i gave up eggs years before i gave up dairy.

in fact for many years the only thing that kept me from being vegan was honey and cheese. (no gelatin/wool/etc)

dang cheese addiction >.>

I made pizza (again, haha) last night, 1/2 with cheese for the bf, and 1/2 without for me! Last time I did that I ate some with cheese, but this time I made it through :) Although .... I made 1/2 of his with veggie cheese (not vegan, but I thought I'd see if he liked it b/c he's slowly going vegetarian). A tiny shread of it got on a piece of my pizza without me noticing and I accidentally ate it.... I only had one little sliver of it, but MAN, it was disgusting!!! He said he thought it was okay, but ewwww. I don't think I'll ever be trying vegan cheese if the vegetarian is that bad!!! :(
I don't like vegan cheese generally, but I just melted some on top of a lasagna and it was OK...Follow Your Heart mozzarella. Now I shredded it and didn't put a lot on (not like I would have done with pizza), but it did melt and added a nice flavor/texture. I didn't like it raw or in big hunks though...I also thought the only vegetarian cheese I ever tried accidentally (it had casein in it) was gross:spew:

I had baked potatoes with some smart balance, salt & pepper with a side of cooked greens & of course those I ate with a splash or two of vinegar (that's how everybody eats them in the South)!!:lol:

Tonight I'm having pinto beans with some more of my greens, no cornbread for me though, 'cause I haven't bought any egg replacers & I don't think it'll rise without something?? Anybody know for sure?

As for everyone else it sounds like your all doing really good!!!:wayne: I think for myself that being more aware of things is really starting to make a HUGE difference. I still haven't started with the label reading yet, I really want to get this no egg thing down first, the milk is gone & so is the cheese, it's just learning to bake without those darn eggs!:wall:

Keep up the good work everyone!
Michelle
Hey, I'm from the South and I eat my greens "plain":bow:

I don't know for sure what would happen with cornbread and no eggs...I put in "vegan cornbread recipe" on Yahoo search and it came up with quite a few recipes...maybe you should try that. It depends what I'm cooking, but sometimes I use flaxseed meal blended with water in place of eggs instead of store-bought egg replacer. I have the Vegan Planet recipe book and he mentions quite a few egg replacers.

One recipe that does that:
http://www.recipezaar.com/115929

Well, I'm from the South, too, and I eat my greens with hot sauce!

I made some amazingly good (modesty's not one of my virtues!) egg-free corn muffins last week using a variation on this recipe (http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/2006/02/black-eyed-peas-cornbread.html) (in the comments section). I changed it a little, so I'm posting my variation below, in case you want something spicier. We liked them so much that I made more this weekend and have been eating them for breakfast all week!

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup plain rice milk
2 chipotle peppers, chopped, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 big jalapeno pepper, chopped

Stir above together. In another bowl whisk together:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix wet and dry together and pour into a greased muffin pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 350, until slightly browned on top.

~Winnie

Mary,

Thanks for the Nature's Bounty tip. I'll look for them. I found these chewable calcium supplements (https://secure5.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/product_detail.asp?CS=vegane&RowID=1330&All=True) on veganessentials.com, but I haven't tried them. They're a bit pricey.


~W

Well, I'm from the South, too, and I eat my greens with hot sauce!

I made some amazingly good (modesty's not one of my virtues!) egg-free corn muffins last week using a variation on this recipe (http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/2006/02/black-eyed-peas-cornbread.html) (in the comments section). I changed it a little, so I'm posting my variation below, in case you want something spicier. We liked them so much that I made more this weekend and have been eating them for breakfast all week!

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup plain rice milk
2 chipotle peppers, chopped, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 big jalapeno pepper, chopped

Stir above together. In another bowl whisk together:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix wet and dry together and pour into a greased muffin pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 350, until slightly browned on top.

~Winnie



Hot sauce!!!:drool: I LOVE hot sauce on anything, actually added some to my beans tonight!!! YUM!

