Almond Milk: My Favorite Milk Alternative

Before I started my vegan/vegetarian diet last year, I had actually been making some changes to my milk and dairy intake over the past few years. After watching some disturbing documentaries on dairy and doing some research on rBST, I decided to switch to organic milk. Even then I was disturbed at what I was consuming, so I began to cut down my milk intake to almost zero.

However I am a big fan of types of foods that traditionally used milk. For example, I absolutely love starting my day with a big bowl of healthy cereal, or some oatmeal with milk. So I had to find some sort of an alternative to replace milk. The most obvious and most common choice was soy milk. So I began buying soy milk as my milk alternative. Soy milk fans out there may hate me for saying this, but I really did not like the taste of soy milk, nor did I like the chalky afterfeel. It is okay in a coffee, but drinking it straight or using it in cereal just did not work for me. I tried a number of brands and some tasted better than others. However I could never find myself enjoying it and wanted to find something new.

That is when I found almond milk and immediately I fell in love! I started by trying the original Almond Breeze by Blue Diamond. Immediately I noticed a significantly better taste and a smooth, creamy feel. I used in on my cereal, I used it in my oatmeal, I used it in my coffee... heck, I even drank it straight! That is how good it is. It is also very health with only 60 calories per 8oz, only 2.5 grams of fat (all unsaturated) and a nice mix of vitamins and minerals. I finally found a milk alternative I enjoy!

I have since tried a number of the different flavors. They have an unsweetened version of the original that only has 40 calories and less carbs and sugar. It tastes pretty good, but I prefer the sweetened and accept the extra 20 calories. They also have a vanilla and a chocolate almond milk, both sweetened and unsweetened. They are awesome as a treat by themselves and are also a great creamer alternative for coffee. If you are a fan of chocolate milk and want to get away from dairy, then try the chocolate almond milk from Blue Diamond. It is awesome!

So if you have not yet given it is a try, go find some almond milk and see what you think. I have been using it for about 2 years now and do not think I will ever give it up!

Textured Vegetable Protein TVP

There are a lot of options when it comes to meat substitutes. I am a big fan of tofu, enjoy seitan and am learning to like tempeh. Since I am trying to stay as close to 100% vegan as possible, I am always looking for new options for meat substitutes. I just added a new one to my list, textured vegetable protein, or TVP.

Textured vegetable protein is a meat substitute made from defatted soy flour, a by product of making soybean oil. TVP is typically found in dehydrated form, usually in dry flakes. It can be found in whole foods and health food stores, often in bulk sections. It is high in protein and fiber and low in fat and sodium. TVP is fairly inexpensive and is usually between $1 and $2 per pound in dried form. It has a very long shelf life of about one year while in dried form.

Textured vegetable protein is extremely versatile and can be used in a number of different foods. It is often substituted where ground beef or other ground meat is used, as it has a similar texture as ground meat. It works wonderfully in vegetarian chili, lasagna, spaghetti, tacos, burgers, burritos... or any other recipe where ground meat would be used.

I tried out TVP for the first time last week in a quick taco recipe. I sauteed some onions and bell peppers in one pan while I was heating a cup of water in a larger, separate pan. Once the water was hot, I mixed in one cup of TVP and let it hydrate for about 3 minutes. I then mixed in a can of diced tomatoes to the TVP and let them heat up for a minute or so. I added the onions and bell peppers, along with a packet of taco seasoning and some hot sauce. I let it all cook together for a few more minutes and the taco filling was ready to go. I served them in some whole wheat taco sized tortillas with some shredded lettuce and some fresh diced Roma tomatoes. The whole process took a little more than 10 minutes and created an excellent dinner! The TVP really did remind me of the texture of ground meat and it absorbed the flavors of the dish very well. I am impressed with TVP so far and will be trying it out in some new dishes soon.

Review of Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

I am new to the world of vegetarians and vegans. A few years ago I started making minor changes to my diet based on things I had seen and read. My first was a move to milk that did not contain rbST. I went with organic milk for a while, but continued to be bothered by what I might be consuming in milk and dairy products. Then the concern moved to the actual meat I was eating. Next thing you know I was having almond milk with my cereal and eating tofu a few times a week. About a year ago I switched to a vegetarian diet and avoided almost all dairy products. For the past 6 or so months I have been right on the edge of veganism, though I stumble every once in a long while. So while the most strict vegans might kick me out of their club, I think I could make it into most vegan social groups!

I really like to cook and was not having too much trouble finding a wide variety of vegan dishes to cook. So I did not really plan on getting a vegan cookbook. However for Christmas my brother surprised me with Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I immediately flipped it open and started scanning the book and found it to be filled with humor and sarcasm (I am a BIG fan of well done sarcasm). So I was pleased right off of the bat.

Once I got settled in after the holidays, I sat down and ready through much of Veganomicon and browsed through the recipes. I was immediately impressed with the depth and breadth of the cookbook. There were hundreds of recipes and I wanted to immediately get up and cook dozens of them immediately! I actually had to take out a pad of paper and write out a huge list of supplies I would need from the grocery store to prepare for this vegan undertaking. I am fairly well stocked in my kitchen, but the ingredients included in the recipes blew away what I had in the cupboard. There were even a number of things I had never heard of and had to look up online to see what they were talking about. Seitan? Apparently I ate it quite often, but never knew it had a name! Tempeh? What the heck was THAT?!

