I'm a Partial Vegetarian....and Had No Idea!

Do you know what your eating style is? I knew I didn't eat red meat, but I never knew there was a name for it. I've heard of vegetarian, vegan, carnivore, etc, but didn't realize there were more. Vegan, Lacto-ovo vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, partial vegetarian, and flexitarian are all terms for different eating styles. According to a recent article I read, flexitarian is the newest of these styles.


What's a Vegan?

• Only eat plant based food
• Avoid all food that's made from animals
• Includes avoiding: meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, honey

Eating vegan doesn't have to be hard, or taste bad. You may already eat some vegan items and not even realize it. For breakfast you could eat oatmeal, a bagel, or a fruit smoothie. For a snack try popcorn, sunflower seeds, or fresh fruit. What about lunch/dinner? Try a bean burrito, pasta with tomato sauce, veggie stir fry, or a baked potato.

Interested in finding a vegan friendly restaurant near you? Look  H E R E!!  It'll let you search for vegan restaurants all over the world.

Food, clothing, cosmetics, etc. that are Certified Vegan can carry this label. Find out more about veganism  H E R E!!

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What's a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian?

• Consume no meat, poultry, or fish
• Will eat eggs and dairy products
• According to Wikipedia, it's the most common type of vegetarianism in the Western world
• Nearly 2 million people in the US have this eating style

Examples of food you can eat: fresh fruits, brown rice, yogurt, tomato soup, whole grain rolls with butter, baked apples, collard greens, baked macaroni & cheese, pudding, veggie stuffed peppers, spinach salad, or tacos with avocado, rice, salsa, cheese, etc.

Here's  a blog on this eating style.

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What's a Lacto-Vegetarian?

• Avoids all mean, poultry, eggs and fish
• Will eat all dairy products except yogurt that contains gelatin

Here's  a blog by a lacto-vegetarian.

Examples of food to eat: egg free pasta, potatoes, soy, beans, barley, cous cous, fresh fruits, nuts, chickpeas, fruit juices, kale, tahini, whole grain cereals

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What's an Ovo-Vegetarian?

• Avoids meat, poultry, fish, and dairy
• Will eat eggs and honey
• Gelatin (made from animal bones, hooves, and tissue), rennet (can be made from stomach lining of lambs/calf's), and carmine (cochineal, or natural red 4 is a dye made from insects) are avoided

Learn more info, food substitutions, and nutritional info H E R E!!

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What's a Partial (Semi) Vegetarian?

• Avoids red meat
• May eat fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs
• No soy or gluten alternatives needed

Check out the blog of a Partial Veg  H E R E!!

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What's a Flexitarian?

• Has a flexible attitude towards food
• Eats mostly a vegetarian diet
• Includes occasional meat or fish
• About 3% of Americans are TRUE vegetarians, so if you flip flop this is you
• Called meat eating vegetarians by the Associated Press  H E R E!!
• What WebMD has to say  H E R E!!

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What's a Pesco-Vegetarian?

• Avoids all meat and poultry, except fish

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L I N K S!!

10 tips for healthy vegetarian eating

Dietary guidelines from the USDA

Build healthy eating patterns

Vegetarian resources for getting enough nutrients

Home delivery of meals made for specific eating preferences

Veg friendly recipes and info

A "Partial Vegan" blog

Learn some cultural history of vegetarianism

Blog on healthy veg lifestyle

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Do you know what a vegetarian looks like? How about a lacto-ovo veg or vegan?

Pamela Anderson- Actress & vegetarian

Leona Lewis- Singer & vegetarian

Bob Barker- Former Game Show Host & vegetarian



Albert Einstein- Vegetarian & Scientist



Edwin Moses- Vegan & Olympic gold medal holder

Andreas Cahling- Lacto Vegetarian & International body builder



Mahatma Ghandi- Revolutionist Leader & vegetarian



Forest Whitaker- Actor & vegetarian

Matisyahu- Reggae Musician & vegan

Bill Clinton- Former US President & vegan

Steve O- TV Personality & vegan

The list could go on and on. I know you've heard you can't judge a book by its cover. This applies to people and their eating styles too!! Try something new, you never know, you may like it. I personally think it would be extremely hard to be a strict vegetarian or vegan. It was hard for me to stick to my no red meat rule. I don't think I'll ever be 100% meatless, but generally speaking I don't eat much meat. When I do, it's usually ground turkey breast, and maybe chicken or seafood. Steak, burgers, and bacon are greatly missed by me!! After not eating specifically beef for so many years I'd be scared to try it for fear of how my body would react to it. My dinner plate definitely isn't empty and neither is my stomach! I've discovered tons of ways to satisfy myself when it comes to foods and different tastes that I have.

