Vegan Extreme 2

 It's obviously been a while since I last posted about our vegan/no oil eating plan.  Turns out, there are a lot of good options for meals and after the initial few weeks of no refined ANYTHING, we're not longing for sweets, fried foods, etc.  I will confess that when we go out to eat, I throw in some chicken or shrimp from time to time.  Don doesn't care  - as long as everything at home is "legal" - which it is. 

Here are some highlights.

More hummus.  There are a zillion ways to make it and we spice it up differently each time.  Great on crackers or roti bread.

Tomato based vegetable medley on rice.  We do like broccoli  - and that's roti with the aforementioned hummus.

This is fresh roti bread.  Seriously addicting.  Use it as a scoop or just tear it off plain. 

Oatmeal for breakfast - or any other time - has infinite possibilities and combinations.  Here, some frozen blueberries, cinnamon, flax seed, Splenda and sunflower seeds make a tasty meal.

I may have shown these before. They're oatmeal cookies with craisons, pumpkins seeds, apple and banana.  They're pretty good once you've been "off" sugar for a while. 

Brown rice with colorful peppers, black beans and onions.  The veggies are sauteed in vegetable broth, then add spices (in this case, Mexican) and at the end, add the cooked rice.  Stir and serve with corn tortillas (flour tortillas are - sadly - not allowed)

This is some pretty good tomato/lentil soup.  The key is Red Wine Vinegar - gives it some spunk.

More cookies - these have too much banana and will not be repeated.  Actually, I haven't made cookies or baked good other than bread rolls since this batch.  I'll wait until I get back in the mood and find some new recipes.

A type of veggie burger with sauteed mushrooms on top.  The roll is a chiabati.  Don't think the roll was completely "legal" but we're living on the edge here.

Vegan pizza - This is MY pizza because I like white pizza.  I made the whole wheat crust, the mock Alfredo is made by Walden Farms (no oil) and topped with peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and spinach.

We found some crackers at Trader Joe's that fit our requirements.  They're good with hummus.  We rock those chickpeas, I tell ya.  Good protein.

Don making his vegan pizza.  Same whole wheat crust - found a commercial pizza sauce that has no oil.  Not an easy find.

Top the pizza with nutritional yeast.  Gives it a unique flavor and a Parmesan feel.

Mine - after baking. 

Vegan runzas.  Whole wheat crust filled with chopped potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, onion - numerous spices.

Really tastes good - again - we are way past needing meat.

Looks like the soup before but this is meatless chili, roti with hummus dip.

Veggie burgers.  These were better than some others I had tried.  The key is to get everything to stick together but still be chewy and somewhat dry.  Can't use egg, doncha know, so binders are tricky.

 

 

 

This is one way to eat a veggie burger.  Put atop some basmati rice (with turmeric) and add sauteed mushrooms.  Don is big on mushrooms so they've become a staple. 

We've tried a lot of other things and I'll get more pictures up in the future.  We bought a VitaMix and it is quite cool.  Gobs of vegetables and fruits in one easy smoothie.  No need to peel anything.  I have my favorite combinations and it's usually lunch and very often breakfast as well.  I'll take some pics.

Vegan Extreme - Getting started

Don has a heart condition known as HOCM.  Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.  If I spelled that wrong, too bad.  No one really cares - just know that he has it and there is no "cure".  He has yearly cardio work-ups and the most recent appointment included some tests that showed some "blockage" in his LAD.  This is his Lateral Anterior Descending coronary artery.  So, you may say - this is no biggie, happens all the time.  Well, is his case, the "blockage" could be from being squeezed by his heart muscle or it could be from plaque - there is no way of knowing short of another heart cath.  Either way, there is no way to solve the problem - it cannot be stented or bypassed because of the location.  SO - Don did a LOT of research and found a doctor - Esselstyn - who has a history of reversing this blockage (if caused by plaque).  30 years of research and case histories.  It involves what I will lovingly call - the Vegan Extreme diet/eating plan.  We decided to try it until next Christmas (when Don will have his next cardiology appt).  I would like to NOT have to take ZoCor for high cholesterol - so I am going to be the supportive spouse and enthusiastically join Don.  HELLO - I have to do the cooking so it only makes sense.

On this plan, there are things not allowed.  No meat.  No dairy products.  Not one drop of added oil.  No nuts.  No avocados or coconut.  Read labels and if there is an oil even mentioned, put it back on the shelf.  No refined flours and minimal sugar - some honey and such is fine.

