Oatmeal

I'm a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast -- cereal and soy milk. But, today there's no cereal, so I've decided to have oatmeal. I put this in the microwave on high for 2 minutes with soy milk and a little maple syrup. Yum!

And, oatmeal is good for you. It is low in fat, has plenty of soluble fiber, and can help lower cholesterol.

A Weighty Issue

For most of us, it's hard to keep the pounds from creeping on.

When I underwent my transformation from lacto-ovo vegetarian to vegan, I swore I'd lose weight. No more cookies and brownies from the drug reps. No more ice cream. No more fatty cheese and eggs. It would be easy, the pounds would melt off.

I was so wrong. My weight stayed about the same, which I think is a testament to how much good vegan food is out there. Also, I quickly found vegan ice cream, cookies, brownies, and all that junk food that I love.

Regardless of your diet, weight depends on two things: calories in and calories out. In other words, how much you eat and how much energy you expend. It seems simple, but in practice it is not.

Granted, I'm not a stick, but I've maintained a consistent weight for the past ten years. Here are a few important factors to keeping the pounds from piling on.
1) Be happy. Healthful choices are more appealing when you feel good about yourself. Conversely, stress and sadness predispose to poor eating choices.
2) Don't keep junk food in the house. I no longer keep Fig Newmans in my cabinets, because I am adept at eating them by the stack.
3) Stay active. When bored, it's easy to snack.
4) Exercise regularly. Make it an every day habit, so that the days that you don't exercise are the exception.
5) Weigh in daily. I know some people will disagree, but I've found that it's a quick way to see that the pounds are creeping on after a few days of slacking.
6) Eat foods that are closest to their natural form, and fewer processed foods.

Any other suggestions or tips? As you can see, with my upcoming move I'm not doing a lot of cooking.

Salad and Sandwich

I don't like salads. At least not the traditional variety -- I don't like cucumbers, carrots, or tomatoes, and the traditional salad dressings never really did much for me. However, I'm all for an interesting salad with nontraditional ingredients. This one has some mixed field greens, kidney beans, golden raisins. I've topped it with my "homemade" Thousand Island salad dressing, which is a mixture of Vegenaise and Heinz ketchup.

For the sandwich, I've used Montana Mills whole wheat bread. Inside is Tofurky, hummus, and avocado.

Salad and sandwich. A little unconventional. But done my way.

Graduation!

To culminate this crazy weekend, tonight was my cardiology fellowship graduation dinner. And, I've learned that you never know who reads these blogs.

Our program director normally gives a little speech about each of us that is graduating. I wasn't sure what he'd say about me, but I knew there'd be something in there about me being the vegan. Not only did he talk of me as the most health conscious of the cardiology fellows, but he also said that he's been reading my blog! He said he was looking for some "rants about the department", which he didn't find, but instead he "learned a lot about what to do with tofu and peppers." Too funny!

So yes, I think I've now graduated from cardiology fellowship, even though I still have four more official weeks of work. I guess they can't flunk me..... or I'd have to do something pretty horrific to not get to move on.

First Triathlon of the Season

Today was my first triathlon of the season and my second one ever. It was cold, rainy, and yucky, but I felt great. The swim was in a pool and the bike was on a hilly course. The run was tough because my legs felt so tired, so even though I felt like my lungs would have let me go faster, I just couldn't do it, and was a lot slower than I had wanted to be. Preliminary results say I was 7th out of 26 women in my age category, but I have a feeling that will change because we were all staggered at the start. So, we'll see. Nonetheless, I'm happy. My goal is to do my best and not to be DFL (Dead f.....ing last).

That pic is from the triathlon I did last year. Yes I know I look goofy.

Helping Animals 101

Yesterday, I attended a seminar called Helping Animals 101. We heard about all types of animal cruelty, from circuses to puppy mills to the way our food is raised, and then how best to advocate for the animals.

Chase Corporate Challenge

I ran my 3.5 miles in 31:39. Whoo hoo!

And that is a turkey I met at Farm Sanctuary. He has nothing to do with my running, he's just cute.

People can surprise you....

This weekend, I was moonlighting at a small town hospital. The people in the area are for the most part simple folks; many live on farms, or have been in that community for generations.

I admitted an 83 year-old man who'd had a stroke. He hadn't seen a doctor in probably ten years, so in addition to treating his stroke I diagnosed him with hypertension and hyperlipidemia. He asked what he should be eating.

