Nearly Vegan

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The purpose of this page is to share tips, recipes and the why of vegan cooking.
Vegans don't use any animal products. Vegetarians differ in the amount of animal products they will use. Eggs, cheese, milk, butter, fish or other seafood are sometimes used by vegetarians at different levels.
My goal is to eliminate all of those and use only plant products.

Vegan.org/FAQs is a fact filled website.

Thevegantruth.blogspot.com/ an interesting blog about totally living vegan, including clothing and products.

Doctor-oz-roizen/eat-less-meat-without-missing-it  explains quite well what less animal products will do for a person health wise

Soymilk
Last night I worked with soy milk in making a white sauce for pasta. It turned out too sweet for my taste. I added Parmesan cheese, after sauteing onions and mushrooms. Salt, pepper and garlic, thickened with a light rue didn't cancel the sweetness completely. However, my taster said it was acceptable in moderation over whole wheat pasta. I think soy milk is best reserved for desserts, coffee, and breads.


Veggie Burgers
One of my favorite discoveries is the versatile Veggie Burger.
Basically you take cooked beans (black beans, kidney or red beans, pinto beans, lentils) and mash them into a course paste. Add grains like oatmeal, whole wheat flour, corn meal. Be sure to season with garlic, salt and pepper, parsley flakes, chili powder, etc.
Form into patties and fry in canola oil. Serve with mushroom gravy, or on toasted bun with sliced tomato and lettuce, Katsup and mustard.
Your imagination is your only limitation. Full of vitamins, protein and fiber, you can't go wrong.

Corn Tortillas and Salsa
Using tortillas as wraps, you can cook all manner of items in a simple frying pan. Heat a couple tablespoons of canola oil in the pan. My favorite frying pan is the cast iron because it retains heat, and once properly seasoned, doesn't stick or flake with Teflon coating. You can put it in the oven without fear of melting handles. You can use wooden, metal or plastic utensils without fear of scratching the finish, either.

Once the oil is hot, place tortillas in the pan, place whatever filling your imagination has devised, and fold in half. Fry both sides, until golden brown.
Serve with a salsa made with diced onions, diced tomatoes, finely chopped celery and cilantro. Season with garlic, red pepper, and cumin.