Okay, so you've been the 2nd person to "correct" me about my vinegar with my greens/Southern remark, so I officially retract my statement!!!:p Maybe it's not a "Southern" thing, but vinegar sprinkled on your greens sure is WONDERFUL just for those of you who've never tried it!!:yes:

Thanks SO much for the cornbread recipe! I'll have to try that one! It sounds soooo good!!!:hungry:

Michelle

Hot sauce!!!:drool: I LOVE hot sauce on anything, actually added some to my beans tonight!!! YUM!

Okay, so you've been the 2nd person to "correct" me about my vinegar with my greens/Southern remark, so I officially retract my statement!!!:p Maybe it's not a "Southern" thing, but vinegar sprinkled on your greens sure is WONDERFUL just for those of you who've never tried it!!:yes:

Thanks SO much for the cornbread recipe! I'll have to try that one! It sounds soooo good!!!:hungry:

Michelle


Just for the record: I am from the south and I think it is a rule---you gotta eat vinegar on greens (okay, so I just made that rule up, but still....:o )

And I swear....I do live in the south, I do! South of the Mason Dixon still counts as the south (even if you only live, ahem...10 miles or so south of the Mason Dixon:yes: )

Okay, okay, I confess. My hot sauce has vinegar in it. I can't get away from it. I put vinegar on french fries, too, instead of ketchup.

I passed the cheese section in the supermarket today and had to work very hard to keep from jumping right into the case and gorging myself. It seemed like everywhere I looked today, some kind of cheese was jumping out at me, trying to get me to eat it. Grrrr.

~w

Ew... you strange southern kids :)

Since I've moved to the South I've noticed people put mayonaise and ranch dressing on everything too.... always on fries and baked potatoes....ewww.
:)

I have a business lunch tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous about it... I think the lunch is already prepared specifically for us... and I'm meeting with the VP of student affairs, a big name at my school .... how wrong would it be of me to just sit there and not eat? It's the first time I'm meeting her.. she's going to think I'm crazy.... haha... yay.

Ew... you strange southern kids :)

Since I've moved to the South I've noticed people put mayonaise and ranch dressing on everything too.... always on fries and baked potatoes....ewww.
:)

I have a business lunch tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous about it... I think the lunch is already prepared specifically for us... and I'm meeting with the VP of student affairs, a big name at my school .... how wrong would it be of me to just sit there and not eat? It's the first time I'm meeting her.. she's going to think I'm crazy.... haha... yay.

Ewww...I hated mayonaise even before veganism...just the smell of it...:spew: Good luck at your lunch!

Ew... you strange southern kids :)

Since I've moved to the South I've noticed people put mayonaise and ranch dressing on everything too.... always on fries and baked potatoes....ewww.
:)

I have a business lunch tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous about it... I think the lunch is already prepared specifically for us... and I'm meeting with the VP of student affairs, a big name at my school .... how wrong would it be of me to just sit there and not eat? It's the first time I'm meeting her.. she's going to think I'm crazy.... haha... yay.

Yep! I agree about the ranch dressing thing, it's kinda gross!! What happened to ketchup for fries???:rolleyes:
Not meaning to be gross, but another thing is bacon grease in EVERYTHING!! Cornbread, biscuits, gravy, etc. Who thought that one up???:wall:

I hope your lunch goes well today! Surely they'll be some side items, hopefully veggies or maybe a salad. Maybe if you eat REALLY slow and pick at your salad the VP won't notice??:p Good luck!!!

Michelle

I just realized my vitamins have gelatin. ugh. I will have to find better ones when they run out. I didn't think to look at the label when i bought them.

I've always thought that mayo & ranch dressing were both disgusting - even before veganism, or vegeterianism, even way back when I was a southerner who still lived in the south. Nasty stuff.

