Emily in Parade's Healthy Lifestyle Mag

Meegs82 wrote:I hear ya about tofu and I am REALLY bad at cooking it. I usually get mine when we go out to eat (which is quite often). I used to HATE tofu, but if you get it cooked just right, it's fab! I've only had seitan once (I can't eat too much gluten) and it was okay. Have you heard of tempeh? Not a huge fan, but then again, I've only ever had tempeh "bacon" strips, which tasted like bacon and therefore was disgusting to me. You might like it, Rob! That's another thing, I don't really understand "mock" meats. I don't WANT to eat meat, so why would I want to eat something that TASTES like meat? The only way I like it is fried. Soy chicken parmesan=to die for.

Tofu is frustrating to work with IMO because it takes patience to learn how to cook and actual skill in cooking - the second I got, the first I lack utterly, so it's almost a miracle that I even figured out how to stir fry with it. It's a shame you can't eat too much gluten because I love seitan - as a carnivore it's actually saying something when you find a vegan dish that satisfies the 'meat' craving, and properly prepared seitan does that in spades. It's awesomeness for me when I go into veggie mode, which will happen soon I'm sure.

Oh, and LOL at the whole "mock" meat thing. See you're probably a natural vegan, I imagine Em is too. You don't like meat, you don't want to eat meat, so meat-like things and mock animal products aren't really appealing to you. For a lot of vegetarians, but I'm guessing fewer vegans, they love the taste of meat but don't want to eat it, either for healt or political reasons, so mock meat affords them the chance to go veg and not miss the meat. Then there's that special group that are "vegetarians except..." Lord they're a hoot. I've got a cousin who will wax rhapsodic on the benefits of the vegan life style, goes out of her way to buy animal friendly clothing and what not, but you can catch her two or three times a week at the local McD's chowing down on a Big Mac. No irony there.

I know a great place in the Valley (Em recommended it). Lemme call her and you can catch a flight and meet us there, say tomorrow? 7pm?

Don't tease, I'll be there.

RM

Meegs82 wrote:Oh, and that dish you described is literally making me salivate. <insert insanely hungry emoticon here>

Tell you what, get me that lunch with Em and I'll talk to Ted (owner of Ted & Teiko's) and get his recipe for you. Gluten aside I'd recommend the seitan cutlet, it's firmer and holds up better in the gravy, but I bet you could used extra-firm tofu, pop it in the freezer for 5 min before battering it, pop it in again before frying and come out with something nice and hearty that would do just as well. Damn you're right, I'm hungry for it right now too, that and big side order of tempura vegetables. If you've never had tempura fried asparagus you don't know how good it can be! Man I'm dying now, and there's no way we can get in tonight before Bones. ARG!!!

RM

Oh, free tip - even if you know the owner? Walking stiltedly through a Japanese restaurant growling "Gozirrah!" is really only funny as long as the wife doesn't see you. Man Teiko was pissed.

tinkrella wrote:I agree they do need a better soy/milk substitute. I've been allergic to milk since I was little and was raised on soy. I'm used to the taste but now I'm becoming intolerant like Emily. Almond milk is okay...and rice milk seriously refuses to work right in coffee. Especially when whipped. ick. I also tried to make pancakes with rice and they were way too runny.

Soy is in SO MANY things. Even things that don't list it. I cut down on it but haven't cut it out completely. I'm really not sure how you survive as a vegan who can't eat soy. Obviously you can....but wow. It's probably easier in LA too. Philly sucks for vegan/veg friendly things. Zooey is allergic to gluten/milk/eggs I didn't know emily cut down on gluten too. Although..it's probably smart since her sister can't eat it anyway. Anyone know if zooey is vegan too? Emily said at one point her sister was "sort of" a vegetarian but that was a long time ago.

