic get sauteed in olive oil. I didn’t think the fresh tomatoes looked that great, so I used canned tomatoes and didn’t add them until the zucchini, onions and garlic cooked a little. When that was done, I mixed the lentils into the vegetables along with some tomato paste and the fu-tagge cheese. This then become the bottom layer of the pie, the replacement layer for the lamb with pies and carrots in gravy. I topped it with the mashed potatoes and all of this went into the oven for 35 minutes.

The farmer’s pie was pretty good. It was super filling, and that is very important. I thought it might taste a little weird because I bought the margarine made with coconut oil, but it wasn’t noticeable. (Or, it at least wasn’t distracting.) The recipe served four which meant that I got a huge bowl and that I always find pleasing. Few things are worse than recipes you slave over and then get a portion that could fit into a thimble. I can definitely see making this recipe again, but never on a weekday unless I decide it up into stages. (Make pesto and cottage cheese quick in the morning (and use the some of the extra pesto on an egg for breakfast!), make the potatoes after dinner and put them in the fridge and then make the lentils and assemble the pie the next day for dinner.) Additionally, this recipe got better with age. I finished the last of it for breakfast this morning and even then I was thinking, “Geezy-pants, this is amazing.”


On a final note, this recipe only used part of the pesto recipe and half of the fu-tagge cheese recipe. So, expect to see it again my version of Chow Vegan’s lasagna cupcakes.


*My friend K pointed out yesterday that perhaps it is a little disingenuous to call vegan shepherd’s pie shepherd’s pie as the distinctive feature of a non-vegan shepherd’s pie is lamb and no lambs were harmed in the making of my pie. We settled on calling it Farmer’s pie.

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Not Quite What I was Planning

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Kate

Thursday morning I got up and made shepherd’s Pie. I know what you are thinking, Shepherd’s Pie isn’t breakfast food. And, you’re right. I had intended in my grand plan to make it for dinner on Tuesday. But, then I had dinner with some friends on Tuesday (I had a glorious dairy-free burger from a local place that I believe I’ve read gets local meat. I don’t want to disabused of this notion, so I won’t tell you where we ate so you can google it and prove me wrong. Not that you’d do that.) Tuesday after dinner I thought, “I should probably make that now and just have it ready.” But, I read instead like any good grad student would do. So, Wednesday evening I planned to make the shepherd’s pie. That is, until I was on campus until almost 7 and then I had to run errands. My errands took me past Wal-Mart where I was standing next to a box of delicious-looking glazed Krispy Kreme donuts while I was waiting for the cashier and the person in front of me in line to finish discussing the various ways the person in front of me could pay for their items.

I thought, what the hell. It is almost 7:30, I’ve not eaten since 2. I’ve got two more stops to make before I get home and get cooking, so I might as well. And, as I bit into my second donut (What can I say, I’m a glutton), I remembered that Vegan Dad had a post a while back about making his own donuts. A little crest-fallen, I filled over the box and looked at the ingredients and sure enough, there is powdered milk in Krispy Kreme donuts. I finished my errands, feeling a little bad but happy that I’ve learned (or re-learned) this lesson about always packing an extra snack so you don’t get caught out and hungry.

When I got home, at first I couldn’t find the recipe for the Shepherd’s Pie. As it turns out, it isn’t in the index of the book. I did find it and I read through it and I thought, “Oh, that’s just too many steps for after 8 pm.” So, I decided I would have tater tots and a veggie burger. As I pulled the box of veggie burgers from the freezer I thought, “I bought these before the idea of dairy-free month happened. How much you want to bet that they aren’t dairy-free?” Sure enough, the Morning Star Farms veggie patties I keep on-hand in case of emergencies aren’t one of the ones that have cheese in the name but they do have dairy in them just the same. So, it looks like I learned (or re-learned) a second lesson: Always read the label. I will hang on the veggie burgers until May, but this is the last time I’ll probably get that kind.

So, for dinner I ended up starting some of the prep for the Shepherd’s Pie. It is a fancy recipe that has pesto in the potatoes. I made the pesto, but what I needed for the pie aside and then I used the rest to top the tater tots that I did toss into the oven.

Tater Tots and Kale Pesto from 500 Vegan Recipes

The pesto is delicious and I will post about (the rest of) the Shepherd’s Pie ordeal tomorrow. But, on day four I of this whole experiment I have to say that I have a new found respect for people who are allergic to foods that are more commonly used that the foods I’m allergic to. I’m trying to not eat dairy for health and ethical reasons; it isn’t that my body can’t or won’t process dairy. I would be in so much pain all the time based on my cavalier label-reading. This, I imagine, is something that I’ll get better at over time. It just amazes me the places where you wouldn’t expect animal products to be and bam! There they are.

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You’ve got to have dessert

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Kate

If you are going to give up something(or change something up), you have to make sure you treat yourself. Those are just the rules (that I just made up. Right now.) While I was planning my first week of dairy-free living, I flipped to the cakes and cookies section of 500 Vegan Recipes. Chocolate cake sounded good. So, I added the ingredients to the recipe for the vegan chocolate cake. It is a pretty easy recipe. You mix some flour, cocoa powder, vanilla and chocolate extract and some powder sugar with a little soy yogurt, some oil, and some baking powder. Done and done. Well, except that soy yogurt apparently didn’t make it onto the list. A bit of a bummer. So, I had to improvise. With almond milk. Like a boss. And, while I was changing things up (and because I couldn’t find any chocolate extract) I added a little bit of almond extract. Who doesn’t love almonds?

The recipe called for a cup of soy yogurt, so I subbed in 3/4 of a cup of almond milk. And, then I added a little time to the clock because soy yogurt is thicker and maybe a little less wet than almond milk. At least, that’s is my theory. So, these are the ingredients in the cake.