Fortunately, we love vegetables and fruits.  Actually, we will eat almost anything and everyone knows it!!  I love whole wheat and Don is learning to appreciate it.  It's that or starve. 

So, I will display some of our dinner selections on occasion.

This was some curried vegetables (squash, baby potatoes, and tomatoes) on brown rice (no refined grains allowed).  Some steamed broccoli and roti bread with homemade hummus.

This is homemade hummus.  Store bought hummus almost always has tahini in it which is ground sesame seeds - too much oil, gasp!  We found out that homemade hummus is really, really good.  I mean, we liked it before, but this is GOOD.

This is a grilled portabella mushroom sandwich.  There is spinach in it, too.  We found some good pomegranate mayo, that is legal, and used the George Foreman (non stick, doncha know) .  They were good - but we thought the mushrooms should be sauteed (in Worcestershire sauce) a bit longer.  The sandwiches looked appetizing anyway!!

Served those sandwiches with some vegetable soup.  Red wine vinegar is your our friend when it comes to soups.  We love the zest.

This supper was pasta (whole wheat penne) with a delicious Italian sauce.  The trick here is to make the sauce (tomato, garlic powder, mushrooms, all the Italian spice you can find in your kitchen) - and add the pasta dry.  It soaks up the flavor while it cooks to al dente and then it's good.  Don loved it.  The roll is a homemade whole wheat roll - no added oil.  I'm getting the hang of that and will keep trying for a good recipe.  Add in a salad and supper was pretty successful.

Of course, salad is a daily option.  We have discovered lots of new kinds of vegetables.  I should mention that we decided to try to go organic, as well, whenever possible.

This is roti bread.  An Indian friend taught me how to make it.  It consists of whole wheat flour, water and that's it.  Knead it, roll it out into bread slice sized pieces and cook it on the stove-top in a nonstick pan until it starts to raise like pita bread - bubbles on the inside.  Voila - one can use it like a scoop when eating rice.

That's it for now.  Tomorrow, I'm thinking of making Mexican beans and rice!!  I'll be back.

Christmas 2012

 For the 3rd year in a row (Rowe) - I crack myself up - we spent a couple of days at Mahoney State park at a cabin.  It's more like a fat 24 hours for all but Don and myself.  We make it 2 days.  Anyway, this year at least one person in each family was sick or had been sick or was exposed and probably going to get sick - so we all gathered anyway.

Becky took this picture.  All 11 gkids with their personalities in full view.  Seriously, they are so doggoned cute, every one.

Don's parents - Dale and Marylyn came this year.  Marylyn was fighting a cold but they had fun.  They jumped right in with the crowd.

Don

Chase - trying to stay with us - c,mon you can do it!!  He felt pretty bad but carried on as well as one can expect from a 3 year old.

Mitch with some help with the fireplace.

Waiting.  Becky gets to rest now and again with her kids a little older. 

Trenton and a sweet smile.

Stef and Dekker

Trenton with a more normal look - HA!

Dance moves

More dance moves.

More dance moves - I forgot the name of this particular dance - but Rowen and Maeson sure had it down.

Dominick believes that pants are optional - anywhere, anytime.  Ever the fashion statement.  

Dave has a "real" camera, as does Becky.

Dekker helping Tucker with his gift.

Chase opening a gift - appropriate smile and everything.  These kids are well trained - in sickness and in health.

Rugger the resident Santa.

Andrew and his new watch - digital doncha know.

Tucker seemed to like his new friend/chair.

Reise and Ryleigh in the mix.

Wii bowling tournament.

Dom with frosting and such - Tiff spent a lot of time wiping and holding her sick babies.  When they feel bad, seems like Mom is the only one who will do.  It's only right.

Wii Don (hehe) and his mother.

Show it Marylyn!!!

No lack of food.

Someone got hold of my camera.

Father - son moment.

Chase and a sweet smile.

Ryleigh and Andrew

Rugger and the Kuerig - that is one fine machine.  How did we get along without that for so long??

More eating - lots of eating.  Just graze, breath, graze.

Now isn't he a handsome thing?  Note the beautiful head - fairly new.

Mitch won the bowling tournament - daughter Ryleigh won last year so it's a Sallinger powerhouse.  You may note that Mitch won by one point.  It was a hard fought battle.  A squeaker to the end.

 

 

 

We wrapped up late Monday after arriving Sunday afternoon.  Already trying to reserve the cabin for next year!!