Salisbury.Fake food, Life, Weekly Update

Challenge Yourself

Well, well, well. I kind of disappeared, didn’t I? I got the book finished to a point. It’s being read by betas right now, and I’m doing my second to last round of edits, the final round being when I go through for typos and minor grammatical things. But then it’ll be ready for the “fun” things. I’m going to self-publish, which will be a post for another time, but rest assured the moment it becomes available, I will let y’all know.

Today I wanted to talk about how my January went. Yes, I know it’s March, and yes, I know I could have posted this last month, but I neglected everything last month. Not just this blog. My personal journal suffered, my friendships suffered, I didn’t spend much time with my family. I got the whole book typed up, printed it off, and that was incredible. I got to see my book printed for the first time. Actually took a selfie with it, which should tell you how excited I was about it, because I never take pictures of myself.

Proof

But that’s all February. I’m here to talk about January. I’m an ambitious person, and I decided to start this year out with a bang. Challenging myself to not one, not two, but three different “challenges” just to prove I could. Veganuary, a pantry cleanout, and a no-spend directive.

Veganuary

This one feels like a no brainer for me, because I’m already mostly vegan, I just get a little emotionally attached to cheese on a difficult day. For the month of January, though, I try to avoid even that and see how I can be creative in the kitchen. It’s something I’ve participated in for the last three or four years, and I never really talk about it to people because as I’m sure I’ve said here before, I don’t judge people on what they eat. It’s not my place. Hunger is a prevalent problem everywhere, especially in places with famine or drought, and I’m not about to go after someone for spending .35 on a box of generic macaroni and cheese versus 3.99 a pound for cauliflower. The cost of living is rising, too, so I think it’s okay to give ourselves a little grace nowadays when it comes to eating what we want. And I drifted away from January again. But that’s okay, because I can segue into the next challenge. It added a new dimension of difficulty to my food choices.

Pantry

I have several items in my pantry (shelf stable) I’ve had in there for more years than I’d like to say. Rice, lentils, quinoa, that kind of thing. Since I was working on Veganuary I had to find interesting ways to utilize the stuff I already had. I didn’t do well the first week because most of the items in my pantry are things you have to cook to add to other things, or flavor well, and while I was doing my best to keep my head above itself, I had a bunch of residual holiday depression lingering in the back of my mind. I ate the convenience foods first, and then when I ran out of those, I ate the easiest to cook things like pasta and nutritional yeast. I did lose about five pounds in the month of January because I wasn’t eating much of anything.

No-Spend

I didn’t have an easy way to segue into this, so pardon the abruptness, but for this challenge, it was more to see how I could go without fast food. I have such a dependence on easy solutions, and I struggle to allow myself the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing something requiring effort. That goes so deeply into more than just a no-spend requirement. It delves into the appreciation of self I seem to constantly find myself striving toward. I was about to go on a horrible tangent on the word choice of “strive” but I’ve already diverted from the main topic of this paragraph already. So, for the month of January, I didn’t want to buy anything. No groceries, no fast food, no toilet paper (it’s just me in my house, so don’t worry, I was fine with what I already had), nothing.

Discussion

So what did I learn? I already touched on my dependence on cheese, and my dependence on easy, but to take it further, I learned how quick I am to fall into old habits. I did end up spending a bit more money at Target after the challenges ended, but I was absolutely out of everything. As one would be. And so with a restock of supplements and vitamins, household cleaners, and other various things, it became apparent that my relationship with money has been chaotic at times. I’m not going to go too far into that because that’s a different level of personal I don’t know I want to share on the internet, but it was interesting to me to see what became “oh, I’ll stop at Target on the way home so I can grab this snack, this thing, this something else, and blah, blah, blah.”

What is the point? The point is, I want to go back to the questioning of “do I really want this or is this an impulse?” It’s something that fits just about all facets of each challenge. How quickly do I turn to comfort foods because my emotions are so high and food functions as a punishment instead of a comfort? Why don’t I consider the efficiency of shopping for things all at once over random stops several times a week? How do I utilize what I have already to keep myself fed and content?

Several things to consider. And I leave you with that, for now. I have plans for blog posts more frequently now that the book stuff is kind of slowing down. I hope you are having a good day or week whenever you read this.

