Vegan questions
SailrJK
I've been a vegetarian (a real one, I SWEAR!) for almost two years now and
recently decided to go vegan. I've eleminately everything that I believe to be
harmful (changed to unrefined sugars, am using natural toilettries, no honey,
etc, etc) but I have a couple questions..
Does anyone out there eat Luna Bars put out by the Cliff company? I'm wondering
if they're vegan. They say they source ingredients without dairy but they
fortify them with tons of vitamins and I'm wondering if any of them could be
animal derived?
Also, is ASPARTAME vegan? You know, that artificial sweeter in sodas? It's
tested on animals so it wouldn't be, right?
Thanks, karen
Green Giant
ASPARTAME was/is one of the worst things out there to consume
stick with the natural known vegan sweetners.
I can only tell you to go to www.google.com and type in aspartame to
see why, its just too long to type out.
Vicky Conlan
>>Also, is ASPARTAME vegan? You know, that artificial sweeter in sodas? It's
>>tested on animals so it wouldn't be, right?
>>
>ASPARTAME was/is one of the worst things out there to consume
>stick with the natural known vegan sweetners.
>
>I can only tell you to go to www.google.com and type in aspartame to
>see why, its just too long to type out.
On a personal note, I seem to have developed an allergy to aspartame.
After years and years (lots and lots of them - I was drinking diet
drinks from the age of about 12-25 before it kicked in), one day I
drank most of a litre of 'slightly flavoured fizzy water' (I think
it was sainsburys own brand, for anyone that's interested), then the
next day I tried drinking the last inch or so of the bottle, and it
just made me ill. Dry mouth, felt sick, couldn't swallow the stuff.
And since then any diet drinks have had the same effect.
Probably for the best, it's certainly stopped me drinking them. I
drink a hell of a lot more plain water now. Amusingly, I've also
put on weight. :-}
--
http://comps-online.co.uk/ -:- http://uksf.org.uk/
http://comps-offline.co.uk/ :-: http://comps.org/
usual suspect
> I've been a vegetarian (a real one, I SWEAR!) for almost two years now and
> recently decided to go vegan. I've eleminately everything that I believe to be
> harmful (changed to unrefined sugars, am using natural toilettries, no honey,
> etc, etc) but I have a couple questions..
A real one, eh? :-)
> Does anyone out there eat Luna Bars put out by the Cliff company? I'm wondering
> if they're vegan. They say they source ingredients without dairy but they
> fortify them with tons of vitamins and I'm wondering if any of them could be
> animal derived?
I'm vegan. I eat Clif Bars occasionally (I've started making my own bars
so I expect to consume less and less Clifs). I've only had Luna Bars
twice. One note about Clif and Luna: their bars are produced by
equipment that turns out other products containing dairy (same with
Odwalla). That is why they have the KOSHER-DE (dairy equipment) stamp
instead of PAREVE (meaning no meat, no dairy).
Clif's website has a faq and plenty of nutritional info. From the faq:
Are there any animal products in the bar?
No, there are no ingredients derived from animals in any of our products.
http://www.clifbar.com/clifproducts/clifluna.html
http://www.clifbar.com/clifproducts/lunafaq.html
(toll-free custome support number at the bottom of the lunafaq page)
> Also, is ASPARTAME vegan? You know, that artificial sweeter in sodas? It's
> tested on animals so it wouldn't be, right?
Being vegan is all about being more natural, so why use artificial
sweeteners? Aspartame is toxic. One of its breakdown components is
formaldehyde. You know the embalming stuff? Anyway, everything is tested
on animals -- the less natural, the more it's tested.
Here's a link with all kinds of anti-aspartame stuff, and a link for
anti-Splenda information. Splenda is also called Sucralose. It is
another "guilt-free" sweetener, but made from real sugar treated with
chlorine. Tests on rats has shown results similar to those of
chlorinated pesticide poisoning, but no long-term human studies have
occurred yet (gee, wonder why not).
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/
http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/
SailrJK
Thanks for you help. That's really interesting about Luna and Odwalla bars. I
use to eat the Odwalla variety but switched to Lunas because they had fewer
calories, more vitamins and more flavors.
