Replacing Dairy In Vegetarian and Vegan Desserts
Milk: The best milk substitute for baking is soymilk with almond milk a close second. The reason they work so well is that they have fat, unlike rice milk. Rice milk is great when you are cooking, but using rice milk in baking will result in desserts that are dry and less than rich and satisfying.

1 cup soy or almond milk = 1 cup dairy milk

Buttermilk: Substitute an equal amount of soymilk mixed with lemon juice. Allow the mixture to thicken 5 minutes before using. Or substitute an equal amount of vegan sour cream substitute diluted half and half with water.

1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup soymilk with 2 Tblsp lemon juice allowed to sit 5 minutes

1 cup buttermilk = 1/2 cup vegan sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup water

Sour Cream: Use a vegan sour cream substitute. I’ve had good luck with Sour Supreme, when making things like vegan blueberry sour cream muffins.

1 cup sour cream = 1 cup vegan sour cream

1 Cup sour cream = 1 cup soy yogurt

Butter: Use a vegan butter substitute. My favorite is Earth Balance buttery spread. Because vegan butter substitutes tend to be less solid than dairy butter, make sure you freeze it before you use it in a vegan pie crust, and chill the crust 15 minutes before rolling it and again before baking it. That's if you want a tender, flaky pie crust!

Also, unless you can find salt-free vegan butter, it's a good idea to reduce the salt in the recipe by half. Vegetable oil can also replace butter or vegetable spread in most recipes. Use around 25% less oil - 3/4 cup oil to 1 cup butter or veggie spread.

1 cup butter = 1 cup vegan butter = 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Cream: Coconut cream (the thick portion skimmed off the top of whole fat coconut milk) and tofu are non-dairy alternatives. Coconut cream can be used as a straight substitute for dairy cream in your favorite whipped cream recipe.

Tofu offers versatility, based upon the type you purchase. Soft tofu will yield a light cream when pureed, while extra-firm tofu will produce your thickest option. For a truly creamy texture, always choose varieties that are labeled as 'Silken.' For pumpkin pies and cheesecakes, the non-silken tofu selections will give your dessert a more traditional texture.

Cheese: Replacing cream cheese and ricotta cheese in vegan baking.

Ricotta Cheese: Substitute an equal quantity of mashed soft or silken tofu blended with a dash of lemon juice.

Cream Cheese: Blend a dash of lemon juice with heavy coconut cream.

Replacing Eggs In Vegetarian and Vegan Desserts
Eggs have two functions in baking: Binding or thickening and leavening (leavening is what makes baked goods light and fluffy.) Identifying their function in a particular recipe will help you decide with how to replace them. Different egg replacers will work best in different recipes. Be prepared to do a little experimenting.

In cookies and muffins, no binding agent is generally needed. In quick breads and cakes both leavening and binding is needed. In custard pies, like pumpkin pie, eggs are mainly for thickening. You won't be able to make really light types of desserts that call for a very large number of eggs, but you will be able to make just about anything else that uses up to 3-4 eggs.

Leavening: For cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads, etc

Soymilk with lemon: 1 egg = 1/4 cup soymilk + 1 Tblsp lemon

Sour Supreme and baking soda: 1 egg = 1/4 cup Sour Supreme + 1/4 tsp baking soda

Optional: In cakes and quick breads, add 2 Tblsp of cornstarch to the dry ingredients for each egg being replaced. This will bind the ingredients and give a nice soft texture.

Thickening and Binding:

Finely ground flaxseeds whipped with water: 1 egg = 1 Tblsp ground flax seeds mixed with 1/4 cup water

The flaxseeds gel and bind with the other ingredients. Some people find that this works best with a little Ener G Egg replacer mixed in since flax seeds alone have no leavening effect.

Cornstarch and pureed soft tofu: 1 egg = 3 Tblsp pureed tofu + 2 tsp cornstarch (Good for quiches and custard pies.)

Optional: In cakes and quick breads, add 2 Tblsp of cornstarch to the dry ingredients for each egg being replaced. This will bind the ingredients and give a nice soft texture.

