Awesome Vegan Food Products I Like

Do you remember the first pair of sneakers you bought that molded to your feet and hardly felt like shoes at all?  You wore them long past the time you should have thrown them away.  Or maybe instead you have a favorite book, one that you return to over and over, simply because it speaks to you like no other book does.

When you find something you love, it's hard not to keep coming back to it.  I hope you finally found the will to toss the sneakers, but chances are you'll never pitch the book.  That's the way I feel about foods I've grown to love.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I'd much rather eat whole foods that I've prepared myself, but I'm also realistic.  Some days I just don't have time to prepare an entire meal from scratch.  Or maybe I can, but I don't want to also bake a loaf of bread from scratch every time I put together dinner.  There's something to be said for the age of convenience.

That doesn't mean, though, that all convenience foods are equal (you know exactly what I mean).  When I buy those types of foods today, I'm looking for products that are healthy, preferably organic, and vegan (of course!).  Here is a list of some of my favorite brands:

Alvarado Street Bakery breads:  Not all of their breads are vegan (some contain honey), but many are.  My local grocery store right now only carries their breads, but I hope they begin carrying some of their other products soon (like bagels and tortillas).  What I really like about their products is that many of their breads are made from sprouted seeds (like sprouted rye or sprouted wheat).  When you eat sprouted seeds rather than flour, your body digests it more easily.  They also don't use GMO (genetically modified) foods, and that is a huge plus for me.  Most of their products contain no dairy or eggs, so most of their goods are vegan.  YAY!  If you're curious, you can check out Alvarado St. yourself!

Amy's Kitchen products:  Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will find this entry as no surprise.  Not all of Amy's products are vegan, but a good many are.  More than that, though, Amy's prides itself for using natural and organic ingredients, and none of their ingredients are genetically modified.  Amy's makes frozen foods, canned foods (like soups), and other products.  Those products of Amy's that are not vegan are vegetarian.  Some of my favorite Amy's products include the Bean and Rice Non-dairy Burrito (I will never grow tired of these!), the Black Bean Vegetable Enchilada entree, and the No Chicken Noodle Soup.  And what would I do without their Roasted Vegetable Pizza?  They label their vegan products so you can find what you need without wondering.  Want to see their website yourself?  Amy's Kitchen.

Kashi:  Not all of their products are vegan, but like Amy's, they label the ones that are.  I have to admit it:  I love several of their frozen vegan entrees.  On nights where I feel like I just can't do another thing, it's nice to be able to pop one of their entrees in the microwave.  My faves include Black Bean Mango (so unusual but really good!), Mayan Harvest Bake (again, strange, but in a good way), and the Tuscan Veggie Bake (more traditional if your taste buds just want good old-fashioned comfort food).  You can check them out here:  Kashi.

Galaxy Nutritional Foods Rice Vegan American Flavor "Cheese" Slices:  Most vegans I know worship at the alter of Daiya.  Daiya's not bad, but it doesn't taste like cheese to me.  I don't know how to describe it, but my taste buds are not fooled for one second.  I still use their cheddar and mozzarella shreds, but I just can't embrace them as the vegan cheese.  I've tried lots of vegan cheeses, and few have satisfied that occasional craving I get.  That is, except one.  When I use Galaxy's rice vegan American slices in a sandwich, I can believe I'm eating a good ol' slice of American cheese.  I can't just have a grilled cheese sandwich, but if I have a veggie sandwich with a slice of rice vegan (or make a plate of nachos with refried beans, salsa, and rice vegan), I am happy!  I have to go out of town to buy this cheese, so I'm glad I don't eat it a lot, but I'm looking forward to the day when my local health food store carries Galaxy products.

