There is nothing better on a cold Fall night than a big bowl of soup that serves as a meal (there are probably some things that are better, but…). This soup is vegan, healthy, hearty, and takes 30 minutes to make. There are lots of shortcuts to soup that don’t require sitting in a crock pot, subject to every passerby lickin’ and lappin’ a “just a taste”. Especially with the SWINE running around. I could have named this “Simple Healthy Swine Fall Soup” if it took 8 hours to make and you have 8 kids.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 carrots diced (like whole carrots, not those cheating “bites”)
• 2 celery stalks diced
• big handful of sliced mushrooms
• 1 large potato diced
• 1/4 cup instant brown rice
• 8 cups water
• 6 tsp of “Better than Bouillon” vegetable stock (this matters)
• 1 cup plain soy milk
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Heat the cooking oil in a large soup pot (like really hot). Throw in all the veggies (they should sizzle), reduce heat to medium, and stir for 5 minutes. Add the water and vegetable base. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Throw in the brown rice, soy milk, parsley, and rosemary. Cook another 5 minutes. Remove about two cups of the broth and transfer it to a small pot. Get it boiling hot. Mix the cornstarch with just enough water to make it look like milk. Stirring with a whisk, pour the gradually cornstarch into the small pot. The liquid will almost turn to putty. This is good. As soon as it gets to a putty state, remove from the heat. In the larger pot, stir the soup and add the putty. Stir and stir and stir until the putty has dissolved and the soup is thicker.

Taste the soup. You want the soup to taste 75% of the flavor you want to eat it at. If it is not salty enough, add more bouillon 1 tsp at a time and make sure it is stirred (to be at 75% the edible flavor). The soup will need to cool to room temperature before you store it in the fridge. There will be some evaporation and further mixing (or “getting aquatinted” as my late mother-in-law used to say). If you salt it to taste immediately, it will taste like the Dead Sea the following day. If you plan to eat a portion of the soup immediately for a meal, then salt each portion to taste.

If you did everything right, you should have a chunky and somewhat earthy soup that compliments the smell of the autumn leaves around you…minus the SWINE.

Here is a no-nonsense throw down bowl of hearty Mexican chow. There are no limits to what you can throw into the bowl as everything goes together and the more you mix it, the better it tastes. This bowl of warm Mexican goodness is a great meal to walk into after a cold fall day.

Ingredients:

• 2 diced potatoes
• 1 diced green pepper
• 2 diced scallions
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 package of silken tofu
• 1 package Trader Joes vegan soy chorizo
• 2 slices of vegan soy pepper jack cheese
• 1 tbsp soy milk
• soy sour cream
• guacamole
• hot sauce
• lime juice
• cilantro

Pour the oil into a large skillet and get it hot! Add the potatoes and garlic. They should sizzle. Cook them for 3 minutes. Add all the other vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the silken tofu block and work it into the mixture. The tofu should break apart into really small chunks. Add the soy vegan chorizo (I love this stuff). Keep on stirring the mixture over high heat until it is cooked through (2 minutes). Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, break up the slices of soy pepper jack cheese and add the tbsp of soy milk. Microwave it for 30 seconds. Take it out of the microwave and whisk it with a fork. This will give you that creamy cheese sauce (vegan, of course) that you find slathered all over your traditional Mexican burrito without having it stop your heart or simply pad it on your thighs or gut (part of that weight loss deal).

Scoop the Mexican mixture into a bowl. Pour the savory melted soy cheese over it. Add a large scoop of soy sour cream and guacamole. Stir it a little until it is nice and sloppy. For kicks, squeeze some fresh lime and sprinkle some fresh chopped cilantro over the top. Get yourself a big spoon and start shoveling in this warm, healthy, filling, fall vegan meal.

This has been a favorite of ours we found pre-vegan days. I made it last night with a vegan twist. This is a great meal that gives you lots of veggies, pasta, and great lemon flavor without all the associated hassle of calories. It is a full meal that can be served with a salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 green zucchini
• 1/2 yellow zucchini
• 1 bunch asparagus tips
• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 cup of carrots
• 1/2 package whole wheat angel hair pasta
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 pkg Light Life vegan Smart Tenders
• 2 lemons

Cut up all the vegetables on a large cutting board. We use the Pampered Chef hand slicer which makes great juliann strips of the vegetables. Dump the veggies in a bowl and mix them with oil, salt, and pepper. Put them on a cookie sheet and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, boil your pasta.