Moe, it's probably too late for me to give my advice on the business lunch, and I know that I'm not as strict about it as some of you, but I'd really consider this an example of "what I don't know won't hurt me." I'd load up my plate with whatever was there, eat anything that looked harmless without asking if it was cooked in broth or whatever, and just move the other things around. Maybe she'll just think you're nervous. Whatever you do, good luck!

~W

My husband loves ranch dressing on his fries! It all started with Outback Steakhouse I've been searching for a tofu/soymilk based vegan ranch dressing to replace the dairy one with lately.
<----evil
I've already replaced his mayonnaise, sour cream and most of the dairy cheese in the house under the guise of it being "less expensive" than buying both.
(It is but I'm just secretly pushing him towards conversion. lol Good thing he doesn't care much)
I used to get people that dipped their fries in mayo or tarter sauce constantly when I worked at the evil empire (McD's). Kind of grossed me out.
Mary

Not too late actually! I came on here just to check the board before the meeting at noon! :p Thanks for all the responces!!!

I'm thinking I will just sort of pick at everything a bit and try to figure it out ... It ususally is obvious if something has butter/etc. on it, at least if there's a lot of it. I was originally thinking I might take a quick bathroom break and ask the chefs if they could leave some of the regular stuff out .... but I just found out the meeting is catered, so I'll probably have no choice if they don't have other options available. I am a very slow eater, though, so that'll help out!

The sad part is though, that since it's being catered, they most likely won't have any take-home boxes, so if I don't eat it, it'll just be thrown away. :( Both options really stink.

Thanks so much! :)

Okay, so I just have to rant for a quick second.

The lunch meeting *sigh* ... they served (in 3 styrofoam containers!) pasta covered in white gravy/sauce and topped with fried chicken ... guess if I forgot I was in the south before, I sure know now! :) They did have salad, but it was covered in cheese and croutons and the only dressing it had with it was a really creamy ceasar. For dessert: cheesecake. They're trying to kill me!!!

So... I ate a few pieces of lettuce without dressing, but I could taste the cheese that I couldn't filter out... I moved the chicken over to eat the pasta, but I did eat a decent amount of the sauce that slipped off the chicken onto the pasta. :( And I was doing so well, too...

I really would have been fine not eating a single bite except that I was alread being ragged on right away for taking a water instead of sweet tea ... guess next time I'll try to call ahead of time about the menu!!

My husband loves ranch dressing on his fries! It all started with Outback Steakhouse I've been searching for a tofu/soymilk based vegan ranch dressing to replace the dairy one with lately.
<----evil
I've already replaced his mayonnaise, sour cream and most of the dairy cheese in the house under the guise of it being "less expensive" than buying both.
(It is but I'm just secretly pushing him towards conversion. lol Good thing he doesn't care much)
I used to get people that dipped their fries in mayo or tarter sauce constantly when I worked at the evil empire (McD's). Kind of grossed me out.
Mary

I hate to admit I like fries with mayo.

I hate to admit I like fries with mayo.

It's ok.
I like the Oscar Meyer weiner song. Everyone has their quirks :)
Mary

Ew... you strange southern kids :)

Since I've moved to the South I've noticed people put mayonaise and ranch dressing on everything too.... always on fries and baked potatoes....ewww.
:)

I have a business lunch tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous about it... I think the lunch is already prepared specifically for us... and I'm meeting with the VP of student affairs, a big name at my school .... how wrong would it be of me to just sit there and not eat? It's the first time I'm meeting her.. she's going to think I'm crazy.... haha... yay.

Gravy....you forgot gravy! We eat gravy on french fries around here! (well I never did and never will) If I am being honest, the cheeseless pizza I ordered the other night (which was really good BTW) was just not right 'cause I didn't have ranch dressing to dip it in...you should have seen me trying to figure out what I could quickly put together to approximate ranch dressing...came up with nuthin'...

I know you can get an awesome ranch dressing out of silken tofu, vinegar, celery seed, and ...

