Need some help
Hey all,
I am new here, and wondered if you all could help me. My husband and I are trying to eat vegetarian. We still eat a little fish and chicken, but I am trying to weed them out. He has been diagnosed with cancer, and we are foregoing chemo, and using alternative medicines, so we have also changed our diets drastically which is great. I'm a pretty good cook, but I'm finding myself at a loss for things to fix to eat. We've been eating alot of salads, with raw nuts and veggies, vegetarian sandwiches, some eggs, pasta with veggie sauce I've done in the blender, bean quesadillas, and I have a bean burger recipe to try, and whatever else I can come up with. Also smoothies with rice milk, spinach, fruits and other stuff. He is supposed to be eating no sugar, not alot of soy, and as much raw veggies as possible. Also no preservatives, and trying to eat stuff that isn't acidic. I always would cook supper and give him leftovers for his lunch the next day, so lunch ideas would be great too. I've found alot of recipes on here, but just wondered if you all had any quick easy ideas for me.
Thanks alot in advance,
Kay
First off, I'm sorry to hear about your husband, I hope that everything works out well for him. And second, making delish veggie meals is really easy! Just don't think too hard about it. If you want something meat like, try seitan. There are great recipes of all sorts on Vegan Dad's blog (http://vegandad.blogspot.com). If you want something mac n cheese-like, try a recipe that doesn't use tofu in the white/cheese sauce (and sub soy milk with another non-dairy milk). Also, keep up with the fruits and veggies. Try to get in quite a bit of cruciferous vegetables...they're supposed to help wonders with cancer. Berries as well. Search arond this site, you're bound to find something awesome :) Good luck!
Don't forget about hummus, lentils, and cashew cheez... hummus is better than mustard/ mayo on veggie wraps, and can make good nontraditional creamy sauce for pasta/ veggies, as well as the more common 'dip' application. Lentils make great dal, curry, chili, sloppy joes, and taco filling; you can add raw or lightly steamed veggies at the end of cooking time, for a high protein/ high veggie dinner. Cashew cheez makes raw or lightly steamed veggies taste positively indulgent -- Dragonfly's Bulk Dry Uncheese Mix, Melty Cheese (actually this calls for almonds, but I usually use cashews), and Cashew Cream Bell Pepper Sauce from this site are some of my favorites. Also, pasta salads are easy to load up with fresh veggies, chickpeas/ other legumes, and can taste like anything depending on the sauce you choose (vegan chipotle ranch, balsamic vinnaigrette, lemon-basil, olive-tahini, red bell-artichoke, etc.)... these salads also make good easy leftovers. Quinoa is great for stuffing things, like tacos/ wraps/ stuffed bell peppers/ enchiladas, etc., and (like lentils) can easily be topped w/ fresh veggies after cooking (i.e. make taco-flavored quinoa/ stuff bell peppers & bake/ top w/ fresh chopped tomato/ spinach/ cilantro/ avocado)...
Hope that's helpful... I know it's hard making big dietary changes, but it sounds like you're off to a good start! :)
Oh, and soups! They're so quick, easy, verstile, healthy...either bean or veggie are great. Or both :D Lentil soups are great and FAST.
Well if you're looking for delicious, uncomplicated recipes, you've come to the right place! VW is full of goodness! Check out the different categories, in each one there's even a "Quick and Easy" section. Don't forget the goodness of soups! And casseroles are hearty and filling.
I'm just chiming in to tell you that you can make hummus out of many legumes, not just the humble chickpea! Yes, I know chickpea is traditional but you can sub in cooked lentils, or blackbeans, or black eyed peas, using the same ingredients as you would regular hummus. I myself particularly like lentil hummus, it's lighter and needs less tahineh.
And I want to add my good wishes for your husband to find health without aggresive treatments. Positive thoughts and cyberhugs for you, too, because it's not an easy time for you, either.
((((Kays))))
I myself particularly like lentil hummus, it's lighter and needs less tahineh.
And I want to add my good wishes for your husband to find health without aggresive treatments. Positive thoughts and cyberhugs for you, too, because it's not an easy time for you, either.
((((Kays))))
Ditto, to all of this!
Wow thanks for all the help. I totally forgot about hummus. I actually have some of that in the fridge. Thanks for all the ideas and the site. :)
Good luck to you.
I think focusing on whole foods is an excellent.
Don't forget about omega 3's which are immune boosting which he needs. Mix some flax oil and olive oil in 50/50 mix and add some vinegar of your choice to make a salad dressing with a extra punch. Throw on some raw walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Eat food high in antioxidants like blueberries, and eat a wide variety of colorful food.
There is so much vegan variety is sometimes does put you at a loss "what to eat"? It take a while. I'm a cookbook nut and rarely cook the same thing twice.
Best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery to your husband.
Everything your doing sounds good, but I know sometimes it can be overwhelming to try to plan things to cook. Things that come to my mind are comfort foods.
"Tuna" Noodle Casserole from here is great. I normally make my own mushroom soup by sauteing onions and mushrooms then making a roux with Earth Balance Margarine (though you could use olive oil) and flour. Then add water and UNsweetened non dairy milk of choice half a cup at a time till 3 cups. Then add in your mashed chickpeas, carrots, peas, cooked noodles and bake! Nummy. Can you tell thats what is for dinner? hahah
I am also a huge huge fan of Rice & Beans. You can simply make so many combinations of different grains and legumes plus herbs, spices and sauces that you could eat for a month without repeating any combination.
Some of my favorites are:
Jasmine & Chickpeas with cauliflower, cumin, garam masala and tumeric
Long grain & Black beans with cillantro and lime
Basmatti & Canellini beans with italian herbs & olive oil - serve with herb roasted veggies
Brown & Beluga Lentils with sauted veggies in a chili powder and garlic dressing
Short grain & pink beans with lemon pepper
Amaranth & black eyed peas in cajun spices
Millet & Green Lentils in smoked paprika and thyme
You could also make veggie pot pies with veggies and beans in a gravy, sheppards pie using a mashed bean or lentils in the "meat" mixture, sloppy joes with lentils (shamelessly stolen from Veganomicon cookbook), or spaghetti with a roux based sauce rather than tomato to avoid the acidity.
Hopefully these give you some ideas.
Hey Kay :). Im sorry about your husbands diagnosis but im glad to hear you are both being proactive about treating and managing it. I wish i had some good advice for you but allic an really say is ake a look around this site they have so many awesome recipes ive found very very few flunkers lol. I would also look into juicing and dehydratng for giving your hubby's body the extra boost. Dehydrated spinach (powdered in a a coffee grinder) is a great addition to smoothies and you cant even taste it and juicing is a great way to flood your body with nutrients just make sure you get fiber in your solid meals to balance it out :). Dont forget you can use your juice pulp mixed with something moist (juice, rice/nut milks, ect..) to make muffins and breads, or you could just compost it :p. Wishing you both the best :D