Boca: I'd almost bet there isn't a vegetarian out there who hasn't heard of Boca (well, American veggies, at any rate).  I don't like all Boca products, but they do have a few I like.  If you buy Boca, you'll notice that they package their non-GMO soy products differently, and those are the ones I buy.  They are in brown packages, whereas their regular products are in red.  Sometimes, dang it, I want a burger and fries, and I don't care how unhealthy they are, but my burger still has to be vegan.  Some Boca products I love (all the non-GMO soy versions):  Vegan Meatless Burger, Original Chik'n Patties, Original Chik'n Nuggets, Spicy Chik'n Patties, and Ground Crumbles.  I don't know what I'd do if they didn't have non-GMO versions!  I used to love Morningstar Veggie Patties, but they use egg products (and probably GMO products as well), so I hope someday Morningstar jumps on the vegan, non-GMO soy bandwagon...but I'm not holding my breath.  Thank goodness Boca did!

505 Southwestern:  I'm a sucker for a good salsa.  Heck, I'm a salsa junkie.  There.  I admitted it, and I feel better now.  505 products aren't targeted toward vegan audiences, so I guess they're what PETA would call "accidentally vegan."  My favorite products are both of their medium salsas, regular and chunky.  I use them in and on so many foods.  Their products are all natural, and any products that has just a few ingredients is better than a food that has dozens!  For instance, that medium salsa I told you about?  Seven ingredients, and one of them is water!  So it's not an entire meal...but it can make any blah meal awesome!  Check out 505 yourself and see what you think.

As I complete this list, I realize I've left off some products that aren't registering with me right off the bat.  I think this list will give you a good idea, though, so next time you're too tired to whip up an entire meal from scratch, consider one of these products!

One of Those Things That Really Ticks Me Off!

Okay, I need to rant.  I went shopping on Saturday (that's not enough to irritate me, although some days, it comes close).  I still buy meat-based foods for the family when I shop.  I don't like it, but I can't force them to eat the way I want.  I'm leading by example and I can at least be happy that, when I cook and they eat it, it's vegan!

Anyway, one of the things on my list was pot pies.  I grabbed the pot pies they asked for and brought them home.  Yesterday, the pies got cooked, and when I looked more closely at the box, I thought, "Oh, that's nice."  I'm not going to name the company here, but suffice it to say, it's a big one.  Anyway, the box said that, by buying the box of food, money would be donated to a particular (also nameless) homeless charity.  That's why I thought that was nice.  By buying the pot pie, the company was going to contribute money to people in need.

Ah, if it were only that simple.  But, no.  When I read the fine print, I realized that we needed to type in a code online.  Only then would the company contribute money to feed the homeless people.

So what's wrong with this picture?  Plenty of things.  First of all, the company (and they make plenty of money) really isn't doing anything out of the kindness of their heart.  They want us, the consumer, to take the time to read the fine print and then do what they've asked us to do.  Otherwise, no money will be donated to this cause.  So some people, I'm sure, will buy these pot pies, feeling all warm and fuzzy that their purchase is feeding not only their family but also other hungry people across the country.  Some of these people think that and don't bother reading the fine print.  Other people will read the fine print and take their precious time to type in the codes.  Still others (like myself) will get really angry and then type in the codes anyway, knowing that--if they don't--they will suffer horrible guilt.

But that's not right.

If the company were truly charitable, they would contribute money directly to the organization.  But, instead, they have to make a big show of it and also force their customers to buy their food in order to feed other people.  I don't buy their show.  Until they decide to simply give money to this organization without the games they feel the need to play, I don't buy it.  And I won't buy their crappy products ever again.

Gardening--The New Compost Pile

So...I've always been a composter, and that's probably thanks to my grandma and grandpa.  Their farm was huge, and all the vegetables they ate were grown by hand (no machines or grocery stores).  It was impressive.  I remember my grandma putting vegetable scraps in a jug that she'd carry over to the large garden area (although she often gave them to her chickens too), and I also remember grandpa putting corn stalks in a pile for composting, along with other vegetable matter.  What a great garden that was.  What was cool was their land--between the chickens (plus their eggs), the cows (plus their milk), their vegetables and fruits, and wild game--fully sustained them.  I know my grandma bought sugar, coffee, and flour, but even then, I'm sure their earnings from making Christmas wreaths and selling firewood allowed them those amenities.

Anyway, back to composting...I started composting on my own right after I got married.  I became active in environmentalism and realized that I could send less trash to the landfill if I composted all vegetable scraps.  I've gotten better at my techniques over the years, but I really like the Biointensive way of doing it. 

