Salad Rice Rolls

Prep Time: 40 minutes         Cook Time: 0 Minutes         Serves: 4



1/2 red bell pepper sliced thinly
1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced thinly
1/2 orange bell pepper sliced thinly
1/4 English cucumber sliced thinly
3 green onion stalks cut in quarters
4 ounces of vermicelli noodles
10 ounces extra firm tofu
1 bunch fresh mint **
1/4 head of lettuce shredded
1 gala apple sliced thinly
12 large rice wraps
Dipping Dressing
3 tablespoons peanut butter
Splash of bragg soy or soy sauce
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon water
Pinch of sugar (optional)

1. Prepare vermicelli noodles as directed on package, drain and set aside
2. For dressing, combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and blitz until smooth - set aside
3. Place tofu in a bowl and mash with a fork, add in salt and pepper—set aside
4. Prepare 1 rice wrap at a time — Soak rice wrap in tap hot water, for 20 seconds, remove from water and place on a towel (preferable white towel, no dies) pat dry and place on a flat clean surface, top wrap with heaping spoonful of tofu, noodles, 3 slices of each: bell pepper, green onion, apple, mint or herb, cucumber and top with shredded lettuce, fold wrap as you would a burrito, the rice will expand and be flexible so you can load these up with ingredients and squeeze the ingredients tight together to fold
5. Continue for the additional 12 - or make enough to serve your party, generally 3 is enough to fill 1 person but you can prepare 4 for safe measures

**Substitute mint for cilantro or basil


Photo above taken: dipping sauce made with raw almond butter, it doesn’t have the same flavour
that a roasted peanut butter has, and it really takes the flavour of the garlic. Highly recommend
using a roasted nut to get the desired flavour, texture and color.





Copyright © 2012 Vegetarian Menu for the Week, All rights reserved.
http://www.vegmenufortheweek.com

Black Bean, Avocado & Chick Pea Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes              Cook Time: 18 Minutes                  Serves: 4



1 19 fl oz can black beans drained & rinsed
1 13 fl oz can chick peas drained & rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 handful cilantro chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 avocados peeled, pitted and chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, diced finely
3 garlic cloves minced

1. Cook rice as directed on package, boiling method and rinsing is preferred, the rice will move more freely in this dish
2. Place all ingredients in a medium-large bowl and toss together— let sit for a few minutes before serving to allow all ingredients to blend.

• You can make this dish without the rice and have pure protein, we personally like the grain in our dish to feel like we are having a more balanced meal.
  
• Whole grain pasta is a nice alternative also.

Copyright © 2012 Vegetarian Menu for the Week, All rights reserved.
http://www.vegmenufortheweek.com

How To Deal With Gas!

There are several reasons why many choose to go the vegetarian route; for some it is ethical, for others it may be spiritual, religious and environment, but when surveys are conducted more often than I realized, many make this life change based on a desire for better health. With a vegetarian diet comes certain issues that may or may not be comfortable to discuss on an open forum, but hear goes!

Our gastrointestinal system, better known as our digestive system is a sensitive and intricate mechanism. It’s many components work together to process the foods we ingest into the tiniest particles to be absorbed into our bloodstream and carried to different parts of our bodies. Our digestive system benefits from a vegetarian diet as it is less taxing to process plant based foods than it is to process animal products. With the high fiber diet that most often includes beans and legumes, comes gas, flatulence, toots, farts! Doesn’t matter what word you are comfortable with, it is embarrassing and sometimes uncontrollable. 

