Finding a New Doctor is a NIGHTMARE!

Oh man...I never figured trying to find a new doctor after this move would be so overwhelmingly difficult!

 

My previous vegan doc was fantastic, and even he has had a difficult time trying to link me to a doc here that will take our insurance, and is in our isurance companies's networks (United Healthcare and Tricare)

 

Yikes....

 

I now live in the Forest Grove, OR area...so I am looking for a vegan or vegan-supportive doc in or around the Forst Grove, Hillsboro and Beaverton areas who accepts UnitedHealth (UMR) and/or Tricare. At some point I will be fine with a doc who will take one or the other, if not both. I really don't care.

 

But I need to get in soon to get my 90 day A1C checkup...

 

Any info is appreciated!

 

 

So Yummy Mashed "Potatoes"

Ok...so these aren't mashed "potatoes". It's actually mashed cauliflower with a little Earth Balance Margarine and nutritional yeast, and a little salt and pepper....it is sooooo good! And Vegan! Can't beat that...

 

Ingredients:

 

(Fast way)

2-3 packages frozen cauliflower

2-3 tbsp Earth Balance margarine (whipped is best)

3 tbsp nutritional yeast (tastes like parmesan cheese!)

salt and pepper to taste

 

Boil the cauliflower until completely soft

Drain, add margarine

Mash with a potato masher OR puree in food processor

Empty mixture into a bowl and add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper until the taste is what you want.

 

Voila! So easy! And YUMMY! Way better for you than white potatoes (especially if you are diabetic!).

 

Vegan Chocolate Cherry Treat

Chocolate, Frozen Cherries..and more chocolate! Who does not love that!

Ingredients:

Chocolate Soy Milk (or Chocolate Almond milk, if you prefer)

FROZEN Cherries (pitted, can be bought at Costco)

1 to 2 Bananas

Hershey's or Nestle Baking Cocoa (make sure it it dairy free!)


Directions:

Add in:
one or two bananas (I usually stick with one),
frozen cherries (I rarely measure),
about 1/2 cup chocolate soy milk,
2-5 tablespoons cocoa (5 if you want it more chocolatey - if you want more cherry flavor omit the cocoa altogether)

Combine all in a blender and blend up until it is the consistency of a smoothie (add more milk in as needed to thin it out, more cherries to thicken it up.

Cajun Vegan Vegetable Gumbo

 

Ingredients:

 

2 lbs. greens (collard, mustard, or turnip), washed and stemmed 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 cup flour 2 large onions, finely diced 1 green bell pepper, finely diced 4 stalks celery, finely diced 1 16-oz. can plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped 1/4 cup liquid hot sauce (such as Texas Pete's) 3 bay leaves 1 tsp. file powder (a Cajun spice) Cayenne pepper, to taste 1/2 tsp. each thyme, oregano, and basil 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 6 cups + 1/4 cup vegetable broth 1 10-oz. package frozen okra 1 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups cooked white rice

Place the greens in a large soup pot with enough water to just cover the greens. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. On a cutting board, coarsely chop the greens and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk 1/4 cup Vegetable Broth and 2 Tbsp oil and the flour together and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is a dark reddish-brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In the large soup pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the onions, bell pepper, celery, and tomatoes for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted. Add the hot sauce, bay leaves, file powder, cayenne, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the roux, vegetable broth, and the reserved greens-cooking water, stirring well to blend in the roux. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the cooked collard greens, okra, kidney beans, and rice and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve warm.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes, diced 1/2 - 1 cup soymilk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup water or vegetable stock 2 onions, chopped 1 large bell pepper, diced 2 carrots, sliced 2 celery stalks, sliced 1/2 pound (about 2 cups) mushrooms, sliced 1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Dice the potatoes and steam them until tender. Mash, adding enough soy milk to make them smooth and spreadable. Add salt to taste. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat the water or stock and cook the onions for 3 minutes. Add the pepper, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, then cover the pan and cook an additional 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, paprika, pepper, and soy sauce, then cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Put the vegetables into a 9" x 13" baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Got Milk? You Don't Need It

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/got-milk-you-dont-need-it/

Read this fantastic article link above - perhaps the BEST quote I can include in this post is by my favorite and most trusted source, Dr. Neal Barnhard:

“Sugar — in the form of lactose — contributes about 55 percent of skim milk’s calories, giving it ounce for ounce the same calorie load as soda.” ~ Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

 
Another great factoid from the article:

[Osteoporosis? You don’t need milk, or large amounts of calcium, for bone integrity. In fact, the rate of fractures is highest in milk-drinking countries, and it turns out that the keys to bone strength are lifelong exercise and vitamin D, which you can get from sunshine.]

Read this great article! Great Info!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies...YUM!

 

Everyone needs a "treat" once in awhile - and with the holidays coming, why not head off those terrible temptations that crop up with holiday get-togethers by bringing some treats of your own that YOU can eat too!!

 

Check out the link below for a great recipe for VEGAN chocolate chip cookies - that uses NO OILS! Yes, they are still a "treat" so don't eat too many... ;-)

 

These can be easily converted to a Vegan Raisin cookie by omitting the Vegan Chocolate Chips - but why not use both? I do and it's REALLY yummy with chocolate AND raisins! (We do omit the nuts though.)

 

Courtesy of Lizzie Fuhr Assistant Editor, FitSugar

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/08/vegan-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-trail.html

Vegan For The Holidays!

Well, time to find out how Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to fare this year! 

Mom tells me I need to figure out at least two Vegan dishes to prepare for the family for each holiday...this ought to be verrrry interesting. Especially since many in the family are going to turn their noses up at the mention of them being "vegan".

