Category: Calcium Sources

Posted on

The Mighty Power of Sea Vegetables! (omega-3’s)

IMG_21561

All too often, when many of us decide to widen our circle of compassion to other animals, fish seem to get excluded from that circle. In my journey going vegan, fish were the last animals I stopped eating. Perhaps this is because fish aren’t enough “like us” or they aren’t “cute” or they don’t make sounds when they are in pain. I also believed, as many do, that eating fish was healthy, even necessary. This, however, could not be more wrong. Fish are NOT a health food.

How could fish possibly be healthy when they are so heavily laden with toxic chemicals that pregnant woman are advised to avoid consuming them? In addition, like all animal products, fish are high in cholesterol. Per gram, fish has comparable cholesterol levels to beef, chicken, and pork. And per calorie, fish has even higher cholesterol levels. As Dr. John McDougall describes, “feeding fish to people instead of beef, pork, or chicken, causes predictable increases in their blood cholesterol levels that are virtually the same.”

As an animal protein, the protein from fish are highly acidic in nature, making it terrible for the bones. When we consume highly acidic protein (which all animal proteins are) the body must take measures to balance out the blood and make it more alkaline. To do so, the body pulls calcium, the mineral in our body that is most alkaline, from the bones. Over time, the bones weaken as a result of this survival mechanism.

Some may now be thinking, “Well, what about omega-3 fatty acids? Don’t we need to consume fish to get those?” Absolutely not! The omega-3 fats in fish are derived from the algae or the algae-eating creatures they consume. That’s right, they get them from plants! Plus, the majority of fish consumed in the US are farmed (90 percent of all salmon!) and fed a diet of cheap fish meal which is devoid of those omega-3’s but high in antibiotics and pesticides. So there is no reason to eat fish to get the good stuff! We can go straight to the source ourselves–by eating sea vegetables!

Sea vegetables are among the most nutritionally dense foods in the world. They contain 10 times the calcium of cow’s milk and several times more iron than red meat. Sea veggies are also very high in protein and a rich source of vitamins (especially A, B, C, E, B12) and minerals (potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iodine). They also have some unusual and spectacular phytonutrients, including sulfated polysaccharides that bring along with them anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and cardiovascular benefits.

This seaweed stir-fry has become a staple in our kitchen. It’s really quick to prepare and it’s so, so tasty.

IMG_2180
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced and peeled ginger
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup thinly sliced kombu, soaked in water for 15 minutes
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 cups soaked and thinly sliced sea greens like arame, hijiki dulse, wakame, and alaria
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tamari
1 cup cooked brown rice (optional)
Instructions:
1. Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions. Cook, stirring for about 15 seconds, then add the kombu, celery, chili flakes and sea greens. Then add the water and soy sauce, and turn the heat to high.
3. Cook, stirring constantly until the sea vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.
4. Serve over brown rice or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a day. Enjoy!
Sources: Dr. McDougall’s “Fish is Not Health Food“; WHFoods: Sea Vegetables; Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau; How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
Posted on

Tempeh “Bacon”

Tempeh-Bacon-Spinach-Salad-21

My husband Robert is the sweetest and most humble person I know, but he is a huge bacon snob! He grew up in the South and ate a lot of bacon for breakfast so he holds extremely high standards. I, however, raised a lowly Jew, have standards that are basically nonexistent. So the first time I made tempeh bacon was not a positive experience. Let’s just say it ended with me in tears. However, I bravely made a second attempt, and after the longest pause in history, Robert declared with a mouthful “that’s damn good.” And guess what? Tempeh bacon will not cause you or any pigs to die! Damn good, indeed.

Ingredients:
Tempeh
Canola Oil
Tamari
Liquid Smoke
Maple Syrup

Instructions:

In the photo above, I followed the tempeh bacon recipe in the video and then used the remaining marinade to saute some cremini mushrooms. Mushrooms are great because, like tempeh, they provide a chewy texture we mistakenly think can only be found in meat. I then served the tempeh bacon and the sauteed mushrooms over a bed of baby spinach, and voila! The result is a wonderful warm salad that is as gorgeous as it is delicious.

