A Healthy Breakfast

A study released online August 5, 2008 in the International Journal of Obesity (1) had as its objective to show that an egg breakfast in contrast to a bagel breakfast (when equal in density and total energy,) “would enhance weight loss in overweight and obese participants while on a reduced-calorie weight loss diet.” And their conclusions were: “The egg breakfast enhances weight loss, when combined with an energy-deficit diet, but does not induce weight loss in a free-living condition. The inclusion of eggs in a weight management program may offer a nutritious supplement to enhance weight loss.” (2) Following the release of this study, many articles appeared on the internet about the benefits of eating eggs as a healthy breakfast.


Is anyone out there in the field of nutrition and medical research who might question the faulty logic of such a hypothesis? Could it be that “protein breakfast” would be better substituted for “egg breakfast” in the formation of the hypothesis for this study? In my opinion, one does not have to look too far into research of “chicken embryos”, to understand why this is not an ideal option for nutrition. An egg is designed to be the sole nutritive substance to carry a baby chicken through 21 days before hatching. Each egg is replete with a very dense concentration of animal fat. With all the abominations of “food handling” in modern food industries, eggs have become filthy carriers of disease. Salmonella bacteria is abundant in the chicken’s organs and is already in the egg before the shell is formed. Anyone who has been paying attention the last ten years has read about and seen the appalling conditions in which chickens are kept. If you are unaware of what goes on in slaughter, hatchery, and other facilities, all you need to do is go to any internet search engine and investigate these topics. (Try a search for “dangers of eating eggs”. Or, go to the PETA website to see undercover video of some of these slaughter facilities.) There are many books available on this topic. Don’t bury your head in the sand. What you don’t know CAN hurt you!


So, what is the answer? Whether you are trying to drop a few pounds or you are already at your perfect weight, studies show that protein at breakfast fuels your day more efficiently, so begin finding alternatives for breakfast that offer “clean protein”. How about black beans wrapped in corn or whole wheat tortillas? How about a breakfast of Tofu Scramble? Recipes like this are full of fiber, protein and lots of vitamins. Below, you will find my recipe for Tofu Scramble that will make about 22 – 24 servings. For no-fuss breakfasts, I make up a big batch about every 11 days and freeze portions in small glass containers. We take one container out of the freezer every day and let it defrost in the fridge for heating up the next day. It couldn’t be easier. I’ve also included a recipe for Black Bean Wraps. (And, if you miss bacon at breakfast, nothing beats the “bacon” recipes in Vegan Vittles, by Joanne Stepaniak. This book is a “must” for anyone who wants to transition to a vegan lifestyle, but doesn’t want to lose old favorite, homestyle recipes.)
(1)Vanderwal JS et al , et al. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. Int J of Obesity, published online on August 5, 2008.
(2) Abstract can be found at: http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ijo2008130a.html


Recipe: Tofu Scramble
3 TBSP Olive Oil, or 2 TBSP coconut oil, (or Olive Oil Spray if you’re limiting calories or fat)
2 medium or 1 large onion
4 (or more) cloves minced garlic
1 TBSP (or less) minced ginger (optional, if you don’t like ginger))
3 bell peppers (3 different colors) (or a package of frozen bell pepper strips)
1 large family-size bag or 2 regular bags of frozen vegetables (steamed to half cooked) (Your choice: Normandy/California Mix style, or Stir Fry Style, etc.) or fresh (I fill a 2 – 1/2 quart baking dish full of vegetables, fresh or frozen, mounded above the rim of the dish)
1 or 2, 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, or equivalent fresh cut up (save juice) (about 3 cups?)
1 cup nutritional yeast
4 scoops ( or 8 TBSPs) flax meal (Easy way to get the Omega 3’s.)
3 TBSP taco seasoning (the kind without MSG) (or your choice: separate spices such as cumin, etc.)
2 tsps. Turmeric
3 -4 TBSP soy sauce
About 30 oz. extra firm tofu (Trader Joe’s, Wild Wood, etc.)
Instructions:
1. Oil a LARGE saute pan.
2. Saute onion, garlic, ginger. Saute approx. 5 – 10 minutes on medium, until the onions “sweat” their juices. ( In a hurry? – use granulated onion, garlic, ginger.)
3. Add bell peppers, vegetables and saute for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Add soy sauce and diced tomatoes (with liquid of at least one can, or juice from fresh tomatoes) and cook until mixture heats through and bubbles. (Save the liquid from the second can in case mixture is too dry.)
5. Mix nutritional yeast, flax meal, and spices in a cup or bowl. Sprinkle over mixture and mix until blended into mixture. (If needed, add the saved liquid from the second can of tomatoes.)
6. Crumble the extra firm tofu, leaving chunks. Mix through the mixture.
This recipe is extremely flexible. You can increase or decrease the tofu, the veggies, and you can add your favorite vegetable or herb/spice. You can top it with salsa or mix the salsa into the tofu scramble.