Until next time, friends.

Salisbury.Fake dinner, food

Vegan Lasagna Roll-Ups

_MG_8330 (2)

Hello!  This week? Lasagna roll ups!  These are about the same amount of work as a traditional lasagna, but they’re individually portioned, making for easier serving and portion control.  Serve with salad for a complete meal.  See my notes at the bottom for clarification on ingredients.  Otherwise? Let’s get you rollin’.

For the tofu ricotta:

1 block of firm tofu, drained and pressed*
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp plant milk (I used oat)
1 tsp  salt
1/2 tsp each garlic and onion powder
1/4 tsp citric acid*

For the “meat” sauce:

1 cup of TVP*
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper

Boil water and prepare 6 lasagna noodles according to package directions, cooking to al dente.  The pasta will finish cooking in the oven.

In a food processor, crumble the tofu and then pulse for about ten times.  Add in the remaining ingredients and process till the mixture is smooth.  Adjust for seasonings if you want more salt or more pepper, or add in more nutritional yeast if you’d like.  Honestly, this “ricotta” is the closest tasting to actual ricotta I’ve had yet, so I recommend making it as listed above.  Once it’s combined with the sauce and the pasta, the flavors work really well together.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the TVP and the vegetable broth and allow to rehydrate for about ten minutes.  Add in about 3/4 of the can of tomato sauce, and add in the remaining ingredients.  Combine, and set aside.

For the rolling, I used a baking sheet to hold the pasta so I wouldn’t make a mess on the countertop, but you don’t have to.  You’ll need a smaller baking dish for this, since there’s only six servings in this recipe.  I recommend glass.  If you want to make more, simply double the recipe and use a bigger baking dish.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain and return to the pot.  Take one noodle and lay it flat on the baking sheet (or countertop).  Spread the ricotta down first, using about 1/3 of a cup per noodle.  Spoon on some of the sauce, again about a 1/3 of a cup.  Roll from the bottom up, and place in a well greased baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining pasta till all is used.  You might have some ricotta left over.  Simply store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.  Use the remaining tomato sauce in the can by mixing it with any leftover sauce in your mixing bowl.  Spoon onto each roll up.

I put some Daiya mozzarella style shreds on top of my roll ups, but you don’t have to.  Bake at 375* F for about 25-30 minutes.  Serves six.

You could also get this prepared and then freeze until ready to use.  I’d recommend only for a maximum of three months, though.

*Notes*

Ricotta:  Draining and pressing the tofu is a big step for this.  I usually don’t press my tofu, just squeeze as much water out as I can, but for this I pressed it.  Doing so gets rid of even more excess water and won’t make the tofu runny.  I also used citric acid because I didn’t want the flavor of lemon in my ricotta.  You absolutely don’t have to go out and buy citric acid to make this.  Use a tablespoon of lemon juice, or two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar instead.

Sauce:  Instead of TVP, you can use frozen “beef” crumbles, such as Gardein, etc.  Brown the crumbles first, though, before mixing into the sauce.  You can also use a jarred sauce you know you like instead of making the sauce above.  Personally, I don’t enjoy chunky sauces.

Salisbury.Fake Weekly Update

Veganuary Thoughts

All righty.  So, it’s now February.  If you participated in Veganuary, I hope you feel successful!  If you had some slip ups, that’s okay.  You’re doing great!  I know it’s hard to feel successful after a slip up, believe me.  But the important thing to remember is to keep going.  Persistence creates the habit.

My version of Veganuary inspired me to continue the decision to go plant based through the month of February.  As I participated in this month, I discovered a few things about myself.  I might repeat a few things from previous posts, so please bear with me.

Plant based eating is expensive if you purchase prepackaged, highly processed foods.

This one is kind of a no-brainer.  Prices per ounce on whole food ingredients when they’re fresh, frozen, or canned is significantly cheaper than the overly processed, prepackaged foods.  Not only are they cheaper, you also pay for your sodium intake as a lot of those products up the salt content to make it more “flavorful.”

It’s up to the individual consumer what compromises are to be made because if you’re like me and appreciate convenience, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying these products.