I swear, such discrimination! 

But I am very determined to prove them wrong about taste and appeal...how, you ask?

We aren't going to tell them they're vegan! Ha!

Eating Out For A Modified Vegan Can Be So Discouraging!

Honestly, I can live without hitting a restaurant. Really, I can.

 

But the hard part comes in when I'm with others, traveling long distance and/or celebrating an occasion. It seems almost impossible to find a place that is able to alter something to make it Vegan friendly, or even offer a Vegan dish.

 

No, I am not someone who demands special treatment - please, I am much more civilized and classy than that. But one would assume (yes, I said assume) that it would be fairly easy to just steam up a side of veggies WITHOUT butter and sauces and throw them on a plate. Yes! I would pay for that, extra even, if I had to eat out...I would be so relieved!

 

But everywhere I have gone lately that has not been a "Vegan" place has gotten me discouraged (and I have to be extra careful even in vegan restaurants because of the amounts of oils they use to cook with - to answer why, refer back to my first post on this blog about being a Modified Vegan and what that means for me...).

 

Case in Point:

 

I recently went to Olive Garden, and within minutes found that there was nothing on the menu I could have unless I wanted the garden salad with no dressing at all. That would be fine, I love salads! Except when we ordered it (without dressing), there was dressing in the bottom - again, not something I can have because it is oil-based.

 

So we had to send it back - and this time I again emphasized (very nicely, no need to be rude!) that I cannot have extra oils, it's a medical necessity. They were great about it, and I asked for lemon wedges - so as soon as we got an oil-free salad I squeezed lemons all over it - it was really good, I much prefer lemon juice over dressings anyway!

 

One would think that the Minestrone soup and Marinara sauces are actually vegan - and many people have stated they are - but they are not. ALL the noodles at Olive Garden are egg-based noodles, and their Marinara and Minestrone have a mushroom base that uses unsalted butter and dairy milk in the mixture - which are no-no animal proteins.

*sigh*, oh well. Two of my former favorites there...but no more.

 

I was there with family, so of course it's always awkward when I am the only one not able to eat with everyone during the main course. They always tell me, "Come on, once is not going to hurt you," or "Don't you think this is a little extreme?", "How can you live like this?"

 

Well, yes it will...and no, it's doctor's orders...and just fine, I do very well on my own.

It's with others, or going out, or traveling that I run into issues and frowns. Because I cannot cook the food myself, I find that it's a struggle. One that is sometimes embarrassing and very awkward.

 

I have heard others tell me that this is my problem, I can't change mainstream restaurants, and don't bother...just don't go out. That's a little unrealistic since I travel, and my family and friends go out to places to celebrate events and accomplishments.

And I would NEVER demand that they or restaurants accommodate me over and above everyone else - that is just ridiculous. But simple things like steamed veggies are generally on a menu somewhere. It's just a matter of steaming them and not adding extras like butter and milk sauces to it.

 

But on the upside to all this, one thing I have started doing (if I am local and not traveling) is eating before I leave the house, or bringing a cooler of food with me during the day so I can eat just before I go into the restaurant for a lunch date or that evening when meeting people. It has helped greatly. But  again, it does not combat every situation I run into, believe me.

On another positive note: I do really enjoy going to someone's home for a get-together or celebration, I always offer to bring a dish so that way no one has to cater to my special needs. This way we can all enjoy the festivities with no awkwardness.

I just wish going to restaurants was as simple!

One place that one would not think of right away is actually SUBWAY - they have a Veggie Delight that if ordered with the Italian Bread is a VEGAN option! I load it with all the veggies possible and a little regular mustard and it is a great filler - and healthy! So there is always that option - thankfully! (My husband and I are getting used to hitting a SUBWAY if we cannot find anything else while we are out)

   ;-)

As a side note:

The one thing I do really miss is having dessert though, being diabetic AND Vegan can be pretty tough sometimes!

And I now realize and understand what other people with specific diet concerns and constraints have to go through. It's really tough out there with our current Western societal view on eating norms and foods. I can see now after much research, and changes that I have made to my own diet, just how much our Western Diet is a true killer.

 

UPDATE: 9/28/2012

I recently received a reply from Olive Garden on whether they can alter some existing recipes or offer some new ones as Vegan options:

Dear Heather,

Thank you for your interest in Olive Garden.

We consider your feedback extremely valuable to the success of our business.

Decisions about our menu are based on guest feedback and demand, along with an effort to keep our menu fresh and interesting. We have documented your suggestion to offer some Vegan options on our menu.

While we cannot meet all requests, we want you to know that annually we compile all guest suggestions and recommendations for review. The most frequently suggested items are presented to our culinary team for consideration.

We appreciate the time you took to write to us. If Guest Relations can be of further assistance, please reply to this email or write us again through our website at www.olivegarden.com.
 

Sincerely,

Lidia
Olive Garden Guest Relations

 

 

VEGAN Blueberry Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole grain flour OR white flour, preferably unbleached (or a gluten free flour mix) 3 Tbsp. sugar, preferably Sucanat or Stevia 3 Tbsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 2 cups vanilla soy milk 3 Tbsp. canola oil (or 3TBSP unsweetened Applesauce) 1/2 cup frozen blueberries 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Add the soy milk and oil and mix until the batter is smooth.

Ladle the batter onto the hot pancake griddle. Add frozen blueberries. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with fresh blueberries.

You can also switch it up and replace blueberries with any berries you want OR even dairy-free chocolate chips! YUM!!