Your bottom layer is comprised of sticks and twigs, because they allow the air to circulate.  Then you have a layer of brown (mature dead vegetation) and then green (fresh grass trimmings, garden clippings, and kitchen scraps--immature).  Then you have a thin layer of dirt (which contains the microbes that will cook the compost into humus).  I'll keep adding to this pile, layer by layer, until it's about four feet high (although it's already starting to compress).  It's under a tree, which is recommended by this method as well.  I won't use the compost from this pile until probably next year, but I'll start a new pile once this one gets big.  I won't turn it or anything.  Again, that's because Biointensive advocates mimicking nature as much as possible.  Turning the pile would make it compost faster, but I would end up with less carbon in the compost, so it's better to let nature take its course.

If you're interested in Biointensive gardening, their website is at Ecology Action.  If you're interested in these techniques, you can buy the book How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, which is what I'm basing all my gardening on this year.  I can't wait to see how this year's garden compares to those of the past.

Gardening--Week One

So last week I started working on my Biointensive garden.  The first thing I had to do was plot out the area.  My old garden area was not wide or long enough (though it was probably big enough in square feet).  I needed an area that was 5 by 20 feet.  So I plotted out the area (which last year was overrun with weeds).  The next thing I had to do was soak the ground for up to two hours (I did it about one hour and had to move the sprinkler several times to get it all). 

Then, two days later, I had to start loosening up the soil.  The idea with Biointensive is to disturb the soil as little as possible (like nature), so there's no turning of the soil or anything like that.  However, my dirt is hard and clay-ey, so I have a lot of work to do.  So, two days after the soak (so it's not too wet and not too dry), I had to start working the pitchfork in to start breaking up the soil.

Now, I just have to let the sun, wind, and rain continue doing the work on the land.  In about a week I'll start the double digging process.  I've already started a pretty significant compost pile, and I have an old compost pile I can draw from for this year's garden.

Changing the World

Those of you who read my blog fairly regularly know that I also write for Natural News as a Citizen Journalist.  Recently, I wrote an article about Biointensive Gardening.  In January, I went to a local workshop on this method of mini-farming here in my community and I got excited.  Why?  Because it appears to be a way to sustain the planet.  The method focuses on sustainable agriculture, and it mainly focuses on mini-farms, that is, backyard gardens that you and I can grow ourselves.  What excited me about this method is that we can use less space and less water, yet grow more in a sustainable, healthier environment.  I plan to begin gardening this way this year, and I have, in fact, started my compost pile (not the way I used to but following the method I learned in the workshop).  I have since purchased organic seeds and planned my entire season; I will begin growing seeds indoors in about two weeks.  Since Vegi Lover deals on occasion with our impact on the environment, I thought this might be a good forum in which to share this info.  If time permits, I will probably also be blogging about my ventures in this new realm.  I think it promises to be fun!

If you'd like to read the article on Natural News (which provides more information about Biointensive gardening), you can click on this link: 

Biointensive Agriculture Could Save the Planet

Attacked by Carnivores

The other day, I was talking to a new vegetarian friend of mine (she's not newly vegetarian, just a new friend!).  She was talking to another woman at work about vegetarianism in general.  I was passing by and she stopped me, asking how long I'd been a Vegi.  She and her husband have been vegetarians for a couple of years.  I told her that (as of now!) I've been vegetarian for two years and purely vegan for about seven months now (I did have vegan days and weeks during my vegetarian days--heck, I even had them when I was an omnivore!).

She then asked me something like this:  "Have you ever noticed that non-vegetarians are sometimes kind of nasty when you mention that you're vegetarian?"

"Yes!  Absolutely.  Why is that?"

My friend then went on to say that she thought it is probably because non-vegetarians feel like we're judging them automatically, because of the choice we've made (which, by the way, is not a decision we took lightly).  That's not entirely true.  If anyone asks, I will tell them my thoughts, feelings, and rabid opinions about my eating choice, but you know what?  I was a regular American for a good chunk of my life, eating everything the American diet had to offer.  How can I judge someone who is living a life like I did?  Do I think meat eaters are bad people?  Absolutely not. 