One of my favorite things about purchasing fresh, whole ingredients is being able to take the time and make them taste good with my personal preferences.  I might not like the way a macaroni and “cheese” tastes out of a box, but if I can recreate a facsimile of it with whole ingredients, then I’d much rather do that.

I think going forward, my goal will be to definitely stick to more whole foods as much as I can.  I rediscovered a love of lentils, and my adorable mother (who went a little upset when I told her I wasn’t eating dairy anymore) went through her cookbooks and recipe collections to find me recipes to help out in a way she knew how.

Making mistakes during a goal is not the end of a goal.  It’s the middle of your progress.

Over the course of the month, I did end up eating some dairy products, if by accident or on purpose, but I never once felt bad about it.  It’s incredibly important to keep a positive mindset when trying to change a part of your life, because negativity is so easy to fall back into.

I used to be on Instagram, and I followed a fitness person there, which was a different thing for me as I’m not into fitness at all, but she had a day where she discussed what she ate over the weekend.  She mentioned that she’d gone to a party for a friend’s birthday and made the choice to eat a cupcake.  It was her reaction to eating it that stuck with me, because it wasn’t a positive experience for her.  She took it as a slip up, a poor choice.

I’m not saying there aren’t bad choices, because I don’t need to eat macaroni and cheese all the time, but I do.  I know, what is it with me and macaroni and cheese?  Well, I couldn’t tell you, hah. The point is don’t get caught up on the days you don’t meet your goals.  It’s all in how you react to the situation.

I decided I wasn’t giving up dairy and eggs, but I was choosing not to eat them any more.  The difference in those statements is one is a loss, and the other is exactly what I said, a choice.  Losing makes it harder to accept, choosing is a step forward.  The times I ate dairy — at a friend’s birthday party, as part of my partner’s Taco Bell, or inadvertently in a batch of hash browns at a restaurant — didn’t mean I’d completely failed myself.  It meant I could just keep going the next day toward the goal I set out to achieve.

People will always have their own opinion on what you’re eating.  It’s up to you to ignore it and do what works best for you.

I think the biggest problem I have with veganism is how judgmental some of the community is.  For something that seems so wholesome and inviting for everyone, there’s quite a few people who make little comments to those around them that just doesn’t make it a friendly environment.  It’s an important thing to me to remember that not everyone has the privilege I do to go plant based, whether for family reasons, for religious reasons, or whatever.  It’s not my place to judge someone for how much plastic they use, or how much “insert generic criticism” happens.

We don’t know everyone’s story.  We only know our own.  It’s up to us to make sure we continue to improve the goodness in the world not by aggressively going after those not like us, but by making changes in ourselves first so that maybe others see it and feel inspired.

I don’t know.  I’m not an expert.  This is all just a ramble, really, while I watch Forensic Files on Netflix.  I was going to include a recipe in this blog post, but it’s really long, so I’m going to link to one of my favorite YouTube channels instead.

Pick Up Limes is a channel run by Sadia.  She is an actual dietitian who happens to be plant based, and her channel is incredible.  The amount of work she puts into her videos is impressive.  She gives reasons for why foods work the way they do, and she provides recipes and printable pdf sheets on her blog to help you on your food journey.  I love her professionalism and her ability to make learning about food interesting.

I hope you’re well, and I wish you well on your food way.

Salisbury.Fake dinner, food

Quorn vs Tofurky/Veganuary

Wow, well, I disappeared for a bit there, didn’t I?  I work in a production plant and since it centers around stuff people want for the holidays, we were slammed with a lot more orders than we were expecting.  That said, I decided this year to try out two different holiday roasts by Quorn and Tofurky, respectively.

I purchased two roasts at the same time since they were on sale, and I have to say I wouldn’t purchase them again if they weren’t on sale.  Not to say they weren’t worth the price, but I definitely don’t have spare cash lying around.  That is one of my nitpicks with the vegan/vegetarian meat substitutes.  Even tofu can be expensive if you want a certain kind.  If it’s made with plants, why is it so expensive?  Well, the more processed it is, the more it costs, right?  Except not always.  I’ve noticed animal product… products don’t have the same issue.  Boxes of macaroni and cheese can be purchased for less than a dollar, while Daiya (which I’m not all too fond of, if I’m honest), is usually above 2 or 3 dollars.  I know there are homemade versions of a lot of the processed vegetarian foods, but I’m all about convenience.  I know this has nothing to do with what I said I’d talk about, so let me get back to the topic at hand.

