Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Workshop

This morning we made some delicious and healthy Vegetarian and Vegan dishes.  Here are some of the recipes..... Enjoy!

Vegan chocolate cake (it was devoured by the class in less than 10 minutes!)

(allrecipes.com.au/recipe/4666/vegan-chocolate-cake.aspx)

Ingredients	Method
1 1/2 cups plain flour 1 cup white sugar 1/4 cup cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 1 cup water	Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly grease one 23cmx13cm loaf pan. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Silken tofu smoothie

Ingredients	Method
1 cup silken tofu 1 cup canned peaches and syrup 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence ½  teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger ½ cup crushed ice	Blend all ingredients together. Serve.

Nutmeat savoury mince

Ingredients

Method

415g can Sanitarium nutmeat, finely crumbled 420g can tomato soup 2 small onions, finely diced 1-2 grated carrots (peeled) 1 grated zucchini (not peeled) 1/2 cup peas 2 heaped tabs tomato paste 2 level tsps vege stock powder 3-4 cups cooked macaroni pinch salt 1 heaped tsp minced garlic olive oil ¾ cup grated cheese/soy cheese

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Cook macaroni as per packet instructions, drain and set aside.  Heat crumbled nutmeat in saucepan.  Add peas, garlic, onion, zucchini and carrots and fry for 2 minutes.  Add soup, stock powder and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Fold in macaroni and pour into a baking tray.  Cover with grated cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned.  Serve.

Dhal and chapatti (vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianindianrecipes/r/yellowdhal.htm)

Ingredients	Method
1 cup yellow split peas, uncooked 2 cups water or vegetable broth 1 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp margarine 1 onion, diced 1 1/2 tsp cumin, whole seeds or ground 2 whole cloves dash pepper, to taste commercial  chapattis	In a large pot, place the peas and water or vegetable broth, and bring to a slow simmer. Add the turmeric, cayenne and salt, and cover. Allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with chapatti.

Hummus with pita bread chips (www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2007/01/hummus-recipe.html)

Ingredients	Method
400g can chickpeas ½ teaspoon salt, to taste 2 teaspoons minced garlic 40 mL lemon juice 40 mL vegetable oil 40 mL tahini 50 mL water 4 pita breads	Rinse chickpeas.  Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Serve with pita bread chips. Pita bread chips: cut pita breads into triangular chips.  Bake for about 4 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius until crisp.

Fiona xx

Nicoise Salad and Berry Smoothie recipes- as promised :-)

Nicoise Salad

Ingredients

Method

400 g canned tuna, drained 350g small, new potato 350g green beans, trimmed ½ to 1 cos lettuce, washed , torn into pieces 4 small, ripe tomatoes, cut into edges 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 small red capsicum, seeded and thinly sliced ½ c black olives, rinse to remove salt 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered 3 tblsp mixed fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley, chives

Boil potatoes in water until tender, 10 – 15 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut into thin slices. Boil beans until tender, about 4 -6 minutes. Rinse under cold water and cut into large bite-size pieces. Make salad dressing. Toss drained tuna with ¼ of the dressing. Layer the salad in a large bowl in the following order: greens, potatoes, beans, onions, peppers, tomatoes, tuna, olives, eggs and herbs. Add dressing and toss carefully. Serve immediately.

Dressing

Ingredients	Method
1 garlic clove, minced 1 tblsp red wine vinegar 4 tblsp olive oil Salt and pepper	Whisk the garlic and vinegar together in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Berry Smoothie

Ingredients	Method
1 ½ cups frozen mixed berries 1 banana 100g low fat yoghurt 1 cup skim milk 6 ice cubes 2 tablespoons of LSA mix	Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Fiona xx

What are dietitians really like?

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about dietitians. One is that we are all tightly-wound, skinny perfectionists, another is that our sole purpose in life is to take pleasure away from people and replace it with lettuce….   The truth is, we are real people, just like you, with our own life struggles and unique life experiences, diverse body shapes and sizes and wide-ranging flavour preferences.  Many dietitians are drawn to this field because of their own eating issues, many have had eating disorders, have food allergies or intolerances or have had moving life experiences in which they have realized the incredible power that food and our interactions with it (physically, emotionally) can have on our lives and our health. 

We love PEOPLE, FOOD and SCIENCE.  We could not be in this profession if we could not accommodate humanity in its full spectrum, and appreciate the unique qualities of our clients.  The range of people who visit a dietitian is huge, from the teenager in total denial of their blossoming eating disorder dragged in by their parents, or the young adult trapped in the storm of theirs, through to people undergoing the terrifying journey of chemotherapy.  From the tough truckie recovering from his massive heart attack to the ladies during their first pregnancies paranoid about the possible outcomes of every bite they take.  From little old ladies who refuse to believe that they need more to eat than tea, toast and soup to heal their hip replacement  to the middle aged yo-yo dieter who arrives at your office for the first time so nervous that she bursts into tears as soon as the door is closed.  Everyone’s emotional needs are different just as everyone’s nutrient and metabolic requirements are different.  Compassion and kindness are core values for dietitians.    

Food is one of life’s great pleasures, and we love it too.  To be a dietitian without being a foodie would be like a birthday without birthday cake.  A fantastic aspect of this job is that we get to enjoy food for professional development!

Rather than being perfectionists, we are diligent scientists, keeping up with the latest research so that we are ready when you ask the questions, or if we see risks in your lifestyle that you may not be aware of.  Restrictive diets are a thing of the past, now correlated strongly with binge eating and weight gain.  Dietitians are recognised professionals with the qualifications and skills to provide expert nutrition and dietary advice tailored specifically for you, with long term sustainability and flexibility in mind.

So if you’ve been…..

·         asking your friends for diet tips

·         worried that you’ll have a heart attack like your mum did

·         getting caught up in ‘fat talk’ at the office

·         pouring over old Weight Watchers magazines for magic answers and ’ínspiration’

·         suffering with painful or embarrassing tummy troubles

·         smashing yourself at the gym to no avail

·         nodding obediently time and time again when your GP has suggested you see a dietitian

………please don’t be scared – we are friendly, well-educated, enthusiastic and realistic people J

See the Dietitians Association of Australia website (www.daa.asn.au) for an Accredited Practising Dietitian near you, or contact NutritionSense Dietitians (www.nutritionsense.com.au) – we’d love to see you soon!

Happy Eating!

Fiona xx

Welcome and thanks for reading!

Hello and welcome to the NutritionSense Dietitians blog.  The Accredited Practising Dietitians at NutritionSense Dietitians give sensible, personalised dietary advice face-to-face at Taringa (Brisbane) or via correspondence.

The intention of this virtual space is to inform and inspire healthy relationships with food.  If you would like me to blog about something specific, please write on the wall of the NutritionSense Dietitians Facebook Page or send me an email at Fiona@nutritionsense.com.au.  

Thanks and have a great day!!

Fiona xx