I'd love to know what your recipe is for making your own power bars. They're so
damn expensive in the stores.
I think I'll gobble up the last of the Lunas in the pantry and stick to
something else.
Karen
usual suspect
I don't work with a recipe, but I kind of use Odwalla/Clif ingredient
lists as my basic framework. You can add ingredients you like and leave
out stuff you hate or don't want.
Here is my current favorite. It doesn't have all the added nutrients,
but it also doesn't have any added sugar. Protein content depends on
what you add: more nuts, seeds, peanut butter, etc, will give it more
protein.
I take pitted dates, dried apricots, and raisins, and whiz them up in a
food processor. I add just enough soymilk (you can use juice if you want
it sweeter, but I think it's adequately sweetened with the dates and
raisins) to make it more spreadable -- about peanut butter consistency.
I then blend in some tahini or nut butter (peanut is fine, but cashew
and almond add a nice depth of flavor; I haven't tried a soynut butter
yet, but sure that would be fine if you want more soy). Then I add
crunch to it: cereal works fine, especially puffed brown rice, puffed
millet, etc; quick oats are very good in it as well. I also add small
chopped seeds like pumpkin, and just enough dried coconut to get that
flavor. Sometimes I remember to add a little soy protein powder, which
helps give it more body when "cooked."
If it's thick enough, it won't need much time in the oven or dehydrator
(I dehydrate till it just holds together; you'll have to experiment in
the oven to find time-temp that works depending on your batter's
consistency).
I may have time to measure out ingredients later in the week (let me
know if you're interested in that, or just remember that your screw-ups
are still edible -- and usually quite tasty). Wish I could be of more
help to you, but I'm an ad hoc kind of guy in the kitchen.
SailrJK
Mmm, sounds great. I can see myself using that recipe often, and with different
variations. One of my favorite nuts are pecans and I'll have to try working
those into that batter. (Last night I made a vegan pecan pie-- man, it was
good.) One of my favorite Luna bars was the 'Tropical Crisp' which had flaked
coconut on the outside. Yum.
Thanks again,
Karen
usual suspect
I used pecan meal and pieces (I have a steady supply of pecans) in a
batch of carob brownie bars a few weeks ago -- also had hemp seeds and
other goodies. They were very good. I want your recipe for vegan pecan
pie, please; I'm *extremely* jealous.
SailrJK
Alright, here it is, the closely guarded recipe for pecan pie (actually, I got
it off a website, can't remember which one though) :
Vegan Pie Crust--
In a mixing bowl, pour a 1/4 cup of boiling water over 1 cup of softened soy
margarine (Seems like a sickening amount of fat but it really is called for, I
think). Mix it until combined. It may look like a gross mess but once the flour
is added it will be okay. Add 2 cups of flour (I use whole wheat) one cup at a
time, stirring with a fork. Add a splash of soymilk and a pinch of salt. Roll
out onto a floured surface and place in a greased pie pan.
Filling--
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup barley malt syrup (if
you can't find it, use all maple), 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon
arrowroot powder, 2 tablespoons tahini. Then add 2 and 1/2 cups of pecans and
pulse until chopped and mixed well. Pour this concoction into the pie shell and
bake for 25-30 minutes.
[[Note: I used a slightly large pie pan so the filling looked minimal conpared
to the crust. To fix that, I folded the crust down on top of the filling. I
think it looks better that way ^.^]]
Bon Appetit.
Also, just to let you know.. I made a version of the power bars using your
recipe as a guide. I'm not sure if I got the proportion of fruit vs. cereal
right but it was pretty good. Since I don't have a dehydrator I spread it in a
baking dish and cooked it under low heat for about an hour and a half. The
result wasn't so nice since the top got crunchy but the bottom was still soft.
So...
I got an idea to cut out squares of it, sandwich it between pieces of plastic
wrap and press it out with the palm of my hand. Once it was flat, I took off
the top plastic and spooned about a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center
and enclosed it. At that point, I rolled it into a ball and rolled the ball
into toasted flaked coconut. Then, I froze them until solid.