I bought the Quorn turkey style roast for Thanksgiving.  It looks like this (image borrowed from amazon.com):

51DpwvD91QL._SY400_

Rating: 6/10

The texture was pretty spot on for how I remember turkey.  I know there are vegetarians who don’t like the texture of meat, so if you’re one of those people, I’d avoid this.  It’s got the flavor of cafeteria turkey sandwiches from high school.  It didn’t really remind me of turkey flavor too much, as from what I remember, turkey’s pretty bland unless you brine it or put a ton of gravy/cranberry sauce on it.

This roast isn’t vegan (they used dehydrated egg whites), or at least here where I live it isn’t.  I know the Quorn brand does make some vegan foods, but where I am, unless I travel to a bigger city, I don’t get that option.

The Tofurky brand roast was . . . interesting.  It looks a little bit like this (image taken from Vegan Essentials):

TofurkyRoastLG1

Rating: 7/10

This one was interesting because as you can see on the package, it shows a little bit of stuffing in the center, with a lot of, well, meat.  Mine was mostly stuffing, which wouldn’t have been too bad except I didn’t find the stuffing to be particularly good.  I wanted more of the turkey.  I’d say if the roast had the texture of Quorn’s, but the flavor of Tofurky, it would have been perfect.

There are a lot of vegetarians who say Tofurky has a distinct flavor to it, and it does.  It’s got that vital wheat gluten flavor in the background, because while they do produce mostly soy stuff, the gluten gives it the texture of meat.  Much like a seitan.

I did have leftovers from both, and while the Quorn roast was all right on day two, I made the most epic leftover sandwich with the Tofurky after I sliced it.  I used the So Delicious Cheddar Jack and some Veganaise on two slices of Dave’s Killer Bread (with some Sweet Baby Ray’s to round it out).  Best sandwich I’ve had as a vegetarian.  No lie.

If I had to choose between the two, I’d go with the Tofurky one.  Both had issues for me that would make it difficult to repurchase either one, but if I was told I had to, it’d be Tofurky.

Changing gears a little bit, I’m going to discuss my food plan for the month of January.  Please pardon me if this post gets a bit lengthy.  Food is something I have a weird relationship with, as I’m sure a lot of people do.

For January, I’ve challenged myself to participate in Veganuary.  For those who don’t know, Veganuary is where you spend the month of January living the vegan way, which is more easily explained on the Veganuary website.  You can sign up to pledge, get a starter kit, and there’s just a whole lot of information you can get there.

My goal is to maintain a strict vegetarian diet, and eat far less processed sugar.  I know that’s literally not vegan, but I don’t consider myself a vegan.  I consider myself a vegetarian.  So for me, the challenge will be eating little to no animal products such as eggs and/dairy.  I say little to no because I purchased some meat free sausage recently that has egg whites in it.  I’m not going to throw away food I already have because that seems a bit un-vegan to me (in the low waste sense).

I’m not a vegan because I use plastic bags and paper towels at home.  I have sometimes eaten cheese and eggs.  My reasons for this are my own, and I feel like a lot of people judge others for the way they eat which is really disturbing to me.  Like I said, I work in a production plant and not very many people know I’m vegetarian.  I don’t go around spouting it because it’s my personal business and if we happen to have a free food day where there’s nothing I want to eat, then I don’t eat it.  I don’t stand in line saying it’s rude they don’t have food for me.

It really is something appalling when I watch my favorite YouTubers and the comments are filled with people saying “I can’t believe you call yourself vegan when you _______.”

Who are we to judge other people for how they live their lives?  It all goes back to the whole treat others the way you want to be treated, and it reflects poorly on ourselves if we say we’re all about saving the world when we’re horrid to each other over something as simple as food.

So, my personal goal, like I said, is to stick to a purely vegetarian diet.  I’m excited to try it out and see how far I can go.  Who knows, I might be able to keep it going after January.

TL;DR — Tofurky’s better, I’m doing Veganuary on my own terms.