So...it was nice to hear another Vegi's thoughts on the whole attack issue.  Do I sometimes feel attacked by people when I tell them I'm vegan?  Sure, yeah. Does it break my heart?  Not even.  But it is nice to have a better understanding of perhaps the motivations behind the anger.  And, I guess, if my presence makes them a little uneasy, that's fine too.  Maybe that will lead them to question their decisions.  And a little thought never hurt anyone.

Confused about What Vegan Really Is?

Okay...so this story makes me feel a little guilty.  Stick with me!

Earlier this week at work, one of the women from another department brought me a bag of homemade cookies.  She had apparently been passing out little bags of cookies to lots of different people.  When she came to my office, she said, "I know you're vegan, so I made you these special cookies."  I thought that was very sweet.  She started naming off ingredients like quinoa flour and such, and then she said honey.  I couldn't help it, but I just blurted out, "I don't eat honey."  It's true.  I don't.  Most vegans don't.  It's animal protein (even though it's an insect and not a large animal), but I also don't appreciate what bees go through when we steal their honey.  Daniel Hammer, in his article entitled "Is Honey Vegan?", explains it best:

Honeybees . . . are able to experience pain and suffering . . . . Honey, beeswax, bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis and venom are taken from bees for human uses. In the process of acquiring these, beekeepers regularly disturb the bees’ homes by removing the honeycombs from the hive. When this is done some bees will inevitably be injured or crushed, and any bees who sting the beekeepers will also die.

So, anyway, I blurted out, "I don't eat honey," implying that I wouldn't eat the cookies. 

She frowned and said, "What?  You don't eat honey?  Why not?" 

I replied, "It's an animal product." 

She said, "Animal?" 

I then said, "Yes, lots of vegans don't eat honey." 

Again: "Why not?"

"Do you know what they do to bees to get their honey?"

Then her tone completely changed and she said, "Oh.  You're one of those PETA vegans, huh?"

I'd been reading Rory Freedman (an outspoken well-known vegan) earlier that day and felt empowered.  I kept my tone calm and said, "I am vegan for every reason there is to be a vegan--for health, the planet, and animals."

Anyway, both she and I agreed that my carnivorous children would enjoy the cookies, and the next day I composed a Thank You card where I simply thanked her for the thought and told her I appreciated it.  But I felt guilty.  Guilty because I'd looked a gift horse in the mouth.  Guilty because someone had done something so completely selfless and unsolicited.  Guilty because I could have simply just said, "Thank you."  But I didn't.  I told her my feelings.  Even without the honey, I don't eat a lot of sugar anyway.  I suppose it would have been easy enough (I guess) to simply say thanks.  In fact, when I related the story to my husband and daughter, they slapped their foreheads (a la "I coulda had a V-8") and said I should have simply thanked her.

But it's not that easy.

You see, the longer I am vegan, the more firmly I feel about my eating convictions.  And I wanted to set the record straight.  This woman told me a while back that her daughter is vegetarian.  Well, what if her daughter becomes vegan?  If the daughter were to become vegan, well, at least her mom will have a heads up about honey.  And, while we're on that subject, not all sugar is vegan either.  In fact, most cane sugar is not vegan, and it's because of the filtering process.  When I use sugar, I usually use Sugar in the Raw (which is vegan) or Sucanat. If you're curious to learn more, you can read "The Great Sugar Debate: Is it Vegan?"

So, I suppose I need to be calmer, but if you're going to cook for a vegan, you might want to find out what that means.  For example, I would have been perfectly happy with Agave in those cookies!  :)

Using What You Have on Hand to Make a Meal

I myself have a hard time doing this, but I'm getting better.  Where I live, we have an organic farmer who works with local vendors and supplies a bag of organic, fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to my door once a week.  That practice in itself has taught me to use what I have before it goes bad.

You see, in the past, I've made purchases of fruits and veggies on sale with the best of intentions.  Then, a week or so later, it wouldn't be uncommon to also find me pitching that food, moldy and slimy, into the garbage or the compost bin.  What a waste!  A waste of money and good food.

