Top 5 vegan cookbooks

Top 5 vegan cookbooks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Top 5 vegan cookbooks

On the Internet there are a lot of books with recipes for vegans, so that people are often lost looking for the best ones. For you, on this occasion, we bring you a list of five best books for vegan cuisine. 

What is Soy, and why you must use Soy in your food?

Soy are a good source of protein
for vegetarians and vegans

What Is Soy?

You may have heard about soy foods in the news, including claims that soy prevents diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So what's the story on soy?

Soy, a versatile bean, is found in foods like soy milk, soy sauce, miso (soybean paste), tempeh (which is kind of like a soy cake), and tofu. Soy is also sometimes added to foods like breads, cereals, and meat products, and used as a meat substitute in vegetarian products such as soy burgers and soy hot dogs.

Foods that contain whole soy are a good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans because they provide all the amino acids — a type of nutrient — that people need to stay healthy. (People who eat meat get all their essential amino acids from animal products.)

What Are the Benefits?

Many Americans have added more soy to their diets because of increased availability and scientific studies that have shown that soy may offer health benefits, including lowering blood cholesterol and reducing the risk of certain cancers.

Past research suggested that soy protein could significantly lower levels of LDL cholesterol. But when the American Heart Association (AHA) reviewed the latest research, they concluded soy does not directly influence heart health.

The real health benefits of soy might lie in its nutritional content and the fact that people often use soy foods as a replacement for less-healthy foods. Soy foods are a great source of protein and contain other important nutrients, such as fiber, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Foods containing soy protein are also a healthy alternative to meats and other animal products that contain cholesterol and saturated fat.

Soy in Your Diet

Soy milk, soy burgers, and soy snacks are available in many supermarkets and specialty stores. When selecting soy foods, be sure to check food labels to be sure that the food is a good source of soy protein and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and added sugar.

If you're interested in eating more soy, introduce it into your diet gradually. And remember that the key to good health is to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods without focusing too much on any one food.

article source: Kidshealth Mary L. Gavin, MD;

Special Dietary Issues for Vegan and Vegetarians

Special Dietary Issues for Vegan and Vegetarians

Special Dietary Issues for Vegan and Vegetarians

Do to the exclusion of some food groups from the diet, there are some key nutrients that may be hard for a vegetarian to receive from their diet. This is of a concern for vegetarians because if the body does not get enough nutrients then deficiencies and health problems will begin to occur. The following are the nutrients that vegetarians need to pay special attention to in their diets.
 

Iron:

Iron is an essential nutrient used in the body to form hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the body’s cells. There are two different types of iron heme (found in animal foods) and non-heme (found in plant-foods). The non-heme iron that vegetarians consume is harder for the body to absorb. One way that you can aid in the absorption of this non-heme iron is to eat foods rich in vitamin C with each meal.

Protein:

Protein plays a key role in growth, the maintenance of body tissues, building red blood cells, and synthesizing
hormones. The most common source of complete proteins the body needs is animal products. Vegetarians can get complete proteins from a few sources such as soy, milk and eggs (if included in the diet). If there are no sources of complete proteins, vegetarians can still meet their daily recommended intake of protein (45 g for women & 55 g for men) by eating a variety of foods that contain incomplete proteins. 

It used to be thought that in order to get all the necessary proteins needed in a day, but recently this has been debunked. It is important that you consume complementary proteins (that is proteins that are by themselves incomplete but when mixed with other incomplete proteins become complete) throughout the day, but you do not need to mix certain foods together at meals to achieve this. By eating a variety of protein rich fruits and vegetables throughout the day you are sure to get all the complementary proteins you need to make up the necessary proteins for your body.

Calcium:

Calcium is also involved in normal blood clotting, muscle and nerve functioning, and hormone and enzyme secretion. The main source of calcium in the U.S. comes from the consumption of dairy products. If you exclude or limit dairy products in your diet you will have to turn to plant sources and calcium fortified foods in order to get the needed amount of calcium. It is recommended that adults intake about 1300 mg of calcium each day.

