Freshly Vegetarian: Ashley See on Transitioning to A Vegetarian Diet, Including Tips, Health Benefits & Recipes

Last week I tromped to a new naturopath, who advised researching a grain-free diet to alleviate my skin problems. Before this suggestion, I'd seen GAPS mentioned here and there on a few blogs, but never really given much thought to why anyone would want to eliminate grain from their diet. The good news is that quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are technically seeds, therefore grain-free folks can gobble them up (although rumor has it the hardcore grain-free kids still don't). After all, grains are such nutritional powerhouses, let alone one of the best ways to eat healthfully for cheap...how could anyone p

Whether or not I'll choose to actually commit to a grain-free diet for the following month, the mere mention of it has made me curious: what can one eat when they steer clear of grains? I was surprised to learn last night that tapioca is a root, therefore it's a go for those on a grain-free diet. This means for an occasional sweet treat I could replace my beloved rice pudding with tapioca pudding. Yay!

Anyway, all this grain-free business aside, here are the tastiest vegetarian recipes from this last week that I'd like to share (and for the record the food allergy key is v = vegan; glf = gluten-free; grf = grain-free; sf = soy-free; nf = nut free):

Breakfast:

• Mini Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiches -Vegan Culinary Crusade, via YumUniverse (v, glf, grf)
• Avocado & Breakfast Pizza - Justina Blakeney & Caitlin Levin, via Pinterest

Lunch/Dinner:

• Butternut Squash Pizza and Gruyere and Arugula - Eat, Live, Run (grf, sf, nf)
• Raw Beet Burgers - The Organic Climber (v, glf, grf)
• Lentil Cakes with Pesto, Wilted Greens * Lemon-Thyme Zucchini Fries - Roost (glf, grf, sf, nf) - warning: the pictures will make you drool.
• Roasted Pumpkin with Walnut & Coconut Crumb - Scandi Foodie (v, glf, grf, sf) - a sweet treat if you're off sugar and jonesin for something naturally sweet.
• Beet & Orange Salad - Macheesmo (glf, grf, sf, nf if you substitute buckwheat groats for the pistachios)
• Asparagus & Green Onion Saute - Epicurious (v, glf, grf, sf, nf)
• Cabbage Stir Fry - Sailu's Kitchen (v, glf, grf, sf, nf) 
• Kale Pesto & Zucchini "Pasta" - Melisa Deault, YumUniverse (v, glf, grf, sf)
• Flax & Parmesan Pizza Crust - I Breathe...I'm Hungry... via Pinterest (glf, grf, sf, nf) - this is the item I'm most excited about this week. As someone who's always on the hunt for high-fiber recipes, this is about as fiber indulgent and guilt-free as pizza dough comes.

Sweet treat:

• Whole Wheat Ginger Scones - Martha Rose Shulman on New York Times (v if you use a non-dairy milk, sf) - ginger.scones...tell me you're not totally curious.
• Raw Vegan Kale Ice Cream - Adeline a la Carte Health, via YumUniverse (v, glf, grf, sf, nf if you use a different milk)
• 3-Ingredient Crispy Rice Fudge - Attune Foods, via Family Fresh Cooking (v if you use vegan chocolate, glf, sf, nf)
  

Until next time, you can keep track of me on Pinterest (here and here) and in the next few days I'll be blogging an eggless "quiche" and my progress working on a farm.

Thanks for reading!

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Good news, I haven't forgotten about you! In the last few months, I've found myself in the midst of many changes and have let blogging regularly slip to the back burner. For those of you who haven't forgotten about this little ol' blog -- and who are kind enough to keep checking for updates -- feel free me to send you your addresses so I can send you a basket of muffins, a thank you note in my neatest cursive and a big, juicy kiss for your loyalty. I'm confident that must be one or two of you at this point. Tops.

OK, OK, all threats of big, juicy kisses aside, it's time I confess that in addition to me flexing my nomadic muscles over my blogging ones, I have moved four times in the last two and a half months, so my kitchen(s) hasn't seen much in the way of new recipes. However, that doesn't mean new recipes aren't on my radar. New recipes are always on my radar.

