Vegetarian Recipes: Vegan Alternatives to Gelatin by Nicholas Tan

Gelatin serves both nutritional and culinary roles in nonvegetarian diets; however, a lot of vegetarians and all vegans do not consume gelatin in its many forms because it is often created out of boiled pig skins and dissolved veal cartilage and bones.

This leaves vegetarians with a gap in cooking functionality when a recipe calls for a gel or thickening agent. It also leaves vegetarians with fewer options if they need a source of gelatin to increase bone and cartilage health.

If you are a vegetarian and you are looking for something to replace gelatin, do not despair. Here are some alternative options for you:

1. Use a rice starch alternative. A&B Ingredients recently developed a rice starch alternative to gelatins that mimicsthe cooking functionality of gelatins closely.

2. Use a soy-based alternative. Soyfoods USA developed NuSoy Gel, a gelatin alternative which was created entirely out of of soy isoflavones and contains 100% of your vitamin c recommended daily allowance.

3. Use seaweed-based alternatives. Agar-agar, for instance, is a seaweed based alternative to gelatin that can simulate the culinary functions of gelatin.

4. Increase your calcium intake. One component of gelatin supplements that allegedly increases joint health is calcium. If you want to increase your calcium intake without eating gelatin, you can simply consume more calcium-fortified foods and even take supplements.

5. Increase your vitamin c intake. Another component of gelatin supplements that allegedly increases joint health is vitamin c. You can increase your vitamin c intake by consuming more citrus fruit.

6. Increase your glucosamine intake. No foods contain glucosamine, but you can increase your intake by purchasing supplements at your local grocery store or pharmacy. This is rumored to improve joint health if taken regularly.

To reiterate - gelatin has two major functions: it works as a thickening agent for foods and is rumored to improve joint health; both of these functions can easily be mimicked by structural and nutritional alternatives.

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The Truth and Nothing But the Truth About Vegetarain Foods by fred Huyghue Jr

There seems to be a misunderstanding in the world of vegetarian foods, most people have a stigma about these types of foods. Unfortunately this stigma is without merit these days, the days of reality TV and all. Today is a new day a new era and people are doing absolutely amazing things with vegetarian foods today, and the food is mouth watering delicious. The stigma or false belief is...

1. Most people believe that vegetarian foods do not have a taste to them or very little taste at all.

2. The food looks dry and visually unappealing.

3. The food does not look fresh.

4. We do not like what does not look nice or that does not have that certain appeal = no thank you I do not want that.

We all grew up around certain types of foods and this helps to feed the stigma. To put it plain and simple, meat is hard to get away from; this is due to being around it so much to where you just adapt and accept; especially as a full dinner course meal.

In life lots of people want to have and maintain a healthy diet but believe the reason it is so hard to stick to maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet is because most people simply do not crave vegetarian food ' probably because most people do not want to eat what they think is dull food, tasteless salads for the rest of their lives.

In this day and age with all the healthy options we have today you can find delicious vegetarian dishes. By coating your vegetables with a peanut oil will get rid of that dry unappealing not fresh look. We have plenty of great vegetarian dishes available today...

1. Fluffy peach pancakes

2. Different types of breakfast smoothies

3. Several delicious types of crepes

4. Mouth watering spring rolls

Always remember you have one life and one body and one mind so why not take care of your body and adapt a healthy life style. In doing so you will find your mind is less stressed and you feel more comfortable and relaxed and in due time you will also look healthier. There are hundreds of reasons why a vegetarian diet is going to make you a healthier person and hundreds of reasons why meat is bad for you I am sure you probably already know all these reasons and know why becoming a vegetarian or just adding a few healthy dishes to your diet would be good for you. Eat well now and you can be well on your way to becoming a more healthy person. We all make decisions for ourselves in life and it is for us to determine what is good for us. I am just sharing with you the 100% truth from which you can make an intelligent decision; one that will suit you and your life style; as every one knows when it is all said and done you must live and do what you think is right for you and I wish you all the best in your new vegetarian life style.

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Kids Who Won't Eat Vegetables Will Eat This Vegetable-Pasta Salad by Harriet Hodgson

Kids are noodle nuts. They will eat spaghetti with tomato sauce, yet shy away from vegetables. Say the word "vegetable" and kids start to make faces. Though middle and high school kids will eat vegetables, they are selective about the ones they eat.