Posted on

“Not Out to Lunch” Tempeh Sandwich

IMG_2203

Robert has been eating a variation of this sandwich everyday for the past few weeks and loves it. It is so much cheaper than buying lunch out–even from the cheapest fast food place. It just takes two minutes to make and pack up in the morning–less than it takes to go through a drive-thru. And what could you possibly want from a drive-thru anyway? Some diabetes? A little bit of heart disease? Come on now! That’s just silly. So pack a lunch. It’s less expensive, less time consuming, less polluting, and so much healthier for you. And, of course, delicious!

Ingredients:
1 package tempeh
Vegenaise
sprouts
chopped bell pepper
avocado
whole wheat bread

Instructions:
1. Make your tempeh on the weekend to use for the week. Cut it into 1/3 inch slices. Steam it for 10 minutes. Saute in a pan, about 5 minutes per side or till golden brown. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and cook for 1 minute more. Store in the fridge.
2. Take out two slices of bread, add your toppings, 4 slices of tempeh and you’ve got yourself a sandwich!

Posted on

Purple Cabbage Salad + Goldhouse Gold Dressing (Vitamin B12)

IMG_2261-1
“Where do you get your vitamin B12?”
This is a common question asked of vegans. Many people think they get vitamin B12 by eating the flesh of animals. I have even heard this be used as an excuse for why humans have to eat other animals. Puh-leeez! Vitamin B12 is not, repeat not, animal-derived. When an animal consumes particles of soil or manure along with grass or feed, b12-producing bacteria are consumed and the vitamin ends up in the animal’s flesh or milk as a result. So the animal is just being used as the “middle man.”
In centuries past, humans had direct access to B12 from their produce, but now that fruits and veggies are so scrupulously cleaned and grown in soils that have been treated with pesticides and herbicides with less B12-producing bacteria, they aren’t such a reliable source.
Enter Nutritional Yeast, a cheezy-flavored powder that is fortified with B12. It is such an easy thing to include in your diet. The Liquid Gold dressing in this recipe is one of our favorite things to put on pretty much anything. Two tablespoons of this delicious, creamy sauce provides your day’s supply of omega-3 fatty acids and 80% of your B12 for the day! It’s also packed with riboflavin and other B vitamins.

Ingredients:
Goldhouse Gold Dressing:
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
2 cups water or vegetable broth
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium tamari
1 cup Nutritional Yeast powder or flakes
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp ground cumin

Salad:
1 head of purple cabbage
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1 cup dry quinoa

Instructions:

1. Blend the dressing until smooth. It can be kept in a jar with a lid (I store mine in empty soy sauce bottles) and refrigerated for 2 weeks.
2. Make the quinoa: toast on the stove, dry, for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover for 15-20 minutes.
3. Chop cabbage and then transfer to a bowl. Toss in the dried cherries.
4. Divide cabbage onto serving plates. Scoop cooked quinoa on top. Drizzle dressing on top. Enjoy!

Source: “Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet” by Brenda Davis, R.D. & Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D. (note: Goldhouse Gold Dressing was inspired by a recipe in “Becoming Vegan” called “Liquid Gold.” My version is oil-free.)

Posted on

Orange Ginger Tempeh

IMG_2010
     This dish is so easy but so good! We loved the combination of sweet and citrusy flavors with the zing of ginger. Definitely a new favorite!

Ingredients:
1 package tempeh
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 3 or 4 oranges)
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon coriander
3 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions:
1. Cut the tempeh into slices about 1/3 of an inch thick. Steam for 10 minutes and then set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once it gets really hot, add the tempeh slices and fry for until they are golden brown on one side, about 5-7 minutes. Turn the slices over and cook on the other side.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, fresh ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and coriander and stir.
4. Once the tempeh is nice and crispy on both sides, pour the marinade into the pan, along with the garlic. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time.
5. Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce. Enjoy!
Source: Color Me Vegan
Posted on

Kale Chips

IMG_1999

For those of us who have a tendency to eat an entire extra-large bag of tortilla chips in a single day (ahem, Robert), kale chips are a delicious and healthy alternative. Nutritional yeast (the yellow flakes sprinkled on top of the kale) has become our new best friend. It has a delicious cheesy flavor and is a reliable source of vitamin B12. Try some sprinkled on popcorn, tossed with pasta, or stirred into a salad dressing.

Ingredients:
1. 1 bunch curly or Lacinato kate
2. 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
3. Pinch of salt
4. 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, plus more to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Tear or cut the kale leaves away from the thick stems and then into bite-size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry the leaves.
2. Transfer the kale to a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, and add the nutritional yeast. Toss the leaves until fully coated.
3. Lay the leaves out on a baking sheet in a single layer (no overlapping!), sprinkle them with more nutritional yeast to taste, and bake until the leaves are crisp but not burnt, 10-15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so.

