Stop (Eating Animals)

I'm not sure how long this sticker has been there, but it's nearby where I live and I found it amusing:

Are other versions of stickers out there, such as the following: IN THE NAME IN LOVE, OR I'LL TELL MOM, HAMMER TIME, etc.

Beefless Ribs

Vegetarian McRibs?

     I was curious about the McRib Sandwich when it came out the first time around YEARS AGO. However, I never tried because it would disappear before I could get around to it. So, last year when I noticed that it was back, I decided I would try it. Why?? Curiosity? Anyway, I thought the taste was okay (the kindest thing I can think of), even though the texture was obviously not meaty. It was processed and nowhere near meat. I felt sick afterwards, maybe not from the meat, but maybe the grease? Some vegetarian products try to imitate meat, but some meat products try to imitate meat too, maybe even more so!
     Then, I saw MorningStar's Hickory BBQ Riblets. Okay, anyone who likes eating ribs is NOT going to mistake these riblets for the real thing. The sauce is not bad and, in the end, this product does have protein.

Vegetarian riblet in a hickory barbeque sauce

     Another plus is that it's easy to prepare. Just stick it the microwave for longer than you would expect, let it rest. Then, stick it between whole wheat buns with lettuce and tomato maybe. There's plenty of sauce.
     If I ever open a vegetarian fast food place, I'd probably have this on the menu with organic french fries. Or maybe I should convince existing food chains to carry it, as long as they are trying to imitate meat, why not offer a vegetarian alternative?

Vegetarian Kimchi Soup

Korean chili paste

Gochujang is a Korean chili paste and it's used in soups and stuff. I like it in soups as it adds a spicy and red color to everything. My first experience with it is having Yukgaejang, which is a spicy beef soup. Kimchi soup is another Korean-style soup which usually has some sort of meat in it, like pork. Here is a vegetarian version.

8 oz of wheat meat/gluten/seitan
2 cups of kimchi (chopped)
2 tablespoons of gochujang
3-4 garlic cloves
4 Chinese black mushrooms (soaked and sliced)
half a carton of tofu (about 6-7 ounces), cubed
2 green onions
sesame oil to taste
salt to taste

Vegetarian Kimchi Soup

Bring to boil about 3-4 cups of water. Add the mushrooms, chopped kimchi, chili paste, garlic and half of the green onions. Simmer. Meanwhile, fry the wheat meat to develop a desired texture. It's already cooked so you don't need to over-fry it, but you want it to liven it up. Toss into the soup. If using, add sesame oil to taste. Add salt to taste. Garnish with the rest of the green onions. You can eat it as is or serve with brown rice.

1st Quarter Report- January 1 to March 31, 2011

1st Quarter Weight Loss Graph

     For some reason, I couldn't upload spreadsheets, so I decided to take a picture of my first quarter weight loss. Each bar represents what I weighed on that particular week. I took the weight of each day of the week and took the average. As you can see, it's been a downward trend.
     The last four weeks, I went through an ice cream phase, but now I'm over it. Let's see, I was eating Haagen-Dazs ice cream: coffee, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry, dulce de leche, etc. Thankfully, I didn't gain that much weight because of it and I managed to continue on decline despite of it.
     I told someone I had lost weight by eating vegetarian foods and he was surprised. He asked me if that's the only thing I'm doing. And the answer is yes! I was exercising a little before and I wasn't losing weight and I'm still exercising about the same level. So, it must be what I'm eating!
     I did a Carbohydrate Addicts Diet a long time ago (the toned down version of the Atkins Diet) and it worked, but I got tired of eating eggs, so much so, that to this day, I'm not really drawn to eating that many eggs. I found that the only time I ate eggs was usually when I baked something. So, I'll probably explore vegan baking at some point.
     I also found that I only used butter occasionally, as a spread on toast, or in baking and I already started substituting coconut oil in baking. I also have palm oil and Earth Balance, so if I'll go to vegan baking, I'll experiment and see which ones I like the most. As for a spread, I like Earth Balance as a spread.
     As for milk, I used to drink a few glasses of milk each day. Nowadays, I only use it in my tea or coffee. Or in cereal, but I don't eat cereal anymore. I like the taste of soy creamer so I've been using that.
     As you may have guessed, I love ice cream, but I also like coconut ice cream and I'd like to try hemp milk ice cream. I've tried Rice Dream Ice Cream and I don't like it at all. So, if I stopped eating ice cream, I'd probably eat Coconut Bliss. And when adding cream to soups, I like adding coconut milk already instead.
     I tried vegan cheese and I don't really like it, so I probably won't give up cheese. I don't eat chunks of cheese, but I like adding them to soups and sauces. So, I'll just reduce my usage.
     It almost sounds like I'm becoming a vegan, doesn't it? I probably will never be a vegan, but how about a semi-vegan? All in all, it hasn't really been that difficult in switching to a vegetarian diet and the weight loss has been gradual, but it's been a loss nevertheless?
     I want to hear from you? Are you doing something about those New Year's Resolutions? What are some of your stories? How are you doing?

