What's for Breakfast?

Before adopting a vegan diet, I literally ate eggs every morning with some sort of starch -- normally with unsalted rice cakes but also liked a buttered bagel or an English muffin with butter and raspberry jam. Sometimes I added turkey sausage to the mix. My last cholesterol blood test was 250. I am waiting for my most recent numbers since cutting out meat, dairy, and eggs two months ago.

When you're in that kind of a habit, you don't even have to be fully awake to prepare breakfast -- just go to the fridge and crack two eggs on a frying pan. You don't even have to think about it. I LOVE the taste of eggs. I loved eating eggs every day. But within a half hour of eating them, I would become congested deep down in my throat and cough so hard I thought I was choking. And people around me would ask if I was ill ("Are you getting a cold?"). No, this happens every time I eat eggs (and cheese, and milk, and butter). My Asian friend said, "Then why don't you stop eating them--they obviously are affecting you negatively." I liked eggs despite the fallout afterwards.

But I've been really good -- only ate eggs on two occasions in the last two months. The best substitute I've found is potato patties from Trader Joe's. specifically Lamb Weston Home Browns.
They do contain oil and flour, but they do NOT contain eggs or egg whites, as did most other potato patties I looked at. If I don't get a chance to get to Trader Joe's, I make my own version--a little more time consuming--by grating a potato and a half an onion together and mushing them into a patty shape, spraying my cast iron skillet with some cooking spray, and heating it up. It has the nice hot, tasty sensation that eggs do, and if I add in a soy sausage or two, it does feel like a normal breakfast sans eggs. These can also be eaten at other meals. Once in awhile I will eat one of these with some vegetarian refried beans. Yum!

I have tried a tofu omelet (there's a good recipe or two in the Engine2Diet cookbook), and my feeling is, it tastes okay, but if you want an omelet, eat eggs and save the tofu for a recipe that is more suited to tofu. The omelet recipes DO have a nice flavor, but they are not eggs.

I also make pancakes with egg replacement products and soy milk instead of the animal-based products. And spray Smart Balance spray on my food instead of using the hunks of butter I used to use.

If I am awake enough, and have the time, I will make my breakfast shake extraordinaire! My nutrition counselor -- a doctor from the Columbia Weight Management Center--did advise me to eat fruit rather than to drink juice, but one of my favorite weight management authors and product producers -- Jay Robb -- indicates that fresh squeezed fruit juice is better than store bought. Since for me orange juice is easier to manage than eating a real orange (I am a messy fruit eater), I juice a bunch of oranges and refrigerate the juice. I then add a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice (my favorite oranges for this are the normally unavailable Mineola oranges--or honeydews) to a blender with a banana, and something strawberry. Here I either add some strawberry soy yogurt, real strawberries, or V8 Fusion Light strawberry banana juice (which includes vegetable juices, as well). To this I add a scoop of Jay Robb protein powder.

Jay Robb's Whey protein (vanilla) is the most delicious tasting protein powder I have tried. It is sweetened with Stevia, a natural herb sweetener which is the basis for Purevia and TruVia sweeteners. It is also hormone free. It does make me cough, though, the way dairy does to me. I notice on the web site for Jay Robb products that he has a new Brown Rice protein powder, which I was not aware of. I will have to try it and compare.

Finally, before blending, I add either flax seed meal (I use Bob's Red Mill) or I add Metamucil (orange flavored is nice) with a shot of flax seed oil. This adds fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids.

I blend it all together and even if I am on the run, I can bring it with me in a disposable cup (which I try to use more than once, to make it less wasteful), or a water bottle. Tastes like a creamsicle, but the banana and strawberry adds some punch. It's a nice late-morning snack or meal replacement if you're not really hungry.

The great thing about the shake is that I can make it up in the blender when I have the time and put the blender pitcher into the fridge until I am ready for the shake later in the day, when I may be less free to go through all the steps. Then all I have to do is put it back on its base, give it a whirl, and pour it out -- a nice, chilled mellow fruit shake with fiber, protein, and other nutrients.

So while I sometimes miss the eggs for breakfast, these other options are opening my eyes to plant-based alternatives.

Next up on The Vegan Virgin -- desserts.

Green Market Puree

I love going to the various green markets around New York City, especially in the summertime when the nearby (and sometimes not so nearby) farmers bring their fresh, homegrown, and homemade produce, meats, dairy products, wines, jellies, jams and baked goods. There is so much to choose from at the height of the season that I know is good for me, but I am not sure how to incorporate it all into my meal plan. One day, when I had a variety of vegetables in my refrigerator, but not a lot of any one, I decided to cook them all together into a soup. Starting with onions, leeks and garlic, I began to sauté them on the bottom of a large pot. Going through the supply I had available, I added cut-up broccoli, carrots, a potato, peas, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and the old Simon and Garfunkel staples—Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. I sprinkled in some white pepper, salt, and Herbs de Provence, and poured in about a cup of chicken broth. Now that I am following a vegan diet, I add vegetable broth or Imagine Organic No-Chicken broth and I use the soup starter packages from the produce section, which often include leeks, celery, turnips, parsnips and dill, in addition to the vegetables I already mentioned. I sometimes add kale or asparagus, collard greens or cauliflower if I have them on hand.

