Vegetarian Living~Tips From The Experts

There’s an app for everything, so why not cooking?  Cook with Grazia offers a simple, straightforward day-to-day alternative to take out. Learn from Grazia Solazzi, Italian food journalist and home cook. She understands that most families don’t have hours a day to spend in the kitchen. 20 minutes is even less time than it takes to take out!! Not only will users learn how to prepare delicious Italian cuisine, but the app educates home cooks to select, buy and store key Italian ingredients so the taste of the finished dishes will be as authentic as possible. No more guessing on whether to choose extra virgin olive oil or Parmigiano-Reggiano! ! ! Cook with Grazia offers everything you need in one place! Every recipe includes cultural background description, and tips, tricks, variations or substitutions, menu and wine suggestions. 

KEY FEATURES:

• Beautiful photos to illustrate each key step in meal preparation!

• All recipes tested and proven to be delicious. Success guaranteed!!

• 50 + recipes ready to serve in 20 minutes!

• 30 + additional recipes with 20 minutes prep time, followed by some unattended cooking.!

• Helpful tips, tricks, recipe variations, substitutions, menu and wine suggestions included.!

• Personalize each recipe with your own notes and add it to your favorites list.!

• Easy recipe searching by ingredient and category!

• Fun-to-use “finder wheel” including gluten-free, vegetarian, potluck and buffet, romantic dinner,

kids, as well as search by dish type — main, sides, salads, etc.!

 

Here’s a gluten free, delicious frozen dessert:

*Pecan-Maple Freezer Bars*

1 cup raw, unsalted pecan butter unsalted (you can substitute walnut or
almond butter)
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
1 1/2 tbsp organic maple syrup (or a few drops of maple flavored liquid
stevia to virtually make this recipe sugar free)
1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt

*Directions:*

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Add a layer of plastic wrap to a rectangular BPA-free plastic container
and pour the mixture on top; seal the container, and freeze for about 5-7
hours.
3. Remove the hardened pecan-maple bars from the container with plastic
wrap and carefully use a knife to cut this delicious treat into
easy-to-serve bars.

Lia Parisyan is a luxury and healthy food & restaurant writer based in New York City. Currently, she is serving as volunteer, consulting Business Analyst in Yerevan, Armenia, and is working on launching the country’s first-ever sustainable Archaeology tourism initiative. 

The difference health wise between vegans (no animal products including eggs and dairy) and vegetarians (lacto-ovo):

More vegans are in a healthy weight range (BMI <25) than vegetarians. Vegans have been associated with lower risk of heart disease. Vegans have also been found to eat less fast-food and eat more often at home than vegetarians. Studies show that vegans eat as many calories and protein as vegetarians but eat less fat and more fiber. Vegans may have lower iron stores but their blood iron levels tend to be within the normal range. Vegans do need to make sure they are getting enough vitamin B12, zinc and vitamin D.

–Farryl Bertmann 

Vegetarian living is exquisite, exciting, and filled with adventure. Instead of having a plate with a hunk of meat and a plop of veggies on the side, you have the opportunity to go wild with creativity, working with infinite combinations of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fresh herbs, and spices as your palette. To best get started, focus on practicing with recipes, so that you have the instructions and can learn new tips and tricks. There are thousands of delicious and easy cookbooks and blogs online to find a hefty dose of possibilities that excite you. Eventually, you will learn all your favorite food combinations and easily be able to navigate your way without them. Some of my most highly recommended tools in the kitchen include a high-powered (or regular) blender, a food processor, and a sharp knife. You can create virtually everything with just those tools. Of course, you can get fancy and play with fun appliances like a steamer, pressure cooker, and dehydrator, and these are all wonderful. But basic tools and principals will get you far and wide in your exploration of plant-based cooking. Stay positive and have fun…when you find meals and tricks that work, write them down, practice them, and save all your favorite recipes. Most importantly, enjoy the journey…

Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T., also known as “The Plant-Based Dietitian,” is an author and advocate of the benefits of following a whole food, plant-based diet as well as star of “What Would Julieanna Do?” on Veria Living TV Network.