Therefore, in hopes of getting back into the regularly updating swing of things, I'm giving a new type of post a go: recommended recipes from around the interwebs.

Here are the tastiest vegetarian recipes from this last week that I'd like to share (and hopefully make soon!):

Breakfast:

• Spiced Millet Breakfast Bowl - The Yellow House (hat tip to The Wednesday Chef for this rec)

Lunch/Dinner:

• Beet, Feta, Walnut & Mint Salad - The Wicked Noodle
• Garnet Pilaf - Sprouted Kitchen
• Kale, Mushroom & Bean Bowl with a Balsamic Reduction - YumUniverse (Leigh Ann Boscarino)
• Mung Beans, Toor Dal, Green Beans and Fresh Dill Palya - Lisa's Kitchen
• Spinach Pesto Quinoa - Whole Living - three cheers for waistline-friendly vegan pesto!
• Strawberry Spinach Salad - Vegan Machine - once strawberries are in season for you, of course
• Sweet Potato, Celery, and Apple Salad - Whole Living
• Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup - What Grace Cooked - lemongrass stock sounds UHmazing. Absolutely amazing.

Sweet treat:

• Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Cheesecake Swirl - Vegan Culinary Crusade
• Rhubarb and Rosemary Scones - Allotment 2 Kitchen - for those of us who can't resist the idea of herbs in something on sweet.
• Roasted Rhubarb and Nut Granola Parfait - The Nourishing Gourmet

...while we're on the subject of rhubarb, if you're half the rhubarb nut that I am, then I want to make sure you see The Kitchn's post on the top 10 baked goods to make with this lovely spring wonder.

Other:

• Zesty Cilantro Lovers' Hummus - Choosing Raw - normally my hummus is so pungent with garlic that I breathe garlicky fire for hours afterward, but despite Gina's recipe having no garlic in it, I like the idea of putting a whole lotta cilantro in there instead.

Alright lovelies, that oughta conclude all the deliciousness I've spied this week. If you have -- or have spied -- a recipe you'd like me to share in next week's roundup then simply holler. Until next time, you keep track of me on Pinterest (here and here) and can look forward to an update about my desire to work on a farm.

Thanks for reading!

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Greetings from California!

That's right, just to keep you on your toes, I'm writing this blog post from the Bay Area. Just two weeks ago, I left New York City to suss a few things out here on my native West Coast. With a friend in Santa Monica and one in San Francisco, I feel like a lucky girl to be able to get back out here to see if there's a future here for me.

My bffl Katie and I had some of the best raw meals in Santa Monica that a girl could ask for, including at this spot, Euphoria Loves RAWvolution.
 

I moved to New York to pursue a career in food justice with an internship at Slow Food USA. That internship has since ended, so I'm evaluating my next step. Sustainable food jobs are aplenty in New York, but I have had a hard time calling that bustling city home in the last six months. I found it difficult to live a simple, balanced life there. My inner rural girl was roaring for some peace and quiet. A place where people smile back at me without thinking I'm hitting on them, or worse yet, a creeper.

Now more than ever, I feel like I crave a deeper understanding of where food comes from. Between talking to farmers directly when answering the general line at Slow Food and being inspired by a few of my colleagues there having growing experience, both had that direct understanding of where food comes from--the work it takes to bring if from farm-to-table. Not having that experience makes me feel somewhat phony. How can I advocate that people have a better relationship with their food, to know where it comes from and what it takes to get it to them if I'm not willing to do the same? So, I'm currently looking into opportunities where I can have a more intimate relationship with food. I want to learn how to grow it. I want to understand in a direct way the work it takes for me to eat it. 

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This morning I was listening to Jillian Michaels Podcast and one caller asked Jillian a great question that I think plagues most: should we be avoiding fat? Is fat the enemy?

Fat was given a bad name in the 90's and it's still recovering from the unfair rap it received then. Since so many wonderful foods that are staples in vegan and vegetarian diets are high in fat, I rarely give regard to how much fat I eat. Meanwhile, my friends and family's eyes often bulge to the size of cantaloupes when I start chomping on almonds or see me plop in a dollop of coconut oil to melt in a pan, as they timidly ask, 'Doesn't that have a lot of fat in it?'