Yup, soy is everywhere. I'm kinda worried that I too will develop an intolerance to it at some point. It is MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to do the vegan/no soy thing in L.A. and I envy Emily for that. Another reason among many that I want to move back there. My town has ZERO vegetarian restaurants, let alone vegan ones. I'm able to find vegan dishes at a few places, but I really love the vegan restaurants and all the grocery stores in L.A. It's Vegan Heaven!

Anywho, I'm pretty sure Zooey is NOT a vegan, but I can imagine that she eats some of the same things as Emily simply because it's been a part of her sister's lifestyle for so long that it's bound to have rubbed off on her a little. I think Emily doesn't eat a lot of gluten 'cuz there are MUCH healthier options. We talked about quinoa, which barely anyone has heard of. It's basically a wonder food (protein, iron, vitamins, calcium) and it is good made with salty or sweet dishes. AMAZING! That's the thing, gluten just isn't that healthy, so when you have access to so much more (like in L.A.), there's really no reason to eat it in the first place.

Rob, good point about the mock meat thing. I love veggie burgers, don't get me wrong, but when there are complete meals on a menu that are EXACT ripoffs of REAL meat dishes? Forget it. Grosses me out. The only exception is fried, like I mentioned. But I hear ya that a lot of people still enjoy the taste of meat, but don't want to eat the real thing for whatever reasons. I get that. It's just not me, so ya, I guess I'm a "natural vegan." I've always wondered how Emily feels about mock meat. I know she likes seitan, but it'd be interesting to know if she enjoys full mock meat meals or if she's more "natural." Does anyone know?

Thanks for the cooking tips! Too bad I can't cook. Wanna just ship the dish to me in like a cooler? 'Cuz it seriously sounds amazing.

I'll stop teasing I AM actually going to that restaurant next Friday. Best. Food. Ever.

Well I'll hop on the "too much soy" band wagon. It's not just the milk thing either - IMO it's not good for us to become too dependent on one food crop like that, and soy seems to be creeping into the food chain in different areas more and more. I mean it's great to have an alternative but what happens if something infects the soy crops? I'm thinking "Irish Potatoe Famine" there.

Intesting to hear about the options for non-soy eating vegans Meegs, I'd never heard of quinoa before but I'll have to look into it. It'd be nice for lent when I give up meat for 40 days. If it's good enough I might go straight veggie, or even vegan for lent.

Oh, and you're really going there tomorrow? Damn. I've got to work too - don't suppose you can call Em and reschedule for Saturday? If not I can always ditch work. After all, it's Emily.

RM

you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

THX1138 wrote:
Intesting to hear about the options for non-soy eating vegans Meegs, I'd never heard of quinoa before but I'll have to look into it. It'd be nice for lent when I give up meat for 40 days. If it's good enough I might go straight veggie, or even vegan for lent.

RM

Quinoa is delicious! Definitely one of my staples. I always have it instead of rice...

i_heart_bones wrote:

THX1138 wrote:
Intesting to hear about the options for non-soy eating vegans Meegs, I'd never heard of quinoa before but I'll have to look into it. It'd be nice for lent when I give up meat for 40 days. If it's good enough I might go straight veggie, or even vegan for lent.

RM

Quinoa is delicious! Definitely one of my staples. I always have it instead of rice...

Amen, heart! It's SOOO good and a little goes a long way. I think this has inspired me to cook some tomorrow! Have you ever tried the red quinoa? It's a little richer, I think.

Hey Rob, as far as the "non-soy" options go, quinoa isn't one of them. I think the way I wrote it made it seem like that, my bad. Quinoa IS an alternative to gluten. It's a grain that has A TON of protein, calcium, and iron. Like I said, wonder food. It looks almost like cous-cous and you cook it until it turns soft. 1/4 cup has more calcium than a quart of milk!

And actually, I'm not going to the restaurant til NEXT Friday, the 12th, so you've got plenty of time!

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that fore more than two weeks.

RM

THX1138 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that fore more than two weeks.

RM

Then I challenge you to go vegan. Seriously. And I'll even give you tons of tips if you'd like! Think about it.