When I give diet advice, usually I don't use the word vegetarian, let alone vegan. "Lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Stay away from animal products, like meat, eggs, or dairy."

His response: "Oh, vegetarian! My daughter is a vegetarian!"

"Yes," I said. "You should definitely have her help you out."

Never in a million years would I think this man or his family would have any concept of what a vegetarian is. I was pleasantly surprised.

Carb Loading

Tomorrow I am running the Chase Corporate Challenge in Rochester. It's a packed race of 3.5 miles, with over 9,000 participants, many of whom are walkers. So, anyone who runs at all can feel like they're fast.

Dinner tonight was angel hair pasta, baby bellas, yellow peppers, Morningstar burger crumbles, and Enrico pasta sauce. The pasta sauce was a departure for me, because I'm so used to Prego, which is loaded with added sugar.

Now I am carb loaded and ready to run!

Training Progress

Whew it's been a hot few days! Yesterday, I was up at 6:30 am to do a 45-minute run before it got hot out. Today I swam indoors and then went for a 2-hour bike ride with the Bettys, a local group of women who ride on Tuesday evenings from the local bike shop. I like when I can do my workouts with other people; it makes things more interesting.

It's going well. Each week I'm biking about 45 miles, running about 15 miles, and spending one dreaded afternoon swimming about 1300 meters in the pool. I don't really like swimming in a pool -- I feel like a rat on a wheel.

My coach Mary puts together a training plan for me. At first I thought it was a bit ambitious, with me working out every day, and with about 8-9 hours of training each week. But, I'm doing it. And if it weren't for her, I wouldn't be pushing myself this hard.

My first triathlon is on Sunday. We'll see if it all pays off.

Cold Food for a Hot Day

It was hot today -- over 90 degrees! I was in no mood to fire up the oven.

The hummus is supposedly California Pizza Kitchen's recipe. It's probably the best hummus that I've ever made in my kitchen. I also made my version of a spinach dip. Most recipes for vegan spinach dip call for a lot of Vegenaise and vegan sour cream. I use a pound of spinach, about a tablespoon and a half of Vegenaise, and then add water chestnuts and soup mix to give it flavor so you don't miss the extra fat.

Farm Sanctuary

This weekend, I was on call for a small town hospital. I had some free time on Sunday, so I drove the 35 miles to Farm Sanctuary!

I've visited before, but it's always so much fun to see the animals and hear their stories. The animals are absolutely beautiful. It's a reminder that a vegan diet is the most compassionate diet for the animals.

Coconut Curry

I have had a can of lite coconut milk sitting in my cabinet forever and decided to put it to use.

I sauteed orange and yellow peppers and cauliflower in a little canola oil. Then I poured in the can of coconut milk, added sliced organic sweet potatoes and extra-firm tofu, salt and pepper, Bragg's sauce, and some spices like cumin, coriander, paprika, and chili powder. I covered and cooked this for about 30 minutes.

This dish went well with Indian roti bread.

Ouch!

I love being in the cardiac cath lab, but the job has its inherent hazards. One day this week, while removing the sharps from our cath table, I was stuck with a sharp needle.

Fortunately, the needle was only used to draw up medications and had never touched our patient. But what if it had? The small wound in my hand is healing well, and my risk of contracting anything is exceedingly low.

From now on, I'm going to be much more careful.

Organic Alley

Organic Alley has been open for five months. My first visit was on Monday evening after a run along the Erie Canal with a couple of friends. I had the Zen Delight, which had tofu marinated in teriyaki, onions, peppers, and greens -- Yum!

They also have a yoga studio and a small grocery store with organic items.

I'm thrilled that Rochester can support an organic place. I'll be visiting them often!

Stir Frying

My favorite kitchen toy by far is my wok. Woks are great because stir frys come out so well and the vegetables stay so crisp.

Here, I used about a tablespoon of canola oil, an organic cooking onion, red and orange hydroponic peppers, organic baby bella mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli. The cauliflower and broccoli were blanched in hot water for about five minutes before I added them to the stir fry. At the end I added Morningstar Farms Chik'n Strips.

For flavor, I used Bragg's sauce, but found the taste weak, so then added my standard sesame garlic sauce to the recipe.

My Letter to the Editor

Baked Beans

I attend the Rochester Area Vegetarian Society meetings every month, and there is always a baked bean dish there, and I've always enjoyed these. However, I've never prepared them at home.

