Modern Daisy Hippee

Stuff you Might Think is Vegan… and Isn’t

I recently read an article listing a variety of seemingly innocuous foods for herbivores… that in actuality, may or may not contain animal based ingredients. Uggh! You go to such great lengths to avoid consuming animal products and “they” manage to sneak it in anyway! Why in the world, is the world so against eating plants?

That article got me thinking about other products that also may or may not be suitable for the hardcore vegan or vegetarian, so I decided to create a more comprehensive list of my own.

Now I’m not actually vegan… nor even vegetarian. At least not 100%. If you’re reading this, you very likely are, so you may scoff at the notion that on occasion, I do enjoy a good burger. A substitute just isn’t the same. I admit I’m significantly more anti-fake-stuff-in-food (& personal care products) than I am anti-meat, at least for now.

Since I believe we can get all the nutrition we need from plant based foods, the fact that I still eat meat at all is very likely transitional. The more I discover, the less I am compelled to use animal products. I do believe moderation and educated choices are a step in the right direction. Although a hardcore carnivore would still probably consider me extreme in terms of my herbivore tendencies… at least on the theoretical level.

By no means, do I believe humans must have meat at every meal. In fact, the thought of consuming that much flesh downright disgusts me. I absolutely favor more humane conditions than the industrialization of food seems to have created. And it just makes more sense to eat plants directly, instead of feeding massive amounts of them to an animal first, then consuming a small portion of meat in exchange. Oh yeah, I didn’t even mention the potential health benefits.

Some of the items on my “May Not Be Vegan” list were brought to my attention by my boyfriend’s daughter who decided to become vegetarian at age 14. How impressive is that? At age 14, she has the insight and dedication to make such a decision.

For those hardcore herbivores who avoid animal products (or believe they are avoiding them), I commend you for your dedication. Whatever your reason, it simply boggles my mind how the hardcore carnivores sneer at the thought of eating a meatless meal and ridicule those who choose to make it a lifestyle. Yes, I too have been mocked for choosing not to eat meat.

How could I dare?! Why do they even care? Could it be they are insecure about THEIR choices? Do they mock your commitment to doing what they know they wouldn’t have the discipline to do? Whatever it is, I sympathize with the angst your experience from others demanding you justify your decision… that seems a bit duplicitous anyway, considering they have the audacity to murder a defenseless animal so they can overindulge in their gluttony. While some of you may wholeheartedly agree with my last statement, I must admit the intensification was predominantly for effect.

Now, let us take a look at some of the products you might think are vegan and just might not be…
Soap – traditionally made with animal fat
Tortillas – often made with lard
Pie Crust – also typically made with lard
Rice – in restaurants, it’s often made with animal broth to add flavor
Soups – same as rice
Salad Dressing – real Caesar dressing contains anchovies & egg (although I don’t know many restaurants who actually make real Caesar dressing anymore), other dressings may contain bacon or bacon fat
Jello, Gelatin, Marshmallows – you don’t even want to know (although you probably already do)
Wine & Beer – OMG! Really!? Yes, some is processed or filtered with animal based ingredients.

If you have any items to add to the list, please do. I’m sure we all miss possibilities.

I’ve made several (or more) attempts at making whole wheat tortillas from scratch and none of them have really turned out well.  They either get too crispy, too doughy or just didn’t taste right.  I don’t give up easily though, so I continued to make them, adjusting various details each time.  I got the formula right because this time they turned out AMAZING!

Well, it’s still a whole wheat tortilla, so maybe “amazing” is a bit of an overstatement.  They are an acquired taste if you’re used to white flour products.  The point is, they are fully cooked, still soft a day later and taste pretty much the way they are intended to taste.  That’s success in my book.

I don’t remember with certainty where I got my original recipe.  I’m pretty sure I modified a basic white flour tortilla recipe and incorporated some ideas I found others using.  For example, instead of traditional lard or shortening, I use olive oil.  I’m taking all this time making my own tortillas so they are healthier and olive oil fits that bill best.

There really isn’t much to the recipe…

3 cups whole wheat flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 Tb olive oil, 1 cup warm water

Mix the dry ingredients together, add the olive oil, then mix in the water slowly.  I use my stand mixer, first with the paddle beater to mix everything.  Then I switched to the dough hook to knead.

A couple of things I did differently this time…  Because I’m using whole wheat flour & that takes longer to absorb the moisture, I allowed the dough to sit for a few minutes after mixing.  Then, I added more water gradually, as I kneaded in the mixer, to make sure the dough was nice and soft.  I probably added about another 1/3 cup of water in all.  I did that in stages, kneading quite a bit after each addition to make sure the dough didn’t get too wet.  That’s the other thing that was different…  I kneaded with the mixer much more than I have before.  I let it go until the dough formed a nice, soft ball.  I did let it sit in between some water additions also.  I can do other things while the mixer is kneading, so even though it took a bit of time, I wasn’t standing there watching it all along.