Continue to follow my blog and you'll find out how! ^_~"

Which eating style do you have? Leave a comment and let me know!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom!!

Mushrooms are one of those things in life that you either love, or you hate! I think I know more mushroom haters than lovers. I am a lover of mushrooms...all kinds. Did you know there are more than 14,000 different types of mushrooms? Of those, about 3,000 are edible. How many have you tried? One of my favorites is the portobello/portabella mushroom.

Portobellos are full of vitamins, nutrients, and can be prepared many many different ways. Besides eating them raw, grilling them is one of the top ways I cook portobellos. Mushrooms are like sponges and absorb anything you put on them. Because of this, you won't need a lot of added oil, or seasonings. A little bit will go a long way here. This quality also makes them very versatile in different dishes--they easily take on the flavors of other things.


Tips When Buying:

• Portobello's can grow up to 6 inches in diameter, so buy the size appropriate to your needs
• Make sure all of the gills are present on the underside of the mushroom
• Should be free of soft spots
• Even if mushrooms are a fungi they should be mold free before use

Other Ways to Cook Portobello's:

• Grill them lightly brushed with Italian dressing, vinaigrette, or even bbq sauce for about 5 mins
• Brush with sauce then roast on a baking sheet for about 20 mins
• Saute strips in olive oil on medium-high heat until tender
• Stuff them with cheese, veggies, stuffing, or sausage before baking
• Substitute a typical burger for a meaty portobello

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To get started on my grilled stuffed mushrooms I needed:

• 1 Grill
• 1 Baking sheet
• 4 large portobello mushroom caps (about 5 inches in diameter)
• 1 small can of diced tomatoes
• Italian cheese blend
• Olive oil
• Pepper and seasonings of your choosing

The mushrooms were seasoned lightly with pepper, an Italian spice blend, and then drizzled with olive oil. They were allowed to grill undisturbed for about 5 minutes.

Using a spoon I removed the stems, then scraped all of the gills out of the mushroom and discarded. If making a tomato sauce you could use the gills and stems in it for flavoring.

Once removed for the grill the mushrooms were placed on a baking sheet. I topped each one with a generous amount of diced tomatoes, and an Italian cheese blend.



The tray was placed in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. I let them bake until the cheese was completely melted. Once melted I turned on the broiler until the cheese was toasted on top.





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One thing mushrooms have going for themselves that vegetables don't is their antioxidant and nutritional value isn't destroyed while cooking. Portobello's actually become more firm then longer you cook them.

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Nutrition Facts:

• Portobello's are a low calorie meat alternate -- contain about 30 calories per serving vs. 235 calories that can be found in a traditional burger
• Contains Iron & Lead -- help aid in blood production
• Contains Riboflavin -- helps cell energy and production
• Contains Zinc -- helps immune function and wound healing
• Contains Pantothenic acid -- helps adrenal gland function
• Contains Vitamin B6 -- low? Eat portobellos; they're water soluble, so any excess will pass through your body
• Contains Selenium -- helps your body make its own antioxidants

Grilled Portobello's can be served over pasta tossed in olive oil and Parm cheese.

Here ya have it folks!! Grilled stuffed portobello mushroom!



More Ideas:

• Grill mushrooms, slice, then toss with your favorite salad
• Toss with alfredo sauce and pasta
• Add cooked mushrooms to your favorite marinara sauce
• Top with pre-cooked ground turkey or hamburger, cheese, olives, before baking for a mushroom based pizza
• Marinate for about an hour in your favorite vinaigrette before roasting or grilling
• Slice and add to your favorite lasagna or spaghetti recipe
• Slice, bread and fry for portobello fries
• Grill, then top with lettuce, tomato, pickle, etc for a great burger alternative
• Top with spinach and mozzarella cheese before baking

Portobellos are great for people looking for a change from the typical burger, vegans, vegetarians, meat lovers, food explores, and more! It's a very flexible food item and the possibilities are endless!!! You can make the mushroom your main dish, an additive, or even just a side dish. Experiment and see what you can come up with!