In a large skillet, get 2 tbsp of oil nice and hot. Open the box of vegan smart tenders and cut them into strips. Mince the garlic cloves and mix them in with the pieces. Make sure your pan is hot! Throw in the tenders into the pot. The tenders have a nice coating on them that should brown. Cook for about 3 minutes until nice and brown. Remove from the pan.

Put the pan back on the burner and add the white wine, veggie stock, margarine, parsley, and basil. Let this cook for 3 minutes. Mix the cornstarch in a separate bowl with some water until it is all dissolved. Wisk this mixture into the cooking sauce. It should thicken immediately. Remove the pan from the heat and add back the vegan smart tenders.

Pull your roasted veggies out of the oven and drain your pasta. Start combining all ingredients in the pasta pot. Start by pouring in the tenders mixture. Add your veggies. From here, add scoops of pasta at one at a time until you get a good balance of all ingredients (some people don’t like a lot of pasta).

Finish the mixture off by squeezing 1 – 2 full lemons over it (to your taste) along with some salt and pepper. Serve in bowls (4 – 6 servings). You should have a nice, light, and satisfying pasta dish.

Folks, a vegan meal does not get any easier than this. If you have been reading this blog and have been curious about the food, the vegan red beans and rice recipe yields a great “try before you buy” meal. It is full of fiber and protein with low fat and no cholesterol (a building block for my 25 year old weight at 35). We have made this meal for all of our veganphobic friends and all have been shocked by how stinkin’ good this is.

Here are the stinkin’ ingredients (I just like saying that in a recipe):

• 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (not sticky, like classic Uncle Ben’s)
• 1 can of red kidney beans
• 1/2 Trader Joe’s Vegan Chorizo (yeah, we love this stuff)
• 1 TBSP worchestshire sauce
• 2 TBSP liquid smoke
• 1/2 diced onion
• 1/2 diced green pepper
• Vegetable stock

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and pepper. Saute the mixture for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add worchester and liquid smoke to the pan and stir into the vegetables. Add the rice, beans, and chorizo to the pan. Add vegetable stock in splash increments if it seems too dry for you liking. You may also add dabs of liquid smoke depending on how Cajun you like it. Cook the mixture on low for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and serve in bowls with some Frank’s Red Hot (accept no substitutes).

As a single guy, I ate the same thing for two years straight (ask my wife). Every week I made a pot of rice, beans, onions, and chicken. This was a recipe I learned from the Latino dishwashers at the restaurant I worked at for years. In addition to teaching me practical Spanish (including cuss words), they taught me this simple and sustaining recipe. I ate this for lunch and dinner (along with some steamed veggies). At the time, I did not care about the repetition of the food because: A. it was cheap B. it kept me lean (I was on the market). From the age of 21 to 28, I weighed between 180 and 185 lbs. I was able to tuck in my shirts and make a straight line and also had to wear a belt with all my pants.

Enter bacon, butter, and companionship (AKA marriage). Being from the South, Aleta introduced me to butter and bacon. I was aware of this food, but did not realize how many different ways it could be applied to the pallette. Couple that with our newlywed DINK (dual income no kids) status which essentially gave us the ability to eat out anywhere and as frequently as we wanted. During this time we developed a taste for prime steak (like $40 steaks), Brazillian steakhouses, and eggs and chorizo breakfasts at Mexican dives in LA.

By the time I hit 30, I weighed 200 lbs and my generally high cholesterol broke through the 300 barrier. This is not something to be excited about. We had a trail of great memories together in Sonoma, Maui, Big Bear, the Grand Canyon, the Texas Hill country,  Joshua Tree, and road trips through the great Southwest. During this whole time, I was exercising at least 5 times a week by running along the south runway at LAX (it is LOUD at 5 AM) or lifting weights with all the gangsters at the Inglewood Bally’s gym (I was the only white guy most of the time in the free weight section).

From 30 to 35, I hovered between 195 lbs and 215 lbs with my cholesterol between 200 and 315 (a personal “heart attack waiting to happen” record). In order to lose weight, it required me to give up all sugars, curb my portions to where I was always hungry, and cut my craving for meat/dairy in half. It would also take weeks to see results, having to stay on top of it all the time. This put quite a dent in the “butter and bacon” fun Aleta (and now our 2 kids) and I experienced together.