Next, I divided the dough into balls, each weighing about 2.2 oz…  a total of 12.  I put them back into the bowl & covered it so the dough could rest about 20 minutes.  Then I heated my griddle.  I use cast iron on the stove.  I let it get hotter than I usually do…  medium high; this time I let it start out more on the high side.  While it was heating, I started rolling out the tortillas…  Roll each one out once, let them rest, then roll out again.  As I was doing the second roll out, I also started cooking the tortillas, about 30 seconds per side.  I think it was key to have the griddle nice and hot.  It seems counter intuitive, however it seemed to allow them to cook all the way without getting too crispy.

After I cooked each one, I put them in a large freezer bag in a towel.  The moisture created by putting them into the bag seems to help keep them soft.  I’ve done that before to save a batch that was too crispy.  I’m not sure how it would have worked if I had just put them directly in the towel.

It might seem like a lot of work, although I’m sure if I do it regularly, it will be much easier.  It’s worth it to me to know exactly what’s in my food & now that I have it down, these seem a lot tastier than the ones I can buy at the store.

I made these Banana Blueberry Scones when we went camping a while ago.  I thought it would be a nice breakfast on the go for the last day & a handy snack.  They were so I’ll share with you.  I’ll post a pic the next time I make them.

They were delish!  Yes, they’re also vegan & low fat.  I love tweaking recipes I find, especially when they actually turn out tasting great.

Preheat your oven to 425F

Combine:

3 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

Mix in 1/2 c. Olive Oil (best to mix this in with a fork or pastry cutter)

Mix in 2 cups Pureed Banana (I blended the banana in a blender first & added a little water to make 2 cups)

Add in some fresh or frozen Blueberries (or whatever you want)

Lay the dough out & knead a few times (this is a bit messy with the blueberries so make sure you cover your surface so it won’t stain…  I used a pastry mat with lots of flour)

Shape the dough into a circle…  about 12-14″ in diameter

Cut into triangles…  I think I did about 12

Place on baking sheet & bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes

Enjoy!!!

I’ve been going much more plant based. In fact, right now I’m not eating any animal products. That’s another story though. This one is about tofu.

The first time I ever used tofu, it was completely disgusting and it was a very long time before I even considered using it again. It was mushy so I stir-fried it thinking it would firm up. It was like eating jello that tasted like paste. Yuck!

Many years later, when I shared that story with a friend, I was told that all tofu is not created equal and I probably used soft tofu instead of firm. OK, I gave the firm tofu a shot. Still not good. I did however notice at some point that there was also super firm tofu… Now we’re talkin!

That did it! Super firm tofu is my choice for stir fry. The other night I marinated some in a little soy sauce and ginger. Yummy!

I also discovered that soft tofu has it’s purpose as well. It’s fantastic as a base for a creamy soup, dip or dressing. I’ve made a ranch style dressing with it, pasta salad dressing & an amazing tomato soup. Really, you can use it for anything you’d use plain yogurt for except it heats up better & doesn’t add that sour flavor.

In any case, if you’ve tried tofu and didn’t like it, consider how you’re using it because all tofu really is not created equal.

I’m still doing fine with no caffeine… yippee! I did have some oatmeal… actually cooked rye flakes, which winds up tasting much the same as oatmeal. I added a few sliced almonds, cinnamon & a bit of raw honey.

For lunch I decided to use up some of this butternut squash from the garden. I roasted one for about half an hour. Then I sauteed some leeks in olive oil, added a cup or so of water, cut the squash in 1″ chunks & added that. I let it simmer for about an hour, then blended the squash with some of the liquid & put it back in the pan, stirred it together with nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste.

I thought grilled cheese would go wonderfully with this soup & didn’t want to eat regular bread. I made sort of a crepe pancake… 1 egg, about 1 cup whole wheat flour, about 1/4 tsp baking soda, about 1/2 cup milk & a bit of water to thin. I didn’t really measure anything so that’s why “about” (I’m guessing how much I used). I heated a pan with just a bit of olive oil, poured in the batter & spread fairly thin. I cooked 2 pancakes, then put feta & cheddar cheese in between, grilling each side until browned. The “recipe” would make about 4 pancakes.

It tasted great & gave a gourmet touch to comfort food. The soup was creamy & thick. I thought it would also be great as a pasta sauce. I’m sure I’ll do that with some of the leftovers by adding some Italian herbs. Heck, maybe I’ll do that for dinner.

Tonight we had organic grass fed beef burgers.  That’s my first one, at least as far as I know.  Maybe back in the day when I was a young girl, that’s how they made beef.  (Well, I’m not as old as that might make me sound.)  In the more recent past, ground turkey was my choice for burgers at home.  Since I’ve chosen to go absolutely as organic as possible, I decided I’d also go with grass fed beef on the rare occasion when I eat it.

Now, it was almost $8 a pound so I only bought enough for two burgers.  I thought it was particularly good.  It seemed to taste more fresh and more like meat.  I suppose that’s not desirable for some, however when I want meat I want it to taste like meat.  OK, enough about that.  Bottom line… I’m sold.

I’m growing radishes and while I was looking up recipes for how to use them, I came across one for radish leaf pesto.  I was wondering if the greens were edible anyway, so it was cool to find this recipe.  I was skeptical about how it would taste because pesto is usually made with basil and I LOVE basil.  I couldn’t imagine radish leaves could compete.

