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Food Review: Rising Moon Organics - Vegan Stuffed Shells

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0800

I'm a big fan of Italian foods like baked ziti, lasagna, and stuffed shells. The only problem is the ricotta and other cheeses make them high in artery-clogging saturated fat and cholesterol. When I came across a healthier version of stuffed shells by Rising Moon Organics, my interest was piqued. Made with primacotta soy ricotta, these shells are completely vegan.

To find out how they compared with the real deal after the jump when you read more.

I really wanted to love this dairy- and cholesterol-free frozen meal, but truthfully, it lacked flavor. The consistency of the soy filling was a little smoother and spongier than real ricotta, but I didn't mind that. It was the fact that these shells just tasted "blah." The tomato sauce was sweet, but had this odd slightly smokey aroma and taste.

Just to see how much healthier these vegan stuffed shells were, I compared them to nonvegan ones made by Amy's Kitchen. Now I don't feel so bad about choosing the ricotta-filled shells. Although Rising Moon Organics Shells have less saturated fat and cholesterol, they also have more calories, more carbs, and less protein than Amy's Kitchen shells. The choice is obvious for me. I'll go for real cheese and real flavor, but if you're avoiding dairy, give these vegan shells a whirl.

Serving Size: (3 stuffed shells)
Calories	370	310
Total Fat	10 g	13 g
Saturated Fat	1.5 g	7 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	30 g
Sodium	470 mg	740 mg
Carbs	54 g	30 g
Fiber	6 g	5 g
Sugar	4 g	7 g
Protein	16 g	19 g

Yummy Links: From a Vegan's Vengeance to Food Network

partysugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:45:42 -0700

If you love foodie fiction, check out this crime novel in which a vegan gets his vengeance. - San Francisco Magazine
These cheesecake pops are pretty and delicious. - GlamDish
Check out the new and improved Chow.com. - Chow
Learn everything you need to know about 16 varieties of potatoes.- The Kitchn
In what must be the most absurd announcement of the week, PETA has asked Ben & Jerry to make ice cream with breast milk.- The Epi-Log
Wine wipes will get rid of red wine-stained teeth. - Serious Eats
How to unclog your coffee grinder.- CasaSugar
Food Network's holding casting calls for the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star; do you have what it takes? - Grubstreet

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Food Review: Celebration Roast

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

Surrounded by vegetarians and vegans, the arrival of the holidays always leaves me a little perplexed as to what's best to serve them during a festive meal. I don't want to slight them by giving them a bunch of side dishes, but I am not a fan of Tofurky and Now and Zen's Unturkey. My vegetarian and vegan guests will have the pleasure of eating a Celebration Roast this Thanksgiving. It's a meatless alternative to turkey that omnivores have been known to gobble up.

To hear how it tasted, read more.

Made by the Field Roast Grain Meat Co., the Celebration Roast looks a little like a ham or pork roast because of the appearance of darker outer skin with lighter "meat" on the inside. The "meat" of the roast is made entirely of grain that's been mixed with spices, herbs, lemon, and lentils. The center of the roast is stuffed with a delicious "sausage style stuffing" made up of apples, butternut squash, and mushrooms. As for the sausage flavor you can choose from Lentil Sage or Sundried Tomato, I opted for Lentil Sage. I love that each roast is made by hand, which shows when you are shopping for them - they all look just a tiny bit different.

The roasts come fully cooked and just need to be heated for about 15 minutes in the oven. It has a nice texture that isn't slimy or rubbery like some fake meats, and all the seasonings give it a nice savory flavor. I think the reason the Celebration Roast tastes so good is because it's not aspiring to be something it's not. Instead of trying to be a synthetic meat, the natural flavors and texture of the grains and seasonings are showcased. I'm pretty certain I'll be munching on this in addition to the turkey on Thanksgiving. An added plus is that it tastes good cold and will make a really good sandwich for the day after.

The Celebration Roast comes in two sizes, 1 or 2 pounds ($8 and $16, respectively) and is carried nationwide by Whole Foods. A 4-ounce serving contains 280 calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 31 grams of protein.

If any of you decide to try the Celebration Roast this holiday season please let me know what you think!

You'll Never Miss the Meat: Conscious Cook Cookbook

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:30:09 -0700

We know that eating less meat is a good thing - it reduces your carbon footprint, lowers your grocery bill, and makes sense for your heart. But does it taste good? Vegetarian diets are often associated with a bland menu of tofu, sprouts, and brown rice day after day. Chef to the stars Tal Ronnen sets out to bust this myth in his new cookbook, The Conscious Cook - Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat ($20).

The cookbook is divided into sections by meal courses that include starters, soups, entrées, and desserts. I'm most excited about the entire section devoted to sandwiches because of all the new lunches I get to try. There's a nice intro that covers Ronnen's must haves in the kitchen - from what items he always has in his pantry (agave nectar) to the chef tools he can't live without (food processor). Ronnen touches on the importance of a vegan diet but does it without making you feel like you're choking on someone else's politics. It's obvious the chef's main focus is making food that tastes exceptional.