Vitamin B-12:

Vitamin B-12 is needed by the body for normal red blood cell formation, makings DNA, and nerve function. The problem for most vegetarians is that this nutrient is only found in animal foods. Vegetarians who consume dairy products do not need to worry because they will get enough vitamin B-12 from these sources. Other vegetarians and vegans need to include products that are fortified with vitamin B-12 in their diet daily

Zinc:

Zinc is important for growth, tissue repair, and energy production. The main place that zinc is found is dairy products and eggs. For individuals who exclude dairy and egg products from their diet, some sources of zinc may include: bran, legumes, tofu, seeds, nuts, wheat germ, zinc-fortified cereals, lentils, and green vegetables. Caution must be used when taking supplements that contain zinc, because if they contain more than 100% of the RDA there is a risk of toxicity.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D plays a major role in the absorption of calcium from the digestive tract as well as incorporating calcium into our bones and teeth. There are few actual foods that contain significant amounts of vitamin D. The main sources are fortified milk, egg yolks, and liver. Vegetarians and vegans who do not consume these products can get vitamin D from fortified soy milk products and sun exposure. Direct exposure to the sun activates your body to make its own vitamin D, but there are other risks involved with too much sun exposure.

5 Tips To Maintain A Healthy Vegan Diet

5 Tips To Maintain A Healthy Vegan Diet

Being a vegan is becoming trendy these days. More and more celebrities are jumping on the vegan wagon to promote their own lifestyle or on behalf of animal charities. Many people believe that going vegan and buying foods labelled suitable for vegans are automatically healthier than other foods. But do you really know what is contained in those dairy-free cookies or those vegetarian sausages? 

Regardless of whether or not it contains animal-based products, most pre-packed and processed foods that contain a long list of ingredients are unhealthy. What a lot of health conscious vegans are unaware of is that extremely unhealthy additives designed to mimic the original flavours and textures can be found in many vegan-friendly products.

For instance soy-based sausage and meat-free pies are typically marketed as being a healthy alternative for people trying to avoid meat-based products. But soy-based meat substitutes are not only loaded with highly-processed soy, which typically comes from genetically-modified (GM) soybeans, but they are also filled with other flavouring and preservative chemicals like modified starches, various derivatives of monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial colourings (to make them look like actual meat), synthetic vitamin fortifiers and other chemicals.

Processed foods aside, some vegans tend to indulge in vegan 'junk food' such as doughnuts, cookies, milkshakes, cakes, chips, candies, chocolates etc. These days you can get tons of vegan versions of your favourite desserts or snack on the market. Better still, the internet is overflowing with vegan recipes of indulging, not so healthy vegan foods. So you can make loads of them and eat to your heart's content. Just because they are vegan does not mean they are to be eaten as part of your daily meals. Careful planning and discipline is the key to stay healthy.

So here are 5 tips to maintain a healthy vegan diet

1. Eat unprocessed foods. Make sure you mix in some raw with cooked food.

2. Cut down on oil and vegetable fat during cooking or on salads. Steam your vegetables instead of frying.

3. Eat smaller portions as overeating will put on the pounds and make you unhealthy in the long run. You will gradually get used to eating smaller portions and actually take time to savour the taste. It is alright to indulge in your favourite dessert but take smaller mouthfuls.

4. Do not overcook your food as minerals and vitamins will be lost. Choose foods rich in iron, vitamins and minerals to substitute for meat products.

5. Cut out sugar especially refined. If you have to use sugar, go for raw. Replace sugar with maple syrup or agave nectar in some recipes.

For optimal health, stick to unprocessed, whole foods. Raw or cooked.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Begreen_Dee

For more vegan tips, go to: The ultimate vegan guide

Vegan recipes: Sausage Onion and Tomato Pie

Sausage Onion and Tomato Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sausage Onion and Tomato Pie

Serves 4

Necessary ingredients

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 450g veggie sausages
- 3 medium onions, chopped finely
- 2 stick celery, chopped finely
- 225g mushrooms, sliced
- 6 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder (optional)
- 50g frozen peas
- salt and pepper
- 675g mashed potatoes

Cooking Method

Fry the veggie sausages in the oil until cooked, chop into bite-sized chunks and put aside.

Fry the onions and celery in the oil for 3-4 minutes (add a little more oil if necessary)

Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

Ad the tomatoes and stir well.

Add the basil, chilli powder (if using) and the salt and papper to taste.

Cover the mixture and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Add the frozen peas and the sausage pieces and stir well before pouring the mixture into a deep, ovenproof dish.

Cover the mixture with the mashed potatoes and place under the grill until the top has browned and serve immediately. If the pie has been prepared in advance and has cooled down, cook in a moderately hot oven 190C/375F for about half an hour until the mashed potato has brownder.

Some nice tips for tasty vegan cooking

Some nice tips for tasty vegan cooking

Some nice tips for tasty vegan cooking

This is a chapter with notes on how to make food tasty, interesting and varied. Some of them are notes on general cooking, some on meal planning and variation, some on making leftovers interesting. 

