I learn something new everyday.....

So during my time of being a vegetarian, I've learned a lot about the food we buy that is 'considered' to be humane or vegetarian.  Some of it was shocking to find out.  Here are some key products that flew under my radar until recently.....

• For the longest time, I never knew there was such a things as "Vegetarian Cheese."  Some cheeses are made with an ingredient from the stomachs of slaughtered calves and vegetarian cheese uses vegetable-derived rennet. Every supermarket now stocks at least one kind of vegetarian cheese, and many of the more unusual varieties such as Stilton and Brie are also now available in vegetarian versions. 
• A Fruitarian exists! — A person who follows a vegan diet, but only eats foods that don’t kill the plant.  For example, picking apples does not kill the tree, but you cannot have carrots without killing the plant. Wow - I thought I made this term up years ago when I was just goofing around! I used to say that  "At least animals can run & roam......vegetables roots are shackles to the ground....."  Looks like some people out there really believe that.  Huh.   
• Cage Free vs Free Range - “Free Range,” “Cage Free,” “Organic”…what does it all mean? Marketing labels are perhaps the most confusing part of this whole “eating humanely/healthy” game. So what do the various terms you see on the packages mean?

1. Conventional (i.e., no special label) – Typically less than half a square foot of space per hen, giving not even enough room to spread their wings. 
2. Cage Free – As it says, the hens are able to move about inside a barn without being confined to cages. A better life, but not optimal as parts of beaks are often burned to prevent pecking at themselves and others (a sign of distress, by the way).
3. Free Range – Implies chickens on lush green pastures. Actually is not a regulated term for eggs so this can be used by absolutely anyone. Really all that’s needed is a door to the outside that gives the chickens “access” to an outdoor area, whether they actually use it or not. This is a meaningless term.
4. Organic – This means the hens were fed organic feed, whatever that feed consists of. I think it also means no animal by-products in the feed.
5. Vegetarian – The hen is fed a vegetarian feed. I only mention this to point out that chickens are omnivores, not vegetarians, and will naturally eat bugs, grubs, etc. This term is used to imply “healthier” in our anti-meat culture.

As you can see, few of the terms on the egg carton actually mean a whole lot. Other than “organic” and “vegetarian,” it’s pretty useless. But there’s one more term that actually means what you want it to mean. “Pastured” means the chickens were raised on pasture, with access to the sun, grass, bugs, and possibly supplemented with grains and other feed.  That's what I'm gonna keep my eyes open for from now on!

Ok!  Now for the fun stuff - the recipes!!!

I've made a bunch of new things I'm excited about!!  The first is yogurt, which I've been making for years now.  When I was pregnant, I started getting serious migraines anytime I ate what I narrowed down to, yogurt.  After lots of investigating,  I concluded that it was the amount of live active cultures in it that was triggering my headaches.  So I started making my own which is super easy & sooo much better than what you'd get at the store.  Plus then you can flavor it with whatever you'd like!  I have a yogurt maker (it's relatively inexpensive - check it out - my yogurt maker) and saves $$ in the long run - especially if you buy organic yogurt. However, you can make yogurt without a special "maker."  You just need the right tools.  Here is a great resource for how to make yogurt with things you have around your kitchen (including using a microwave!)  Yogurt Making Tips

Homemade Yogurt Recipe

4 cups of fresh, organic 2% milk (You can use skim or 1% as well)
1/3 cup of powdered milk
1/2 cup organic yogurt (this will be your starter - I use greek yogurt since it has less cultures. Once you have your batch of yogurt made, make sure to save some to use as a starter next time or you can use a yogurt starter like "Yogourmet."

Making yogurt begins with milk. I buy organic milk that is fresh as possible. Slowly heat the milk on the stove over low-medium heat.

this point you can choose to add powdered milk. Powdered milk creates thicker yogurt that takes less time to ferment. It's optional if you are using whole milk or two percent. Some skim and one percent milk include added milk proteins which make the product taste less watery and will behave the same way as if you added powdered milk.

For your first batch use two-percent milk plus 1/3 cup of powdered milk. This combination of milk with the powder will produce a delicious, basic yogurt.

The most tedious thing about making yogurt is watching the milk get hot. You need it to hit 170 degrees, but not have it boil. So you want to pay attention to the pot and have a thermometer at hand. Once you've hit the target temperature, remove from heat and then wait for the milk to cool. Unless you put the pot in the refrigerator it will take some time to cool to 108-112 degrees.

If you are using existing yogurt as a starter, have it handy in a cup. When the milk is cooled to the proper temperature, mix a small amount it in with the yogurt. This will break up the yogurt and makes blending it with the rest of the milk easier. Once you add the starter, the milk can be placed in the pre-heated yogurt maker for four to eight hours. Refrigerate before serving. Makes one quart.  Enjoy!

 VEGETARIAN KORMA

This was by far one of the best dishes I've made in a long time.  Indian can be tricky to get right at home but, this recipe is a keeper.  After a few tweaks, I made it my own and made it DELICIOUS!  My brother (a carnivore ;-) and his daughter were over and he loved it too!! 

I am listing the original recipe but included my changes below......

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, cubed
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced (I omitted)
• 3 tablespoons ground unsalted cashews
• 1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce (I used 8 oz)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used coconut milk)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until tender. Mix in ginger and garlic, and continue cooking 1 minute. Mix potatoes, carrots, jalapeno, cashews, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and curry powder. Cook and stir 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. (This took about 20-25 minutes for me.....)
2. Stir peas, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and cream into the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve over basmati rice.

I had to use a full 8oz can of tomato sauce or it got too dry & also used 8 oz of vegetable broth while the potato mixture cooked.   I also left out the jalapeno and used coconut milk instead of cream and added some garam masala (about a teaspon).  I served it over brown basmati rice.  Will definitely make this one again and next time I'll throw in some sweet potatoes and cauliflower :-)

THE VERDICT:

Vic: "By far the best curry dish I've ever made.  Awesome."

Amanda: "Kormatastic!!" (I don't make these up - she really says stuff like this....lol)