Posted on

BBQ Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls

IMG_1886-1-3
     Robert and I were recently talking about why people think it’s so much harder to be vegan than it actually is. He made the point that people don’t always recognize that what they like most about animal-based dishes are the seasonings and sauces, not the actual flesh itself. This is an unfortunate misconception because so many seasonings and sauces can easily be enjoyed on plant-based foods and would result in a meal that is so much healthier (and much less harmful to animals and the environment). So this week I’ve been making new recipes with a specific goal in mind: to show that even the most seemingly not-vegan-friendly cuisines (i.e. BBQ) can easily be enjoyed without the use of animals and without sacrificing taste.
   Since becoming vegan, we have each been exposed to so many new foods and both feel that being vegan is incredibly expansive. For me, these collard rolls are a perfect case in point. I’d heard of collard greens before as being major part of southern cuisine but the only time I’d ever seen them was in my college cafeteria (in New England) and they kind of looked like sewage. I also had very low exposure to black-eyed peas. The only time I’d ever eaten them was once a year on New Years and that was because my mother would insist we needed to have “at least one bite” or we’d be cursed with bad luck for the entire year. So, obviously collards and black-eyed peas weren’t foods for which I had a great deal of affection. Robert, on the other hand, lit up when he saw what I was cooking. “Wow! It’s so southern!” he exclaimed. And then he went on and on reminiscing about his dad’s cooking growing up. So there you go, a prime example of my experiencing something new and Robert’s rekindling the flame of the comforting flavors of his past.
   These rolls were so much fun to make! They were also really, really tasty. Collard greens are pretty and delicious, and make for perfect rolling material because of their sturdiness. Collards are GREAT for heart health because of their high folate content and fiber-related nutrients. They are also an excellent source of vitamin K and a very good source of omega-3’s. AND, 3/4 cup of collard greens has more calcium than a glass of cow’s milk. How nice that good-for-you food and good-tasting comfort food can easily be one and the same 🙂
Ingredients:
12 collard leaves
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly
3 cups copped collards
1 1/2 cups black-eyed peas, cooked (or 1 15 oz can, drained and rinsed)
3 cups Dillon Panthers BBQ Sauce (click on link for recipe)
note: One bunch of collards should give you enough to prepare this recipe.
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. When the water is boiling, submerge the 12 collard leaves and cover for 6 minutes. When done, use tongs to transfer them to a strainer and let cool. Handle them gently so that they don’t rip.
3. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until softened.
4. Add the chopped collards. Cook for 7-10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has cooked off.
5. Add the black-eyed peas and cook through.
6. Pour on 2 cups of the BBQ sauce and cook for about 5 minutes more. If it looks watery, turn the heat up a bit and cook a few more minutes.
7. Let cook just a bit so that you can make the rolls without burning yourself.
8. Place a collard on a flat work surface. Place about 2 tablespoons of the black-eyed peas and company in the lower third of the collard. Fold the bottom up over the mixture, then fold in the sides. Roll the collard up, gently but firmly. Continue this way with the remaining collards. Spoon extra BBQ sauce over the rolls and/or make available for dunking.
Sources: nutritional benefits of collard greens, recipe from “Veganomicon”
Posted on

Why We Stopped Eating Dairy

   mama_cow_and_baby_from_book-reduced_f0cd_ekh0

No animal dies for a glass of milk or a piece of cheese, right?

That’s what we thought, too. But there is actually more suffering and death in a glass of milk than a piece of steak. This is because the veal industry is a byproduct of the dairy industry.

Cows are like all mammals in that they produce breast milk for their young. In order for a cow to produce milk, she must be pregnant and give birth. It’s funny how easily we forget this. We convince ourselves that cows just conveniently produce milk for the taking.

A dairy cow is constantly impregnated so that she will continue to produce milk. Her milk never reaches her baby, but is instead pumped out of her for human consumption. A cow is pregnant for 9 months. If she gives birth to a male, he is considered useless to the dairy industry. What happens to him? He is immediately taken from his mother and is sold and slaughtered as veal.

