Creative Vegan Cooking

Creative Vegan Cooking: June 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

The Protein Problem, Part 5: How to Get Enough Protein From a Vegan Diet

Read The Protein Problem, Part 4: Animal Protein and Cancer.

     Many people are worried that they will not get enough protein if they only eat a plant-based diet. However, it is not only meat that contains protein, plants do too. And according to Dr. Campbell, it is almost impossible not to get enough protein from a vegan diet (1). Even a potato, which does not contain much protein when compared to other foods, still has 8% of its calories as protein, and the recommended amount is 10%. According to what Goldhamer says, it is easy to get enough protein as long as one eats enough calories even if one does not eat nuts or beans, the two sources of concentrated protein from plants (2).
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Summer Salad


     The crispy lettuce, creamy avocado, juicy tomato, and sweet corn pairs perfectly in this salad for a bright summer side. If you want some extra contrast, add some sliced green olives.
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Monday, June 23, 2014

South-of-the-Border Vegan Enchiladas


     Creamy vegan enchiladas with a spicy kick! This dish is perfect for potlucks, barbeques, picnics, and the family table. It is creamiest when just made, but it is also good reheated next day. If you want to bring it for a picnic, make it a day ahead, as it will then be firmer and perfect for packing in individual servings.
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Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Protein Problem, Part 4: Animal Protein and Cancer

Read The Protein Problem, Part 3: Protein and Strength.

     Animal protein is often called high quality protein, whereas plant protein is described as low quality. The reason for this is that animal proteins have an amino acid profile similar to the one of the body's own proteins. This means that animal proteins are used more effectively than plant proteins by the body. Ironically, one should consume human flesh to obtain protein most similar to one's own, but that is another subject. Dr. Campbell explains that while animal protein makes the body grow faster than plant protein does, it also causes cancer cells to grow faster. That is also what he saw in his laboratory: cancer cells grew faster when fed casein, a protein found in milk, but not when fed plant proteins. Many studies show that casein makes cancer grow, while plant protein (soy and wheat) deters its growth. (1)
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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Lemon Cream – The Vegan Sour Cream

     Burritos ... mmmm ... No. Wake up call: Sorry vegans, no sour cream here! Oh, that's right, but,
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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Baked Peanut Butter and Banana Toast



     This toast is one of my favorites. Crispy bread, rich peanut butter, and creamy-sweet banana goodness. Baking the banana intensifies the flavors, increases the sweetness, and emphasizes the creaminess. But if you are not a fan of baked banana, do not leave! A popular version of this toast says to toast the bread first and then spread it with peanut butter and honey – equally delicious!
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Monday, June 16, 2014

Green Spaghetti


     Green spaghetti, creamy green avocado spaghetti with lime and cucumber ... This light, summery dish is perfect for that casual dinner in the shade of garden trees. On the other hand, it stands up to any elegant summer party. The only drawback is that it cannot be made very long time ahead because the avocado will start turning brown. But it can keep several hours in the fridge, so you do not need to rush at the last minute.
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Sunday, June 15, 2014

The Protein Problem, Part 3: Protein and Strength

As mentioned in part 2 of this series (read it here: Animal Protein and the Body), the digestion of animal proteins releases a lot of acid in the body. The body then has to neutralize this acid load in some way. It was before believed that the body used calcium from the bones to do this buffering because a higher level of calcium could be measured in the urine after intake of meat. But it is now shown that the calcium comes from the diet, which could indicate that the body absorbs more calcium when one eats meat, and this extra calcium then makes up the higher level found in the urine (1). This means that there must be some way other than through calcium from the bones that the body neutralizes the acid. Studies now indicate that the body maybe uses muscles to do this buffering. The liver can use the amino acids from the muscles to make glutamine, which can be used to neutralize acids (2).
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Easy Potato Salad With Vegetables


     I was debating whether to call this dish easy potato salad, veggie potato salad, or one-pot potato salad. I finally chose Easy Potato Salad With Vegetables. This salad is easy to make because the dressing only requires two secret ingredients (read on to find out which) that are easy to mix together. And then there are the veggies, which take this salad to the next level – a fresh, summery level.
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Thursday, June 12, 2014

BBQ Balls (for Father's Day!)

 
     It's soon Father's Day, which means good food, summer, and grilling season. So I though I would share with you these barbecue balls (which have never seen a grill, lol!). They may seem difficult to make because they require two steps, but they are actually not. And the best thing is that the gluten puffs can be made ahead of time and frozen. On the big day, just mix and heat the BBQ Balls!
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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tropical Storm Cake


     Mangoes ... mangoes – it's mango season, which means breakfast-mango-cake season. Mango cake, mmm. Really, I had to figure out a new way to make a mango cake, as I usually don't follow the same recipe very many times, which means Double-Layer Mango Cake is over, at least for now.
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Sunday, June 8, 2014

The Protein Problem, Part 2: Animal Protein and the Body


If you missed part one, read it here: The Protein Problem, Part 1: The Body's Protein Needs.

     An overdose of protein, primarily animal protein, is one of the main reasons degenerative diseases flourish these days. Not only that, but too much protein can cause a lack of other essential nutrients. Robert O.Young, D.Sc., Ph.D., ND, even declares that "the over-consumption of animal protein presents a far greater threat to ones health than completely eliminating the ingestion of ALL protein (1). This is because there is a clear parallel between the consumption of animal products and the risk of degenerative diseases, where those who only eat a plant based diet are less likely to get degenerative diseases than those who eat animal products. Despite this fact, those who advocate a high protein diet "would have their devotees believe there is a worldwide conspiracy, including more than 3,500 scientific studies, involving more than 15,000 research scientists, reporting a relationship between the consumption of meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, with heart disease, cancer, kidney failure, constipation, gallstones, diverticulosis, and hemorrhoids, just to name a few" (2).
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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Super-Simple Vanilla Sauce

     Here's the vanilla sauce I promised. It is delicious on Double-Layer Mango Cake.

     This is my favorite sauce to make for breakfast cakes and pies. It is so easy to make, ready in no time, inexpensive, fat-free (except minor amounts from the milk), and so delicous.
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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Alfredo Primavera

       This dish is a mix between fettucine alfredo and pasta primavera – the one mixed with cheese and the other stuffed with vegetables. The sauce is not very cheesy (I guess you could add some nutritional yeast for a cheesier flavor) but it is wonderfully rich and creamy. Neither the coconut nor the peanut flavor comes through very noticeably, but both add to the rich depth of flavor.
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Monday, June 2, 2014

The Protein Problem, Part 1: The Body's Protein Needs

      "In spite of what millions of dollars of meat and dairy industry advertising would have you believe, it is excess, not inadequate protein, that is the threat to health," says Alan Goldhamer, D.C. (1). Most people value protein as the most important calorie source, which will efficiently build muscle, give strength, and promote weight loss. People have focused on eating enough of this necessary nutrient ever since it was discovered in 1839. Meat has been considered the best protein source and is described as high quality protein as opposed to plant protein. "Eat the ox to become strong as an ox!" people say. Therefore, it is interesting to look at how much protein the human body actually needs.
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