I have heard that juicing is lacking because it separates out the fiber, so I figured that this concoction, which just softens all the vegetables into a sort of stew, would be more beneficial. Once they have all cooked into a soft blend, I blend them even further into a puree with an immersion blender or, after letting them cool, putting them into a blender or food processor. What results is a creamy green mixture that brings to mind guacamole or a concentrated broccoli soup. But the flavor is rich and tasty. In the pureed form, it has a versatility that makes it useful for its own soup (add extra vegetable broth, heat and serve with croutons or a crisp baguette). In the more thickened version, I often will pour it over sliced and fried polenta. When I am in the mood for a simple meal of pasta and marinara sauce, I add about one-quarter cup of the vegetable puree to the pasta sauce to add nutritional value and fiber to the meal. I might also add meatless meatballs or soy crumbles to make a Bolognese sauce.

A tasty way to use the green market puree is to make a Green Pizza with it. Bake a store-bought pizza crust and top with the green puree and some soy (or real) mozzarella cheese. I like to add chopped mushrooms and onions to it sometimes, though both those vegetables are already in the puree. It is a delicious alternative to red pizza. You can serve both or mix the sauces together to have a veggie pizza in disguise. Looks like a regular slice, but the secret sauce has veggies mixed in.

Another way to use the puree is to add a few scoops of it to mashed potatoes. The green puree adds flavor, a touch of color, and a lot of fiber and nutrients. As a kid I would not eat my peas unless they were mixed into mashed potatoes. Here I can mix a dozen vegetables at once into my potatoes. Add some vegetable broth to it all and have a potato soup with vegetables.

I keep the green market puree in a bowl in the refrigerator and use it up within a few days. If I don’t think I will, I might divide it into small plastic freezer containers or pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it. Once they are frozen, take the cubes out of the containers and store the mini-squares of puree in a sealing freezer bag for future use.

My Vegan Valentine -- peacefood cafe

Between my moving at the end of February and not having had a proper Valentine’s Day celebration, I decided to treat myself to an excursion to find a vegan eaterie; now that I am meat-free, I’ve only eaten what I cook myself. In NYC on the Upper West Side, I didn’t have to go far. Only a few blocks actually.

Between 83rd and 82nd on Amsterdam, I found peacefood café. I knew the word “peace” equaled vegetarian. Probably there for years, it was the first time I had noticed it. A peek at the menu made my mouth water, and I was in the mood for Asian dumplings. Their pan-seared shanghai-style dumplings are filled with chives, shitake and wood ear mushrooms, marinated tofu, vegetarian protein and served with a ginger balsamic dipping sauce ($7). I could already taste them as I walked through the door. The place was packed for lunch (President’s Day), so I ordered to go. The soups of the day were posted on a board behind the cash register and the cauliflower and parsnip soup called to me. I ordered, and while I waited at the counter drinking filtered water, I was mentally picking out my next visit’s choices. The vegetable tamale served with jalapeno and cilantro oil ($6) sounded good. So did the panini with pan-seared French horn mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke, aioli, mint and basil pesto ($9.95).

Sandwich orders for other diners made their way past me and I made a mental note that the tahini sprouts sandwich ($9)with sprouts, avocado, cucumber, onions, shredded carrots and miso tahini with poppy seeds spread was another possibility . Salads were another option and the other Caesar sounded tasty, as did the Asian greens ($9.95 each).

Once home, a taste of soup revealed a thick puree with small bits of cauliflower spiced up by the more piquant parsnip flavor. The puree had a hint of potatoes mixed in. A nice mild but tasty dish served with crispy bread slices to crumble on top. The shanghai-style dumplings were absolutely wonderful. The meatiness of the mushrooms and the subdued tangy balsamic sauce blended perfectly for a hearty lunch.

Next time, I’ll sample their desserts…mmm, brownies, cheesecake, tiramisu and chocolate ganache. Who needs a date for Valentine’s Day when food this good can fulfill your passion and be good to your heart at the same time?

My Primary Agenda--Eat Dessert First

My Asian friend says that Americans finally get smart after age 50. At 53 years old, after way too much egg nog and red meat over the holidays, I decided it was time to begin eating clean. The feeling that I might have a heart attack and the fact that the numbers on the scale were climbing well beyond what I ever thought I could weigh, made me ask the invisible powers that be to give me a sign! Within a month, I had four separate clues – a TV show, a book on spirituality, a DVD on spiritual weight loss, and a cookbook all pointed me in the direction of becoming a vegan. Never would I have thought I’d do this, but as Mom always said, “Never say never,” because the next thing you know…I’m a vegan.

I started Googling vegan recipes and came across the Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn, a fireman from Austin, Texas. Reading the story of Rip and his fellow firefighters, I was sold. Went right out and bought the book and started shopping for the few things like tofu, nutritional yeast, and egg replacer that I didn’t have at home.

One night while writing till after midnight, I had a craving for chocolate. I remembered reading a lot about chocolate in Rip’s book. There it was—a recipe for dark chocolate brownies, and I had all the ingredients, but not quite enough unsweetened applesauce.

I improvised and ground up some frozen raspberries to make up the difference. Pouring it into the pan, the batter seemed a bit dry and sticky, so I added a quarter cup of strawberry soy yogurt for extra moisture. When at last they were ready, a taste revealed that the raspberries really made the chocolate sing and gave it a fruity twist. I poured myself a cup of chocolate rice milk, and cut a nice warm brownie fresh from the pan, and I was in chocolate vegan heaven. Tempted to eat even more, I immediately cut them into squares, individually wrapped them and put them in a plastic self-sealing bag in the freezer to allow myself only one a day till they were gone.