The good news is I can buy grains and beans and they'll last for a while, but veggies are perishable.  Perishable soon.  So they have to be used fairly quickly.  So I've begun buying staple veggies--lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, for example--every week that I know will get used that week, no matter what's scheduled for a meal.  But other veggies that I buy on sale, I've started finding recipes for, whether in one of my cookbooks or online.  That way, I find new ways to use those vegetables before they go bad (and so I'm saving instead of wasting money), and I also get to try new foods.  I hope you can find ways to do that too!

Vegan Living

This little post today will deal with issues other than food, so if you want to skip, feel free.

However, I want to talk about other vegan issues.  By now you've read so many of the reasons why I began eating vegan--health, environment, conscious/ethics.  For that same reason, I began looking at my entire life in a different way.  That leather jacket I've had for over twenty years...?  Angora sweaters...  All of a sudden, I began looking at my clothing in a different way.

But even before then I started buying makeup, health and cleaning products that were cruelty free.  I didn't like the idea of animals being tested just so I could wear mascara.  Really, companies have been using the same ingredients for decades.  Either these companies know how they work or they don't--you don't have to test the same things over and over and over.  Sadly enough, in my quest, I've also discovered that we slather horrible chemicals all over ourselves and spray it into our environment.  But I digress.  Today I prefer to look for vegan products if I can--those that are not tested on animals and also don't use animal ingredients.

I only bring this topic up only because I discovered that, as I began to question my food choices, I began looking at more areas of my life.  If you do too, don't be surprised!  :)

Vegan Schmegan!

You know, I never would have thought I'd been vegetarian (let alone vegan) long enough to say I'd heard a lot of funny reactions to my dietary and lifestyle choices, but I've heard more than I would think I should in such a short amount of time.  I'm already sick to death of being asked how I get my protein!  But I realize most people are trying to be respectful and are geniunely curious, so I answer them respectfully as well.  A lot of people don't know exactly what vegan is, though, so I'll cover here the range of vegetarian eating, for those who wonder exactly what vegan means. All of the eaters I describe below are considered "vegetarian":

1. A lacto-vegetarian is one who excludes meat from her diet but includes dairy (such as milk and cheese).
2. An ovo-vegetarian is one who excludes meat from her diet but includes eggs.
3. An ovo-lacto-vegetarian is one who excludes meat from his diet but includes eggs and dairy products.
4. A pesco-vegetarian is a vegetarian who eats fish (just like a pollo-vegetarian eats chicken) .  I never quite understood this one, but there it is anyway.  There are also other weird variations on this theme, but I gotta tell ya...my opinion is that a vegetarian eats no meat, be it fish, fowl, or other!  If a person is lactose intolerant and excludes milk products from his diet, he doesn't all of a sudden become a bovine-pollo-pesco-ovo-vegetarian.  Where do we draw the line?  There's a new term for these people which I find less objectionable, and that is semi-vegetarian.  That term, to me, implies a person who is vegetarian some of the time, and I think that's okay.  I don't want to judge someone else's eating choices, but I don't think they should call themselves vegetarian when they really aren't.  There. I've said it.  Yes, I think I feel better.
5. A vegan is a person who excludes all animal products from her diet.  This includes not only all animal flesh but also foods harvested from animals (by this, I mean cheese, eggs, and the like).  This even includes products like honey.  Even though the formal definition of vegan refers simply to the act and not the spirit, many vegans take the vegan act past the diet.  In other words, lots of vegans (yes, that includes myself) choose to use products that are vegan (make-up and cleaning supplies, for example) and avoid wearing anything made from animals (for example, things made with leather, wool, or angora).

I started out by simply excluding meat from my diet.  I was convinced that I would never want to give up cheese.  But my journey has brought me there.  After a while, it was also easy to exclude eggs.  And now I have shunned all dairy.  I realize that not everyone wants to be this "extreme," but I've done it for multiple reasons: my health, the environment, and my conscience.  And I really do feel better all the way around for it.

Thinkin' about Bein' Vegan?