Well, I was sure wrong.  I used pine nuts and grapeseed oil with a bit of salt, blended it together with some radish leaves and presto…  pesto!  (I know, that was totally corny.  I just couldn’t help myself.)  The original recipe I came across used hazelnuts and some other things I didn’t use.  It’s plenty yummy the way I did it.  Grapeseed oil was suggested to avoid the bitterness of olive oil when it’s put in the blender.

I was just happy to know I can use the greens from the radishes.  I don’t like to waste things.  And, the garden can be a bit of work.  It’s awesome to find ways to use what I grow that are so great!  Now I just need to find something as wonderful to do with the radishes!

I had to share this story my boyfriend just shared with me about his trip to the grocery store with his friend.  His friend was getting some turkey from the deli and requested Boars Head.  The girl at the deli counter asked him if he was sure that’s what he wanted because it had no preservatives in it & would only last about three days in the refrigerator.

The key point here is that she asked if he was sure he wanted something that was JUST FOOD.  Ironic, right?  It usually seems like we have to search for items with no preservatives and that would be the “selling point”.  This girl thought it was a bad thing.

Interesting to see where our culture is.

Well, I had to start over with my starter.  I forgot about it for a couple of days and it grew fuzzy mold.  I’m on Day 10 of my second batches.  I made sure to put the glass jars someplace where I can see them more easily.  That way I’m less likely to forget about them.  I also thought about setting an alarm on my calendar.  I’m finding that unnecessary now though with where I put them.

I’m doing one with whole wheat flour and one with buckwheat.  I had thought I was overfeeding it by adding 2 Tb of water & flour, so cut it back to 1 Tb.  I just realized that was a mistake.  I also hadn’t been discarding any because I wanted it to build up.  Well, now I realize I’m supposed to be essentially doubling it (or close to it) at each feeding otherwise it may not work properly.

I assume as a result of that, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot happening with the buckwheat flour.  The wheat flour has been bubbly for a while now though.  I’m not sure if that’s because I thought I was actually under feeding it or it’s just taking longer.  It reacted right away the last time.

Today I took out some of the buckwheat starter & fed it properly.  I also took off the top layer of the wheat starter & fed it.  We’ll see what happens.

Clearly, I have no idea what I’m doing.  I’m in the trial and error phase of learning how to do this.  That’s fine because that’s how I like to learn things.  Hands on is the way to go!

Some people treat their cars better than they treat their bodies. You learn about how to take care of your car so it keeps working to get you around. You need to maintain it by having certain services performed periodically. This keeps the parts working properly and usually prevents major problems. You need to use the proper fuel for it to run. It won’t run if you just cram any old thing into the gas tank.

Your body is the vehicle that takes you through your life. It’s the only one you have. You aren’t able to go out and get a new one if the one you have stops working. The condition of your body also contributes to the quality of your life. If your body is not well maintained, it will not perform well and may not be able to take you everywhere you’d like to go. If it is maintained in optimum condition, you’ll have the energy and stamina to do much more.

Of course, most of us do the most basic upkeep of our “vehicle”, keeping it clean by using routine basic hygiene. Most of us do NOT give much thought to the products we use for this though. At least not in terms of how healthy or unhealthy it is. I’ve learned that most personal care products in the U.S. commonly contain ingredients that are banned in Europe. Apparently Europe has more stringent standards for deciding if products are “safe” than we do here in the U.S.

I suppose most of us figure we’re putting that stuff on the outside of our bodies, so what’s in it doesn’t matter as much as the things we put inside our bodies. We may think that if it doesn’t visibly harm our skin, it’s ok. Consider this though. Our skin is actually an organ and absorbs into our body, at least some of what we expose it to. It stands to reason that it would absorb into our body a significant amount of the things we rub onto it and into it every day. Some people say that if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t use it on your body. I tend to agree with that concept.

Obviously, what you are literally putting INSIDE your body is the fuel you use. If you want your body to function optimally, you’ll want to use optimum food. To me, what is truly healthy is REAL food. That means the way nature made it, as close to natural as possible. There are lots of things that are put into lots of our “food” products that are not, in my opinion and that of others, not actually food.

Dig a little deeper when you’re checking out the ingredients listed on some of the processed foods you use to find out what they actually are. (Better yet, stay away from those processed “foods”).  Some of those unrecognizable ingredients are controversial and suspected of dangers, to put it mildly.  Of course, with the whole food, I also believe organic is healthier. Not because it contains more nutrients, which it may. Instead it is because of what it does NOT contain… chemicals.

Watch out for words and phrases listed on the front of a package. Some may be misleading…  like “natural”. It really doesn’t mean anything, at least not at this time. Look at the ingredient list to find out what is really in the product. Another term to look out for is “natural flavors”. What does that mean anyway? I’ve learned that it could mean the product contains MSG, which is one of those controversial ingredients for a variety of reasons (which are far too extensive to go into here).

The bottom line is that your body is your vehicle for life. The way you treat it will be reflected in the way it treats you. Educate yourself about the things you choose to put in, on and around your body. Create extraordinary health to support you in creating your extraordinary life!!!

Have a beautiful day!