Commercial Egg Replacers: Also a good all-purpose egg substitute, but some people find that it leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Fat Free Egg Replacers: 1/4 cup applesauce, pureed banana, squash or pumpkin, will also work as egg replacers for binding. They are low in fat but will also add some flavor, which may or may not be desirable depending on the recipe.

1 egg = 1/4 cup puree

Ready Made Dessert Toppers: Look for Turtle Mountain's Purely Decadent and Soy Delicious lines, available in most supermarkets in North America (even Walmart). Whole Soy Co. offers a deliciously creamy, low fat line of soy frozen yogurts. Soyatoo (in spray cans) is a soy based whipped cream substitute.

Good non-soy dessert toppers can be found at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and other natural food retailers. Larry & Luna's Coconut Bliss ice creams are rich, calorie laden and taste divine with fruit pie or crisp.

Omit & Substitute! At Trader Joe's and other stores, brands come and go, or sometimes are out of stock. So don't be discouraged if you can't find a specific favorite product or one mentioned in a recipe. 9 times out of 10, there'll be something else you can use instead.

*All this information can be found at Savvy Vegetarian!

So it recently dawned on me that becoming vegetarian didn't mean I would become a skinny-minny with weight flying right off my thighs overnight.. When I began this journey I started about 20lbs. overweight. I did not become vegetarian just to reap the weight loss rewards, but I did think it was a definite plus. However, its been over several months, and I'm STILL  20lbs......

So as you can imagine, I'm feeling like I'm a veggie failure... how could I be not eating meat and still a chubet?! lol So I started doing a little googling and it appears that a good amount of vegetarians complain of the same issue. It seems that since we're not eating meat and getting that added filling feel, we tend to rely on more carbs - which I am definitely guilty of. So once I started reviewing my food for the day, I realized that whenever I got hungry more times than not I was going to carbs.

So this is a gentle reminder that if you are taking this journey with me, remember the root of the word vegetarian is vegetable! When you are hungry, go for that apple, or nuts, or salad first. Let that simmer in your belly for a little bit, and THEN if you're still hungry you can grab that muffin : - ) Stay strong, stay satisfied, stay happy always!

*Remember to send me your comments & any suggestions of things you'd like me to research & post!

Black Bean–Corn Burger
This veggie-licious burger provides 12 grams of filling fiber, nearly half of your recommended daily intake.
Cool beans! Serves 4

1 can (15 oz) low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup corn, thawed if frozen
½ red bell pepper, cut into ?¼-inch dice
¼ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tbsp chopped chipotle chile in adobo
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
8 cups baby spinach
Pinch of nutmeg
½ avocado, mashed
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp fresh lime juice
4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, split

In a bowl, combine beans, corn, bell pepper, breadcrumbs, cilantro, egg whites, chipotle, oregano and cumin. Form bean mixture into four ¾-inch-thick patties. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Cook patties, turning once, until browned, 5 minutes per side; remove from pan. In same skillet, saute spinach in remaining 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat until wilted, 3 minutes; season
with nutmeg and salt and freshly ground black pepper. In another bowl, mix avocado with sour cream and juice. Place ¼ of cooked spinach on bottom of each bun, then 1 burger and ¼ avocado mixture. Top with other bun half.

THE DISH: 400 calories per serving, 14 g fat (4 g saturated), 58 g carbs, 12 g fiber, 18 g protein

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/healthieryou/6-guilt-free-burgers?page=4

I recently have visitted some sit-down restaurant chains, and have been unpleasantly surprised to the fact that most DO NOT provide vegetarian options. You would think nowadays chains would be trying to accomdate everyone they can to keep business up with the economy the way it is. Unfortunately, it appears they are really only targeting the carnivores of our society. I visited a Ruby Tuesday, and found less than a handful of things I could order - but at least they have a salad bar! I just was at a Applebee's and they pretty much had nothing to offer. Now of course I guess you could always just take a pasta or salad dish and ask for no meat - but then I feel like they should charge less too, which they probably won't! : - ) I'll list items below that are available as some local sit-down restaurants. Please note alot of these items will just be sans-meat as to get things with no cheese is practically impossible. (I am pulling this information directly off their websites of course.) AND PLEASE - IF YOU HAVE ANY RESTAURANTS YOU'D LIKE ME TO REVIEW AND POST JUST LEAVE A COMMENT AND I PROMISE I WILL RESPOND! : - )

*And for the love of god, if I find one more place that serves Artichoke Spinach dip I'm going to flip. Can't anyone be a little more creative????!!!