I sauteed an onion in canola, then added a can of Heinz vegetarian baked beans, some frozen corn, and two chopped veggie dogs. A serving of this made for a terrific in-between workouts snack.

Speaking of my triathlon training, I am sitting here with an ice pack on my knee, which I hope helps before meeting up with my friend to go running this evening. Otherwise, everything is great!

Indian Wedding

A friend from residency got married this weekend. She's Indian, as were most of the guests. Another friend's mother, "Auntie", offered to dress me for the occasion. It was a fun wedding. I love the music and the outfits.

The food was mostly vegetarian, but with heavy emphasis on the "lacto". The ghee (clarified butter) was omnipresent. There was one dish that appeared to be some form of green vegetables in oil, and I think the rest had meat or a cream sauce. I also enjoyed some whole wheath paratha bread and basmati rice, so even with the limited vegan selection I ate well. Ok, I am pretty sure what I ate was vegan; I do my best and don't want to be a difficult vegan guest.

I saw a yellow sauce next to one of the breads, so I put some on my plate thinking it was mango. I dipped my bread in it and found the flavor quite dull. On my next trip to the buffet, I saw the label that I missed the first time: ghee. Whoops!

Mock Egg Salad

The egg salad is made from extra-firm tofu. I squeezed out the excess moisture and mashed it with a potato masher. Then, I mixed in one stalk of organic celery chopped finely, half an organic cooking onion, paprika, turmeric, and a quarter cup of Vegenaise.

I put the egg salad on toasted whole wheat bread with an organic yam that I had microwaved for about 5 minutes. Since organic yams are sweeter than the conventional ones (at least I've found this.... has anyone else?), I only topped the yam with a little bit of Earth Balance Buttery Spread (vegan margarine).

This felt like the perfect dinner for my first week of intense triathlon training. I am calling 8 1/2 hours of training intense, which for some may be a walk in the park, but I'm definitely feeling like I'm working hard!

Adam Durand Sentenced to 6 Months Jail

I read this today:

Adam Durand, the Compassionate Consumers investigator who revealed egregious animal cruelty at Wegmans Egg Farm, was today sentenced to six months in jail for trespassing. Adam should be applauded, not sent to jail, for his courageous efforts to bring to light the suffering of animals perpetrated by Wegmans. Wegmans requested the harsh sentence received by Durand—-a first time offender-—in an obvious attempt to silence critics of the company’s inhumane practices.

You can read more in the article from Newsday.

I am really mad about this. Adam isn't a criminal, he didn't harm property, he's just someone trying to educate the public about where their eggs come from, and that there are better more humane ways to do things.

For the first time ever, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Democrat and Chronicle, our Rochester newspaper. I hope it's published. More importantly, I hope Adam Durand is able to successfully appeal his sentence.

Chop Suey

I saw Kai-Vegan's chop suey post from May 11, and I decided to give it a shot. My version has garlic, onion, celery, carrot, cauliflower, baby bellas, and seitan for a little extra protein. I forgot (whoops!) the corn starch, so it's a little watery, but nonetheless very good. I ate this with Indian paratha bread for a superb post-workout dinner.

My little speaking tour

Back in February, I spoke to Heartbeats For Life, a group of people interested in preventive heart health and Dean Ornish's lifestyle program. I talked about women and heart disease and the importance of diet and exercise. As a result, I was invited to present to Oasis, an educational program for older adults. I'm also giving the talk on Sunday to the Rochester Area Vegetarian Society.

Yesterday, I went to Oasis to present the talk. I guess the brochure made me sound like this would be a good presentation, as I had a full audience. Everything that could go wrong did. My computer wouldn't boot up, since unknown to me there had been an update to the system last week and all the logins were wiped out. So, here I am, standing in front of an audience of 40 people, and I can't present my slides! To burn time while one of the staff members tried to hook up a computer system that I could use, I introduced myself, and offered to answer questions about women's health and heart disease. Slowly, the questions came in, enough so that I could ad-lib until I had a functional computer that would run my slides!

First I discuss women and heart disease. That gets lots of interested looks and questions. Then I talk about obesity and how Americans are getting fatter since we eat badly and don't exercise.

And then I talk about vegetarian diets. Blank stares. More about the Ornish diet, how vegetarians live longer and are healthier. More blank stares. Then about dairy and the myths behind it, that milk doesn't reduce osteoporosis. Continued blank stares.