My 15-year old grandchildren (they are fraternal twins) pretend to eat vegetables by moving them around on their plates. What could I do? I combined pasta and vegetables, and added a tangy lemon dressing. The ratio of vegetables to pasta is five to one, and I think that's pretty darned good.

The directions say you should marinate the salad for three hours before serving. The longer pasta marinates the more dressing it absorbs. You may need more dressing than the recipe calls for if you marinate the salad all afternoon or overnight. My grandchildren loved the salad so much they went back for seconds, and my grandson went back for thirds.

This is not an exact recipe and you may play around with it. If you have leftover veggies toss them into the salad. Make the vegetarian version or add your protein of choice (see below). Customize the salad to your kids' tastes. Kids who do not like black olives may eat green. If your kids hate onions leave them out. You may leave out the roasted red peppers and substitute Cheddar for feta cheese.

While the salad tastes good year-round, it tastes especially good in the summer, when fresh vegetables are available, and tomatoes taste like they are supposed to. Vegetable-Pasta salad is the perfect picnic dish. Just remember to keep it cold.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups small pasta (shells, rings, tubes, spirals), cooked

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup English cucumber, chopped

1 cup frozen petite peas, defrosted

1 cup shredded carrots (from a bag)

3 scallions (white parts and green), thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced black olives

7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons (or more) fresh basil, cut into narrow strips

4 ounces fat-free feta cheese

Dressing

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra light olive oil

1 teaspoon salt-free lemon and pepper seasoning

1/2 teaspoon low sodium salt

Protein of Choice: 1 small can water-packed tuna, or 1 cup cooked shrimp, or 1 cup chicken cut into

bite-size pieces, or 1 cup ham, cut into bite-size pieces

METHOD

Make salad dressing and set aside. Put ingredients into a large bowl. Add your protein of choice and salad dressing. Marinate for at least three hours. Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Before she became a health writer she was a food writer for a local magazine. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com. Amazon has posted a five-star review of the book. You will find additional reviews on the American Hospice Foundation Web site ("School Corner" heading) and the Health Ministries Association Web site.

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Edible Wild Weeds: Spring Salad Recipe by JJ Murphy

Sharing wild food recipes gets easier as my favorite organic farmers and local specialty foods markets are now selling these "weeds" in addition to cultivated vegetables.

Most of my early wild edibles discoveries were by trial and error. As I got older, I discovered experts who published their knowledge and gave classes in some cases. My bookshelf contains a growing list of respected wild foods experts. The link to this information is at the end of this article.

The leaves of these early spring arrivals - and in some cases the roots - are all perfect for salad. Pick them now, in a few weeks they'll need to be cooked.

Early Spring Green Salad

1/2 cup tiny plantain leaves*

1/2 cup wild onion grass

1/2 cup tiny dandelion leaves under 2"

1/2 cup trout lily leaves

1/2 cup tiny violet leaves

1 cup lambs quarter leaves

1 cup watercress

1 cup mustard leaves

2 cups wood sorrel

1 cup spring beauty flowers

1/2 cup violet flowers - purple, yellow and/or white

1/2 cup trout lily flowers

1/4 cup spring beauty tubers

1/2 cup trout lily tubers

Rinse leaves, tubers and blossoms in cold water - a light spray is best - and drain.

Tear or coarsely chop leaves and tubers - toss, then sprinkle blossoms on top.

I recommend you taste the salad before adding a dressing - you may find that you won't need a dressing.

* if bigger than 1-2 inches, you may need to remove the stringy central vein to eat raw

Bon Appétit.

Writer and naturalist, JJ Murphy, has been eating wild foods since her farmer parents pulled weeds from the veggie garden and she ate the weeds. She now lives in Harriman, NY. For information on how to identify wild edibles and for more wild edible recipes, visit: http://www.writerbynature.com/index.php?topic=Recipes

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3 Simple Steps to maintain a Vegan or Vegetarian Diet whilst Pregnant by Tom Parker

An increasing number of people are now choosing to consume a vegetarian or vegan diet. Whilst vegan and vegetarian diets do have a number of health advantages they often lack nutritional value in a number of key areas. Whilst this may not be a problem for you personally, the reduced nutritional value can have a significant impact on your unborn baby. In this article I discuss how you can adapt your vegan or vegetarian diet and ensure your baby is getting adequate nutrition in just three simple steps.

