Ok, Raine, you asked for it...ahahaha « ~*~ My Boho Life: Musings of a Gypsy Heart ~*~

Aug 10, 2004

Ok, Raine, you asked for it...ahahaha

It's vegetarian/vegan education time! :D

No no, I'm kidding, ahahaha Actually what I've got for you at the moment is a list of items that I buy. I know when I started out to go vegan, I didn't know where to begin! I know you're not sure about veganism yet, but these'll help ya at least in vegetarianism, too. ;)

So here is my 'shopping list', if you will:

ALL items are MSG-FREE!!!!! (I get deathly ill from MSG! ahaha)

Yves Veggie Cuisine "The Good Deli Veggie Pizza Pepperoni" (Certified vegan. Anything that is certified vegan will have a little circle with a heart inside, and a 'v' inside the heart)

LIGHTLIFE brand:
• "Smart Dogs!" (meatless fat-free franks, cholesterol free, certified vegan)
• Meat Free "Smart Menu" ALL NATURAL burgers (soy protein burgers) (no artificial anything!, certified vegan. I seriously can't tell the difference in the way they taste, so this might be a good choice to start with!)

Amy's Bowls "Teriyaki" (vegan, teriyaki veggie & rice stirfry -- YUM!)

NEAR EAST brand:
• 100% Natural Rice Pilaf Mix "Garden & Herb"
• 100% Natural Rice Pilaf Mix "Original"
• 100% Natural Long Grain & Wild Rice Mix "Original"
*NOTE: Each lists on the back of the box suggested veggies to add -- I put broccoli & zucchini in all of mine, 'cause I'm addicted to them, lmao.

CASBAH...."ROCK THE CASBAH!" AAAAHAHAHAHAHAA! SORRY! I HAD A CLASH MOMENT THERE! AHAHAHAHA

Casbah Timeless Cuisine (Casbah Natural Foods) "Rice Pilaf" All Natural Mix (again, has info on back re: what veggies you can add -- I still use broccoli & zucchini, lmao! OMG this one is SINFULLY DELICIOUS!!!!! ahahahaha)

FANTASTIC (that's a brand, ahaha)
• Big Soup Vegetarian Quick Meals "Vegetable Miso Ramen Noodle" *vegan* (omg, SCRUMMY! ahahaha To me, it tastes just like chicken soup but BETTER! I eat a lot of this if I'm sick!)
• Couscous (wonderfully versatile, quick-cooking tiny Moroccan pasta) (good simple side dish! ahahaha There are FLAVORED versions out there, like there was one w/ lemongrass, but omg, I nearly gagged when I tried it. I HATE lemon, though, so that's why, ahahaha)

• Tofu Scrambler (a delicious blend of vegetables and spices in an eggless tofu scramble -- just add tofu!) *vegan*

Edward & Sons "Miso-Cup Delicious Golden Vegetable Soup" (with tasty vegetarian recipes inside! Freeze-dried, instant, just add hot water!) (this stuff is soooooooo good! Totally vegan. You can eat it plain, or use it in soups and stews. I used it as a soup base of a casserole and it was awesome!)

THAI KITCHEN brand:
• Savory Garlic Stir-Fry Noodles w/ Sauce - *mild* - can add veggies or tofu
• Thai Peanut Rice Noodles w/ Seasonings - *medium* - can add veggies, tofu, etc.
• Rice Noodle Soup "Hot & Sour" Rice Noodles w/ Seasonings - *spicy*
• Jasmine Rice 'Select Harvest' (mm, jasmine..)

• "Garlic & Vegetable" Instant Rice Noodles - *mild* - (my favorite!)
• "Mushroom Medley" bowls - *mild* - (rice noodles, seasonings, mushrooms -- don't worry, there aren't a ton of them, ahahaha)

PEPPERIDGE FARM Cubed Country-Style Stuffing (the only stuffing I've found here that DOESN'T contain some type of chicken product! It's REALLY good, got a nice spice to it!)