Look in the recipe section. I know TNS has a great recipe for this!

Gravy....you forgot gravy! We eat gravy on french fries around here!........

Haha, yea, I can't believe I forgot about that! Lunch today reminded me of it real quick, though! Arggg :wall:

I'm still a fairly new vegetarian and I would like eventually go vegan, but not quite sure I'll get there. I'm close, but I don't think I could say I'm vegan. I guess I would have to say lacto-ovo veg. that uses very little dairy and eggs.
I don't drink dairy milk anymore, I don't use eggs in my cooking..(learning to use egg relacements) and I'm trying my best to avoid cheese....I don't put it on sandwiches or add it to my cooking. But this is the hardest for me to avoid. I ordered a salad a few days ago and they had a small bowl cheese on the side, so I used it. But I know some of the products I still use contain milk, cheese, or eggs. Sometimes when I get a veggie sandwich from Subway, I get those baked nacho Doritos. I love chocolate and will have a piece now and then,....I know it contains milk.

So, even though my dairy, egg and cheese use is at a very minimal amount and until I can control my cravings for chocolate and salty chips and/or find a suitable substitute for them, I'd have to say I'm lacto-ovo. But would really like to go vegan.:)

Okay, so I just have to rant for a quick second.

The lunch meeting *sigh* ... they served (in 3 styrofoam containers!) pasta covered in white gravy/sauce and topped with fried chicken ... guess if I forgot I was in the south before, I sure know now! :) They did have salad, but it was covered in cheese and croutons and the only dressing it had with it was a really creamy ceasar. For dessert: cheesecake. They're trying to kill me!!!

So... I ate a few pieces of lettuce without dressing, but I could taste the cheese that I couldn't filter out... I moved the chicken over to eat the pasta, but I did eat a decent amount of the sauce that slipped off the chicken onto the pasta. :( And I was doing so well, too...

I really would have been fine not eating a single bite except that I was alread being ragged on right away for taking a water instead of sweet tea ... guess next time I'll try to call ahead of time about the menu!!

Not to be nosey or nitpicky, but if you are given a plate of food you can't eat and decide to move it away, at least give it to someone and not throw it out. (You didn't give any details to that extent other than moving the meat aside-- I am not aiming this at you Moe, it is just a general statement for all of us to bear in mind, your situation just reminded me of one I was in once.)

If anyone is in this kind of situation, I don't think wasting it makes us look good (again, I am not saying that is what you did). Yea, giving it to someone is condoning them eating it, but at the point at which it is for all intents and purposes already food on a plate (whether we like it or not), it isn't right to waste it, IMHO. To be honest, one of my friends doing just that a number of years back is what contributed to my thinking that vegetarianism was just a stupid excuse to be a picky eater. (Obviously, I have since learned much better, but you get my point.)
As much as I do avoid encouraging the consumption of meat (I have politely declined handling plates of it once or twice, and will not help any preparation of it at home), I would pass unwanted meat to an omni friend before passing it to the trash, which would just confirm the snimal having died in vain. That is just me. I just wanted to share a POV. Yea, we don't believe animals' flesh belongs in our stomachs, but I think putting it in the trash is even more disrespectful.

I gave some non-vegan foods to my parents when I became vegan because I didn't want to consume them, but I felt it would be wasteful to throw them out. I felt a bit conflicted about it though, like I was "encouraging" my parents' eating habits...so I guess I'm not sure what I think about it really:confused:

As I think about it though, they probably would've bought the items themselves if I hadn't given them the items, so maybe it worked out:tame:

Oh yea, I always box up my food and take it home, no matter what it is. I even took two other peoples' cheesecake (and mine that I didn't eat) back to the office for anyone who wanted it.

I think if it absolutely came down to it and I had to choose to 1) eat the food, vegan or not, or 2) throw it in the trash, I would eat it every time. Luckily I haven't been in a situation like that yet :)