Enter the vegan switch this last July…

If you don’t know the reason for our switch, click here. A well balanced vegan diet (minus the political angst and hemp shoes) will bring about weight loss without any starving or sacrifice in taste. Being the computer geek that I am, I conducted a ton of research to ensure we were eating balanced diets and have wrote many posts like the “Super Foods for Vegetable Haters” series.

The short of it is that a well balanced vegan diet from my experience has the following 3 weight loss benefits:

1. 50% – 70% reduction in saturated fats. This fat is the BAD fat that makes you fat.I don’t have any “clinical reports” on this. I have been simply looking at the packages of the food I now eat and comparing them to traditional alternatives. Here is an example of a vegan cheeseburger vs. a fast food one.
2. Reduction in processed sweets – Almost all cakes, cookies, and candy have eggs and milk in them. That basically knocks out this whole category from a vegan diet. I do have a sweet tooth and found myself eating cereal, trail mix, or making Born Again Vegan Chocolate Chip cookies.
3. Massive intake of whole grains – Substituting whole grain versions of bread, cereal, tortillas, and pasta makes a huge difference in how much you eat. These are much more dense than the bleached flour alternative. They make you more full and pack much more fiber/nutrients than the white alternative. More full means less intake.

The end result (after 90 days) is that I now weigh 185 lbs again like I did when I was 25 and my cholesterol is at 160. I lost 7 lbs the first week and did not starve. For the first time since I was 25, I have the proper body mass index (BMI). The BMI is a generally accepted gauge for ideal weight for age and height.

I do not know if I will eat a vegan diet forever. The health benefits of it are irrefutable . I am enjoying fitting into size 34 jeans again comfortably and wearing medium fitted crew T-shirts from the Banana Republic. I also have a peace of mind about the fact that I am no longer a heart attack waiting to happen or enslaved to some drug.

I hope that this serves as an encouragement to you that a normal suburban father of 2 can eat a vegan diet and live the average American life. It feels good to weigh 185 at 35 like I am 25. Too bad I can’t have my 25 year old body back. It would be great if the vegan diet would re-grow my hair, fix my cranky back, and heal the weird clicks in my shoulders. Maybe I can eat some rice and beans again (minus the chicken) and hope for the best.

It has been almost 90 days since we began our vegan diet adventure. As you already know, Aleta has discovered ways to reduce her arthritis pain, I have reduced my cholesterol, we have both lost 35 lbs between the two of us, and we rarely have the heartburn and lethargic feeling after eating a steak. Many of you still have concerns about eating a vegan diet. Below I have compiled the 5 most common questions and answers from our experience.

1) Do you get enough protein eating a vegan diet?

If you don’t eat a balanced vegan diet, sure. If you eat a balanced vegan diet full of beans, whole grains, nuts, and soy products, you will have no problems getting all your protein.

2) Do you get all your nutrients eating a vegan diet?

If you don’t eat a balanced diet, sure (notice a theme here?). A plant based diet provides every nutrient you need for your daily intake. The only nutrient you can’t get in a vegan diet is vitamin B12. This is only produced in the digestive track of animals. We need vitamin B12 for healthy brain and nervous system function. We only need a couple micrograms daily. You can get vitamin B12 in soy milk and supplements. We take a multivitamin every day (as everyone should regardless of diet). Check out my post on my bloodwork before and after my vegan diet.

3) Do you have to eat salads all day?

No, you don’t. Aleta and I eat a small salad once a day for dinner. There are vegan alternatives to all meat and dairy products. There are also many vegan recipes out there that use vegetables, vegan meatless products, rice, and noodles. Just about every meal can be replicated in a vegan form. Check out our recipes.

4) How do you go out to eat?

There are many fewer options for dining out as a vegan. Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, and Mediterranean restaurants all offer purely vegan meals. Also, there is bound to be a handful of healthy restaurants in your hometown.

5) How hard is it to buy all this special food?

You can get 80% of your vegan food at any grocery store. Many of the meatless products can be found in most frozen food sections. You will have to head to a specialty store like Whole Foods to get a small handful of items: soy cheese, soy yogurt, soy cheese, vegan cold cuts, and vegan porklike products.