And finally, I get to the topic of exercise and cardiac rehabilitation, and it looks like my audience is now with me again. I finish and answer several audience questions.

In all, I'm not so sure how well it went. I had some positive feedback afterward from some of the participants, but I wonder what some of the others were thinking. Maybe the vegetarian stuff was too much? Perhaps it challenged too many preconceived notions, particularly the dairy part? The dairy industry has its hooks so far into the American public that milk is necessary for bone health, and yet there is no single study that shows that increased dairy consumption reduces osteoporosis. In fact it's the exact opposite -- countries with the most dairy consumption have the most osteoporosis.

Perhaps if I give the talk again to a non-vegetarian group, I'll tone down the vegetarian/dairy stuff a bit. I'm not sure. I'm very interested to hear what people had to say.

Indian Lunch

For lunch, I made chole, along with some some paratha bread and samosas that I picked up at the Indian grocery store yesterday. Now I have all the energy in the world to go rollerblading... let's hope it doesn't rain!

What to do with Chick Peas

Herself75, my dear sorority sister from college, wants to know what to do with chick peas. Oh, I could go on all day! You can make hummus, a veggie stew, cover with spices and bake in the oven as a snack, or use in place of meat in recipes.

Or, here are a few older posts from this blog that use chick peas:
Chole
Veggie Stew (use chick peas instead of cannelini beans, as they're very similar)
Chili

Enjoy!

Vegan Pizza from Two Paisans

I found myself craving pizza, and I've been dying to try out Two Paisans' vegan pizza. Yes, a pizza place in little 'ole Rochester with a vegan menu. Here it is, with Follow Your Heart cheese, seitan, spinach, and roasted red peppers. I finished off the whole thing, with a mango and a brownie for dessert.

Grilled Tofurky Sandwich

Whole wheat bread with Tofurky, avocado, sliced tomatoes, and a little Vegenaise (vegan mayonaise), placed in a sandwich griller, and voila!

Good Tempeh... finally!

The secret to tempeh is to boil it for about 45 minutes. That softens it and gets the bitter taste out. Then I sauteed an onion and some frozen broccoli in my wok with canola oil, then some Sesame Garlic sauce, then added the tempeh to cook for another 5 minutes.

Primetime Live Tonight

Tonight (Thursday) ABC's Primetime at 10 PM is scheduled to air a segment on Compassionate Consumer's undercover investigation of the conditions hens endure at Wegman's Egg Farm, a battery cage operation.

Vegan Food in Israel

This is from the buffet at Village Green (see the next post down). From upper left, there's sweet potatoes, tofu, couscous, eggplant and mushrooms, brown rice, and some sort of veggie medley. There was plently more on the buffet too.



Here's a typical Israeli salad bar meal. I have hummus, a tomato stew, cabbage, and a whole wheat roll. This is a meal that you can probably get at any salad bar or gas station in Israel.


Even El Al Airlines takes good care of the vegans! This is my breakfast on the plane -- a potato blintz with roasted eggplant and zucchini, some cold veggies, a whole wheat roll, some fruit, and vegan vanilla pudding.

Village Oasis

That's me (in the yellow) and some people from my group that I talked into coming with me to Village Oasis in Jerusalem, a vegetarian restaurant. It's fairly informal, with a buffet setup. The food was really good. Whenever I travel, I always make it a habit to eat at one vegetarian or vegan restaurant. Happycow.net or vegetarian-restaurants.net are great sources for veg travel.

Ani Tivoni

That's how you say "I'm a vegan" in Hebrew. Similarly to in the states, they understand that it's more than just being a vegetarian, but still aren't sure if I eat fish, dairy, etc., so it still usually requires explaining.

Needless to say, I'm back from Israel. It was a terrific trip. And, from a vegan perspective, I ate very well, so well that I'm afraid to hop on the scale. Traditional Jewish cuisine is either milchik (milk and dairy) or fleishig (meat), and the two are not mixed. So, if I go to a milchik restaurant, I'll know the soup isn't made with beef broth, and if I go to a fleishig restaurant, I'll know that the ice cream is dairy free. And, hummus, falafel, and pita are abundant, which I could absolutely live on.

Also, I did some awesome running -- along the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv, by the Dead Sea, and through the hilly streets of Jerusalem while strange men yelled stuff in Hebrew to me that I didn't understand and I somehow avoided being hit by cars, car doors, or angry rushed Israelis.

