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3 Easy Vegan Recipes

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3 Easy Vegan Recipes

I remember an old boss with her easy vegan recipes, herbal teas, and a balanced diet consisting of non-fatty, unprocessed foods with no mention or desire for meat, backed up by a tree-hugging, “all-natural” philosophy.

Vegan Recipes

A couple of colleagues laughed at her on the sly, bestowing her with the distinction of being a “grass-eater,” “herbivore,” or “rabbit foodie,” and others just thought she was weird and quirky.

But as time goes on, self-awareness requires you to take a closer look at these aspects of your life, whether by accident or due to the health-obsessed freaks who can’t stop their yammering about turning into a ‘vegan’ for a righteous cause or merely to suit one’s list of dietary precautions.

I might be stating the obvious by saying that vegetables are “good for you” and that meat consumed, especially in its various fried forms, can create a serious imbalance in weight in the long run, if not sooner. And it’s the truth, as I’ve experienced it in my life, causing a string of embarrassing events that have brought me closer to overall balance and a no-nonsense approach.

Turning into a ‘vegan’ can be very healthy if it works for you and you enjoy it… as long as you don’t force your opinions on others.

We can classify these vegan recipes that are prepared in the form of appetizers, beverages, and salads. So here are some that have caught my attention:

3 Easy Vegan Recipes

1. Recipe for an Appetizer – The Garden Green Goddess Dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
8 oz. spinach, triple washed, patted dry, and de-stemmed
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 cup loose parsley, washed well
1/4 cup chives, sliced
1 T. freshly chopped dill
1 T. lime juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. hot sauce, of choice
1 – 8 oz. container plain vegan soy yogurt

Directions

In a non-stick skillet, sauté the green onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes to soften. Add the spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach just wilts. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Transfer the spinach mixture to a food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the vegan yogurt, and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Add the vegan yogurt and process well to combine. Taste and add additional salt, hot sauce, or lime juice, to taste. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, cover, and chill for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve as an appetizer with raw vegetables, bread slices, crackers, or chips, or use as a condiment on sandwiches, cooked vegetables, or grains.

Yield: 2 Cups

2. Recipe for a Beverage – Iced Lemon Mint Green Tea

Ingredients

5 cups water divided
4 green tea bags or other tea of choice
1 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup freshly chopped mint

Garnishes: ice cubes, lemon slices, and sprigs of mint

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring 3 cups water and tea bags to a boil, remove the saucepan from the heat, and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the tea to steep. Remove the tea bags, discard them, and allow the tea to cool completely.

In a pitcher, combine the brewed tea and the remaining 2 cups water, along with the remaining ingredients, except for the garnishes, and stir well to combine. Place the pitcher in the refrigerator and allow the mixture to chill for 30 minutes or more to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve in ice-filled glasses and garnish each with a lemon slice and sprig of mint.

Yield: 1 1/2 Quarts

3. Recipe for Sandwiches – Rad Ray’s Veggie Sub Sandwiches

Ingredients

6 Italian rolls or other rolls of choice
6 romaine lettuce leaves (or other lettuce of choice), washed, and patted dry
1 1/2 cups red onion, sliced
2 cups green pepper, julienned
2 cups cucumber, peeled, and sliced
olive oil, to taste
red wine vinegar, to taste
dried oregano, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 slices vegan mozzarella cheese, or other vegan cheese of choice

Directions

Begin by assembling all of the ingredients. Split the Italian rolls or buns in half, open them up, and place them on a large cutting board. Dividing the vegetables evenly among the rolls, place them in the order listed, on the bottom half of the rolls.

To taste, drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the vegetables, then season them generously with oregano and pepper. Place a slice of vegan cheese on top of each and replace the top half of the roll or bun. Slice each sub sandwich in half and serve.

*Variation: add additional vegetables and seasonings, as desired to suit personal tastes. Also good with a little mustard and crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy twist.

Yield: 6 sandwiches

Since I’m no expert in being a true-blue chef and definitely not in the vegan domain, I’ve borrowed these easy-to-make vegan recipes from a website known as The Vegan Chef, which belongs to Beverly Lynn Bennett, a celebrated chef, and writer. And it is fair to cite my source so as to avoid plagiarism and, more importantly, show our appreciation for someone’s hard work in their area of expertise.

Do we have any vegans in the audience — what are some of your favorite vegan recipes?

