What does it take to be a really, truly, textbook vegan?
When I started eating vegan, I was in college and had already eaten meat-free for most of my life. Cutting out eggs and dairy turned out to be pretty easy for me, so I labeled the transition from vegetarianism to veganism a success and didn’t think much more about it.
I have to admit: I didn’t think I missed banana pudding until I made this recipe.
I used to eat banana pudding periodically as a child – it wasn’t my favorite, but it made a regular appearance at buffets and church potlucks, so I was no snob to it, either. It was often simply vanilla pudding served with slices of bananas and those little vanilla wafers; occasionally it was “real” banana-flavored pudding. I’m pretty sure all of it was made with a little packet of gelatin, though. And that’s why (before this recipe) I hadn’t eaten it in years.
S.C.O.B.Y., the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast needed to produce kombucha, is a necessary by-product of the fizzy, good-for-you fermented tea that’s grown in popularity over the last few years. It’s not pretty: most scoby are disc-shaped (they grow to fit their containers, usually a large glass jar), rubbery feeling, and slimy looking, with the occasional grayish-brown strands that can result from yeast blooms.
I bet I’m not the only one who grew up eating those really cheap, easy-to-make ramen noodles with flavor packets. (The oriental flavor was vegetarian-friendly.) So, I’d take them to school, and eat them dry (gross, I know). Whether we like to admit it or not, when prepared according to the instructions, that sodium bomb ramen was pretty good (tasting) nonetheless.
There comes a time in everyone's life where you decide to make a whole bowl of cookie dough simply for the sole purpose of eating it. I've been there and done that many times, but this time I decided to make the cookie dough a little...healthier.
Everyone in my family is fond of heavy white sauces, but not me; I’ve always been a fan of this thing called flavor. If you think you’re more of a white sauce person, think again. This velvety, luscious red sauce will even win over the hearts of Italians who think their nonna's “gravy” is the best hands down.
When you are living off of the grid and you only use a root cellar to store your food it can become difficult trying to keep fresh meat around the kitchen. My journey off the grid taught me a lot and meat-free meat was one of the things I chose to learn about. There are many reasons people choose to eat a diet that contains little-to-no meat: health, ethics for animals, and environmental issues.
Every vegetarian and vegan has heard it before, and will undoubtedly hear it time and time again—“But where do you get your protein?” Just to set things straight, a lot of Americans are overweight because we actually eat too much protein than we need to due to many of us rarely exercising. For everyone who thinks people on plant-based diets are lacking protein, you’re sadly mistaken; most of us are definitely getting adequate amounts.
In the United States, pumpkins are the quintessential fall “fruit” – there are pumpkin patches, pumpkin carvings, pumpkin pies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin juice, pumpkin spiced lattes – and of course, pumpkin seeds.&nbs
As a gluten-free vegan, let’s just say eating out can pose quite the challenge. So, in order to spare restaurant employees from all of my chaotic food questions, I’ve learned to love (and actually prefer) cooking meals at home. Preparing your own meals is a superb way to fine-tune your cooking skills, save money, and eat properly sized, more nutritious portions, while consuming less calories, sodium, fat, and sugar.