One of our subscribers, whose children call Farty Pants, (which we think is too cute and loved hearing about!) asked us to address this and we are quite happy to oblige. We know that eating a healthy and nutritious vegetarian | vegan diet causes the body to develop gas. I ‘googled’ the World Wide Web to determine what tips are out there to assist with this issue and this is what I have come up with:

• Natural solutions to consider eating after a meal include:
• Fresh fennel or fennel seed
• Mint
• Parsley
• Apple cider vinegar
• Ginger
• Tea can also settle our tummies. Look for a brand at your local natural food stores that is designed for this. ‘Traditional Medicinals’ is a brand that both Lyndsay and I use for a number of issues and they offer ‘Eater’s Digest’, Organic Chamomile, Ginger and Organic Peppermint all designed for aiding in digestion.
• Digestive enzymes are also designed to assist in digestion. We need certain enzymes to process foods and sometimes we are lacking some of these enzymes. A supplemental enzyme can assist in speeding up the digestion process.
• Acidophilus as a supplement can also aid in your digestive health. Acidophilus is a natural bacteria that is found in the intestinal tract and it is a good bacteria. Our bodies often have altered levels of good bacteria based on our diet, stress and medications to name a few reasons. By adding a source of acidophilus you are assisting the body with this balance. Acidophilus can be taken as a capsule or powder; can be found in live culture yoghurts and kefir.

For those of you who love your beans, but don’t love how they affect your body, Livestrong, an excellent resource for healthy information offers an article about which beans cause more gas http://www.livestrong.com/article/522115-types-of-beans-that-cause-excess-gas/  along with other article links on the same page. I also found this article on Vegan Nutirionista http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/natural-gas-remedies.html with tips on what can do to keep from creating too much gas.

The healthy Vegetarian | Vegan diet is going to come with gas. It is virtually unavoidable. Dealing with the results of gas creation in the body can be dealt with naturally and can become part of your daily regime which should keep the discomfort and the embarrassment to a minimum. 

How To Achieve Optimal Digestive Health

Slow Sugar Granola with Yogurt (active bacterial cultures) & Fresh Berries

As vegetarians, I am sure many of you know that what you put in your system affects so many parts of your body. The healthier your diet, the cleaner your system and often the more sensitive your body is to foods that do not agree with you.  So many people out there regularly complain of not feeling well, of heartburn and indigestion etc... so they eat Tums and Rolaids, drink alka seltzer and bitters to combat the discomfort.  Have you ever thought why did I eat that?


Have you ever considered this food does not agree with me and then eat it anyway? Why do we do this? This feeling is a clear indication that your body is not happy. When your body is not happy, it is susceptible to disease.

First and foremost, a healthy balanced diet is the first step toward a healthy digestive system. Making sure you get the right amount of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, plant based protein, good fats and fibers is extremely important. We may not realize this, but this daily healthy daily food regime alone goes a long way. By eating at appropriate times, not only do you keep your glycemic levels balanced, you also promote bowel regularity.

Drink Kefir daily. In Turkish, kefir means ‘feel good’. Kefir with live active probiotic cells, promotes the digestion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Lyndsay has started to drink kefir daily and is noticing a big difference on how your system is processing foods. 

Drink apple cider vinegar daily. Apple cider vinegar is high in potassium and helps to flush sodium out of the system. It can act as a suppressant, can lower cholesterol and is thought to help reduce abdominal fats.

There are thousands and thousands of enzymes that are part of our digestive system. These digestive enzymes start in the mouth in our saliva and they continue on down through our stomach and into the intestinal tract. The naturally occurring enzymes in foods that assist with digestion in the stomach are often destroyed by the cooking process and therefore supplementing with Digestive Enzymes to help break down foods that are more difficult is often a good idea. This eases up stress on the pancreas, the enzyme creating organ in the abdomen, thus lessening the energy needed to break down foods. 

Drinking warm water and/or natural teas help to move foods and flush fats through the system.

Get active if you are not already and consume water during activities.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a natural bacterium that is found in the small intestine. It is considered the good bacteria and it helps to keep your digestive system balanced. This balance is often thrown off by our diets as well as medication; taking acidophilus can help to encourage this balance and I have used it to treat yeast infections, body stress from eating dairy when it does not agree with me and diarrhea after eating foods or drinking beverages that cause irritation in my digestive tract.

We recommend you do your own research. Find out for yourself what you need to do to get healthy.