• Calories make you fat. Fat doesn't make you fat. Calories are a unit of energy, and when you do not use that energy then it gets stored as body fat. So, no matter what you're eating -- a sugar calorie, a protein calorie -- if it doesn't get burned then it gets stored as fat.
   
• We need healthy fats. Fats are a main source of nutrients and fuel for our bodies. So when you look at the three macronutrients: protein, fat and carbs, we need healthy sources of fat (which are vegetarian and vegan staples like almonds, olive oil, avocados). These fats are necessary for all kinds of different bodily functions, from actually supporting heart health to supplying you with more energy, to boosting immunity, insulating your brain, etc. We need good fats in our diet.
   
• Saturated fat is not the enemy. Many current studies suggest that we need a certain amount of saturated fat in our diet. It was once believed that saturated fat was linked to heart disease, high cholesterol, but more of the current research shows that it's actually that diets high in sugar, simple carbohydrates are what's elevating heart disease and cholesterol. Our bodies produce cholesterol, so even if you're not ingesting cholesterol, you can produce cholesterol. So that's when genetics come into play when it comes to heart health. We do want certain amounts of good cholesterol as well. So, it's easy to get confused because when you eat an egg, yes, it has cholesterol in it, but it also has good cholesterol in it which ultimately helps to lower bad cholesterol. So don't worry about fats that are natural.
   
• Unnatural fat is the enemy. Unnatural fats are things like hydrogenated oils and trans fats, those are the bad guys. These are man made fats where a hydrogen atom is added to the fat, which makes it a preservative so it won't decompose on the shelf. When you ingest these fats they don't decompose on the shelf, nor will they in the body. Just think, if a Twinkie can last seven years on a shelf, what do you think that does in your body? It just sits there! And in terms of unnatural fat, It doesn't take much to do harm, if just 3% of your calorie allowance are trans fatty acids then you're upping your risk of heart disease by 23%. So these are the kinds of fats you never want to eat.
   
• It's all about balance. When eating fats, the most important thing is to be mindful of the quantity of fat you eat. Calories make you fat, so it's key to understand that fat has more calories. For example, one gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories, meanwhile one gram of fat has 9 calories. So, if you eat too much of anything, too many calories are going to make you fat. So look at things as a whole; count calories, not fat grams.

Take-away point: 

Don't be afraid of fat. Not only do our bodies need it to function, but fatty foods can be downright delicious! There are a ton of natural foods that are rich in fat, but have so many other health benefits that you'd be foolish to avoid them. To boot, if you're a vegetarian or a vegan, some of our protein staples, like dairy, nuts, seeds and avocados, all are high in fat, but avoiding fat can result in malnutrition (can block vitamin absorption), constipation and the like. 

Bottom line: whether you're vegetarian, vegan, raw or omnivorous, don't worry about any fat that is unnatural. 

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It's no secret that "Shit ____ Say" family videos (i.e., Shit Girls Say, Shit Yogis Say, Shit Girls Say to Gay Guys) have caught on like wildfire. And while I can laugh at them all, my favorite series has to be the vegan ones. Vegans are undeniably easy targets for jokes, and for this very reason, I love the following satirical videos:

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There's no surprise that many New Year's resolutions include becoming healthier. Gyms are more packed than any other time of the year; spinning classes are filled with new faces, and treadmills are lined from wall-to-wall with folks sweating away those holiday pounds.

As we've heard time and time again though, becoming healthy isn't just about exercise, it's also about what we eat. Given the abundance of fabulous articles about how eliminating meat (see Mark Bittman's "No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem"), even on a part-time basis, does the body good, it's no wonder that many health resolvers are testing the waters of vegetarianism to purify their bodies.

I'm all for helping people eat vegetarian, whether it's part-time or full-time, which is why a recent email from a friend has inspired me to share my main tips about transitioning to a vegetarian diet over the next few weeks. 

Today, I want to share my top three vegetarian recipes that are absolute crowd pleasers, and can also be made with any budget:

1. Shurbat Addes (Syrian Red Lentil Soup): this is a soup that will convince anyone you're a culinary whiz even though it's jaw-droppingly easy. Seriously! It's rare to find a recipe that's this easy and this tasty, and considering it only requires five ingredients, you have no excuse to not go invade your pantry right now and eat it within the hour.