Use oil well to maximize flavor

 

It is the oil in foods that carries much of the taste, and that gives much of the satisfied feeling after eating.

If you skimp too much on your oil, you will probably find your cooking unsatisfying and not very tasty. It does no good to cut down on oil in cooking and then be craving fatty foods like milk and cheese to compensate. While you don’t need to use large amounts of butter or lard as in some older cookbooks, you can use a reasonable amount of healthy oils like olive or peanut, or some butter for flavor mixed with canola to make it lighter, and come out with food that is very tasty, satisfying to eat, and healthy for you.

Part of the reason you need to allow for sufficient oil is that good soups, stews and sauces, depend on this cooking ‘secret’ - get your seasoning flavors, your spices and your condiment vegetables like garlic, ginger, onion, bell peppers and celery, cooked in the oil before adding the flavored oil to your cooking water or sauce. 

That’s the reason why the usual meat-based bean soup and bean recipes use a ham hock, bacon or sausage to cook with - they are all sauces of strongly flavored salty oil. That is also why most oilfree soups are so bland, and why spices that are just thrown into cooking water for soups are often flavorless.

Sauteing Onions

Cook onions very slowly and they become smooth, sweet and rich tasting. Cook them on a higher flame and they are less sweet and have more of an edge, sometimes with a slightly scorched taste. The tastes have different uses. The rich, sweet taste is good for rich soups, stews and gravies. Onions cooked more quickly with more of an edge are good in tomato sauce, and with stronger tasting veggies and beans, especially with Mediterranean style spices. 

Cooking grain with oil

Adding the oil and spices to grain before it is cooked, gives a milder, subtler and more pervasive taste than if oil and spices are added after the grain is cooked, where the flavor coats rather than permeating the grains. 

Varying tastes and textures

In meals with more than one dish you generally want the tastes and textures to complement rather than be too similar. For example, a rich wet stew is best complemented by a dry grain dish. Or, a very spicy rice dish could be complemented by a sweet and smooth tasting soup or stew, or vice versa. 

If you think of tastes as being in 5 major categories - salty, sweet, sour, bitter, pungent - it’s a good idea not to have the same taste dominant in all your dishes - so, a spicy sour stew with a sour cabbage salad and rice cooked with lemon juice would not work. 

Salty or sour dishes are complemented by mildly sweet dishes - and grains and most vegetables and beans are basically very mildly sweet. 

Salty and sour in the same dish intensify each other - you will see them together often in the recipes. Using lemon juice or vinegar in your cooking lets you use less salt. Salty and sweet tend to complement or balance rather than intensify each other. A little bit of sugar added to a dish with a primarily salty taste, like soy sauce, will mellow and smooth out the flavor a bit. 

Hot dishes, those using peppers or chilis,are best complemented by bland grain dishes, and by smooth creamy side dishes like yogurt.

Varying Leftovers

This becomes very important when you are cooking ahead a lot, and making stews or rice dishes to last for 3 to 5 days. Here are some suggestions.

· Vary the side dish. If you have a bean and vegie stew, have it with plain rice one day, with toast another day, over rice another day.

· By the 3rd day, vary or ‘perk up’ your leftover by adding a little extra seasoning - a little extra salt and lemon to make the taste a little sharper often helps. An extra touch of cayenne or pepper can also liven it up. Or, add a garnish like seeds, nuts or grated cheese.

· For a rice and veggie dish you can make a half-new dish by sauteing some veggies with spices and adding the leftovers to that. A cold rice salad can be turned into a hot rice and vegetable dish with a little extra oil, cooked onion and spices.

· If you cook ahead with whole beans, say for a stew, make enough beans that you can keep some of them plain, to be mixed in vegie and rice quick sauteed dishes.

· Keep an interesting bean dip around to have as a snack with bread, or as a complementing side dish with a plain grain dish.

· When you make rice for a meal, cook your rice plain and make extra, so that you have it available as an ingredient to stir into a fresh dish.

· If you are planning a week’s worth of meals, make Tuesday or Wednesday your ‘Eat Something Else’ day as a change of pace, and do a quick cooking meal with a convenient food like mock duck, or pre-cooked beans with rice and veggies with a different spice pattern.

Pasta also makes a good change of pace. You might also consider having a soft cooked cereal like cream of wheat or rice, either sweet like a breakfast cereal or cooked with soft vegetables and spices.

· Use a topping, dip or relish as a side accent to vary the taste of dishes.