Applebee's (your pretty much only options are sad appetizers...) THUMBS DOWN!
Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Mozzarella Sticks
Crunchy Onion Rings
Potato Skins
Queso Blanco
Potato Twisters
Cheesey Corn
French Onion Soup
Tomato Basil Soup
Caesar Salad

Ruby Tuesday's (There are so many healthy yummy choices here) THUMBS UP!!!
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fresh Guacamole Dip
Fried Mozzarella
Queso & Chips
Fresh Avocado
Fresh Garden Bar
Garden Salad
Broccoli & Cheese Soup
Zucchini Cake Mini's (I HAD THESE AND THEY WERE REALLY YUMMY!)
Zucchini Cakes
Spaghetti Squash Marinara Pasta
Sliced Tomatoes
Fresh Grilled Zucchini
Fresh Steamed Broccoli
Fresh Grilled Green Beans
French Fries
Onion Rings
Fresh Grilled Asparagus
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Sugar Snap Peas
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Brown-Rice Pilaf
Fresh Baked Potatoes
Sweet Potato Fries
Baked Mac & Cheese

TGIF (Honestly...... Just sad) THUMBS DOWN!
Spinach Florentine Flatbread
Crispy Green Bean Fries
Tuscan Spinach Dip
Fried Mozzarella
Southwest Wedge Salad
Broccoli Cheese Soup
French Onion Soup

Chili's - THUMBS UP!!!
They actually have a suggested vegetarian menu right on there website - who knew? See below for the menu for the month of August.

Outback - (Other than sides, you're left with nothing) THUMBS DOWN!
Bloomin Onion
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fresh Steamed Broccoli
Fresh Steamed Green Beans
Fresh Seasonal Mixed Veggies
Seasoned Rice
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Aussie Fries
Dressed Baked Potato
Sweet Potato with Honey Butter & Brown Sugar
Sweet Potato Fries
Grilled Asparagus
House Salad
Caesar Salad
Classic Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad

So a few weeks ago I went on vacation down to North Carolina, and as you can imagine the challenge immediately arose as to try to staying vegetarian while traveling on the road, and even once we arrived at our location. To say the least it was VERY CHALLENGING! LOL. We definitely planned ahead by visiting Walmart before we left, so we stocked up on water, fruit, salad, etc. But it got to the point where you get bored with eating the same food over and over again, so we eventually broke down and did stop at a few fast food joints. Some were more vegetarian friendly than others, but I found some very surprising finds (like Burger King offers a Veggie Burger). So in knowing that many people travel this month of August I will list some various fast food places you would generally see on highways and give some healthy options so that you are armed and ready to order before you even get there! Knowledge is Power! (I am pulling all of this information directly from the restaurants websites, I am imagine availability is based on location.)

McDonalds
Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
Hotcakes
Cinnamon Melts
Hashbrowns
Premium Caesar Salad
Premium Southwest Salad
Premium Asian Salad
World Famous Fries
Side Salad
Snack Size fruit & walnut salad(if you're doing dairy)
Various Fruit Smoothies
Apple Dippers
Fruit & Yogurt Parfait (if you're doing dairy)

Burger King
Egg & Cheese Croissanwhich (if you're doing dairy & eggs)
Mini Blueberry Biscuits
BK veggie Burger - WHO KNEW THEY EVEN HAD THIS????
Garden Salad
French Fries
Onion Rings
Apple Fries

Wendy's
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad (hold the chicken)
Baja Salad
Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad (hold the chicken)
BLT Cobb Salad (hold the bacon)
Berry Almond Chicken Salad (hold the chicken)
Chili
Baked Potato
Natural-cut Fries
Garden Side Salad
Caesar Side Salad
Apple Slices

Hardee's
Grits
Hash Rounds
Veg It - Egg & cheese biscuit (if you're doing dairy & eggs)
Onion Rings
French Fries
Veg It - Thickburger (hold the patty)
Veg It - Side Salad

