Vegan Baking

Just last week was my husband's birthday and his FAVORITE dessert is lemon bars. Being vegan, its been a little difficult finding desserts that do not contain dairy. After my recent trip to Barnes and Noble, I discovered probably the best vegan cookbook of all time - Veganomicon! It has TONS of vegan recipes, not only desserts, but appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees. From American to Indian to Mexican, its all in there. They give you tips on what to have in your pantry at all times and how certain specialty foods should be stored and cooked.

Needless to say, this is where I found my amazing Lemon Bar recipe for the birthday celebration. The crust is very easy to make and the gelatin lemon layer is hard to mess up! The lemon layer requires Agar flakes, which are a type of seaweed, so when heating this portion, my kitchen smelled of seafood - a little disturbing to me at first, but I followed through! I did add to the mixture one little special ingredient which I think gave a much appreciated "lemon" boost.

The Vegan Lemon Bars were a definite hit, among, of course, the most important man of the night, and among our non-vegan friends (which tells you they were good!). And no, there's no "seaweed" taste to these as mentioned above! This new recipe has dubbed me the "Lemon Bar Lady" and I will be making this dessert for many celebrations and parties to come!

PS: Oh! And the BEST part is... regular, dairy lemon bars contain 209 calories per serving (1 lemon bar), these little babies only have 90 calories per serving! For more vegan recipes and nutritional facts visit: Livestrong.com - Veganomicon

Until next time!

xoxo nicole

November 2, 2010

Here's a question I recently received from Foodpicker.org My doctor has diagnosed me with diabetes and has told me to lose weight.  I have heard about high protein diets, low fat/high carb diets, and many others.  I want a sound diet instead of a fad.  What type of diet is best given my situation? You are on the right track - fad diets, like any other fad (think acid-wash jeans, ick!) will soon fade away. The key to losing weight is to eat healthy and exercise. This shouldn't be thought of as a "diet", but a way of living your life. This may sound tough, but minor changes to your diet can make BIG strides in your health. Everyone, especially people living with diabetes, can follow these same rules: 1. Move away from full fat foods and try the low-fat versions: 2% milk and fat-free (or even Greek) yogurt provide you with your daily doses of calcium, yet they leave out those unnecessary fat calories! 2. Try adding some delicious berries (any with no added sugar) to your cereal or even a little pumpkin puree to your yogurt - this will give a great natural sugar taste and also provide you with antioxidants and fiber. 3. Whole Grains are KEY - yes, we all hear that carbs are the "bad guys", but in the right doses (no more than 1 cup per serving), they actually help boost your activity level and keep you focused throughout the day. Keep an eye out for this in the grocery store - cereals, bread, rice, oatmeal, & crackers all have that whole grain option. 4. Green leafy veggies and citrus fruits also pack a great amount of vitamins and minerals - they also keep you fuller longer without worrying too much about those added calories! 5. We MUST remember that getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day will help you toward a healthier weight and mind!  Remember, everyone trying to maintain a healthy weight struggles, especially those with diabetes who may think certain foods are out of reach. The idea to remember when planning a meal is: Less is More! Less additives and more natural ingredients keep you healthy and alert. For more ideas on meal planning, and to keep those portion sizes in check, check out the following links: Diabetes.org - recipes eatright.org