Expand your thinking about appropriate foods, especially for breakfast or dinner. For instance, I often like to start the day with a vegetable soup for breakfast, and cooked cereal makes a onderful and warming quick dinner.

article source: Charles Obert / LBVeg

Top Five Tips for Raising Vegan Babies and Children

Top Five Tips for Raising Vegan Babies and Children

Top Five Tips for Raising Vegan Babies and Children

When we were looking for a quality theme for the process today, we ran into this great article that you want to publish it in its entirety. These are referred to as Crystal Hansen. Crystal has been vegan for fifteen years, and is currently raising two young boys on a plant-based diet. She shares some of her favorites vegan baking recipes at [http://www.bestvegancookierecipes.com].

All articles you can read below.

  

1) Know the appropriate health requirements: Realize that a vegan diet can meet all of your baby and child's nutritional needs, but only if it is done correctly. All newborn babies get the greatest benefit by nursing from their mothers. When that isn't a possibility, soy formulas work for many infants. You may have to contact individual companies if you have questions about whether a soy formula is completely vegan. 

Make sure to note that there's a big difference between soy formula and soy milk. Feeding an infant soy milk or rice milk as a substitute for breast milk or infant formula does NOT meet all of a newborn's nutritional requirement, and has even led to some tragic deaths.

Older children often thrive on fortified rice or soy milks. Silk soy milk, for instance, contains 50% of the RDA of vitamin B12 per serving (which can be challenging to incorporate into a vegan diet). It's also a good source of calcium and protein. Then of course, make sure your kids are getting enough protein through nuts, beans, and meat substitutes, and don't forget the whole grains, healthy fats, fruits and veggies!

2) Find the right pediatrician: All pediatricians are not created equal. Before your child is born, speak with several pediatricians to find someone you feel comfortable with and trust, and make sure to ask them how they feel about a vegan diet. Doctors who are open-minded and have up-to-date knowledge about nutrition will recognize that vegan diets can be nutritionally sound, and often healthier than diets including Happy Meals. They can also be a great source of information for how to keep your child healthy if you have specific questions about vegan nutritional guidelines.

3) Enlist supportive caregivers: If you're a working parent, you may have to search for an understanding daycare provider who will make a valiant effort to stick with your child's vegan diet. Most often, it works best for everyone involved if the parents of the vegan child provide all meals and snacks. Usually, daycare providers are more willing to work with parents who make it easy, and don't demand that they learn all of the ins and outs of veganism. 

Mistakes may be inadvertently made (for example, my two-year-old once grabbed a meatball from another child's plate and took a bite), but if your daycare provider recognizes that this kind of thing is a problem, and tries vigilantly to avoid it, things usually work out fairly well.

4) Substitute treats: When your child is going to a birthday party or encountering classroom treats, bring a vegan substitute. Your child will probably want to feel included, and being a vegan most definitely doesn't have to mean being left out of the fun! Each quarter, I give my son's kindergarten teacher a bag full of Alternative Baking Company cookies, Fruit Leather, and crackers.

Around Halloween, or other "candy-heavy" holidays, I give her some extra treats (such as Mambas) and let her know how I'd like my son to deal with getting non-vegan candy. (If his teacher is unsure about whether a treat is vegan, she usually sends it home in my son's backpack and lets us decide.) 

Work with your child's teacher to find a system that works for you. Most teachers will be willing to work with you. Also, when you're going to family parties, bring fun snacks and treats that your child will be excited about. This doesn't always work out perfectly, but with a little extra planning and effort, eating socially with non-vegans doesn't have to be awkward, and it doesn't have to make your child feel deprived.

5) Complain with composure, and know your facts: If teachers or grandparents give your child a non-vegan treat, your first reaction can be anger. I've been in that position before, and it's a natural reaction; however, explaining to the person how important veganism is to you and your family can be helpful. For many people, being vegan is about more than a diet. It often encompasses spiritual beliefs and personal ethics, and these things deserve respect in any situation. 

In the case that you've explained that, and a teacher has been repeatedly unwilling to work with you, take your complaint to the principal. Most problems can be resolved with more understanding. Keep in mind that veganism isn't well understood by everyone, and some people will even think you are harming your child by feeding them a vegan diet. In this case, information is your best asset. The more evidence you are able to provide skeptical grandparents or teachers on the benefits of vegan living, the better.

Some people have concerns about phytoestrogens in soy mimicking estrogen and causing hormonal imbalances. If you have those concerns, speak with your pediatrician, or simply cut back on the soy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Crystal_Hansen