I have to say, that so far I’ve enjoyed all of my forays into vegan baking. I’ve made some yummy cakes and some great muffins. Things have gone well. And, the best part of vegan baking: you can lick the bowl without worry. And, like non-vegan baking: It smells so good in the oven.

And, the taste. For not remembering the yogurt or finding the chocolate extract. It was just so darn cook. Moist. Cakey. And, super chocolatey. I can see myself making this again. I could see myself doing it right. And, I can see myself frosting it with some orange frosting. That would be so amazing.

This piece of cake is missing a bite because it is in my mouth.

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Step 2 no a no-cheese lifestyle: Cheese-less carrot-ricotta quiche

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Kate

This month’s Vegetarian Times had a series of tasty phyllo dough recipes in it and I happen to have 2 eggs, a bunch of carrots and some phyllo dough. And, now I even have tasty vegan ricotta.

So, I followed their recipe and made myself some quiche. The only subbing I did was the vegan ricotta for low-fat ricotta. I know, unusual for me that I only made one change. The recipe starts out with five pieces of phyllo dough, sprayed with cooking spray and put into your pie pan.

Then, you mix up the ingredients: grated carrots, shallots, parsley, ricotta, eggs and nutritional yeast.


I tossed this into the oven and let it cook for half an hour.

It didn’t melt together as much as it probably would have with cow’s cheese, but it still looked pretty good. And, it is also super delicious. This is supposed to last me for a few days, but I may eat through it faster than planned.

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Step 1 to a no-cheese lifestyle: Make vegan ricotta cheese

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Kate

We got our last winter share delivery this week, so my kitchen is full of potatoes, carrots, turnips and arugula! The last share of the winter is always the best because of the greenhouse greens. It is a reminder what is to come in the summer. Fresh greens are the best. But, this post isn’t about Fresh greens or how awesome it is to have a CSA share. It is about cheese substitute.

So, in addition to the last of the CSA, I also got this month’s Vegetarian Times which had a ton of exciting phyllo dough recipes in it, including a carrot and ricotta quiche. I have fresh carrots and do doesn’t love quiche? Seriously. But, I obviously couldn’t just make it according to the recipe because of the cheese. I texted a couple of vegan friends and asked if I could use tofu instead of ricotta. They suggested that I take a look for recipes for making my own vegan ricotta. (Or, I could just use the tofu.) I looked through my two vegan cookbooks and found a recipe in 500 Vegan Recipes.

an

It is a really easy recipe. It is just crumbled tofu, ground cashews, nutritional yeast, basil, salt and pepper. I left out the basil, but followed the recipe. I started by pressing the liquid out of the tofu, with a jar full of millet.

Then, I crumbled it up.

Finally, I mixed in the cashews and nutritional yeast.

Perfect. It is crumbly. It is salty. It is delicious.

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Step 0: Got to be prepared.

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Kate

That no cheese post. It totally wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. You thought it was, didn’t you?

So, the first step in forming new habits, I’ve found, is to plan. If you want to get up every morning at a certain time, you have to plan for your own inertia. Maybe set a second alarm clock that is not in your bedroom or get someone throw water in your snoozing face.

My plan involves making a plan. I’ve got meals planned out for the entire week (including snacks but excluding meals I’ve apparently said I’d eat with other people. That sentence sounds like I’m complaining about it. I’m not. I love eating out with other people. I’m going to take my friend Steph to my new favorite restaurant near my house. It’s Jamaican!) In preparation for my week, I spent most of Sunday cooking. I made tofu ricotta. I made quiche with my tofu ricotta. I made snacks. And, then I made cake. You have got to have cake. I made dinner (with enough leftovers for tonight’s dinner. Although, tonight I’m going to eat them with tater tots.) And, finally, I made overnight oats.

Some of these things I will be posting about this week. And, there will be uncharacteristically chatty posts about life without dairy.

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No Cheese (and Dairy).

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Kate

If you’ve been following along at home, you know that I’ve been making a concerted effort since the summer to be more vegetarian and to eat less meat. Well, this month I’ve decided to take an additional step and to cut dairy out of the regular rotation. So, for the month of April I’m going dairy-free.

I know what you are thinking. Why would you want to do that? I know, man. I know. I love cheese. I love it in sandwiches, like the classic, the grilled cheese. I love it on pasta, like in Mac and cheese. I love it on nachos. I love it on crackers. I can eat whole blocks of it by myself. And, that is kind of the problem. I eat cheese to celebrate. I eat cheese to console myself. I put it on other things to zing up the flavor. I think when you eat a food that is calorically dense, that requires the possibly inhumane treatment of another animal, and that has been linked to various health problems that you should really, really want it and that you probably shouldn’t just use it to zip things up. And, obviously by ‘impersonal you’ in the previous sentence, I mean me.

I don’t want to be preachy, and it is not as if I’ll never eat cheese again. It is just more that I’d like to eat less of it. I’d like to really savor it when I do have it. I’d like to have other go-to foods that are less problematic from an ethical and health standpoint so that when I do eat cheese I can make a solid, reasoned, and well-informed decision to do so. And, in order to facilitate getting dairy-free foods into the rotation I’m going for a month with nothing but dairy-free foods. So, hang out to your hats, kiddos. It is going to be a month of dairy-free foodie goodness.

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What My Life is Like

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Kate

Cooper: Purr.
Me: I have to put on a sweater.
Cooper: Purr.
Me: I’m going to get up and put on a sweater. Don’t steal my seat.
Cooper: Purr.
I walk into the other room and put on a sweater.
Cooper: Purr.
Me: Geez, Louise. What did I tell you about not stealing my seat!

Cooper, in my seat

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