Once again Live Strong is an excellent source of information:

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/482676-what-is-the-daily-dose-of-acidophilus/  is a great source for information.
• http://www.livestrong.com/search/?mode=standard&search=healthy+digestive+system

YouTube Videos:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KED6BHVM97s
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7yGj6i5lBA&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7YVqb8FN-M&feature=related

Lyndsay and I have both dealt with digestion issues for many years and have found the above suggestions as part of how we manage to keep healthy digestive system. We are both in tune with our bodies and do our very best to listen to how it feels during and after eating certain foods. If you don’t feel good after you have eaten, you have either over eaten or eaten foods that just don’t agree with you; perhaps it is time to start avoiding these items. This is not always easy, but definitely beneficial. 

Let’s get healthier together! 

Laurie and Lyndsay

See below for an Apple Cider Vinegar drink that is natural sweet and can kick start you in the right direction!
_______________________________________


What’s on the menu this week?   

• Black Kale & Napa Cabbage Slaw with Roast Cashews
• Avocado Tempura with Dill Potato & Corn Salad
• Ratatouille on Brown Rice
• Buckwheat Noodles with Tomatoes and Zucchini
• Warm Mushroom & Tofu Salad
• Brunch: Tofu Breakfast Sausage and Tempeh with Avocado Spread on Toast
• Dessert: Granola with Yogurt & Fresh Berries

Enjoy!


Lyndsay & Laurie
Contact us at lyndsay@vegmenufortheweek.com



RECIPE: Naturally Sweet Apple Cider Vinegar


2 cups of good quality water (I tend to put 3 cups)
1 tablespoon Braggs apple cider vinegar OR any Raw Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon stevia
1/8 teaspoon ground dried ginger spice


Stir & Ready to Serve!


You can adjust the measurements for the stevia and the ginger to better suit your taste buds.  Some may like it sweeter than others.

Chilled Soba Noodle and Tofu Salad

Prep Time: 10 Minutes       Cook Time: 8 Minutes      Serves: 4

8 oz soba noodles, cooked al dente

1 cup thinly sliced english cucumber

1 cup julienne mixed peppers

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup tofu, 1/4” cubes

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of loosely chopped cilantro

2 tbsp tamari, wheat free

Juice of 1 fresh lime

2 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp roasted sesame oil

1 tbsp safflower oil

1/2 teaspoon sambal olek or chili paste of your choice

  

1. Rinse soba noodles with cold water and coat with safflower oil

2. Whisk tamari, lime juice, mirin, sesame and safflower oil and sambal olek

3. Add tofu to tamari mixture and set aside to marinate for 5-10 minutes

4. In mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients, except for 1 tbsp green onions and 1/4 cup cashews for garnish

5. Mix in tofu and tamari mixture, coating noodles well

6. Plate and garnish with remaining cashews and green onions

Copyright © 2012 Vegetarian Menu for the Week, All rights reserved.

http://www.vegmenufortheweek.com

High Protein Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

RECIPE

Just A Little Outside The Box Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes: 30 cookies
Per cookie: Approx 3.5 grams of protein and only 7 grams of sugar!
Which could be reduced if you use only 1/2 the chocolate chips

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter or vegan margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2  eggs

3 cups chick pea flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. In a medium/large mixing bowl, beat with a mixer the butter, shortening, brown sugar until smooth and almost fluffy looking
2. Add in the vanilla and beat until blended throughout the mixture
3. Add in each egg separately, and beat into mixture
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt,  and mix three ingredients thoroughly
5. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture while electric mixer is beating the mixture, the dough is a wet consistency but not runny
6. Add in the chocolate chips, stir together
7. Separate on a greased cookie sheet, about 12 per sheet.  These cookies do not run out, they actually rise and are very soft when cooked

8. Place in a 350 degree oven, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per batch

Aspartame Is Poison!

It appears that with each newsletter I set myself on another path to taking better care of myself, moving toward a healthier me and addressing some of my own issues. I am hoping as I continue on this journey of self discovery that I can affect some of you out there to do the same. As a result of last week’s newsletter, I recognized that it was time to address my diet cola addiction based on what I was reading about caffeine. What I did not focus on then is that although caffeine is not something I want to be addicted to, the real issue with this addiction is Aspartame. 