Now that I have tried about a dozen of the recipes, I must say that I have been very pleased with the vegan dishes that I have turned out of my kitchen. I actually made seitan in my kitchen and it turned out awesome! I had quinoa for the first time in a wonderful dish with cashews and pineapple. I also used it in a simple yet tasty chickpea-quinoa pilaf. I had a cheezy sauce based on nutritional yeast that surprised me (in a good way). I made enchiladas using a tofu based sour cream that were excellent. And I have not even begun to scratch at the surface of what is in this book. So while I do not have much to compare it to, I can say that I am impressed and would highly recommend it. Want more proof? Here is what Publishers Weekly had to say about Veganomicon:

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. While most vegan cookbooks are anemic, underfed volumes-some no-brainer pasta recipes, a few things to do with tofu, maybe some oddball desserts-this slam-bang effort from vegan chefs Moskowitz and Romero (Vegan with a Vengeance) is thorough and robust, making admirable use of every fruit and vegetable under the sun, without once asking readers to make do with fake meat products and egg replacements. Instead, the eccentric authors offer dozens of novel, delicious ways to get excited about eating meat-, dairy- and egg-free. Take Southwestern Corn Pudding, a winning casserole rich with coconut milk and an unexpected dash of maple syrup-a likely MVP at your next Thanksgiving (whether it's centered around turkey or tofu). Almost as addictive are Rustic White Beans and Mushrooms, which get their bite from fresh herbs, and Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions and Spiced Pita Crisps, a transcendent Middle Eastern comfort food. Vegan breakfasts get overdue attention: sitting in front of a hot stack of velvety Blueberry Corn Pancakes and hearty Blue Flannel Hash, who's going to miss the bacon? Best of all is the wide selection of terrific desserts: everything from Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies to decadent Caramel-Apple-Spice Cupcakes boldly fill the space where most eggless, milkless and butterless cookbooks fear to tread.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See, it looks like they agree with me. Check out Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for yourself and see what you think.

-BeeHawk-

Can a Vegan or Vegetarian Diet Save the Planet?

One of the most dramatic changes that humans can make to lower their personal carbon footprint is to change their diet to minimize the consumption of meat, dairy and other animal products. While cutting down on meat and animal products is a good start, the real solution is a vegetarian or vegan diet. Eliminating or greatly reducing meat and dairy can help to reduce water use, reduce carbon and methane emissions and pollutants in the environment, and can also provide for a healthier diet. Reducing meat and dairy can also save you money!

So what are the issues with consumption of meat, dairy and other animal products? Well, we all hear about CO2 emissions and usually think of vehicles, coal plants and other emitters as the largest contributors to global warming. With meat and dairy, there is a lot of CO2 produced by the transport, the processing and/or cooking, the refrigeration and so on. This is not minor by any means, but equally as important (if not more so) is the methane gas that animal agriculture produces. Methane is 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2 and methane concentrations have more than doubled in the atmosphere since pre-industrial times. This is a faster rate of increase than CO2, though CO2 gets most of the press. In fact, it is estimated that nearly one half of all human induced global warming comes from methane gas. While methane is produced by multiple human sources, the single largest is animal agriculture. Most comes from the digestive processes of livestock, with most of the remaining emissions coming from man-made lagoons of animal wastes (yuck).

To further compound the problem, human consumption of meat has increased by as much a five-fold over the past 50 years and is expected to increase into the future. In order to produce this massive increase in meat, huge areas of rainforest are being cleared for use as pasture land. So not only do we add more farm animals, we also remove trees that can help to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

In addition, the use of water and the pollution of water sources is greatly increased with the consumption of meat and dairy. Water is needed for production of feed for animals, plus water is consumed and used in the raising of animals. Animal wastes also pollute water sources, creating water issues all around animal agriculture areas.

So with all of the negative impacts of meat consumption, what can be done to start solving the problem? Switching to a full vegan diet or vegetarian diet is the best option and it what I recommend. However I do realize that not all people are going to follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diets. So for those who do not plan to give up meat entirely, know that simply reducing the amount of meat and dairy consumed can have a dramatic impact on our planet. Try some alternatives to meat and dairy such as a veggie burger instead of a hamburger. Experiment with tofu, or try veggie "chicken" and veggie "beef". Switch from milk to soymilk, or my favorite almond milk. Switch out meat in dishes where you can use fresh veggies instead. Or maybe even cut down portion sizes when you do eat meat. Do you really need a 16oz steak, when a smaller 6oz steak with some extra veggies might do the trick?

Meat eaters may be surprised at how good many of the vegetarian alternatives are. Many people think they will be bland and tasteless, and instead find that they are full of fresh flavors that you cannot get in meat. Vegetarian food is also typically healthier and less expensive that the animal based alternatives. So give it a try and you might find you like the change.

For more information on reduction of greenhouse gasses and global warming by lowering consumption of meat and dairy products, see the Earth Save International website.

-BeeHawk-