Huge thanks to Mary Ruth for keeping the blog running in my absence! Mary Ruth, I hope you'll continue to post occasionally when you have a chance.

Leftovers from Dinner Out

The three of us went to dinner with friends last night. These are our leftovers and probably close to what VeganDoc is eating on her trip. Kevin says the leftovers are making the kitchen smell, so this is likely what I will have for lunch today. Among other things, we had pita, hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, cabbage salad, the pomegranate stuff, stuffed grape leaves, rice pilaf and some other grain (maybe bulgar) pilaf with chickpeas. I apologize for any spelling errors.
I set the containers out to take a picture, and Sami must have thought she was still hungry:)

Greetings from Israel!

Hi everyone!!!!!!! I am blogging live from a kibbutz (communal farm) in northern Israel.

I am having an amazing time here. It is incredibly easy to be a vegan traveller here -- even easier than in the U.S. There's tons of falafel and hummus, and Israelis are big on salads, fruits, and veggies. So I'm eating well, perhaps too well.

Mary Ruth, thanks again so much for filling in!

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Yesterday was a little hectic and dinner ended up being cereal at 11:30 last night. I also had trail mix on the way home from work, so I wasn't starving. I could eat breakfast all day. The pictured cereal is Trader Joe soy and flax clusters (which has honey, so some vegans may want to avoid) with soy milk. But, I will eat anything that does not cost more than $3 a box, has a good amount of protein and fiber, and does not have any weird colors (Kevin eats Fruity Pepples - disgusting!). I hope everyone else out there had some great Mexican food yesterday. By the way, Sam is 9 months today. I can't believe it!

Easy Dinner

Last night's dinner was born out of a desire to use up some left-over edamame and red wine. I would have much rather put the red wine in a glass and drink it, but I am still nursing the baby, so I'll wait for that. Someone brought the wine to a dinner party and it was not finished. So, I sauteed some red onion, mushrooms and zucchini in a little oil, added a can of diced tomatoes and about a cup each of edamame and wine, and reduced it while the pasta was cooking. Other than chopping the onion and zucchini, this can be made with one hand. That's what I look for these days:)

Vegan Cheese and Marshmallows

What did I do to deserve Kevin taking me to lunch two days in a row? I'll assume it is a sign of his love, and not that he could not get a better date:) Well, we have not been cooking vegan dinners for the last couple days (we also eat cheese and eggs), so here is a picture of my lunch yesterday. It is an avocado and soy cheese sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts and dill spread from Tierra Cafe, a little vegetarian place within walking distance from our offices. The key to a good sandwich is the bread, and this is yummy bread. I am not a huge advocate of soy cheese, but this is good. Maybe the difference is that it is not melted. Anyone out there have a favorite soy cheese? I think VeganDoc likes FollowYourHeart. We have FollowYourHeart market and restaurant out here. I like the restaurant, but I think the market is overpriced (though they used to be the only place to get vegan marshmallows here). By the way, does anyone know where to get good vegan marshmallows? We have been ordering them from PETA, but they aren't the best.

Lunch Out

Yesterday for lunch, Kevin and I went to Skew's. We try to only go to vegetarian restaurants, but we needed something quick and in walking distance. Skew's is nice because you can get any of their burritos, bowls, etc. with tofu instead of meat. Pictured is the Aloha Bowl with rice, tofu, salad and pineapple. Kevin had the BBQ burrito, which has BBQ tofu, mashed potatoes, corn, black beans and veggies. I made something similar last week, but in a shepherd's pie. I used Gardenburger BBQ Riblets, corn, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes topped with garlic mashed potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes.

On an unrelated topic, does anyone have any good ideas for Mother's Day?

Thanks VeganDoc

Thanks for the warm introduction, VeganDoc. Hope you are having a great trip! If you are checking in, let us know how its going.

I think I am in a different time zone than most of your readers, so I thought I would post last night's dinner first. But I forgot to take a picture. So, here is a picture of the baby waiting for breakfast. Anyway, last night we had "meatball" subs: Whole Foods vegan meatballs, sauteed mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes with a little Newman's italian dressing on a french roll in the oven for 12 minutes. It's fast, and I can make it with one hand if the baby does not want to play by herself.