Recipe: Black Bean Wraps
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans (undrained)
1 – ½ TBSP fresh lime juice (substitution: lemon juice)
1 tsp. Chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
3 TBSP Better ‘N Sour Cream (by Tofutti) (optional)
1 TBSP sliced green onion (optional)
3 corn or flour tortillas
Instructions:
Drain the beans, saving 2 TBSP liquid. Cook at medium heat: beans, bean liquid, juice, chili powder, cumin in a saucepan, until heated through. Remove from heat and add fresh cilantro, and green onions. Put 1/3 cup mixture on a corn or whole wheat flour tortilla, add a tablespoon of Better’N Sour Cream and roll into a Breakfast Wrap.. (If you prepare the night before, put mixture together, keeping the cilantro, green onions, and Better’N Sour Cream separate. Refrigerate. In the morning, reheat the mixture, remove from heat, add the cilantro, and green onions, and wrap as directed.) If you like, make the recipe the night before, mash the mixture so it will stick to the inside of the tortilla, for breakfast-on-the go. (Load the reheated bean mixture into the tortilla in the morning to avoid soggy wraps.) Makes 3 Wraps.

My Husband's Transition to Vegetarianism

I always find the perspective of a new vegetarian very informative and insightful. My husband became a strict vegetarian almost two years ago. I asked him to share his perspective on his transition to vegetarianism.

"My transition from meat eater to vegetarian was gradual, and took several years. I convinced myself that eating vegetarian was not a moral choice….only a health choice. For several years, I categorized myself as a “flexitarian”, who ate vegetarian at home, but was perfectly happy to eat poultry or fish when eating out. It was only after I had spent several months eating only vegetarian, that I was finally able to see the issue more clearly. I hadn’t planned to go that long eating only vegetarian…it was more coincidental than by intent. It was then that I ordered a restaurant meal with chicken, and I had the oddest experience. As I ate the chicken, I felt a vague feeling of disgust. I had never experienced that before. I finished the meal, and have not tasted meat since. I later realized that it was only by stepping away from meat completely, even if only for a couple of months, that I was able to fully realize the immorality of consuming killed animals when perfectly acceptable plant based alternatives existed. It was as if a veil of fear or ignorance had lifted, and I was finally able to see what was really involved in eating meat. It was as if I had been blind my whole life, and suddenly was able to see clearly for the first time. I certainly don’t judge anyone else for choosing to consume animals. I completely understand how society….even our own families…trains and conditions us to not see the horror of killing an innocent creature that is part and parcel of the meat industry. There’s even a certain element of fear involved. I was actually afraid of eating a totally vegetarian diet. The thought of having to give up those delicious cuts of beef, pork, poultry and fish was actually scary to me. I even joked with my wife about never going “cold-turkey” (pun intended) to a vegetarian diet. What I have learned, is that sometimes you have to step back completely from an activity, and observe it from the outside looking in, before you can truly understand and appreciate all aspects of that activity. When you gain that independent perspective, you may be shocked at what you suddenly are able to see and understand clearly for the first time."

Baked Seitan

For seitan recipes, go to "The Post Punk Kitchen," http://www.theppk.com/
I made it yesterday. It's easy to make and scrumptious. Kudos to "the wrong umbrella" (user name) for an easy-to-prepare, delicious baked seitan.

This is  truly a precious, standard seitan recipe for me which I have used many times, cooked in medallions, in a slab, in cutlet sized pieces, and rolled up, placed in an oiled loaf pan, covered with the cooking broth, baked in the oven, and sliced.  Sometimes I serve the slices covered in mushroom gravy, sometimes breaded  and baked a little longer till the breading is crispy.  It has always turned out perfectly.

Chickenish Baked Seitan

Dough
1 1/2 c wheat gluten flour (I use 2 cups)
1/2 c chickpea flour
2 cups water
pinch turmeric
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp "chicken" flavored veggie broth powder (or any broth
paste/boullion/powder--I don't think the chicken flavor is essential but it's
what I usually use for this recipe, and I usually have it around)
1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped very fine
Cooking broth (I double the broth, and bake uncovered)
3 cups veggie broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp rosemary, dried or fresh
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch turmeric
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
Olive oil for oiling pan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil the pan you will bake it in, which should be
either a casserole with a lid or a medium-deep roasting pan you will cover with
foil. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the water, garlic,
and soy sauce, stir until doughy. Knead 10 minutes and stretch dough until
it's thin and oblong, about 8x12". (I make it into cutlets or divide into 24
smaller clumps and form into little medallions or roll it into a roll, oil loaf pan and fill to about ½ inch from top with broth.) Put the dough in the pan. Let
the dough rest for 10 minutes. While it's resting, mix the broth ingredients
together. Pour broth mixture over dough, cover, put in oven. Bake for 1
hour, flip, bake another hour, covered. (If in loaf pan, just check occasionally for sufficient broth.) Take out of oven, let cool uncovered.
Tip: resist the temptation to overseason/oversalt the broth because it all
cooks down into the seitan during cooking and becomes very concentrated.
The onions and garlic are good to save for whatever you'll be cooking the
seitan in. If you don't have the herbs, leave them out and it will still be tasty.
This is a very flexible recipe when it comes to flavors