I took one out for dessert tonight and was very pleasantly surprised. It tasted
great! Just my variation :)
Karen
usual suspect
> Alright, here it is, the closely guarded recipe for pecan pie (actually, I got
> it off a website, can't remember which one though) :
<snip of recipe>
Thanks! I just need to find a crust recipe without margarine since I do
not use transfats (all the soy margarine I've found is hydrogenated).
> Also, just to let you know.. I made a version of the power bars using your
> recipe as a guide. I'm not sure if I got the proportion of fruit vs. cereal
> right but it was pretty good. Since I don't have a dehydrator I spread it in a
> baking dish and cooked it under low heat for about an hour and a half. The
> result wasn't so nice since the top got crunchy but the bottom was still soft.
> So...
As for proportions, I really haven't worked out an optimum. Sometimes I
want it crunchier, so I add more puffed rice; sometimes I want it more
dry so I add more quick oats; sometimes I'm not sure what I want so I
just throw everything in. You know what you like, so make them the way
you like.
> I got an idea to cut out squares of it, sandwich it between pieces of plastic
> wrap and press it out with the palm of my hand. Once it was flat, I took off
> the top plastic and spooned about a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center
> and enclosed it. At that point, I rolled it into a ball and rolled the ball
> into toasted flaked coconut. Then, I froze them until solid.
I should've said to make squares, bars, dots, lumps, bunny shapes, or
whatever you want before cooking. The idea behind cooking or dehydrating
is just to get them to set up (or bind together). If the batter was
thick enough, they'll hold together about the consistency of Clif Bars
once they cool down.
> I took one out for dessert tonight and was very pleasantly surprised. It tasted
> great! Just my variation :)
Great, and I'm glad you gave it a shot. Now be sure to experiment with
some wild ingredient combinations and let me know they turn out. I
mentioned my carob-hemp brownies, but forgot to say that I filled them
in the middle with a little all-fruit cherry preserves. They were
incredibly sweet as a result, and wonderfully decadent.
xian
said:
>
>Alright, here it is, the closely guarded recipe for pecan pie (actually, I got
>it off a website, can't remember which one though) :
>
Thanks for the recipe! I grew up with pecan pie, and it's great to
find a vegan recipe.
--
xian
www.simpleworldmusic.com
simpleworld - we're not a religion, we're a rock band
SailrJK
not use transfats (all the soy margarine I've found is hydrogenated). >>
Really? There's a brand I get that isn't hydrogenated... I think it's called
SoyGarden or something. It only comes in a tub variety so it makes it a little
less easy to cook/bake with. But its good nonetheless.
Oh yes, and I found the website that I got the pecan pie from. I think it's
only right that I give credit to them:
http://www.mountaincoop.com/pecan_pie_recipe.html
Here's a different pie crust that uses oil. Not sure how good it is but here
you go:
Flaky Vegan Pie Crust
Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch crust
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unrefined corn oil, canola oil, or Spectrum Spread
approx.
2 to 4 tablespoons cold soymilk or water, as needed
Recipe
Have ready one 9-inch pie plate. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing
bowl. Cut in the oil or spread with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture
resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the milk or water over the flour mixture,
tossing gently with a fork to lightly moisten. The mixture should be evenly
moistened, not damp or soggy. With your hands, quickly form the dough into a
ball, handling it as little as possible.
Place between two sheets of waxed paper and roll into a circle about one inch
larger than your pie plate. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper. Carefully flip
the crust over and lay it in the pie plate with the dough against the plate.
Working very carefully and gently, remove the second sheet of waxed paper. Ease
the crust into the pie plate without stretching or tearing it. Thoroughly prick
the sides and bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork to keep air bubbles
from forming under the surface.
Tips: Lightly moistening your countertop with water will help to keep the waxed
paper from sliding.
Karen
usual suspect
> Here's a different pie crust that uses oil. Not sure how good it is but here
> you go:
You rule! Thanks. I'll give it a try this weekend.