Today is the two month 'anniversary' of going vegan. And along the way it is incredible the number of foods that I had never tried before that have become part of my diet. I could never list all of them, but thought I would go through a list of some of them.
Grains:
amaranth- a tiny seed that can be sprouted, popped or just used as is. This week I added a 1/4 cup to my steel cut oats that I make for breakfast.
millet- can also be added to the steel cut oats for a different taste in the morning
Lundberg brand wild rice: a mix of wild and whole grain brown rice. It takes 50 minutes to cook and before this the only brown rice I had ever prepared was Minute rice. This makes a huge difference and is one of Lizzie's favorites
red quinoa: I had used regular (white) quite a bit before, but never red
Kasha: just another grain that can get added to different meals
Vegetables and Greens:
Kale, Anise, collard greens, beet greens, brussel sprouts, Daikon radishes, napa cabbage, leeks
Beans: Again I had never had beans that weren't out of the can. Some of these beans need to soak overnight and then cook for quite a while.
Lentils- yellow and green
Azuki beans-The Kind Diet has a delicious 'stew' made with these beans and squash. Again it takes a LONG time to cook but it is good.
Garbanzo beans-from a can go on my salads every week
Pinto beans-making vegan stew with these tomorrow night
and many others
Sea Vegetables:(AKA seaweed)
These I had never even heard of before, but found them suggested in both the Thrive Diet and The Kind Diet. Surprisingly tasty.
Kombu
Hijiki
nori
wakame
Sweeteners:
I had already been using Agave Nectar and Stevia. But have now added Brown Rice syrup to my list.
Other miscellaneous things:
Umeboshi Plums-one of the 'magic' foods listed in The Kind Diet. They are very salty and used in Cure All tea and as seasonings in other foods.
Miso-used in soups
Maca- a powder that is an 'Incan superfood' that goes in smoothies and energy bars that I make
Dates- used for sweetening lots of things
In general, I have somewhat learned my way around The Mustard Seed Market health food store and yesterday I even checked out an Asian Market. I have never spent so much time in the kitchen cooking as I do now, but I love it. We are trying new things every week, and repeating things that we have loved in the weeks before.
Many of the things listed above I have not become an expert at using in any way. But this is a journey that I am really enjoying. And I feel absolutely great!!
2 comments:
Thanks for commenting on my blog! I'm glad you did b/c I found yours! :)
My family and I became vegetarians a little over a year ago, but have merged into being semi-vegan. It's been great and I honestly don't miss meat at all! I have some great cookbooks that I absolutely love if you need any suggestions!
I bought some amaranth awhile back and still haven't used/cooked it. I was thinking of popping it like Brendan Brazier suggests, but can't seem to get around to it!
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