Silk Creamer

Silk Creamer (Original)

         I'm not a vegan, but I have vegan tendencies. Call me a semi-vegan, if you will. I mean, I do use honey in my tea and my shoes are made from leather, so I'll never be completely a vegan, but I am trying to cut down on my dairy consumption, which is a lot. I don't really drink milk unless I'm having a chocolate cake or if I'm having cereal. I've cut down on my chocolate cake consumption and since the cereal that I enjoy has little protein, I've stopped having cereal. So, the only real time I drink milk nowadays is when I'm having tea or coffee. Enter Silk Creamer.
     Sure, there are other creamers, such as Trader Joe's Soy Creamer, etc. In any case, all these creamers are creamy enough to put into tea or coffee, if you're into that stuff. I find that putting soy milk, hemp milk or rice milk into tea or coffee just doesn't taste that good. Silk Creamer is really creamy and sweet enough without going overboard.
     And if Silk Creamer is good in tea or coffee, why not cocktails?



Kahlua and Grey Goose Vodka

     
     I bought a bottle of Kahlua two Christamases ago and didn't touch it at all. I enjoy a drink now and then, but I am not naturally drawn to liquor. It's been a long time since I've had a White Russian or other Kahlua drinks like a Dirty Mother, so I bought some vodka just for the hell of it. Of course, I could just have Kahlua and Silk, and also, there must be better things to do with Grey Goose, but whatever.

White Russian (or A Russian in Silk)

Here's my White Russian, or as I call it, A Russian in Silk:
1 oz of Kahlua or coffee liqueur
1 oz of vodka
2 oz of Silk Creamer (or a similar creamer like Trader Joe's Soy Creamer)

In any case, if you're cutting down on dairy products and you still like a mixed drink now and then, why not?

Silk Soy Creamer is not organic, but Trader Joe's is and Organic Valley has an organic version too.

Gardein Trios



Gardein's Trio Quick Meals


     When you're feeling really lazy and you want something quick, it's nice to know you have products out there that you can heat up and eat very quickly. I know I've said that before, but you get into these lazy moods or when you haven't planned your meals properly, you suddenly have an excuse to try something new.
     Well, I was at Whole Foods and I noticed the new Trio line from Gardein. I believe what they mean by Trio is that you have a protein, a sauce and rice. There are several flavors. I noticed the burgundy and a Thai version I have in the refrigerator that's waiting for me for some day in the future when I'm feeling really lazy.

Gardein's Burgundy Trio

     Here's what it looks like after you microwave it. You're instructed to heat up the rice separately from the 'meat' and the sauce, but who's got time for that? I emptied all the pouches into the bowl at once and heated them up at the same time. Alternatively, you can put the pouches and boil them. I'd be interested to hear from any of you who have tried these and decided to boil them. I'd be interested to know if it was worth it.
     In any case, I thought it was good. Mind you, I make a real good version from scratch and maybe you can come over and try some (with mashed potatoes and not rice, even though I like rice a lot), but when you're not in the kitchen for hours, this will do. Sorry, Amy's, you now have some competition in the quick lunch category. As for Amy's, I'll eat the vegetarian lasagna for lunch or the cheese enchilada meal, but now, I'll start eating Gardein's burgundy trio and their Thai version, most likely in rotation. Amy's lasagna cost about $3.99 and this one was less than that. And best of all, it had 25 grams of protein. Take that, Amy's (which has only 17 grams)!

Rambutans

Rambutans

     When I was a child, on special occasions, my mother would purchase lychees and I remember the excitement of getting some. The joy of getting some was more exciting than eating them. I remember eating a few and that would be enough for me until the next time, but I still looked forward to them.
     Every now and then, my mother would mix it up and buy longans. I remember liking these better than lychees, as I explained in a previous blog entry. The lychee and the longan are relatives.
     Another relative is the rambutan, a fruit I didn't grow up with, but nevertheless caused excitement when I found them at the Seattle Supermarket recently. Despite having showy and hairy skins, their edible fruit inside looks rather boring and very similar to other fruits mentioned.

The rambutan sliced open with fruit and pit

The fruit is bigger than lychees and I'm sure some art project can be done with the skins since they are so dramatically showy. Inside the white-ish fruit is a grayish, woody pit which is inedible. The outer bark of it sticks to the fruit no matter how careful you are. I eat around those areas, but I'm sure there are people who don't care. They're not cheap either and you don't get that many.
     All said and done, they are tasty. I like them better than lychees, but I like longans better. You can get them canned too.
     I don't want you to believe that I'm some sort of authority on rambutans especially since I didn't grow up with them. Even when I think about these fruits, I think of some place exotic like Southeast Asia, definitely not the non-exotic Sinospheric world I was raised in. However, I enjoy adventure I was rewarded with a new and pleasant experience.