Broccoli Soup

The "recipe" I have for this soup has to be the most bootleg one in my possession. It's written on a random page in a notebook, and I can't even remember where I found it at originally. The recipe for broccoli soup simply reads:

"Equal Parts of:

Flour

Chicken Broth

Water"

Yes, that is it. There were no instructions on what to do with those equal parts, no times, or temperatures given. That is all that the entire page said so, I free styled this one. Last winter was the first time I can remember having broccoli soup. It was so good and I fell in love with it. Don't ask me why I've never had it before, but I've been missing out! Besides the obvious broccoli, I knew there was cheese involved, and both were absent from the recipe list of equal parts.

Broccoli is one of my favorite veggies! Many people have to be bribed, or tricked into eating this green vegetable. There are a few recipes I can think of off the top of my head that use broccoli as the main ingredient. I love it, so you'll be seeing more of it. Your whole life you've probably heard how healthy and good for your body broccoli was, but weren't convinced. Well it's true and it doesn't have to taste bad!!

Did you know...

~1 cup of broccoli can have as much protein as 1 cup of rice or corn, but with HALF as many calories

Broccoli is full of many vitamins and nutrients such as:

• Potassium- promotes regular muscle growth and brain function
• Magnesium & Calcium- helps regulate blood pressure and for bone health
• Vitamin C, Zinc, & Beta-carotene- helps skin repair and strengthens immune function
• Fiber- maintains low blood sugar and helps with digestion
• Vitamin A- good for structures of the eyes as you mature

The list of benefits can go on and on. One key to making sure these nutrients stay in the vegetable is to not over cook it! For example, if you boil vegetables until they're limp and colorless all of the vitamins have been pulled into the water. This leaves it tasteless and nearly void of nutrients.




Soup!!!!


Using my large trusty measuring cup (holds up to 4 cups) I poured 4 cups of water in a large pot to boil. I chose four, because I had enough bouillon cubes left to make 4 cups of chicken stock! I followed the instructions to make the chicken bouillon, reduced heat to medium, added equal parts of flour (4 cups) and stirred.

Since this was a huge amount of dry ingredients being quickly added to wet, it became very chunky. To fix this, I added the 4 cups of water (equal parts) and continued to stir. The mixture was still thick, so I tossed the spoon, upped the temperature, grabbed my potato masher, and added a little more water. Yes, it was that thick! Next time I make this soup I'll mix all of the wet ingredients before adding the flour. I think this will help prevent any chunks.

After seeing the chunky base, I started having second thoughts on this equal parts recipe. I didn't want to waste my good cheese and broccoli if it was going to be thrown away. My stomach suddenly spoke up--So I continued on! To make this soup quickly I used frozen broccoli spears. If you can picture what the small squares of frozen veggies look like--the bag of frozen broccoli I used was a little bigger than that. Just slightly thawed, I cut the spears into bite sized pieces, tossed 'em in, and occasionally stirred. When the ingredients started to come together I added a small bag of monterrey cheddar cheese.

I was still giving this concoction the side eye and worried it would be bland. I didn't know about this flour, water, and cheese biz, so I sprinkled in enough ground pepper to cover the top of the soup. This probably equates to 1 tablespoon, roughly. Once, all of the ingredients were in the pot I kept stirring to make sure everything was mixed well. To melt the cheese and cook the broccoli I put a lid on the pot, and let it simmer. Every few minutes I'd check on it, stir all sides, and walk away.

After about 10 minutes of simmering, the broccoli soup was finally looking like the soup that inspired this adventure! Taste testing every couple minutes let me know when the soup was done. I didn't want the broccoli to be too tender, so I let that guide me too  ^_^  Ladled into a bowl, this broccoli soup was very much enjoyed.

This recipe can be easily modified to meet many needs. I thought of this AFTER I wanted to share it with a friend, and then remembered I used the chicken base, and they're of the meatless persuasion!

Possible Mods:

1. Use a vegetable or beef stock instead of chicken
2. Want more soup? Use less broccoli
3. Want more veggies? Use bigger bags/bunches of broccoli
4. Like it spicy? Try pepper jack instead of cheddar
5. Want it healthier? Try whole wheat, or gluten free flour
6. Need smaller quantity? Try using 2 cups equal parts instead of 4
7. Need larger quantity? Try doubling the equal parts to 8 cups

Are there any other ways to modify the recipe? Comment below!! Try it out and let me know how it goes. Once I got through a few kinks at the beginning it was smooth sailing. I'll definitely be making this broccoli soup again!!