To hear more about The Conscious Cook and see a killer quinoa recipe, read more.

Each of the 75 recipes features a protein and ranges from the comforting - free-form ravioli with tofu ricotta and arugula pesto - to the sophisticated - peppercorn-encrusted portobello fillets with yellow tomato bearnaise and mashed potatoes. And every recipe has an inspiring photo accompanying it.

What's great about this cookbook is its range and its approach to meatless cooking. No main dish ever feels like a side dish, which can happen a lot in vegan and vegetarian cooking. Instead, each meal is made to be complete and satisfying. There are recipes for a quick or casual meal, but if you want to pull out all the stops, there are recipes for that too. As an added nice touch, there are seasonally driven dinner menus included at the end.

Quinoa, Avocado, and Sweet Potato Timbale With Roasted Tomatillo Dressing
The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat

Ingredients

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, cooked in vegetable stock according to the package directions and cooled to room temperature
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the sweet potatoes:
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dressing:
2 tomatillos in olive oil, skins removed
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the tortilla strips:
Canola oil
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

To serve:
2 avocados, diced
Microgreens

You'll also need 4 salad plates, a food processor, and a 3-inch ring mold.

Directions
1. Make the quinoa: Place all the of the quinoa ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
2. Make the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until soft in the middle and lightly browned. Be careful not to let the sweet potatoes burn.
3. Make the dressing: Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the tomatillos with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add vinegar, cilantro, and agave nectar, and pulse to combine. With the motor running, pour in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a thin stream. Continue blending until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Make the tortilla strips: Pour 2 inches of oil into a small, heavy pot and heat until the oil shimmers. Add the tortilla strips and fry until crisp and browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning.
5. Assemble the salads: Place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of one of the 4 salad plates. Fill with 1/4 of the quinoa mixture and press down with a spoon to pack the mold, smoothing the top. Place 1/4 of the sweet potato pieces on top of the quinoa and press down gently. Top with 1/4 of the avocado and press down gently. Carefully remove the mold. Repeat on the remaining salad plates.
6. Carefully place 2 tortilla strips parallel to each other about 1 inch apart on top of each timbale. Place 2 more tortilla strips perpendicular on top of those. Top the timbales with the microgreens and drizzle the dressing around the timbales.

Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 45 minutes

Print recipe with images | without images

If You're Drinking This Holiday Season, Go Green

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:28:54 -0800

To me, being healthy involves more than exercise and a balanced diet - I also try to live in ways that are eco-conscious and sustainable. I recycle, eat organic and local food, and do my best to cut down on waste. I feel better knowing that I'm helping preserve our planet, and a good state of mind is essential for healthy living!

This philosophy shouldn't stop at cocktail hour. Luckily, there are more choices than ever before when it comes to organic alcohol. Since the holidays often involve parties and grand meals, why not choose responsibly made alcohol if you're imbibing this season?

To see a list of organic spirits, beer, and wine, read more.

Tru Organic Vodka ($20). Tru vodka is made from organic ingredients, and the company plants a tree in Central America for every bottle sold. The company uses less glass to produce its bottles, and the glass that is used is recycled. Top that off with a synthetic cork, soy-based ink, and packaging that converts into a shelf and you've got yourself a carbon negative rating! Aside from its straight vodka offering, choose from lemon or vanilla flavored vodka too.
Casa Noble Tequila ($40-130). Award-winning Casa Noble is made from 100% organically farmed Blue Agave plants and is USDA certified organic. All the tequila is made harvest-to-bottle on the Casa Noble estate where water usage is carefully monitored and organic cleaning products dominate. Choose from silver, resposado, anejo, single barrel resposado, and single barrel anejo.
Juniper Green Gin ($20). Juniper Green has the bragging rights of being the first organic gin ever, and is made using organic ingredients like grain, juniper, and coriander. Besides being USDA certified it also has certification from the British Soil Association for its use of sustainable farming practices.
Papagayo Organic Rum ($28). The organic sugarcane used to make Papagayo single estate rum comes from small family farms in Paraguay, and the rum is distilled using organic practices. Available as a white or spiced rum.
Benromach Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($60). The raw ingredients of Benromach are all organic, and the company is certified by the British Soil Association. Though it's not reclaimed wood, its casks are made from materials that come from sustainably managed forests.
Parducci Wine ($12). Parducci wines are not only affordable they are made using organic grapes from family owned farms and come delivered in eco-friendly packaging. The Parducci estate uses solar and renewable energy to power itself, as well as sustainable farming practices.
Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wine ($30). Made from organic grapes, bubbly from Domaine Carneros is also vegan. (If you didn't already know champagne and sparkling wine has animal products like egg whites in them.) The winery uses solar power and is a big fan of composting.
Wolaver's Organic Ale ($10 for a 6-pack). Wolaver's uses organic ingredients and its sustainable farming practices include the use of bio-diesel fuel, free-air refrigeration and relying on local ingredients. The company also donates profits to research in organic farming. There are eight varieties available that include pale ale, oatmeal stout, and alta gracia coffee porter.