What exactly is Aspartame?  It is the combination of two amino acids, aspartic acid and glutamic acid. These two acids combined create an artificial sweetener, a chemical compound that is branded under many different banners. It comes in yellow, pink and blue packets. It is stocked in many coffee house, restaurants and cafes. We throw in our hot beverages and we give it to our children without a thought. It is what food and beverage manufacturers use to sweeten products we as consumers want to indulge in rather than put crazy amounts of sugar into our systems. Mmm...Do you think that we if we practiced self control and restraint we might not ever need to consider sweeteners? But no, we want what we want when we want it and we would rather damage our health! Are we foolish, uniformed or just not interested?  

On a ‘pro’ aspartame site,  http://www.aspartame.net  this is how it is described ‘Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetening ingredient that tastes like sugar and is used in many foods we consume every day, including carbonated beverages, dairy products, fruit spreads, chewing gums and candies. It is also widely used as a tabletop sweetener. Because aspartame is up to 200 times sweeter than sugar, it can replace up to 99 percent of the calories in soft drinks. Without this low-calorie sweetener, many of the reduced-calorie and light products that are in such great demand today would not be possible.’

On another site, Dr. Joseph Mercola who has been a Dr. Oz guest, states that ‘Aspartame is, by Far, the Most Dangerous Substance on the Market that is Added To Foods’. Follow this link and read more. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx. 

How could two opinions be so far to the opposite ends of the scale? One site lists the benefits of using aspartame; others list it as a toxin. These are pretty extreme in comparison with one another!  It was during the time when US President, Ronald Reagan held office, the approval for aspartame was passed. Wikipedia states that the head of the Food and Drug Administrator at the time, Jere E. Goyan, was not on board with the approval due to the findings of brain cancer in test rats. Rather than consider that this was not healthy for ‘the people’ and listen to their commissioner at the time, this government asked Jere E. Goyan PhD to resign. He was asked to resign so that Donald Rumsfeld , at the time, CEO of Searle manufacturer of aspartame could get the approval pushed through.  This is blatant proof that the governments really do not care how they affect our food chain. Will the interference ever stop? 

In my research for this newsletter, I cannot tell you how many websites I found that bestow horrible, negative and frightening information about this toxic substance.  I thought it might be an easier read to list some of what I found with links so you can educate yourself regarding something that never should have made it into our diets. Some of what you are about to read is eye opening, I just hope it will affect you the way it has me!

Did you know?

• That aspartame is considered a drug, http://www.newswithviews.com/NWVexclusive/exclusive15.htm
• That due to the Freedom of Information Act the FDA had to release a report ‘LIST OF 92 SYMPTOMS ON ASPARTAME’  http://www.wnho.net/fda_92_symptoms_on_aspartame.htm 
• That Dr. Janet Hull, who has great presents on the web almost died from aspartame poisoning and had gone on to write extensively about what she calls ‘sweet poison’ http://www.sweetpoison.com/  and has a book out Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not? http://www.issplendasafe.com/

I have gotten this far and I am literally sick to my stomach reading; do I really need to list 10 more sites as proof our governments have allowed something that never should have been approved to affect so many of us so gravely? All I can say is there are far more sites expressing the negativity of aspartame toxicity than those that support the use of. What is sad is that we are not hearing this information; we are not listing to these websites.  When are we going to wake up and smell the acid? 

After last week’s newsletter, I have received a few emails from other diet cola addicts and one brought me to tears reading it:

Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2012 11:43:41 

To: Vegetarian Menu For The Week<lyndsay@vegmenufortheweek.com

Subject: Re: The Negative Effects of Caffeine

Hello,

I love caffeine and have cut down to one cup of coffee a day, and figure we all need vices so that is mine!  However, I am writing to tell you something that may entice you to cut out diet cola all together. 15 years ago I started losing my eye sight in my right eye, since then I have become blind in that eye due to a tumor which has grown around my optic nerve and crushed it. They have been doing MRIs on me for years to ensure tumor not growing back and crushing other optic nerve. They have found 3 small benign tumours on my brain which are causing no issues, but here it comes..... They tell me it's due to the aspartame in diet coke! I used to drink it daily and now drink soda water so I get my fizzy addiction filled. Apparently aspartame is a big contributor to brain tumors. Best of luck with your addiction and may my story inspire you to refrain and find your caffeine intake elsewhere.