Did anyone participate in the immigration rallies yesterday? I did not, because work was crazy. But, I have friends and family who did. I have never seen as many people as were marching through downtown L.A. yesterday. I am on the 47th floor, so I could see the crowds and hear the chanting. I love it! I think it is a worthy issue, and regardless of your views, it is great to see so many people voicing their opinions (and having an opinion, for once).

Introducing.... Mary Ruth!!!

I'm going to be unable to blog for a little while. Mary Ruth will be posting some amazing food and stuff in the meantime.

Mary Ruth is my brother's girlfriend, and mommy to their adorable 8 1/2 month-old Samantha. She's also a heck of a cook, an attorney, a yoga buff, and a tax guru. All in all, she's a renaissance woman, and I'm honored that she's agreed to blog here.

Curried Lentils

A month or so ago when I was raving about Starport Foods' Garlic Sesame Glaze, I e-mailed the company to tell them how much I love the stuff. I expected maybe some corporate form letter response, but instead I got a personal e-mail from Cheryl Tsang, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Starport Foods!

She tells me that not only is she a vegan, but all Starport Foods products are vegan as well! In addition, she sent me a recipe for Curried Lentils, and I *finally* got around to making it tonight. This lentil curry, which uses their Coconut Curry Sauce, turned out awesome! I followed the recipe below, with the exception of the Thai chili pepper (because I'm a big wuss when it comes to hot stuff) and I didn't blend the liquid at the end (because I'm too lazy to wash my blender):

1 sweet potato, cubed,
2 russet potatoes, cubed
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 Tbl minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, chiopped
1/2 c. red lentils, rinsed
1 red Thai Chile pepper
1/2 c. Starport Coconut Curry Sauce
2-1/2 c. water, boiling

Cheryl says: "Saute all of the items (except the sauce and water) in a pan that has a lid for 3 min. Add Coconut Curry Sauce and water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 20 min. After cooking time, I removed 1 cup of mixture and blended it, then returned it to the pot as a thickener. My lunch guest ate her curried lentils over rice. I had mine in a bowl, like soup."

Awesome. Thanks Cheryl!

At Work Munchies

This is what I'm bringing with me to work today. I have organic celery and peanut butter, pineapple, and edamame (soy beans in pods). Also, I have half of an Alternative Baking Company cookie -- I ate half yesterday, and saved the rest for today, since each half of a cookie has 240 calories. And, finally I have an easy-to-prepare lunch entree, just in case there is no vegan option at our noon teaching conference.

Running!!!!!!

I ran my first 5K of the season this morning and scored a personal record for me, 28:15, which was second place for women ages 30-34. Ok it's not great, but it's 25 seconds faster than my best time before that. I'm very excited about it because I've been working on my speed this winter.

I was hoping to break 28 minutes. And, if it weren't 50 degrees this morning and my Indian food from last night wasn't giving me serious gastrointestinal problems, I'll bet I would have been faster.

This picture is from a year ago, a different 5K. If you weren't wiser, you'd think with my goofy grin that I had won the thing, but I was just muggin' it up for the camera.

My Gardenburger

I made mine on whole wheat bread with sweet potato, ketchup, and Vegenaise.

Stop Darfur Genocide

I volunteered at a rally this evening in Rochester to call awareness to the genocide in Darfur. In the Darfur region of Sudan, 400,000 civillians have been murdered, 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes, and 3.5 million are living in starvation. 10,000 more are murdered each week.

You have the power to stop this genocide. Go to Save Darfur.org and sign a postcard to President Bush to take action. These postcards will be delivered to President Bush on April 30 during the Rally to Stop Genocide in Washington D.C.

As a Jewish American, this especially hits home, as many of my ancestors were murdered in the Holocaust. We all have the responsibility to take action. We cannot sit by idly while genocide occurs.

A Rewarding Patient Encounter

Some days, I feel like I might as well have a conversation with the wall than tell my patients what they need to do to be healthy -- exercise, lose weight, watch what you eat, and take your pills. Because, when I tell them to do those things, I see them again in 3 months, they're 10 pounds heavier, their cholesterol numbers stink, and they haven't "had time" to start exercising.

Then, every so often, I do find a patient who follows my advice. I saw one such patient today in my clinic. I met him 2 years ago when he had his heart attack. He was overweight, smoking, sedentary, and ate horribly. I gave him my usual advice that I give to most patients. Since then, he lost about 30 pounds and is a normal healthy weight. He quit smoking. He changed his diet dramatically, cutting out a lot of meat and dairy.