Meegs82 wrote:

THX1138 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that for more than two weeks.

RM

Then I challenge you to go vegan. Seriously. And I'll even give you tons of tips if you'd like! Think about it.

I'll give it a shot, the biggest problems for me when I do go veg are my parents and gf. She's a cafeteria vegetarian, meaning she eats veggie when she goes out, but at home she'll eat meat maybe once or twice a week. My Mom and Dad, it's not a meal if there's no meat. I'm the odd duck because three times a year I'll go veggie for a couple of weeks, but I've given thought to trying vegan. So I can try it this year, heck, no time like the present and Lent should give me the incentive to stick with it for 40 days!

RM

RM

I've been vegetarian for three months. It's no where near as hard as I thought it would be. I've been cheating and eating fish every once and awhile but i'm trying to cut it out all together.

What exactly is a meat alternative? Is it like tofu? My biggest problem with my sudden life style change is that I get so over whelmed. I went to whole foods the other day and felt like crying because there is just SO MUCH and I feel like I can't remember what's good...what's not good...what has secret meat products lurking in it.

Philadelphia is the cheesesteak capital of the universe....so needless to say there aren't as many veg options as there could be. I almost died when I found out in LA you can get vegan baked goods!

Emily recommended the book "becoming vegan" in one of her interviews and it really helped me avoid a complete break down at the grocery store lol

This is going to sound awful....don't hate me..... but I could go vegan in regards to food any day. Eggs creep me out and I'm allergic to dairy but no leather shoes or purses? sigh. I'm not ready to make that commitment.

Another thing, I love emily's interviews where she talks about her journey to being vegan. She went vegetarian over night but it took her much longer to go vegan. She first started just buying second hand clothes and then stopped buying them all together. She really makes me feel better....like I could actually do it. Maybe I'll stop buying leather shoes for lent and see what happens.

tinkrella wrote:What exactly is a meat alternative? Is it like tofu? My biggest problem with my sudden life style change is that I get so over whelmed. I went to whole foods the other day and felt like crying because there is just SO MUCH and I feel like I can't remember what's good...what's not good...what has secret meat products lurking in it.

Meat alternatives and mock meats are things like TSP (Textured Soy Protein), Tofu, and Setian (which is made from Wheat Gluten). TVP looks like grape nuts and is mostly used to replace ground beef. Tofue and Seitan are made into mock meats, that is they're usually used in the manfacture of meat substitutes.

Philadelphia is the cheesesteak capital of the universe....so needless to say there aren't as many veg options as there could be. I almost died when I found out in LA you can get vegan baked goods!

I've eaten both Gino's and Pat's, so let me say now that there ought to be a rule called "The Philly Exception" where cheesesteaks were exempted. A good cheesesteak isn't like normal food, it's heaven in a bun.

This is going to sound awful....don't hate me..... but I could go vegan in regards to food any day. Eggs creep me out and I'm allergic to dairy but no leather shoes or purses? sigh. I'm not ready to make that commitment.

Heh, I don't know why anyone would hate you for that. Heck, I grew up on a farm raising beef cattle an I love meat, the only reason I go veg a few times a year is I'm a big believer in listening to your body and buying food you crave, not food you've conditioned yourself to want or food that's comfort food. So three times a year, like clockwork, I seem to find myself eating nothing but vegetables, fruits, and living a vegetarian life style. After about two weeks I'll crave a steak, tear through a 20 oz ribeye and be happy. Going vegan for 40 days will require effort, but I'm going to give it a real shot to see how I adapt to it, and because it's Lent.

RM

THX1138 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that fore more than two weeks.

RM

What? You gave up alcohol? And you survived? I bow down to you.

RGPageantqueen wrote:

THX1138 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that fore more than two weeks.

RM

What? You gave up alcohol? And you survived? I bow down to you.

I just found out I'm ALLERGIC to alcohol, so I can't have it...EVER again.