Jennifer

On a personal note, it has been one week since I stopped drinking diet cola. I have been nauseous and headachy with fevers and chills. I have dark circles under my eyes and I have been miserable both at home and at work. These symptoms are from the withdrawal of chemicals from my body which has been operating with since high school when I ate every lunch with a diet cola. I can only pray that I am able to champion this addiction for the sake of my health!

Thanks for reading!

Laurie and Lyndsay

 _______________________________________

What’s on the menu this week?   

• Brown Rice, Barley & Chick Pea Salad
• Grilled Tofu with Chimichurri and Warm Potato Salad
• Nocoise Salad
• Mushrooms & Spinach Fettuccini
• Vegetable & Tempeh Stirfry
• Brunch: Tofu Chive Frittata
• Dessert: Tapioca Pudding with Fresh Mango

Detoxing of Diet Soda - Blog 2 - Day 6

Today is June 7th and I am close to a week into almost ‘cold turkey’ diet

cola restraint! So far it has been 7 days of withdrawal which has not been

pleasant. My cells are sending a constant message to my brain ‘I need a

diet cola, I need a diet cola’. My body has been stricken fever and

chills, circles under my eyes; I have been headachy and edgy! The cravings

have been strong and I have to admit that I have broken down twice and had

a regular cola and a few sips of a diet cola which I promptly pour down

the drain before I could chug the whole can down. I know it will get

better and so I keep moving forward.

I have also noticed that the hives that spring up on my body have

subsided. This condition was caused by an overactive immune system brought

on by the over doses of histamines in so much carbonation I expose my body

to on a daily basis. I was at Simply Raw Express a new retail outlet owned

and operated by Raw Food Guru, Natasha Kyssa in Ottawa ON Canada. Their

menu includes 3 fresh pressed juices available in glass bottles; the

Alkalize fresh pressed juice - celery, cucumber, romaine, kale, lemon was

recommended. I will be working on menus including these vegetables and

fruit this weekend of recipe testing. Look for menus reflecting this in

the coming weeks.

I have read that it takes about 4 days to get over caffeine withdrawal

symptoms, but with aspartame I have been told that it can take up to two

weeks. I am not looking forward to feeling this way for much longer, but I

do know that this is something I need to do. My newsletter which you

should be getting tomorrow will be addressing the negative effects of

Aspartame.

Laurie Brennan

Detoxing of Diet Soda - Blog 1

Ok, I am writing this at 6:24 on Saturday, June 2nd and I am up thinking,

today is the dreaded day! The day I have pegged for another Diet Cola Cold

Turkey Day. I remember the first time I had a diet soda. It was more than

32 years ago when I was in Junior High, possibly even earlier. Family

friend was a diabetic and it was the only think other and water and milk

that was ever in the fridge. It really did not taste all that great, but

every year it seemed to taste better. Off I went to High School where diet

cola was readily available in the cafeteria and so I believe the addiction

began way back then.

The daily consumption continued thru college, then working for many years

in restaurants and bar. If popgun had an IV attached, I would have been in

heaven! I had a tall glass going at any given time, sometimes 2 or 3 at

different stations. I consumed so much that the urgent trips to the

washroom during service were put off until there was a lull in customer

traffic, ultimately damaging my bladder. There were times after a double

shift, where my feet were so swollen that I hobbled around my home. Not to

mention swollen fingers, toes and ankles. All of this and yet I just

continued drinking and drinking and dealing and dealing with the side

effects.

Thru the years I have tried to wean myself off diet cola and literally

every time, I was just one can away from right back where I started,

drinking many ounces a day. I have even lasted as long as 6 months, but

ultimately I would break down and savour every last bubbly drop!

So today, I will pass by the pop dispenser at the office and avoid fridges

in gas stations and food stores just so to keep my willpower strong and my

cravings at bay.

Laurie Brennan