1) Consult your Doctor:- The very first thing you need to do is tell your doctor that you are a vegan or vegetarian. This needs to be done as soon as possible with your first pre-natal checkup being an ideal time to mention it. Your doctor will then be able to assess your current diet and then give you advice on the additional foods you should be consuming. In certain cases they may also recommend you take supplements to compensate for a vitamin or mineral deficiency. You should only take supplements when your doctor advises because overdosing can cause significant damage to your baby. I would recommend you get your doctor to write this information down so you can always have a list of the foods and/or supplement you need available.

2) Look at some Recipes:- Once you have the list of recommended foods from your doctor I would then advise you to do a little research. Go to the library or look on the Internet for some vegetarian or vegan recipes and then choose a selection that you like and that also include the foods on the list given to you by your doctor. If you spend an hour or two looking at recipes with your list, you should soon be able to come up with a long and varied selection of tasty meals that provide all your nutritional requirements.

3) Exeriment, Experiment, Experiment:- Just because you have an initial selection of suitable recipes that doesn't mean you have to stop there. This is the perfect time to try new foods. Why not try some mediterranean cooking? Perhaps try some Italian cuisine? This is a really great opportunity to to improve your culinary skills and sample a range of new and exciting foods.

Being pregnant does not mean you have to give up on your vegan or vegetarian diet. With a little thought and preparation you can stick to this type of diet and even make it more varied and interesting. Just remember to follow the advice of your doctor and build on this to create an exciting, nutritional vegan or vegetarian diet.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/3-simple-steps-to-maintain-a-vegan-or-vegetarian-diet-whilst-pregnant-358719.html

Vegetarian Fried Crunchy Okra by M.Jeya

This is a vegetarian dish. Okra is slimy. Some folks don't object to this characteristic and stewed okra with tomatoes and squash is popular with some Southerners. And as Lady goat noted in her missive to okra, it's a frequent addition to gumbo where the negative becomes a positive by adding body to the stock. Okra is also a popular pickle and, as such, is not in the least bit slimy. But okra's best incarnation is fried. Combine cracker crumbs, flour, and salt. Dip okra pieces in buttermilk mixture; dredge in cracker crumb mixture.

The Crunchy okra is a vegetarian food. In a food processor finely grind crackers. In a shallow bowl whisk together cracker crumbs, flour, and salt to taste. Here you could buy a rod and reel, shotgun shells, live bait, gas from the pumps out front, and sacks of White Lily flour for making biscuits. And you could also have a great meat-and-three lunch. Ruth & Jimmie's is long-gone now, but we recall the old wood-frame shop every time we make the crunchy fried okra for which they supplied the recipe.

Preparation of crunchy okra:
1. Spread the okra on a flat dish and sprinkle salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, mango powder, and chaat masala. Mix gently.

2. Now, add gram flour and mix gently to coat evenly, preferably without adding any water. Divide the okra into 2 portions.

3. Heat the oil in a pan to smoking point. Fry 1 portion of the okra mixture, separating each lightly with a fork. Do not allow the slices to stick to each other. Remove with a slotted spoon when both the sides are crisp and brown. Similarly, fry the other portion.

4. Serve hot garnished with ginger and green chillies.

Crunchy okra variety of luffa gourd is cultivated for the tender and sweet flavor of its immature fruits. Stir together buttermilk and egg. Please purchase online www.indomunch.com in NewYork city.

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Go Vegetarian - It's Not As Hard As You Think by Barry Lovelace

Have you ever considered making the switch to a vegetarian diet? It's undeniable that eating a diet rich in vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes is healthy. It's also undeniable that the fat and cholesterol that comes from animal products is just not good for you. I think it is because of these facts that more and more people are switching or at least considering switching to a vegetarian diet.

It can seem daunting to give up meat since it is such a staple in the typical American diet but it really is not so tough. These days the grocery stores are full of vegetarian foods. The meat substitutes that are available are much improved so if you haven't tried them lately, than you haven't tried them. They can make the transition quite painless and take away the feeling like you are missing something.

