Saturday, February 16, 2013

Guest Post by Pam Johnson

Here's a new guest post with a slightly different opinion and view on the vegan-vegetarian lifestyle by Pam Johnson.

If you wish to contribute your own post - be sure to hit "Contact Me" up on top! Otherwise, enjoy.


All About the Healthy and Economical Vegan Regimen

In today's world average people are granted an unprecedented level of food options. While some can get bogged down in the multiplicity of choices and waste time and money on unnecessary products (e.g., gluten-free crackers), others solder science to economics and seek nutritious foods at affordable prices. What's important to remember is that eating affordably should be coupled with modern science.

Food Pyramid
Alongside the World Health Organization, modern nutrition calls for a balance of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Did you know that you can die without protein or dietary fat? This explains why people on low-carb ketogenic diets or vegetarian diets low in sugars do quite well. The rest of this article will focus on eating vegetarian diets affordably and how to couple convenience with nutrition while eschewing meat products.

Levels of Veggie
There are many layers to becoming a vegetarian, oftentimes embodied in one person's experience from all meat to zero meat diet regimens. There are some vegetarians who just avoid meat and still consume eggs and fish. While this affords some vegetarians more protein and essential fatty acids, it isn't the full-throated vegan lifestyle. Full-bore vegan diets eliminate meat altogether with an eye towards the detrimental health and environmental impact of meat consumption.

Health and Economics of Going Vegan
Some people go vegan for other reasons though. For instance, a low-fat vegetarian diet has been linked to a decreased risk of numerous degenerative diseases. For instance, subscribing to the vegan diet lowers one risk for the following ailments, many of which are crippling to Western man: coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and late-onset diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. In fact, Time Magazine recently came out with a study showing that low-fat vegetarian diets are incredibly affordable and nutritious. A controversial finding in that study showed that regular grocery store vegetables rivaled the upscale Whole Foods-like "organic" foods in quality while sidestepping really breaking open the piggy bank. For this reason, budding vegans would do well to corral in the good deals in their local freezer department!

Veganism for All Life's Trials
The vegan diet has been shown to be affordable, safe, and even appropriate for different ages and life stages. For instance, modern studies show that veganism is apt for kids, pregnant women, and lactating women alike. Those who choose to avoid meat consumption have been shown to hold lower body mass indexes. Alongside this health boon, vegan subscribers are at lower risk for cholesterol or vascular problems.

Prescription for Health
The ideal thing to do is go to the grocery store and pick up rice and beans, which allots protein, or go for an affordable veggie dish like bok choi, which supplies calcium and other minerals. Veganism is not only a healthy diet but it can be employed long-term and cheaply in today's society!

Author Pam Johnson has been a vegan for 6 years because of all the health benefits, as she is in the healthcare field. She also enjoys blogging and is a contributing writer for Top 10 iPhone Apps for Healthcare Professionals

Monday, January 21, 2013

"The Vegg" Vegan Egg Yolk Review


You've probably heard of the Vegg (pronounced like "egg" but with a 'V') even if you aren't a vegan blogger or egg-replacement aficionado. The purpose of the Vegg is to replace the actual egg yolk instead of the whole egg and not only imports the slightly eggy flavor into whatever you like - it also has a beautifully golden color like an egg yolk. The flavor is very slight, at least to my tastes when I used it in my vegan omellete but I could smell it a bit better in my yellow cake recipe.

I thoroughly enjoy the packaging and the way the whole thing sent to me was in a beautiful brown envelope, containing the big Vegg packet and information cards. The mascot on it is adorable and its very easy to tell what type of product this is!

The Positive: It only takes a very small amount of the Vegg to make the equivalent of two and a half egg yolks (about a teaspoon) and the package can make up to 40 average "yolks". All of the ingredients are common and pretty well known - two components are added for color, the nutritional yeast (which is also added for taste, I presume) and beta carotene for a more golden color.

Plus, every 2-3 yolks are only about 10 calories and the product is free of (high) allergens! Can't say that much.


The Negative: It can be a bit pricey, depending on the shipping cost and the location that you're buying it from. You also have to be sure to have a blender because it will not turn out right if you try to hand-mix it, as demonstrated on the package.

I've found that I've also need to add cornstarch to the water and Vegg so it can be a bit more silkier and stronger for all of my needs.



Image from "Meshell in the City" http://meshell.ca/
The Interesting: The Vegg contains "sodium alginate" and if you're familiar with molecular gastronomy or just enjoying seeing spherical shapes on your dinner plate at a fancy restaurant, you'll be happy to see that this very ingredient aids in gellifying your yolks and if you place it in a calcium lactate bath - you'll have a gelatinous, ooey gooey and good for the Earth egg yolk! Just pop into your favorite molds (maybe a Hello Kitty one?), freeze and make your calcium lactate bath, then you can dip bread into it or meld with some delicious tofu egg whites for an amazing fried egg.

For flavor and the signature egg taste (brought on by sulfuric compounds) - an Indian black salt is used. Isn't that neat?

Here above you can see a picture of a spherical Vegg yolk! Isn't that exciting?


Average Price: $7.00

Price I Paid: Free for a review.
Despite it not having the huge strengths in taste and smell you would expect from an egg yolk, its a huge step and I would most definitely buy this product again and suggest it to all of my friends. Plus, its especially helpful when making such moist yellow cake!

Here's a link to where you can buy "The Vegg" but there are plenty of retailers around!

http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2013/01/vegan-yellow-cake-recipe-soy-free.html 
Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0085V3YFO/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new



Saturday, January 12, 2013

Vegan Yellow Cake Recipe (Soy-Free)

Have you ever heard of "The Vegg"? Its a product that I've been using for a while this month and that I really like. Its meant to replace the egg yolk in most recipes and while yellow cake varies in amounts - its generally pretty high. I've found that "The Vegg" works excellent in replacing the egg yolk and that I can easily strengthen it by combining it with cornstarch. This cake ended up being really moist and great despite my oven having to be at 400 degrees for about an hour to cook anything now.

(Vegan Yellow Cake Ingredients)
  • 1 C. of Coconut Oil
  • 2 C. of Raw Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 TBL. Cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. of The Vegg
  • 1/4 C. of Cold Water
  • 2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 C. Non-Dairy Milk + 1 TBL. Apple Cider Vinegar

(Directions)
  • Cream your coconut oil with the raw sugar then add in the baking powder and vanilla extract.
  • Blend your cornstarch, vegg and the water together in a blender, then cream it into your oil and sugar.
  • Alternate with your flour and milk and fold/stir them together
  • Preheat your oven to 350, spray and line your pan with parchment paper
  • Bake for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked, allow to rest and then frost with your favorite frosting recipe or use a chocolate fondant like I did!

Enjoy!

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