To this day, his heart health is terrific. He probably has no idea how thrilled I am to see him do so well, but it absolutely brightens my day.

Scrambled Tofu and Pancakes

These are Bisquick Light pancakes. I made them as instructed on the box, but instead of egg used Ener-G Egg Replacer and soy milk instead of cow milk.

The tofu scramble is made from extra-firm tofu that is crumbled, with some onion, spinach, and tomato, and a drop of canola oil. I cooked this up on the same griddle as the pancakes. The spices definitely made this creation delicious -- my choices are turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander, sea salt, and a little pepper.

Mock Tuna Sandwich

Okay, so I gave up fish at age 11 when I grew attached to my fishtank friends, so I truly have no concept of what tuna should taste like. This is a recipe out of this month's Vegetarian Journal. It makes for a terrific, filling sandwich.

Mock 'Tuna' Salad
(Serves 3)
1 cup canned chickpeas
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 small onion, firmly chopped
3 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (I used 2)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mash chickpeas in a small bowl. Ad remaining ingredients and mix well.

Wegmans Cruelty

Wegmans is our big local grocery chain. They're progressive in that they carry a variety of vegetarian and vegan staple foods, sell organic produce, and stock many cruelty-free cosmetics and toiletries. However, they are in the dark ages when it comes to egg production. Learn more at wegmanscruelty.com, and do your part by either not buying eggs or buying only cage-free eggs.

Stuff to Make out of Basmati Rice

I'm moving in 2 months, so it's getting to be time to use up some bulk ingredients that are taking up space in the cabinets.

Tonight was Basmati Rice. I steamed some baby bok choy, mushrooms, and peppers to go with the rice. And, with the leftover rice, I made rice pudding with soy milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and raisins. The picture of the rice pudding came out terrible, so no picture, sorry.

Why is it....

..... that non-veg people can get so weird when you ask about their recipes?

One friend was talking about a matzah lasagna recipe. I was curious, because I'm always looking for cool things to cook. So I asked, "What vegetables are in it?"

She replied, "It had portobello mushrooms, and sauce, and spinach, and.... oh you won't like this.... it had meat in it too."

I know that she, like most people in this country, eats meat. And I find it gross, but I accept it. But, I ask about the recipe because it sounds like something that I could make, and with a few minor adjustments it could be vegan, not to judge people.

Matza Pasta

So, I've got some mushrooms and eggplant sauteed in olive oil, then added some marginally-acceptable kosher for passover tomato pasta sauce and matza farfel.

I could really go for a bagel right now. But, I'll wait 3 more days.

Amazing Chocolate Spread!

My mom found this kosher for Passover chocolate spread in her quest for what to feed me, her vegan daughter. This is from the kosher grocery store in the Detroit area, One Stop Kosher. Not that I need the extra calories as I'm trying to shape up before my upcoming trip to Israel, but this stuff is incredible on matzah!

Eggplant and Matzo Meal Pancakes

I made these eggplant pancakes from a recipe in Nancy Berkoff's Vegan Passover Recipes. Boil small cubes of eggplant in water, then put in food processor with matzo meal (mushrooms were part of the recipe, but I didn't have them), a little bit of vegetable broth, and some spices. Then, form into pancakes and either fry in a pan for three minutes on each side or place in the oven for 15-20 minutes for less oily pancakes. Either way, they taste great with a little tomato sauce on them

Sweet Potato Kugel

I love this stuff -- sweet potatoes, apples, raisins, matzah meal, and a little grape juice and walnuts.

Passover Seder

This is my veggie loaf.

It's Passover Time!

I know there are a few Jewish folks who read this blog.

My immediate family (Mom, Dad, Kevin, Mary Ruth, and little Samantha) are all lacto-ovo vegetarians. So, our seder dinners, where we eat lots of food and retell the story of the Jews leaving slavery in Egypt, are vegetarian.

Last Passover was my first as a vegan, and occurred only a month after I became a vegan. As the eight day Passover diet restricts grains, rice, corn, and legumes, it's always been a challenge to me, since I eat a lot of soy. However, with excluding eggs and dairy from my diet, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get through all eight days without absolutely losing it.

I prepared. I made a vegetable nut loaf and a sweet potato and apple dish for seder, and they were delicious. I tried a recipe for matzah balls without eggs and they were a complete disaster. But, most importantly, unlike any previous Passover when in frustration I'd unhealthily gorge myself on eggs and dairy, I was prepared.