Subway
Egg & Cheese (if you're doing dairy & eggs)
Western Egg & Cheese (if you're doing dairy & eggs)
Veggie Delight Sub
Veggie Delight Salad
Apples
Chips

Chick-FillA
Biscuit
Multi-grain Oatmeal
Yogurt Parfait w/ Granola (if you're doing dairy)
Hashbrowns
Chargrilled & Fruit Salad (hold the chicken)
Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad (hold the chicken)
Southwest Chargrilled Salad (hold the chicken)
Waffle Potato Fries
Carrot & Raisin Salad
Fruit Cup
Side Salad
Cole Slaw (if you're doing mayo)


Taco Bell
Crispy Potato Soft Taco
7-Layer Burrito
Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito
Bean Burrito
Fresco Bean Burrito
Cheesy Nachos
Cheese Rollup
Mexican Rice
Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
Pintos & Cheese
Nachos
Caramel Apple Empanada
Cinnamon Twists

    So with the hot hot hot weather upon us I am in serious need for ice cream - am I found the PERFECT alternative to the standard dairy ice cream. Almond Dream Dessert Bites! Its a tub of vanilla ice cream bites wrapped in silky chocolate heaven. Its made with Almond Milk, but you seriously can't even tell. I've also tried Almond Dream Lil' Dreamers Vanilla - they're like little ice cream sandwiches, and again - they're fab! They also have Rice Dream, Soy Dream, & Hemp Dream products. Here's the website www.tastethedream.com/

    Also, Bora Bora Exotic Fruit & Nut Bars are vegan and quite tasty if you need just a little snack. You can find them online, or I think also BJ's. And Harvestalnd Veggie Burgers are very good as well and filling too! - Again at BJ's. Also, Annie's Veggie Burgers are REALLY YUMMY - and made out of real veggies, and not SOY! That can be found at your local grocery store in the organic section frozen area.

    For all those milk lovers out there I have found an awesome replacement - Coconut Milk!!!!!! Soooooo YUMMY! It's creamy, and they have regular, vanilla, & chocolate too! It naturally gives you energy! Please Google all the benefits of using coconut products, its quite outstanding.

    And lastly, I have just recently experience the local Farmers Market at DVOOR Farm in Flemington, NJ. They have a conglomeration of local and organic farms all at the farm every Sunday from 9-1 until it gets chilly out. I bought lots of fresh fruits & veggies which I am actually starting to enjoy the more I eat them. I then used my fresh produce for some new recipes I found in cookbooks that I got from my local library.

    SO, if you have any really yummy recipes or food finds PLEASE PLEASE share them with me below! I would love to hear from you!

    Ssoooo I fell off the bandwagon. I was doing really well the first few days, but on the 4th or so day I really hit rock bottom. I felt so unsatisfied all of a sudden and was actually thinking of giving up completely and getting a cheeseburger (which I luckily DID NOT do lol). So the evening of our New Moon Fire Ceremony a wonderful lady I shall not mention brought gooey double chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing. And of course there were eggs in it! So I had one... wellll... a few to be honest. : - ) And that spiraled into some deviled eggs, brownies, etc etc. etc. So I stopped logging my food for lack of embarrassment after professing a vegetarian lifestyle - almost the point of vegan-ism!  SO, in the past few days I have had eggs, chicken, and shrimp and I'm OK with that now. I realized I took it too far too quickly and it ended up making me loose it almost immediately. I think this is almost like when I started Weight Watchers - you can't make all these big changes over night, just start smart and keeping making baby steps until you are where you want to be. So, I'm going to go a little easier on myself and if I have eggs its whatever. I am still going to try to make most meals vegetarian for now until I get more comfortable.

    However, I am going to start making at least one new vegetarian recipe a week - so I'll take a pic of it and post the recipe online for your to try as well. So, if anyone has any has any advice to keep me motivated or just regular comments to share please do! I'd love to hear your thoughts on my journey (and maybe your journey along the way too!)

So I guess maybe I don't really understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian... I found this website with some info and it seems maybe I'm following a vegan path - and if so it appears I should be taking supplements...