Diet

7 Healthy Ingredients Your Diet Needs

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7 Healthy Ingredients Your Diet Needs

For a perfectly fit body, a perfect diet chart is needed. And for making a perfect diet chart, the necessity of healthy ingredients and elements is very important. Proper healthy ingredients in diet make the diet chart beneficial for your body. Actually, keeping oneself fit, one cannot change the lifestyle. What they need in their diet is to use perfect food material.

Use of Coconut oil

Most nutritionist gives advice on using Coconut oil. Cooking with coconut oil is good for the diet. It can give one relief from stress. Not only that, but it fixes the cholesterol level up also. It increases the immunity power in the body. One can use coconut oil for cooking or drink two or three spoons. Coconut oil contains a variety of antifungal acids, and thus, it helps to keep up the energy level throughout the day.

Use of pine apple with meat

When meat or pork is used in the lunch or dinner menu, the presence of Pine apple can make it more digestive. Pipe apple has an enzyme which is bromelain which helps the protein to break down quickly. Then the meat of pork becomes much more digestible. Therefore pineapple slices with chicken or mutton can be good for the diet.

Add Spices with fatty foods.

If someone cannot avoid fatty foods, the use of spices like garlic, black pepper, paprika, rosemary, etc. can help a lot. In that case, the fatty foods will not be out of your favorite options of dishes. These spices will decrease the level of triglyceride in the body.

Drinking aloe vera

Drinking Aloe Vera, which is pure is very good for the health. If this element is in your diet chart, it is very good for keeping fit. Well, it increases digestive power and can repair the problematic digestive system. Aloe Vera thus helps you to keep fit.

Vinegar with some desserts

Desserts are very important options after having your main food. Sometimes these desserts contain some fatty elements. It can make you feel hesitation before taking those. But no need to worry if some vinegar is used on that occasion. Vinegar helps to keep the blood sugar level good. Taking some amount of vinegar in the morning also helps to improve the digestion power of a person.

Cinnamon in coffee

As far as the drinks are concerned, coffee can be a good option in the morning or evening. Some amount of Cinnamon with coffee makes it perfect for you. This spice helps to control the amount of insulin in the body. It decreases the blood sugar level as well. It also helps to keep control of cholesterol levels.

Use of good bacteria

The word Bacteria gives us the fear of bad health. But there are some good bacteria that can be used for a healthy body. Some of the good bacteria can improve the digestive system of humans.

For a perfect diet, these elements can help a lot. It is not possible always to leave a lot of food of your choice. It is better to take these things to keep aside the bad effects of those foods.

About the author: Diana Maria is a blogger by profession. She loves writing about technology, health, and parenting. Besides this, she is fond of games and gadgets. She also likes reading various articles on bornrich.com & cellphonebeat.com

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Diet

How to Make Diet Foods Taste…Bad for You

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How to Make Diet Foods Taste

How to Make Diet Foods Taste

There’s just something about diving into a late-night snack filled with “bad for you” ingredients. Whether it’s nacho chips decked out in cheese, meat, and sour cream or six-alarm chili with all the trimmings, food that’s bad for you tastes so much better most of the time.

But what if you could make your diet foods – you know, foods that are actually good for you – taste as mouth-watering delicious as the foods that aren’t? Sounds impossible, right? Not so fast.

Research indicates that you can do just that. Here are a few simple ways you can take to make your diet foods taste like your favorite heart attack on a stick.

Use Stainless Steel Cutlery.

A recent Men’s Health News article cites an Oxford University Study which indicated that using stainless steel instead of plastic cutlery gives the impression that your food is more flavorful. Hmm, really?

Eat with stainless steel cutlery to make your diet foods taste better.

According to the study, when participants were given identical samples of yogurt, those eating with stainless steel spoons rated the yogurt at 5.5 while those eating with plastic spoons gave a rating of 4.6. The theory is that people associate stainless steel with higher quality restaurants, while plastic cutlery is commonly associated with fast food.

Create a Food Ritual.

A July 2013 paper entitled “Rituals Enhance Consumption” tested the theory that ritualistic behaviors actually enhance the consumption of food. Simple acts, such as snapping photographs of your meal prior to eating, can help you enjoy your meals better and feel more satisfied by the foods you eat.

Taking a picture of your cottage cheese can make it taste more yummy. Okay, if you say so.