And, it was my easiest Passover ever.

I highly recommend Chef Nancy Berkoff's Vegan Passover Recipes and Roberta Kalechofsky's The Vegetarian Pesach Cookbook. Also, the Vegetarian Resource Group has some great recipes, including a Sweet Potato Kugel, which I convinced Hadassah to send the recipe to all of its new members, but that's another odd story.

So, to those of you who celebrate Passover, have a wonderful holiday.

Pasta..... lazy

This weekend, I moonlighted at a small hospital about 45 minutes away. Moonlighting means taking additional shifts to make extra money, and since physician-in-training salaries are low, working the extra hours is very tempting.

I definitely worked hard for my money this weekend, a full 12 hours on both Saturday and Sunday, without much break, and even got called in in the middle of the night on Saturday night. So, tonight I wasn't in the mood to cook much. Hence this very lazy pasta dish that has some nutritional value: whole wheat penne pasta with Prego and a fresh hydroponic orange pepper sauteed in canola oil, salt, and pepper.

I wolfed down my dinner so fast that I didn't take the picture until after dinner. This picture is of my leftovers in tupperware for lunch tomorrow.

Melissa the Dog -- May, 1992 - April 7, 2006

My family's dear dog Melissa crossed the rainbow bridge today.

Back in high school, my brother really wanted a dog. I didn't -- I thought dogs were too much effort. Kevin picked out Melissa from our local Humane Society shelter. She was a hyper little girl at first, and we all grew to love her. Her birthdays were celebrated at Taco Bell and Dairy Queen. Ok, they weren't celebrated in those restaurants, but we'd all get in the car and go for a drive to get dinner for us and her.

She mellowed out as she got older. Then, at age 9, she was found to have a mass in her spleen. We were told it was probably cancer and that she would die soon. Her spleen was removed urgently, the mass was no more than a bruise, and she recovered. A year later, she was diagnosed with kidney failure and her body nearly shut down. With medications, lots of loving care, and occasional fluid injections, she was nursed back to health, and lived a happy three more years.

As the years passed, her hearing and vision deteriorated. Her joints became sore. She still wagged her tail for us, but she slowed down quite a bit. Today, my parents came home to find that she had passed away.

Dogs are wonderful creatures, full of personality, and give us unconditional love. Melissa was a part of our family, and she will be forever missed.

Steamed Veggies

One of the many reasons that I love shopping at Wegmans is their cooking demonstrations. Very often they have something vegan, or something that can be made vegan easily. I love to chat up the chef and learn how he prepares different foods. This past weekend, the chef was steaming vegetables, and the final product was delicious! So, I bought a steaming basket set.

Tonight, I steamed red and yellow peppers, baby bok choy, and sweet peas in pods with some salt and pepper. On top of the veggies, I layered some Morningstar Farms Steak Strips, and drizzled the dish with my favorite sesame garlic sauce.

Pita Sandwich

I decided to take advantage of the delicious whole wheat pita that I bought yesterday. As I was daydreaming in the cath lab today, this is the sandwich I came up with: hummus, avocado, sweet potato, and seitan. Yum!

Midweek Munchies!

Midweek Munchies: What Vegan Doc is contributing for the week I took a trip to Lori's Natural Foods today with the intention of picking up just a few things, but as expected, brought home more than I had planned. Earlier in the week I bought fruits and veggies, and today I picked up some less honest items: Gardenburger Chicken Wings -- spicy, with weird texture. I don't recommend them. Soy Dream Organic French Vanilla -- less fat and fewer calories than their Decadent line, but still delicious Edamame Whole wheat pita bread A pre-made pinto bean, basmati rice, and avocado wrap -- for dinner for a vegan girl on the go! A few Amy's Indian Meal dinners -- these make for great lunches at work Check out Harmonia's blog for other Midweek Munchies sites!

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Click here for Vegan Doc's blog

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A special thanks to Running2Ks and Rift for all of their help with coding, graphics, and encouragement for this project.

PURPOSE of Midweek Munchies: Put together by a small group of Veg Women, we hope to spread the word about healthy vegetarianism while obtaining idea starters for meals, recipes, learn about new products, and meet other female veg*n bloggers. Visiting and commenting on other participants lists are encouraged but not required. Have fun and Go Veg!