IC Diet Day two

Well I just finished day two of the IC diet. I can't really say that I'm feeling any better yet. But I am hopeful that at the end of my 14 days I will. Yesterday was easier. I found I'm not really that hungry at all. I went to Wal-Mart and bought several different vegan breads so that I don't get bored with it. I also bought yukon gold potatoes, and red potatoes. I already had several varieties of rice, so I didn't need to get any more. I'm praying that the next 12 days are as easy as today as was.

Interstitial Cystitis

Well, I have been neglecting my blog horribly. I have been sick most of the year, and going from doctor to doctor to try and find what was wrong. I finally have a diagnosis of IC (interstitial cystitis.) This is good and bad in a way. I'm so relieved to know what has been causing me so much pain, and to start trying to treat it. On the other hand, I'm worried about how the changes I have to make in my diet will affect my vegan diet. I'm currently on an elimination diet. All I am eating is bread, rice, and potatoes. No sauces or seasonings. Its very bland. I have made the switch to only drinking water. Which I needed to do anyways. No more cokes for me, and the only teas I'll drink are herbal teas. But those will come in time. I am on day two of this diet. I will begin to add other foods into my diet in 12 days. I will add one food at a time in, so I can see what is bothering my bladder, and what isn't.
I originally made the switch to being a vegan for my health. All of my other health problems have improved so much that I can't see myself going back to the SAD (Standard American Diet) again. I'm going to have to go through my cookbooks and adapt recipes, but this should be fun. It will be a learning process for me.
If any of you are vegan and have IC leave me a comment. It would be great to talk to someone else who has gone through this process, and could give me some pointers on it.
Poor veggie girl is terrified this means I'm going to make her diet even more restrictive. But I won't. There is no reason she can't continue to eat the way she has been as long as it is healthy.

Roasted Veggies

Until today, I had never made roasted vegetables. I guess it just seemed to easy, so I figured what was the point. I can't believe I waited. These vegetables were one of the best things I've ever put into my mouth. I'm sure Omni man will take offense at that, but he'll live. I am going to make a soup tonight out of the leftovers.

2 red bell peppers, seeded, and diced
1 medium white onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
5 small round yukon gold potatoes, cut into 8 pieces each
3 0z olive oil
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large ziploc bag, combine everything but salt. Zip up, and shake well coating all vegetables with olive oil, and spices. Place vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the leftover olive oil mixture from the bag. Sprinkle vegetable with kosher salt. Bake for 25-40 minutes stirring once midway through baking.

Dilled Potato Salad

I made this tonight for a snack. I wasn't really in the mood for a meal. I wanted potato salad, but didn't want to cut up a pickle. So I thought I'd add dill instead. Delicious! If I do say so myself.

8 small yukon gold potatoes, diced (not peeled)
1 small white onion, diced
1/4 c veganaise
1/4 c dijon mustard
2 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Bragg liquid aminos

Prepare steamer basket, and wrap the potatoes, and onion in heavy duty foil. Place in steamer basket, and steam until done about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile mix the veganaise, dijon mustard, dill, salt, pepper, and aminos in a medium sized bowl. Carefully open the foil packet, and place the potatoes, and onion in the veganaise mixture. Mix until blended well.

"Beefy" Baked Beans

Wednesday I made a Pasta Primavera that was to die for. I was in a hurry because it was for a dinner at church. I wasn't able to get a pic of it, and there wasn't enough left over after the dinner to take a picture of. VeggieGirl has been asking me to make it every morning for breakfast since I made it the last time. I'll make it again soon and post pics and a recipe. Tonight we had "Beefy" Baked Beans. I cut up a Yves tofu dog and put in VeggieGirl's beans for a vegan beenie weenie. My stove is on the fritz, so I used the microwave to make this. I promise its not as yellow as the picture makes it look. This is definitely a recipe I will make again.

1 (30 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 white onion, diced
2 tbsp Braggs liquid Aminos
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp Molasses
1 tbsp Hickory Smoke
1 Beef Flavored stock cube
2 1/5 cups water
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 c TVP, original

Place the diced onion in your steamer and steam until soft. In a large microwae/oven safe dish, combine beans, tomato paste, Braggs, soy sauce, mustard, hickory smoke, and molasses. Place the stock cube in the water and microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Meanwhile stir the bean mixture well. Add the tomatoes, steamed onions, and tvp. Stir well. Stir the stock water, and pour into the bean mixture. Mix well. Cover with lid, and microwave for 25 minutes, or place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Corned "Beef" Seitan

I finally got permission from omni man to raise our daughter vegan. She's not really pleased about giving up her chicken nuggets, and other favorite foods. So I'm trying to show her that eating vegan can be delicious. I've been really craving Reuben sandwiches lately, so I decided to try and make a vegan corned beef substitute. I found a recipe for it on Vegan Dad's blog here. I adapted it to come up with this recipe. I loved it and can't wait to make Reubens tomorrow.

1/4 c tvp
1/4 c black beans
3/4 c water
1/4 c Braggs liquid aminos
1/8 tsp Hickory Smoke
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp season salt
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/4 c (1 box) vital wheat gluten

Place tvp, and black beans in blender until smooth. Add in all the other ingredient except for wheat gluten. Pour the mixture into a medium sized mixing bowl, and add in the wheat gluten. Knead for a couple of minutes, and roll into a log. Wrap the log in foil, and twist the ends. Steam for 45-60 minutes. The seitan will swell against the foil before it done. Let cool a little, and then slice.

Burrito Rice with tomatoes

Tonight we had burrito rice with tomatoes. It was a simple dish to make, and very filling. I used my new rice cooker, so I'm not exact on the measurements. I took 5 parts of brown rice, and added 3 tbsp. vegan margarine, 1 packet of vegan burrito seasoning, and enough water to fill to the 6 mark. Not very Exact I know. When the rice was finished, I topped with a teaspoon of vegan margarine. I served the rice with roma tomatoes topped with kosher salt, ground black pepper, and vegan parmesan topping.