March 10, 2012

Veggie Tales (part 5): A day in the life of a post-op vegetarian


So now that we've gone over what a vegetarian is, whether post-ops can even be vegetarians, how to make the transition and how to make good food choices, I figured I'd give you a day in the life of a post-op vegetarian.
Let's start in the pantry.
Here are some of the staples you’ll always find in my kitchen:
  • Greek yogurt (usually homemade; vegans could substitute soy yogurt)
  • Soy milk and/or raw milk (regular skim milk from the grocery store would work, too)
  • Shredded cheese (vegans can buy soy cheese)
  • Canned beans (dried beans are cheaper but I like the convenience of canned beans)
  • Canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) for roasting for snacks
  • Nuts and/or nut butters
  • Tofurky Italian sausages (I use them in dishes like jambalaya but also eat half of one sliced up with spaghetti sauce on it for a quick and easy  meal)
  • Morningstar Farms fake meat products, like fake ground beef, fake chicken and fake bacon
  • Protein powder and protein bars (the ones I usually use contain whey isolate but there are soy isolate options available for vegans)
With these staples, I can throw together a quick meal like black beans with a little salsa and shredded cheese on top or a stir fry make with Morningstar Farms fake chicken and whatever veggies I happen to have in the house.
A couple other items you might want to keep on hand are cottage cheese and tofu; I just don’t care for either of those things myself.
Sample Menus
Here are a couple days’ worth of sample menus, which are pretty typical for what I eat.  These menus give me plenty of protein as well as other nutrients.
Day One
Breakfast – protein shake with soy milk and protein powder

Lunch – pumpkin spice Greek yogurt (plain Greek yogurt mixed with sugar free cheesecake pudding mix, pumpkin puree, a little Splenda and a splash of sugar free caramel syrup, topped with Cool Whip Free and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg; vegans can use soy yogurt)
Snack – roasted chickpeas (see recipe to follow)
Dinner – sausage and beans (see recipe to follow)
Snack – protein bar
Day Two
Breakfast – protein bar
Lunch – Island Red Beans (see recipe to follow)
Snack – almonds
Dinner – scrambled egg with cheese (scramble tofu with vegan cheese if preferred), Morningstar Farms breakfast strips, apple cinnamon muffin
Snack – Greek yogurt (or soy yogurt) with sugar free banana pudding mix and Splenda, topped with half sliced banana
Recipes

Roasted Chickpeas
Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans).

Put a towel on a baking sheet, spread the beans on the towel and pat dry.  Remove the towel, drizzle with olive oil (or just spray with cooking spray), stir, and spread out in a single layer.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 400 degrees.  Yeah, they take a while.  Stir three or four times during baking.

Take out of the oven, season however you like, stir and eat. 

Sausage and Beans
4 Tofurky Italian sausages, sliced
2 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
minced garlic (I use about a tablespoon)
Franks’s sweet chili sauce (by the hot sauce in the grocery store; I use about ¼ cup)
tomato sauce (a couple tablespoons)

Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a big pot until slightly soft.  Add the beans, sausage and diced tomatoes.  Stir and add tomato sauce and sweet chili sauce (a little of the chili sauce goes a long way).  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to eat leftovers all week.
Island Red Beans
4 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
minced garlic (I use about a tablespoon)
2 habanera peppers, diced (this makes it really spicy; use just one pepper if you want it less spicy; these peppers are small but a little goes a long way)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 or 2 cups water (depends on how saucy you like your beans)
½ teaspoon dried cilantro
½ teaspoon dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a big pot until slightly soft.  Add the diced habanera peppers and cook for a couple minutes.  Add beans, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 25 minutes.  You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to eat leftovers all week.

Well...that about wraps up this BF Basics series. Thanks for allowing me to share a bit about my life as a vegetarian with all of you. Nik has assured me that there will be a version of this series for download within the next few days, so look for that soon!

Until then...play with your food!


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