"The difference between a vegan and a vegetarian is that vegans eliminate all animal products from their diet, including dairy and eggs. Those following a vegan lifestyle generally do not wear leather and avoid products made from animals such as wool, silk and down. Vegans' tremendous compassion for animals is an abiding, overriding conviction in their lives.

Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish or poultry but they tend to consume dairy products and eggs. Lacto-vegetarians consume dairy products but not eggs, ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy products and lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat eggs as well as dairy products. Vegetarians also do not eat products that contain gelatine or other meat-based products.

The vegan point of view is that animals are not here to be exploited by man, and that commercialization of animals necessarily involves a fundamental, inhumane component and lack of respect for basic life.

From a nutrition point of view, the only difference is that vegans need to take a B12 and amino acid supplement, since they have no dietary source of these nutrients. You can get all the nutrients you need on a lacto-ovo (eggs and milk) vegetarian diet without supplements.


Read more: Vegan vs Vegetarian - Difference and Comparison | Diffen http://www.diffen.com/difference/Vegan_vs_Vegetarian#ixzz1QrySuJsh

    So I actually feel like I'm doing pretty well. I have a little bit of dairy yogurt and the tiniest bit of egg - so for someone who ate meat EVERY DAY it's actaully quite empowering. I definitely feel a difference in my body already surprisingly, but it's hard to put my finger on what it is. I definitely don't feel as heavy after meals. Its weird, I can tell I'm full but just don't feel heavy which is a very odd feeling I'm not used to. I also notice I'm not feeling ravenous anymore. Usually when I get hungry - I"M HUNGRY. Like crazy hungry, need to eat now, if I don't someone around me might loose a limb. But now it's like I notice I'm hungry and I still feel in control, and it's ok if I have to wait another few minutes without eating. To say the least,  I'VE NEVER FELT LIKE THAT! LOL.

    However, because I'm new to this I really don't know many vegetarians meals at all! I'm sure I would have more options if I was cooking every night but I have an 11 month old who keeps me quite busy. So I'm finding I'm reaching for the same foods that are 'safe' to eat, and I'm starting to get pretty bored!

So I need help from you! If you have any suggestions as to new foods to eat or easy recipes to make please post a comment with your tips/advice/tricks! Any thoughts or just comments as well are absolutely welcome!

    So I've always loved food... dreamed about food, thought about food, definitely overindulged in food, and have even felt like I've been romantically involved with my food. Enough said. And when I was a child I raised on eating all types of meat, and once I hit adulthood I moved to only chicken, turkey, and fish, and maybeee a nice burger now and then when the mood strikes ; - ) Never EVER thought about going vegetarian - until I saw this movie on netflix that changed my total mindset - "Change Your Food, Change Your Life" by vegan Jill Ovnick. (www.vegangal.com)

    Long story short she explains in this video why viewers should consider the vegan lifestyle and how to make the switch to an all-plant diet. She goes into how cutting out meat and dairy products can reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes and other diseases, increase energy and help lose weight : - ) : - ) : - ). She even leads a guided tour of a grocery store to show you what to avoid buying and what will taste great.

    So hears my plan. I'm starting a semi-strict vegetarian meal plan. There are different kinds of vegetarians, including some who will do eggs, and some who do milk. I'm not planning on doing either. I'm going to seriously up my veggie and fruit servings, and making sure I get enough protein through beans, nuts, etc. (She actually mentions in the video we don't actually need a high amount of protein as we've been lead to believe). And I'll be doing on this while following the Weight Watchers Points Plus program!

    So I started my journey at the local Super Walmart. It had a decent amount of meat substitute in the frozen section like Boca Burgers, Morningstar, & Veggie Patch. I bought a little of each to really try everything out and see what's good. I also bought myself some Almond Milk in the dairy section. (I know a go-to is Soy Milk, but I've heard that too much soy increases your estrogen levels a lot - I will investigate further and let you know but until then I'm on guard.) I did look for cheese replacement but they had none which was a little disappointing, but no biggie. SO I went home and started my non-meat extravaganza. I will be including a food log so if you decide to embark on this route maybe it'll give some good ideas. And realize, I am still learning so I'll be continuously looking up recipes on Google until I get the hang of it. And maybe you'll decide to take the journey with me, so... Ready for the ride?