Recipe: Creamy Winter Vegetable Soup-in-a-Hurry

• 2 pkg. (about 16 oz. each.) Frozen (hopefully organic!) Vegetables, Mixed (California Mix, Oriental Mix, Etc.)
• 2 quarts water with vegetarian bouillon cubes added to make broth
• 1 large onion chopped (or 2 tsp. onion granules
• 4-6 cloves garlic (cubed) (or 1 tsp garlic granules)
• Ginger (minced fresh--2 tsp, or ground -- a slight tsp)
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2-3 bell peppers, chopped (varied colors) or frozen bell pepper medley
• Kombu, 1 piece
• Your Choice of Herbs and Spices, to taste (about 1 tsp. each)
  Basil, dill, coriander, cumin, turmeric, tarragon, whole fennel
  2-3 Bay leaves
  Oregano
  Parsley
  Rosemary
  Sage
  Italian seasoning
  Taco seasoning mix (no MSG)
  Thyme
• Lemon juice, ¼ to ½ cup
• 2 – 3 (15 oz.) cans of cannellini beans or pinto white northern beans, process, with liquid, until smooth and creamy
• 1 -2 (15 oz.)cans of tomatoes (Choose from stewed with seasoning, diced, diced with green chilies, etc.)
• 1 or 2 or 3 cups, Bite size pieces of baked tofu or seitan, etc.
  
  Instructions:
  
  If you have time, use fresh onion and fresh garlic. (If no time, use dried.) Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. When onion becomes translucent, add minced ginger and fresh chopped bell pepper (3 colors?) or if no time, toss in frozen bell pepper medley. Saute a few minutes longer, until the peppers release their juices. Then add any or all of herbs/spices/flavorings (mentioned above) to the onion/garlic/bell pepper mixture. (I use about a tsp. of each), roughly measured into the palm of my hand. (Exception: 1 – 2 TBSP taco seasoning, a slight tsp. ginger powder).
  Place Kombu (optional, but very healthy) and 2-3 bay leaves in large soup pan with broth at medium heat. Add onion/garlic/pepper herb/spice mixture to the broth. Add processed (pureed) beans. Remove the Kombu before it reaches a boil. Bring to a boil. Add 1 pkg. of frozen vegetables (California mix is great for this: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, summer squash) bring back to a boil, then and simmer until tender.
  IF YOU WANT A VERY THICK WINTER SOUP, remove bay leaves and process (puree) the soup mixture at this point. Return mixture to soup pan (It’s best to have two soup pans for this.) Then add the second bag of frozen vegetables. (If you have frozen corn, add it at this point.) Bring back to just up to a boil, then simmer on medium or low heat until this second round of frozen vegetables is tender. If you like, add a can of corn, stewed, or diced tomatoes at this point as well as baked tofu/seitan/etc.. Add lemon juice before serving. Add a little salt and pepper, or soy sauce, to taste, a little at a time. Serve with whole wheat bread, corn bread, whole wheat pita bread, or whole wheat biscuits, etc. Enjoy!

A Conspiracy of Silence

"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love." Pythagoras, mathematician


"In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought." Isaac Bashevis Singer, author, Nobel Prize 1978


The other day I viewed the video, “Savent-ils que c’est Noël?” (“Do They Know It’s Christmas?”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c6qCby5ujM emailed to me by L214, a French website, http://www.l214.com/ (Link for the video is also on this site.) Later, I was talking with my husband about the blind eye most of our human culture turns towards cruelty towards animals, when he spoke of the concept of “a conspiracy of silence.” This term has been used in several historical settings before, but I felt it was aptly applied to the human attitude towards the pain and suffering and death of slaughter animals. I asked him to define what he meant, in reference to this connotation, and he said the following:

“If people thought about the pain and torture and suffering that slaughter animals must endure, they would be compelled to change. The conspiracy exists in people not talking about it, refusing to talk about it if it is brought up. They know, but want to be kept in the dark because they are afraid.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity." He is right. As babies, we are not responsible for the pureed beef from the baby food jar that is placed on our tongues, but once we know, we are responsible. Once we understand what is being done to those animals, every time we buy a product of that torture and death, we are complicit in the crime, the evil, complicit in every death of an innocent animal. By buying the pristine meat package wrapped in cellophane, we are complicit. By wearing the tortured skin of an animal on our bodies, we are complicit. By turning the other way, either visually or psychologically we participate in the evil of every torture and every death. Because we “don’t want to know” or because we choose not to see does not take that complicity away.