Of course many of the daily foods that you already eat are vegetarian anyway, the problem is that we were raised to stick a piece of meat on the plate along with them and that piece of meat has taken up more and more space on our plates for too long. The result is the rampant heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure that we see. It doesn't have to be that way.

Vegetarians love their food as much as anyone, they are not upset about it or feel like they are sacrificing or doing without. Quite the opposite in fact, when you eat a vegetarian diet you really appreciate food and the powerful role it can play in your life, it is delicious and it is nutritious; it makes you feel good and it gives you energy.

It is also a big misconception that a vegetarian diet is restrictive. When you really think about it there is only a few kinds of meat; that from cows, pigs, chickens and lamb. On the other hand there are countless grains, vegetables, fruits and beans that can be combined in numerous ways to create fabulous and healthy meals. Many recipes can be converted simply by removing the meat or by removing the meat and adding a meat substitute or beans. Happily, most restaurants offer many vegetarian options on their menus these days so going out to dinner will not be a problem that you have to face either.

Remember also that switching to a vegetarian diet does not have to be accomplished over night. One way to start is to plan a few vegetarian days per week and than you can slowly add another day per week until you get to your goal. This way you can ease yourself into your new way of eating.

So much of what and why we eat is habit and conditioning. The way you eat as you are growing up plays a huge role in the way you eat as an adult. This is why making a change like this can seem overwhelming. It is changing everything you know; it is reprogramming your preconceived notions about food. You may have even been raised to think that you need meat in order to be healthy. We know better now, but that doesn't erase everything that was instilled in us as we were growing up. That is why I think that educating yourself throughout the process is a key to success. Get some vegetarian cookbooks or check out a vegetarian recipe website. Look over some books that discuss factory farming or the health benefits of vegetarian eating. The more you know the more you will be inspired to change the way you eat.

Barry Lovelace is an internationally recognized personal trainer and fitness professional. He is passionate about helping people live their best life and about being a vegan.

Visit his website for FREE health and fitness tips and a FREE EBook titled 'How To Juggle Your Health and Fitness'!

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Great Vegetable Juice Recipe Ideas by Shannon Medley

You can really put your juicer to great use if you have some delicious recipes to follow, so if you love juicing and want to get some fantastic ideas, here are a few of the top juicer recipes.

Carrot Juice

One of the favorite juicer recipes is carrot juice. This is the most commonly made juice, because it is so easy and also because of the multitudinous health benefits it offers. All you need is a couple of carrots, and you juice them one at a time, until you have the amount of juice you need.

You should not peel the carrots first because then you will be taking away most of their nutritional value, and some juicers will even clean the food for you so you may not have to worry about that part either. Just make sure that you feed the carrots into the juicer at a steady pace, and never push them through too hard.

Celery Juice

Another of the most favored juicer recipes is celery juice. For this recipe you just need a couple of celery stalks, and you want to cut each stalk into a few different pieces, otherwise they will be too large to fit through the juicer and may end up breaking it.

Feed the stalks in at a steady speed, holding down the tamper for a few seconds each time, and if you are juicing larger amounts of celery, you may want to stop and rinse the machine after each bunch to keep it from getting clogged up.

Carrot Anise Drink

This is one of the funkier juicer recipes, but one that is still very quick and easy to make. You just need 8 carrots, 2 anise stalks, 3-4 celery stalks, and 2 apples, and you want to juice everything in the order given.

These are just a few of the many juicer recipes that you can choose from, and remember that any juice you could find in a store you can make on your own with your juicer, only you will be getting much more nutritional value and without all the sugars and added preservatives that commercial companies put into their drinks.

A juicer will no doubt be one of the most versatile and useful kitchen appliances you will ever own, and if you do not already have one this is definitely an investment that you should make in the near future. You can juice all the fresh fruits and vegetables you want and make them into drinks to serve to yourself, friends and family.

A juicer will no doubt be one of the most versatile and useful kitchen appliances you will ever own, and if you do not already have one this is definitely an investment that you should make in the near future. You can juice all the fresh fruits and vegetables you want and make them into drinks to serve to yourself, friends and family. Here are more juice recipes to help you on your way.

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