Of course, it doesn’t have to relate only to snapping photos. It can be small rituals such as saying grace, singing happy birthday, setting the table, or even cutting the food on your plate into tiny, bite-sized pieces. The theory is that the rituals involved focus your mind on what you’re doing, allowing you to have greater enjoyment, or involvement, in the moment. So, the next time you’re eating a healthy meal, pull out your camera phone and snap away.

Use Herbs and Other Ingredients for More Flavor.

It is unnecessary to eliminate all hope of flavor to eat healthily. Flavorless food is less satisfying, which often leads to over-indulging. Simple solutions involve using more herbs and spices in the preparation of health foods, according to this U.S. News Health article.

Things like sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, and even low-fat cheese added to dough prior to baking can leave you feeling more satisfied with the flavor of your pizza crusts, rolls, and breads. Adding sharp grated cheeses and dried fruits to food adds a nice burst of flavor, as does marinating foods in low-sodium marinades – particularly those that are tangy, sweet, or savory.

Have Someone Else Prepare Your Food.

Here’s the theory: You’re more likely to find the food satisfying and full of flavor if someone else prepares it for you. When you prepare a meal yourself, you anticipate the flavor while making the food. When someone else prepares the food for you, that mental anticipation isn’t quite the same.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University believe this is due to extended exposure to the food being prepared. Experiencing the making of the meal, in this case a sandwich, makes the sandwich less desirable. It’s sort of like the law of diminishing returns in action. The first bite of a desirable dish is the most desirable (and most satisfying).

These great tips will help you add the flavor diet foods often lack so you can hopefully enjoy them just as much (or close to it, anyway) as you enjoy foods that are notoriously bad for you. Put them to work today and see what a difference they make for your diet efforts.

Have you tried any of these tips or other tips to make your “diet food” taste better? Did they work?

Freelance writer Elizabeth Magill is an author who writes articles, blog posts, news stories, guides, and ebooks on a variety of topics, including health, medical, and many business topics including Reputation.com reviews.

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Diet

Why Fruits and Vegetables Will Never Make You Fat

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Why Fruits and Vegetables Will Never Make You Fat

Despite what you have heard from low-carb diet fanatics, eating fruits and vegetables will NEVER make you fat!

Fad low carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet may tell you that you should avoid all carbs like the plague, but the science and common sense just don’t agree. When it comes to eating fruits and vegetables, More Is Better, according to the USDA, and thousands of studies on the research between chronic diseases and fruit and veggie intake.

The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and almost every chronic disease we know!

Yet some diet promoters will go so far as to say fruits and veggies will make you gain weight! Is it true?

Well, let’s talk about common sense here. If you were to write down the 10 most overweight people you know and analyzed their diets to see what could possibly have made them so overweight, here’s what their diet would look like:

The Typical Overweight Diet

 

  • Soda, milkshakes, energy drinks, mocha lattes and other sugary drinks
  • Excessive amounts of fried foods – french fries, fried chicken, etc.
  • Lots of dairy consumption including milk, ice cream, cheesecakes and other desserts
  • Lots of greasy foods like pizza prepared by someone else
  • Lots of meat consumption, probably in every meal
  • Lots of white foods – white flour, white sugar, white pasta, white salt, etc.
  • Lots of packaged and processed and canned foods
  • Lots of chips, cookies, crackers, and candies
  • Very few, if any, raw foods – including fruits, vegetables, and berries
  • Very few, if any, whole grains or legumes (beans)

When you analyze the diets of the average American (and, by the way, the average American is overweight or obese), you realize that this is what most people eat most of the time. And especially overweight people – they’re eating all this processed, packaged food made in a factory somewhere that is loaded with excess empty calories, food additives, chemicals, dyes, preservatives, hormone disruptors and other toxins.

And that’s what they eat day in and day out! In fact, the average American only eats fewer than 20 kinds of fruits and vegetables in any one YEAR – yet many of us will eat 20 different kinds of sugary sodas, 20 different kinds of cookies, 20 different kinds of cakes, 20 different kinds of ice creams, etc. in any one year!

So is the problem with obesity in America that people are eating too much fruits and vegetables? Of course not!

So pay no attention to those who will try to confuse you in order to sell you weight loss products, pills, and quick fix fad diets.

If you want to lose weight, it’s really simple (not easy, but simple). Just reverse the standard American diet we outlined above. Eat very few of those processed foods at the top of the list and eat lots of fresh whole foods – fruits, vegetables, and berries.

Could it really be that simple? Why not try it for yourself!

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