Vegan for Life - Great book choice!

I have been a vegan for a while now and recently visited my doctor's office for blood work.  I was pleased to hear that all of my many tested levels fell into the "normal" range.  At sixty years young, I was very pleased and I attribute this to my vegan diet because prior to being vegan, I had higher cholesterol and sugar levels... among other things. So, feeling happy with my health and wanting to make sure I keep it that way, I decided to purchase a vegan nutritional book. I am extremely pleased with my purchase so I wanted to share the book with you.  It is titled:  Vegan For Life.

Just to share a few tidbits of information from the book, the nutritionists Jack Norris and Virginia Messina, reminded me that peanuts are legumes and have more in common with foods like beans, peas, lentils, and soy foods, than nuts.  They are botanically legumes.  As I was reading the book it suggested that you have 3 to 4 servings of legumes to meet your protein goal and it reminded me that 2 tsp of peanut butter would fit the bill for at least one serving.  Of course, this was a tiny bit of information out of the entire book but another great guide was a protein content chart with selected vegan foods to guide your day. These two authors spoke of being appauled at the discovery of factory farming beginning in the fifties which guided their life into being vegan.  If you would like to read a few reviews or sample from this book, click on the link above for a sneak peak. It will be a great reference book to have on your vegan book shelf.  Great find!

Sweet and Salty

Today, I'm going to share more vegan grocery items that appeal to your sweet and salty taste buds.  The Enjoy Life dark chocolate boomCHOCOboom is a great chocolate bar.  It is also gluten free. They had three different flavors; I purchased the dark chocolate. Usually, I purchase the Endangered Species chocolate and have a few of those on hand, however, this week I found this new bar and it was delicious.... so I thought I would share it with you as my "sweet" for today.  

Under the "salty" category,  I found and tried Late July's Classic Saltine.  It is exactly as the title states and reminds you of the old fashion saltines I grew up eating, as a kid.  They are crisp and tasty with a little sea salt for flavor.  I ate mine with a little garlic and jalapeno pepper vegan (cheese) spread.  So good!!

Both of these items I found in my local Publix grocery store.  Yummy!  If you have not tried either one, you may want to swing by and pick up your sweet and salty for this week, vegan style.  

:-)

Daiya Vegan Cheese Alternative - WOW!

This is the first time that I've tried vegan cheese and I read a review of this product brand and began a search for it in my area.  Well, I found it in my local grocery store and I am happy to say that it is a wonderful cheese spread!  It spreads like cream cheese.  

For two years, I ate almost entirely raw vegan so I did not look for any type of cheese.  I ate whole foods and made my own items with those foods.  I missed breads and other items, like cheese.  Now, I can have both.  For me growing up, eating animals products was a way of life and I think we go through a disconnect, as an omnivore, and never think about the pain and suffering we cause the animal to endure because of our food cravings.  Now, as a vegan for about five years, I will not eat animal products, to the best of my ability, ever again. So, all of that being said, I am excited to find a cheese that is very similar to cheese spreads that I had previously.  I can't wait to melt it and try it another way.  I'm sure it will be delicious as the flavor was excellent.  

If you have not tried Daiya vegan cheese ("cheese", my words, not theirs), please give it a try. For those of you who have been eating it, I'm sure you could back me up on the excellent flavor.

Thanks, Daiya, for a great product! Here is a link to find Daiya in your area.  :-)