Rob, yay!!! Thanks for taking on the challenge! It IS tough and the first time I went vegan back in 2008, I really wasn't prepared, so it only lasted 3 weeks. Then, I did my research (including talking to Emily), and I got prepared and then, it was pretty easy. I had already been a vegetarian for over a year, so the meat part wasn't an issue.

Yes, "Becoming Vegan" is a FAB book! It teaches you that you don't have to do everything all at once. Baby steps are fine and you shouldn't punish yourself if you have a moment of weakness and have a slice of cheese or an entire bowl of ravioli. It's a process. Some people do the food part of it overnight (I did) but then take longer to come along with the clothing and leather and all of that. Or they slowly start eliminating things. That's what the book helps you with so it's not so overwhelming.

tinkrella wrote:

This is going to sound awful....don't hate me..... but I could go vegan in regards to food any day. Eggs creep me out and I'm allergic to dairy but no leather shoes or purses? sigh. I'm not ready to make that commitment.

Only the intense, insane, radical, crazy vegans would hate you for that. I have a friend who doesn't eat any dairy or meat and she won't go without her beloved Coach purse. She's exactly the same way 'cuz to her it's all about what she puts in her body and clothing and purses don't have a darn thing to do with that

Meegs82 wrote:Rob, yay!!! Thanks for taking on the challenge! It IS tough and the first time I went vegan back in 2008, I really wasn't prepared, so it only lasted 3 weeks. Then, I did my research (including talking to Emily), and I got prepared and then, it was pretty easy. I had already been a vegetarian for over a year, so the meat part wasn't an issue.

Well it'll be a challenge and I like a good challenge. Besides it'll be interesting to see how I do going sans animal products for food - I'm planning on hitting Whole Foods this weekend along with a few boutique stores that I know will have some good and tasty vegan alternatives. I can already tell that my gf is going to argue with me though, she likes her eggs and cheese and I've already informed her that since I do most of the cooking and all of the shopping, she's gonna lump it with me.

RM

Meegs82 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:

THX1138 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that fore more than two weeks.

RM

What? You gave up alcohol? And you survived? I bow down to you.

I just found out I'm ALLERGIC to alcohol, so I can't have it...EVER again.

Wow, that sucks. I do love my single malt scotch, and my cask bourbon, and on occasion tequila, beer, wine...you get the idea. I don't mind abstaining but having to give it up altogether? Harshness.

RM

One of my 3 jobs is being a newspaper carrier and while I was putting the adds into the mine something fell out and when I picked it up I saw Em's face and went no way. So....I took one, the add I mean.

When does Lent start, btw?

bcriet wrote:One of my 3 jobs is being a newspaper carrier and while I was putting the adds into the mine something fell out and when I picked it up I saw Em's face and went no way. So....I took one, the add I mean.

That's very cool! Which magazine is this exactly? I mean, I know what the regular weekly Parade is, but what is this "Healthy Lifestyle" edition and where can I find it?

THX1138 wrote:

Meegs82 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:

THX1138 wrote:

RGPageantqueen wrote:you seriously think you can give up meat for 40 days?

Yep. I always give up something I really love for Lent. Last year I gave up alcohol. The year before I gave up caffeine. I last gave up meat like, three or four years ago. The challenge would be going vegan. I've never done that fore more than two weeks.

RM

What? You gave up alcohol? And you survived? I bow down to you.

I just found out I'm ALLERGIC to alcohol, so I can't have it...EVER again.

Wow, that sucks. I do love my single malt scotch, and my cask bourbon, and on occasion tequila, beer, wine...you get the idea. I don't mind abstaining but having to give it up altogether? Harshness.

RM

Yeah, I'm actually not TOO sad about it 'cuz I'm not much of a drinker. But I do enjoy a glass or two of wine or perhaps a couple of pomegranate martinis with my girlfriends and now I can't have any of it Le sigh, such is life.