Just this month, I've talked to a few people considering going vegetarian and even vegan.  That's exciting, heady stuff!  It's quite a commitment--I know!  Even just considering the choice makes a person think long and hard about his or her life and choices.  Some people decide to go cold turkey, while others (like I did!) gradually ease into the process.  Some people need to try it more than once.  Lots of people prefer to research and gather the facts.

I feel fortunate.  I talked with my doctor about becoming vegetarian (haven't been in to see him in quite a while, but I plan to tell him I'm vegan next time I go!), and he was thrilled to hear it.  I've had lots of support.  My health was the number one reason why I made the change, but it's also the reason why I've eliminated lots of other things from my diet (like trans fats).  Sometimes it helps knowing there are some good substitutes for many of your old favorites.  Other times you just decide to do the best you can.  So, you might be wondering, what are some of the things that I personally have done to ease into the vegan lifestyle?  Here are just a few things:

1. I became a vegetarian first.  I know you've already read that here elsewhere, but I don't think I could have become vegan all at once.  I had to decide first to become vegetarian (and I found that very easy!).  Once I started researching and making healthier lifestyle choices, as well as researching the ecological impacts of my diet, becoming vegan weighed heavily on my mind, until I finally decided it was time.
2. I love coffee.  A lot, and way too much.  That said, though, I haven't pushed it out the door entirely yet.  Give me time.  It's the only other thing I drink aside from water with lemon.  I used non-dairy creamer for a very long time, but have you SEEN the junk in there?  It's like a chemistry lab!  I switched to Silk French Vanilla soy creamer, and it is yummy.  So...until I can give up the coffee, at least it's vegan.  I put a little bit of Stevia in the Raw in it, and I'm good to go.  I don't miss the dairy at all.
3. I have mental reminders for myself of why I decided to go vegan.  It's probably a little too graphic for many of you, but suffice it to say that I ultimately made the choice for several reasons:  a) for my health, because milk and animal protein are actually BAD for our bones, in spite of what we've all been taught!; b) vegans make an even smaller environmental impact on the planet than vegetarians (but way to go, vegetarians--you're still doing your part!); and c) ethical reasons--dairy products are still exploiting animals.  Okay...if you're still with me, I know I promised not to be graphic, but I can't help myself.  Feel free to stop reading if you need to...I am a mother of four wonderful, beautiful children, and I breastfed every one of them.  I'm glad I did, and I will never regret it.  However, I also worked full-time and I had to express my breastmilk every day at work two or three times a day for a long time!  I just think, "Geez, cows can never be done.  They just have to get hooked up to a breast pump every day."  Being engorged is uncomfortable, and I refuse to ask a cow to suffer pain so I can have a slice of cheese.  So, even when I think, "To heck with my health!" I remember the cows.  Now, I'm searching for a good soy cheese.  I found one at our local health food store the other day made with almond and soy, but I was disappointed because it had casein (milk protein).  Sorry, but I don't consider that vegan.  So I'll keep looking!  Until then, no cheese!  And I'm okay with that.
4. I love vegetables.  So I just try to find new ways to enjoy them!
5. I used to love to cook, and I'm trying to find that love again.  I have found (and I love this the most) that dishes are easier to clean when you haven't used them to cook animal products, cheese, eggs, etc.  I love easy dish cleaning! 
6. I talked with a vegan I knew.  I work with her, and she became vegan a few years ago for her health.  I asked her dozens of questions before I became vegetarian.  She was more than happy to share her journey.  Sound familiar?
7. I celebrate my success.  Actually, I rarely "look back" anymore.  It was hard at first.  It's not now.  But I feel so much better, and that's what I celebrate.  No more tummy troubles, acid reflux, extremely dry skin.  So many of my "ailments" have cleared up with my new diet.  I have no reason to go back.

If you choose to go vegan, I wish you the best of luck.  There are more and more of us everyday.  Whether you decide to go vegan or vegetarian or just want to eat a veggie meal once in a while, I salute you.  It's a choice.  It's a good choice.  I hope, no matter what you decide, that you are glad you made that decision like I am!