In continuing with our 60 day checkup, I wanted to share my full bloodwork and results of my physical from my doctor. Many of you have asked about whether a vegan diet provides enough nutrients (protein, iron, etc). You will see below that all my bloodwork AFTER 60 days of eating vegan is just as normal as it was BEFORE we started. I have lost 10 lbs while still maintaining my strength at the gym and for the first time since I was 25, I actually weigh what I am supposed to.

As you already know (or have yet read), I also have  high cholesterol. This leads to all kinds of bad things like coronary disease, heart attack, and stroke. Many of you reading this may be on high cholesterol medicine. I have resolved to never take that stuff because I believe (and you will see below) that it can be controlled by diet. For those who don’t know, any cholesterol level over 200 is BAD and of that, LDL levels over 130 are BAD. My record highest cholesterol count 3 years ago was 310 with an LDL of 200. That is a heart attack waiting to happen (in 10 years). My cholesterol is now in the very low risk category without an ounce of pharmaceuticals in my body.

My doctor was very pleased with the results and gave me 100% encouragement to stay the vegan course. The one thing I do need to do is raise my HDL level a couple points. HDL levels should be between 40 to 50 for men. Mine is now at 40. There are many ways to raise HDL levels in diet which I will incorporate.

After 60 days of eating vegan, my take is that it is the best health choice I have made in my life. It has been the easiest “diet and exercise” program I have ever been on. Aleta and I are not sure for how long we will do this, but for now we are Born Again Vegans.

Also knows as “lbs” or “pounds”. I know many of you are dying to know if we have both lost weight. The answer is yes. At the start of our 3rd official week eating vegan, we both have lost 5 lbs or “El Bees” as Aleta calls it. The first week, the bees pretty much melted away at the rate of .5 per day. This slowed a bit the second week, down to 1 bee. Considering we are both getting our daily intake of protein and hitting the gym regularly, we should be on track to gradually taper off a couple more, but nothing too drastic. I have read multiple articles (you can google) in which people experience moderate weigh loss or even gain weight.

Being a vegan does not warrant eating whatever you want. You can easily consume 2000 – 2500 calories a day as a vegan and if not careful, most of those calories can come from carbs (too much rice and pasta) or fat (soy cheese/milk/ice cream, too much oils). Unquestionably, however, is the lower saturated fat and cholesterol. It is very difficult to load yourself on saturated fat as a vegan and next to impossible to find anything with cholesterol. You may not lose weight, but your heart, stomach, liver, and kidneys will thank you for it later.

The recommended daily allowance for cholesterol is 300 mg. My cholesterol level has historically hovered between 220 and 340 with LDL topping out around 150 – 170 sometimes. When I watch my cholesterol for 3 months, it usually drops to 200. In 2007, my doctor put me on Lipitor. For grins, I decided to see what kind of effect it would have on me. Between the medicine and the diet, my cholesterol level dropped to 170. That has been the best it has been since I have been tracking it. Historically when I watch my cholesterol, I limit my daily intake to 200 mg or so. Since I have been eating vegan, I have been eating less than 10 mg a day. That is rather drastic to say the least.

I want to see what kind of effect this will have after a couple months. In order to measure the effect, I scheduled an appointment with my doctor. The office receptionist immediately asked me if I wanted my doctor to renew my Lipitor prescription. I politely informed her that I was not on Lipitor and was making some dietary changes to prevent taking it. Kinda confused, she scheduled my appointment. This does not surprise me. This kind of “give you medicine to cope with disease” approach is what Aleta and I are used to in her quest for wellness. No cures and lots of coping.

My doctor was pleasantly surprised about my goals and supported them fully. She was so excited that she ordered extended blood work and scheduled me for a full physical in September. She even made the comment that so few of her patients ever want to fix the problem. They simply want the medicines that perpetuate their poor dietary choices.

Stay tuned for the results…

Increasing fiber intake is not without it’s side effects. We’re getting used to the almost 100% increase in fiber. Let’s just say that my boys think it is the coolest thing as I am a constant noise maker for them. Here is an interesting article that explains why increased fiber leads to increased gas. My estimates are that we are eating 30 – 35 grams per day now (30 is the daily allowance). Interestingly enough, most Americans eat half of this. I would safely assume we were in that category before eating vegan.