I emailed a copy of the French video to friends, Joaquin and Efigenia, who live down the street, and their response was brilliant. Their response was, “Do WE know it’s Christmas?” I couldn’t have said it any better.

"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages." Thomas Edison
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. --- Jiddu Krishnamurti

New Year's Resolution

New Year’s 2008 approaches, and I find myself with only one resolution on my list. I will buy no product that causes or contributes to cruelty to animals. This means I will not only buy vegan food and clothing products, but also I will buy no products that have been tested on animals. In 2008, I will be responsible enough to make sure that a product, any product, I buy does not come from a company that is cruel to animals. (This is easy. All I have to do is go to www.peta.org for their lists of companies that do and do not test on animals.) On the the PETA website you will also find videos of what actually goes on before a cruelty product arrives in the store. Turning a blind eye to this does not mean the cruelty, abuse and suffering aren’t happening. If you turn a blind eye that means you condone all of it. “Attachment to being right creates suffering. When you have a choice to be right, or to be kind, choose kind and watch your suffering disappear.” (Dr. Wayne Dyer)
My hope and prayer is that everyone has (and keeps, ) the resolution on their list to end participation in cruelty towards animals. There are beautiful synthetic leather and fake fur products, nutritious vegan food products, quality beauty products, and environmentally safe cleaning products on the market that do not test on animals, that do no harm. “Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty... Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”--Albert Einstein
"All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?" -- Buddha
If you’re not sure what kind of resolution to make for 2008, www.PETA.org has some great suggestions for resolutions and lists of ways in which you can keep those resolutions. http://www.peta.org/feat_resolutions.asp
So, during 2008 (and beyond), I will walk a new path. I will not buy a product from companies that are cruel to animals.
“Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again. Wanderer, there is no road-- Only wakes upon the sea.” Antonio Machado y Ruiz

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Anyone who is a vegetarian has most certainly been asked many times, “Why are you a vegetarian?” This question usually arises at the worst time, when you all sit down to eat during a social occasion such as a dinner invitation, or a work-related or neighborhood potluck, and people notice that you have no meat on your plate. To go into the reasons why you are a vegetarian or vegan at this time is a mistake, because regardless of how carefully you word your answer, you cannot help but touch on the most sensitive, and esthetically unappealing of subjects. If you achieve an accurate answer to the question, the people seated at your table will be unable to eat. This can alienate more people than you can recruit to a vegetarian lifestyle. There is, however, a simple, esthetically appealing way to change the world, one or two people at a time.

One of the most effective approaches I’ve had to making the world vegan has been one of the simplest: at least once every month I invite carnivores to dinner. Sharing a meal with people is a wonderful way to open up a world of flavors. Even if you don’t like to cook, there are simple, easy to create healthy vegan/vegetarian meals that you can make. And, if you don’t want to cook, many health food stores have deli counters which sell many prepared food products. If you absolutely hate to cook, order take-out from a vegetarian restaurant and set the food up on your dishes at home on a nicely set table. Eating together is a spiritual experience, a communion. As Will Tuttle expresses, “When we eat, we are loved by the eternal and mysterious force that births all life, that makes present all who ever preceded us, that manifests itself ceaselessly as us and experiences life through us, with a love that thoroughly gives of itself to us, to we, who are this force.”

It is after people experience a meal that causes no suffering or death, a meal that is rich in flavors, varied in sauces, a meal that is just as easy to prepare as a carnivorous one, that they begin to open themselves to another possibility. Sharing a meal with people has a way of altering everyone subtly. John Robbins says, “Eating is essentially an act of communion with the living forces of nature.” Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk, and author says, “Having the opportunity to sit with our family and friends and enjoy wonderful food is something precious, something not everyone has.” Because of the generous nature of people, they will usually try to return the invitation and invite you to their house for what may be their first attempt at vegetarian/vegan cooking, or to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. With this invitation, they begin the journey to the next step, exploration and preparation of vegetarian food as a viable option. As it was so beautifully expressed, “ The hunger that lives in the human heart is part of the kinship that threads us all together. We are interdependent beings with a profound need both to give and to receive from each other. For what one of us is lacking, another has in abundance, whether that be a bowl of rice, a skill, a wisdom, a capacity for joy, a knowledge, or a courageous heart. Our urges and our gifts, our longings and our offerings, are all needed and are all indispensable.” (Robbins J., and Mortifee, A., In Search of Balance)

Sometimes the most powerful changes in our lives come from something extremely simple. There is time for all the literature and websites and documentaries later. Sharing a simple vegetarian meal with carnivores once a month may be a powerful seed for change.