J.J. NISSEN Canadian Brown Bread (it's the only store-bought brown bread that I like, lmao)

GRAPESEED OIL Vegenaise - NO eggs, NO dairy, NO cholesterol, NO preservatives. (This stuff tastes WAY better than regular mayo!!!!! It's got a nice 'zip' and a great texture! ahahaha)

NASOYA All-Natural Vegi-Dressing (soy based salad dressing)
• "Creamy Italian"
• "Garden Herb"

SOY MILKS I get:
• VitaSoy "Creamy Original" - *vegan* - (you can cook w/ this stuff just like milk! And it's great on cereal)
• Soy Dream "Chocolate" and "Vanilla" - *vegan* - (the chocolate kind, you can drink it cold, or heat it up like hot cocoa!)
[*NOTE: These are NOT watery soy milks! I HATE watery soy milk! These have a better texture!]

TOFUTTI "Better Than Cream Cheese" Imitation Cream Cheese/Dip:
• "Plain"
• "Herbs & Chives" (omg I could live on this stuff! YUMMMM)

TOFU brands: I get "NASOYA" 'cause it's the only brand the stores seem to carry around here, ahahaha "Firm" tofu is good for stir-fries, shiskebobs (how do you SPELL that?! ahahaha), etc.; "Silken" tofu is good for puddings, smoothies, softer stuff, ahahaha

ENER-G EGG REPLACER -- I use this in some recipes in place of eggs. Well, I NEVER EVER cook w/ eggs anyway, but this WON'T work in some things like box brownie mixes -- the brownies WON'T rise, lmao! But I've had success with homemade breads and other things!

SUGAR IN THE RAW -- Natural Cane Turbinado Sugar from Hawaii. (it's the only sugar I'll use!)

LIFESTREAM Sea Salt -- additive free! (plus it tells you of Gandhi's Salt March in 1930, so you get history with your salt! ahahaha)

SHEDD'S "Willow Run" soy margarine -- no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives. (very nice, 'rich' tasting margarine. Reminds me of REAL butter, honestly!)

Amy's Organic Soups *low fat* "No Chicken Noodles" -- chicken soup w/out the chicken!

BROWN RICE NOODLES for spaghetti.

ARTICHOKE-SEMOLINA macaroni elbows for other pastas.

SOY DELICIOUS 'soy cream' (fake ice cream) -- favorites of mine are "Chocolate-Peanutbutter" (omg TRY THIS, you'll LOVE it)... AND... "Mango Raspberry" (LOVE this, too!!)

RICE DREAM NON-DAIRY DESSERT "Mint Carob Chip" (ooh la la! Tasty!)

There are LOTS of "fake" meats out there, you just have to look for 'em. ;) I don't even think to, because I didn't eat a lot of that kinda stuff before anyway, ahahaha But there's fake chicken, Tofurkey, fake sausage, fake cheese, etc! (Personally I haven't found a vegan cheese that MELTS yet -- I'm still on that mission, ahahaha I'll keep you posted on that!)

I'll post recipes later, okaley-dokaley, neighboroonie? ahahaha

TTFN!

ps. get yourself a bloggin' blog, for blog's sake! It's even bloggin' FREE! ahahaha

...and yeah, 'blog' does stand for something: it's a shortened version of "weblog". Ooh, ahh, so TRENDY! *gag* ahahahaha

Posted at 12:32 pm by gypsyheart


	Raine August 11, 2004 12:39 AM PDT Omg, I'm totally overwhelmed! ha ha ha Thanks for all the fabuloso info, girl. I just got ICQ again for like the millionth time in so many years, so I'll share my new number: 200087743. Sign up for it and we can do the chat thingy. I was trying to get an older version of it, but when I tried, I got a Trojan. No, not the fun kind either. ;) Anyway, it's all cleared up. lmao@trojans causing viruses. I mean, who thought of that? ha ha ha Well, I suppose they don't cause them persay...but I digress. ANYWHO, I'm in the progress of thinking of a good blog name for a blog site. Hmmmmmm I'll clue you in when I know. Thanks for all the replies!! :) Raine

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