Serve it with a green salad and you've got yourself a balance meal. The recipe requires a mortar and pestle to grind the spices, but if you don't already have one, then one can easily be found secondhand, or at Ikea for under $10. I got mine at Sur La Table for $15. Bonus points: this soup is easy to make and ready to eat in 40 minutes.

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The holidays can be bittersweet for those of us who don't eat traditional Thanksgiving fare (turkey). Questions like, "So what are we going to feed you?", start to come up, as does the blood pressure of hosts who aren't use to accommodating an herbivore.

But believe it or not, there is plenty that someone who doesn't eat meat -- let alone dairy, soy or gluten -- can gobble up at the Thanksgiving table.

This year is unique for me, as I'm looking at holiday dishes with a new perspective: food allergies. Fortunately, I don't have any host(ess) to stress out with my no gluten and no soy veganism, but I can only feel for those who do. So whether you have a food allergy, are accommodating someone who has one, or maybe you're looking to try something new, then I hope my collection of recipes below proves helpful.

Note: please bear in mind that I haven't made all of these recipes, some are on my to-make list, so any notes I make on adapting recipes must be taken with a grain of salt, as I haven't tested every adaptation.

Key:

V = Vegan
SF = Soy-free
GF = Gluten-free

 Salad

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My name is Ashley and I’m a negligent blogger. I have been cooking new things without sharing; I went on a juice cleanse for two weeks; hells bells, I have been eating as a gluten-free vegan and only mentioned it in passing.

Before you give up hope on me, it’s worth letting you know that in addition to all these other things, I also got a job with Slow Food USA in Brooklyn! (And by job I mean internship for the fall.)

This time last year I was aboard a plane to the land down under. And this year, I’m on a plane again, but this time to a place that doesn’t require a passport: New York City. As I type, I’m actually en route (this was written Friday evening) to La Guardia via American Airlines (sigh, how I wish my beloved Air New Zealand did more flights within the U.S.).

Juicing

About a month ago, I picked up a Breville juicer, and it’s readily become the love of my life. If I could date it, I would. Seriously! Someday I’ll write a formal review of its performance, but I can summarize it with one very enthusiastic oh yeah!

I didn’t quite know what to expect, as I’ve only used one juicer previously, so learning the juicer language – i.e., centrifugal v. masticated – and coming through the various reviews took time, but in the end I'm very pleased. I even loaded up on natural healing books to help me identify which juices were best for certain ailments. Personally inspired by poor skin, I’ve been on a mission to juice regularly since UK raw chef, Russell James suggested I juice at lease once a week, as he cleared up his acne by adopting a raw food-only diet, along with a juice cleanse in the beginning. He advised checking out Jason Vale, another notable Brit who’s known as THE juice man. Jason has a 30-day clear skin routine posted for free (a relief considering most regimens I’ve found are costly).

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It's tough to beat Northwest farmers markets in the summertime. Booths are overflowing with peaches, berries, tomatoes and corn. Which reminds me to re-make Smitten Kitchen's tomato and corn pie -- a pie that presented many firsts for me: my first savory pie, my first homemade vegetarian meal, even my first meal with in-season tomatoes from the market!

Mmm...sweet thoughts of how superior summer tomatoes are.

That's enough about tomatoes though, as this isn't a tomato cobbler (but if that interests you then Lottie + Doof and Ellen Fork both have lovely recipes). Back to peaches.

You see, I spent my morning with The Grand Central Baking Book -- and by spent, I mean scanned every recipe I had previously marked as a must-make, nearly every recipe in the book, so it can be returned to the library on time -- which was when I stumbled upon the peach cobbler recipe. Given that my fruit bowl overfloweth with the juicy fruit, it was perfect timing.

So a little vegan-izing and gluten-free'ing later, I had myself a tasty peach cobbler that's worthy of filing in my favorite summer desserts. And yes, I am eating dairy, gluten, wheat and soy-free these days in attempt to try and identify a food allergy. While this won't be forever, I'm definitely learning how to adapt and prepare food in a new way. If you prefer, you can certainly use all-purpose flour and butter to replace my adaptations.

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