Cows form strong bonds with one another, particularly between mother and child. As Michael Klaper M.D. recalls: “The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle’s dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf… On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn– only ten yards away, in plain view of his mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth– minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days– were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain.”

A dairy cow’s life is spent mourning the loss of baby after baby as she continues to be impregnated so humans can consume her milk. And she too is destined for the same horrific slaughter when her body has finally become too ravaged and overworked by constant pregnancy to continue producing milk.

We were slow to realize the direct connection between dairy products and the veal industry. But once it clicked, we were eager to stop consuming dairy. With all the dairy-free milks, cheeses, and yogurts out there, this was an incredibly easy change.
Why choose to contribute to such suffering when it’s so easy to make less harmful choices?

For a great list of commercially available non-dairy milks click here.
Also, see my post about why you don’t need cow’s milk for calcium here.
And go to my FAQ section for advice how to transition off dairy.

Posted on

Robert’s Power Breakfast! (And, Why You Don’t Need Cow’s Milk for … Anything!)

IMG_1714
Did you know that humans are the only species on that planet that 1) drink the breast milk of another species, and 2) continue to consume milk far past weaning age?      

I certainly didn’t think about it like that until recently, but once I did, I got the heebie jeebies all over.

The practice of consuming the milk of other animals is actually a fairly recent phenomenon in human history, and our bodies aren’t built to handle it very well. After the first few years of life, we stop producing the enzyme lactase and lose our ability to digest lactose. It’s no wonder so many people have trouble digesting milk (let alone the milk of another kind of animal) past weaning age. What is often called “lactose intolerance” (the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose after weaning age) shouldn’t be thought of a disease. It’s the normal “condition” for most human adults–a whopping 75% worldwide–because adults aren’t babies, obviously, and no longer need to be able to digest milk

Like most people, I thought humans consumed cow’s milk to meet our calcium needs, but it’s believed that the amounts of calcium consumed by humans in the late Paleolithic era were more than double the intakes of today–with no cow’s milk at all. Humans evolved in a calcium-rich, salt-poor dietary environment, and our basic metabolism has changed little from that of our Stone Age ancestors.

Where did their calcium come from? Plants! That’s right, calcium-rich plant food! Calcium-rich foods that are widely available today include kale, collard greens, broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, seaweed, romaine lettuce, (the list goes on!) as well as beans, nuts, and seeds. There’s even some calcium in whole grains and fruits, which are already loaded with health benefits in their own right.

There are lots of plant-based milks and yogurts out there (I eat plain soy yogurt every morning for breakfast). Robert has started drinking almond milk, which he uses in his daily breakfast smoothie. Almond milk is delicious and nutritious. It’s free of cholesterol and saturated fat but contains omega fatty acids (that’s the good stuff). It’s rich in vitamins D, E, and A. It has high levels of magnesium, potassium, selenium and 30% of daily calcium needs in each cup. Robert absolutely LOVES this smoothie. He comes home from work every night and says something about how good his breakfast was.

Ingredients (top photo, from left to right):
Almond Milk
Walnuts
Peanut Butter
Blueberries
Almonds
Ground Flax Seeds
Banana
Agave Nectar
Sources: 
Posted on

Brussels Sprouts + Apples + Pecans

IMG_1771

Brussels Sprouts are so cute! They are also really nutritious, boasting high amounts of vitamins C and K, and containing an abundance of disease-fighting phytochemicals, including sulforaphane, which helps rid the body of carcinogenic substances.
This dish was inspired by a recipe in “Color Me Vegan” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I absolutely LOVE this cookbook and I think the author is awesome. Her podcast Vegetarian Food for Thought (which you can listen to for free) is so inspiring and informative. Not only is she well-versed in nutrition–which is why I started listening to her in the first place–but she also has helped me see that our food choices can be, and should be, an extension of who we are and what we value in life. It’s such an empowering outlook. Her words have really broadened my perspective.

Ingredients:
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, washed and shredded (cut into strips)
2 tablespoons vegetable broth
1 large tart apple, unpeeled and cubed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup (if you can’t find that, use maple syrup)
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. In a large saute pan, heat broth over medium heat. Add the shredded Brussels sprouts and a touch of salt and saute for 7-10 minutes until the sprouts begin to brighten.
2. Add the apple cubes, garlic, and syrup, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the apples are heated through but not too soft.
3. At the end of the cooking time, add the pecans, and salt and pepper to taste.