A Vegan’s Guide to Football

VegansEatWhat.com is pleased to again welcome Mark W. Reinhardt as guest blogger.

I’m a vegan, but I do enjoy watching a football game every now and then. After all, there’s no conflict of interest in that, is there? …Okay, well there is that little matter of the “pigskin.” I guess that’s a conflict. But hey, look on the bright side. They stopped using leather helmets!

I suppose there are a few other things about football that don’t make it very vegan-friendly. It’s a violent game, and we vegans aren’t big on violence. But at least there aren’t any innocent, non-human animals out amid the fray. That doesn’t mean animals aren’t affected, though. There’s the aforementioned “pigskin,” and there’s a whole parade of dead animal parts that come on the TV screen at every timeout. I’m talking, of course, about the fast-food commercials. It really makes you worry for the health of football fans to think that they must be consuming the unhealthiest of fast-food diets on a regular basis.  At least (again, if you believe the commercials) they’re getting plenty of grains by washing it all down with beer.

And speaking of unhealthy food riding the coattails of football, what do you think all those offensive linemen are eating on a regular basis? I look at those guys—already heavy, even though they’re burning 6000 Calories a day working out on a young metabolism—and just can’t imagine what they’re going to look like when they give up football and turn 40. They’re the closest thing in the human race to those poor genetically-altered turkeys that grow so big they can no longer stand up. No, I don’t think offensive linemen got their physiques from eating vegetables. If they went vegan, though, they might be a lot less, well… “offensive.”

I’m musing about football, of course, because Sunday is the big game. If you’re like me, you’ll probably be invited to a several Super Bowl parties, all hosted by non-vegans. I’m going to one of those parties, and I’m going to do my best to not insult the host and hostess by calling it the “Stupid Bowl” too many times. I’m also going to try to stay under the radar with my vegan diet.

People who host football parties invariably say “bring an appetizer,” and that’s always a challenge for a vegan. There are two ways we can go with this. For the last football party I made some really nice vegan nachos. Who doesn’t like nachos, I thought?! These were really good ones too—made with tons of chilies, vegan chorizo sausage and lots of fresh cilantro and vegan cheese. They were delicious, but unfortunately few of the meat-eaters at the party would even touch them. I know what they were all thinking. Those aren’t real nachos; those are weird nachos.

This year at the Stupid Bo… I mean, Super Bowl party I’m going to go the other route. I’ll take a nice plate of celery. No one will even notice it amidst the sea of chickens’ wings, dairy cheese dip and pepperoni pizza. Celery doesn’t make any pretense. Celery offends no one.

Yes, I’ll be happy in the back of the room, crunching away on the one thing at the party I can eat. But football games go on forever, and celery isn’t very filling. I’ll be glad I followed the best advice I can give to vegans on football Sundays: eat before you go. 

P.S.  In case you want to try the delicious nacho’s I made last year . . .   

Vegan Nachos for the Big Game

A fast and easy vegan take on a favorite snack food.

Tortilla Chips

7 oz. Canned Green Anaheim Chilies (chopped)

1 can Black or Vegetarian Refried Beans

24 oz. Jar of Salsa (any kind)

1 Bunch Cilantro

Shredded Vegan “Cheese” (Daiya)

Vegan Sausage (optional) (Gimme Lean, Yves Chorizo, Tofurkey are all good)

Black or Kalamata Olives, halved (optional)

Hot Red Pepper Sauce (optional) (Sriracha, Tabasco, whatever)

Vegan Sour “Cream” (optional) (Tofutti)

Guacamole

Lay down a thick bed of tortilla chips in a large baking pan. Crush them down a bit with your hands. Cover them evenly with the beans, chilies and optional sausage and olives. Wash and chop the cilantro, and spread it evenly over the rest. Top everything with the jar of your favorite salsa. If you’re using mild salsa, consider spicing things up with some red pepper sauce. Finally, cover it all with the shredded cheese. Bake a 380° for about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Cut into squares, and serve with the phony sour cream (an especially good combination with the olives and sausage!) and/or guacamole.

Mark is an attorney, author and long time vegan.

Got Indigestion?

I recently learned about a woman who was just told - by a health care professional - that she has a “sensitivity” to dairy.  “Millie” is about forty and has consumed dairy products her entire life.  My reaction?  A huge smile engulfed my face and I thought “lucky Millie.”   

I don’t know Millie, but I see myself in her - a younger me - and so many others who sadly will never be told they have a “sensitivity” to the most damaging "food" item they ingest.  If they only knew how much they could benefit by entirely eliminating dairy from their diet!    