Alicia Silverstone: The Kind Diet

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:30:00 -0800

It's no secret that Alicia Silverstone is an animal lover. Remember how she starred in that sexy commercial for PETA to tell the world she's a vegetarian? Well now she's taking her passionate views a step further with her new book about going vegan, titled The Kind Diet, that's set to hit stores in the Fall of 2009. In case you're not familiar with a vegan diet, it involves not eating any animal products including meat, milk, or honey. Alicia enthusiastically illustrates how choosing a plant-based diet can benefit your body and how you feel about your body. Although Alicia is vegan mostly for humane reasons, the Kind Diet is also healthy since it's high in protein and fiber and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Even though the foods are plant-based, she makes them sound delicious and indulgent.

A vegan diet doesn't just benefit the people following it. It also obviously saves the lives of many animals, and in her book Alicia explains how choosing a vegan diet can benefit our world as well. Talk about a win-win-win.

I'm curious, will any of you buy this book and try a vegan diet?

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Healthy Eating Tip: Make Nori Wraps Like Alicia Silverstone

FitSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

The Kind Diet book by Alicia Silverstone doesn't hit stores until Fall, but you don't have to wait until then to get a taste of her vegan tips. A common qualm about veganism is that meals are time-consuming, but this famous vegan implied that doesn't have to be true and said, "One of the recipes in my book is leftover nori (a type of seaweed) wraps. Anything in the fridge I want to use up, I shove into nori. It's delicious."

Alicia sells the perks of seaweed by saying, "It makes your skin look amazing and your hair really strong," but the benefits of including seaweed in your diet are more than skin-deep. The sea vegetable is an excellent source of essential minerals like iodine, vitamin K, B-vitamins, magnesium, iron, and calcium.

You can usually find packages of nori in the Asian food section of your supermarket. It comes in thin sheets, making it ideal for wrapping, and Alicia has shown us that it's not just for wrapping raw fish.

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What's the Deal With: TVP

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0800

TVP might sound like a new sexually transmitted disease, but it's actually a kind of food made from soybeans. The letters stand for Texturized Vegetable Protein, and it's produced from soy flour after the soybean oil has been removed. It's cooked under pressure, made into little shapes, and then dried. Once added to food, like vegetarian chili, the texture becomes chewy, and it absorbs flavors just like tofu. Add it to foods to increase the amount of protein and fiber, plus it's also high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Some varieties are fortified with vitamins, so it's a great way for vegans and vegetarians to get vitamin B12. TVP is dry, so it doesn't need to be refrigerated. That means you can buy it in bulk to save money, store it in an airtight container, and use it as needed.

You can buy it minced or in chunks for about $3 a pound, and some companies even sell flavors. Add it to soups, chili, stir fries, pasta sauce, casseroles, burritos, or pizza.

To see the nutritional info for TVP read more.

Serving Size	1/4 cup
Calories	80
Total Fat	0 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	2 mg
Carbs	7 g
Fiber	4 g
Sugar	3 g
Protein	12 g

Do you cook with TVP? If so tell me what you make with it in the comment section below.

Do Tell: Would You Try to Raise a Vegetarian (or Vegan) Pet?

PetSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:30:10 -0800

I certainly don't know many kitties that would turn down some fresh fish as a treat . . . and I can't be the only one with the iconic cartoon image of a cat lapping milk in my head. However, a recent post on Dolittler (my go-to site for a behind-the-scenes vet perspective) got me thinking: Are there really vegan pets out there?Seems that converting pets – especially cats – to a vegetarian or even the veggies only diet (with no milk or egg proteins for vegans) is a risky choice but one that some still consider. Dr. Patty Khuly writes:

Cats' bodies (specifically, their gastrointestinal tracts) are not ideally suited to digesting non-meat foods. Though they may seem to do well on these diets once they’ve acclimated to them, the long-term effects of feeding feline diets that lack animal proteins have not been established.

Now it's one thing if you have a pet that would choose the vegetarian option in the wild (goats, rabbits, chickens, etc.) but it doesn't seem fair to impose personal beliefs that could endanger your animals' health in the process? What's your take?

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5 Things: Highest Sources of Vegan Protein

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:30:00 -0700

Whether you are cutting back on meat and dairy products for health or moral reasons, it's good to remind ourselves that there are other forms of protein out there besides cheeseburgers, steak, and chicken satay. Check out these vegan sources.

Tempeh: 4 ounces gives you 22g of protein
Tofu: 1/2 cup serving equals 19.9g of protein.
Seitan: If you eat 3 ounces, you'll have consumed 19g of protein.
Plain soy milk: 1 cup of soymilk has 11g of protein.
Edamame: You'll get 10g of protein by eating 1/2 a cup of these beans.

Incorporating these foods into your meals will not only give you cholesterol and saturated fat free sources of protein, but since many of them contain fiber as well, they're even healthier.

Fit's Tips: Not sure how much protein you should be getting in a day? Then check out this chart.

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