         

I’ve read a lot about the dangers of dairy, but nothing is more persuasive than firsthand experience.  For many years, I suffered with gastrointestinal problems, bloating and pain.  I underwent numerous medical tests and experimented with a variety of prescription medications and probiotics.  Despite the many “specialists” I saw, not one ever told me to eliminate dairy or even considered that it might be the source of my health problems.   

Millie is lucky.  She may not realize it, but someone just saved her a great deal of time, money, energy and pain.  Based on the advice of a caring professional, Millie will stop ingesting dairy in its many forms including milk, cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream, mayonnaise and cheese.  All of these foods are available dairy-free and are tasty and healthier than the dairy version.  

Millie thinks it will be hard to stop consuming diary. It is true that Millie will need to read labels more carefully in order to avoid dairy. But I think she will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to ditch dairy and how much easier it gets every day as more and more amazing dairy-free products and replacements enter the marketplace.  I wish just one of the professionals I saw told me what Millie just learned.

If Millie is anything like me it may take awhile for her body to rid itself of the toxins she spent years accumulating through the dairy products she ingested.  But, after awhile, Millie will notice differences.  Her skin will begin to change in wonderful ways.   Her energy level will increase and, perhaps most importantly, her digestion will be better than it has been in years.  

I’m happy for Millie.  Happy because she will finally remove from her diet the single worst carcinogen in it.  Happy because she will soon experience the many benefits of a dairy-free diet.  Happy because one more person finally knows the truth.    She is truly lucky.

 

For more information on the dangers of dairy and how to eliminate it from your diet visit

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prostate-cancer-and-organic-milk-vs-almond-milk

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/health-concerns-about-dairy-products

http://www.veganseatwhat.com/#!dairy-replacement-chart/cidb

http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-substitutes/how-to-substitute-butter

http://vegan.com/dairy-free/

http://www.notmilk.com/zerodairy.html

http://freefromharm.org/farm-animal-welfare/what-about-humanely-raised-milk-and-dairy-products/

http://www.chooseveg.com/switchnditch

A great reference book for every diary-free kitchen is  The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman (Fair Winds Press, 2011).  There are also several amazing books on making plant-based cheese including Artisan Vegan Cheese, Miyoko Schinner (Book Publishing company, 2012) and The Ultimate UnCheese Cookbook, Joanne Stephaniak (Book Publishing Company, 2003). Finally, there are many great tasting commercial alternatives to diary.  Try several brands to see which you prefer or, make your own replacements.  I'm including a few recipes to get you started.   

Not-So Cheese Sauce

This recipe from Vitamix uses raw and unsalted almonds as the base.  Soak the almonds in water for several hours or overnight, then rinse and drain prior to making the recipe if you are not using a high speed blender. 

2/3 cup raw almonds

1 cup hot water

2 oz. jar pimentos

2 T fresh lemon juice

4 T nutritional yeast

½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt or to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for three to five minutes or until the mixture is very creamy. Keeps refrigerated in covered glass jar about five days.   

Sour Cream 
Adapted from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions.

½ cup raw cashews (soak overnight then rinse and drain prior to using)

1 package firm water packed tofu, drained (14 to 16 oz. package)

2 T white wine vinegar

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 T sweet white miso

2 T almond or walnut oil

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed for several minutes or until the mixture is very smooth.  Transfer to a covered glass container and refrigerate for up to a week.  Use as you would dairy sour cream.

Herb Ricotta Cheese

This recipe is from Sarah Comerchero.  If you prefer a plain ricotta simply omit the herbs.  This nut cheese is great for making stuffed shells, lasagna or serving as a dip with veggies and crackers. 

1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight then rinsed and drained if you are not using a high speed blender)

½ cup macadamia nuts

2 T pine nuts

2 T fresh lemon juice

basil, dill, oregano and parsley to taste

½ cup water

½ tsp. salt

Blend all ingredients together until the mixture is very smooth.  Add additional water, if necessary,  to desired consistency. 

Nutty Whipped Topping

This tasty recipe, from Rebecca, is one of my favorite creamy dairy-free toppings.  Try it on fruit, desserts and even to top off hot beverages.  Please use raw and unsalted nuts and again, soak them if you are not using a high speed blender. 

¾ cup cashews

½ cup macadamia nuts

2 T agave syrup

½ cup water

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 T cocoa powder (optional – for chocolate whipped topping)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.  The mixture will appear thin, but thickens once refrigerated.  Transfer to a covered glass container.  Refrigerate at least two hours before serving, or if possible, overnight.    

Regards & happy dairy-free eating,

Kris Giovanini