Living Harmlessly

Well, I wrote to TC: “I was just wondering about Taco Cabana’s Refried beans. Are they cooked
with any kind of animal product (lard, meat, butter … etc) ? I also
have a question about the flower tortillas. Are they made with milk or
animal based preservatives (actually and ingredient list would be a
great help) ? Thank you very much for your assistance!”

And they said: “Thank you for your interest in Taco Cabana!
Specifically, the answer to your question regarding refried beans is
yes, they do.
The flour tortillas are a 100% vegetarian product.
Attached is a list I think you’ll find helpful.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thank you.

Marvin Jones
Operations Services Analyst
(210) 283-5516    <direct>
(800) 474-1344 x5516    <toll free>   
(210) 804-1973     <fax>
mjones@tacocabana.com
Visit our website at www.tacocabana.com”

I asked Kodac about their film and if they had any without animal products and they said:

“We received your note regarding Kodak film and appreciate the opportunity to comment.
Eastman Kodak Company, as well as all other film manufacturers, uses rendered cattle bone from beef production to make gelatin used in film production. Gelatin derived from bone waste material is an environmentally-preferable way to dispose of unwanted bone, compared to disposal in a landfill. Kodak uses non-animal-based polymer mixtures to reduce the amount of gelatin used. While Kodak has researched alternatives to replace bone-derived gelatin, it’s not possible to completely replace gelatin with alternative materials at this time. In addition, Kodak developed and uses technology to produce thinner gelatin layers on film. This further reduces the amount of gelatin present in a roll of Kodak film.

If you prefer not to use this type of product, may we suggest that you review the Kodak digital cameras featured on our Web site. Digital photography is an entirely different medium, and no gelatin is involved.

Thank you for your time. If you should have future questions on Kodak products or services, please feel free to visit our Web site at www.kodak.com where we are continually adding new information to enhance our service. You may also wish to call our toll-free number at 800-242-2424. Our representatives are available to speak with you Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

John Paul E
Kodak Information and Technical Support
http://www.kodak.com/go/support“

Frito’s, lovely Frito’s. Where do I begin? While they may not be the healthiest snack in the world, but it is vegan! It’s an easy food to find anywhere in a jam and the star ingredient in the famous Frito Pie. Below I’ll post a basic out line for a delicious vegan friendly version of Frito Pie that even your omni friends are bound to love!

Ok, so here’s how it goes. First, you have to fix some vegan chilly. Now, you can do a from scratch recipe from somewhere like vegweb.com or you can buy a pre-done package of chilly flavoring (check that it’s vegan) then get some beans (kidney beans work fairly well), whatever ingredients are necessary for the from scratch version or on the back of the package, some Frito’s and (optional) some instant rice.

Fix the chilly according to the instructions and add the beans rather than meat (canned beans work well for a quick meal, otherwise you’ll need to cook the beans first then add them to the chilly). You can also add other veggies like tomatoes if you want. As an optional ingredient to tone down the chilly, you can add in instant rice (just cook it by it’s self according to the package then spoon some into your bowl as desired). Once all that is done, mix together chilly, Frito’s and maybe some rice in your bowl. The Frito’s should get soft if you mix them around well and let the chilly soak in. Also, I would make sure you got a fair amount of the liquid chilly in addition to the beans to make sure you get the proper flavor and to ensure the Frito’s soften.
Considering it tastes basicly the same as regular frito pie (especily if you use the predone mx) your omni friends are bound to be pleased. Well, good luck and happy eating!

Liquid Smoke adds major flavor to dishes (like beans) that normally contain bacon or some other “smoked pig” type product. I tried it for the first time in some pinto beans and yum! It’s not animal derived, it’s just meant to bring a smokey flavor into your food (which is what most of us former omnis liked about “smoked pig” products anyway!). Almost all should be vegan but it never hurts to check. Just a tip, if you’re going to use it in beans, wait till the beans only have a few more minuets of cooking left, just enough time for the liquid smoke to sink in nicely without wasting a ton of the stuff poring more in when you have to put in more water.

Luna bars ROCK! I love the “Nuts over Chocolate” one especially. It’s just so wonderful how they manage to make a vegan snack that’s delicious and healthy for you too! It’s packed with protein and other vitamins and if you have a craving for chocolate you can get it here. I have been able to find it at most convenience and grocery stores (although I can only speak for San Antonio), so that’s a plus. As I recall, it’s around 70% organic as well. An all around great buy!

The soup is vegan and organic, what more could you ask for? Well, the flavor on some is not very strong. It’s fairly quickly prepared soup, Lentil and Vegetable (I think that’s what it’s called) is my favorite so far. It’s good for a quick canned soup type lunch … sort of like an organic vegan version of Cambles. Over all I’d recommend it. I believe they also do microwave dinners that are also vegan.

(( sorry for the super short review … not much else to say ))

EDIT NOTE: By the way, I think Amy’s Organic is not ALL vegan. I think it is all vegetrian though …

Yum! It doesn’t taste exactly like butter, but it is a fit replacement. When used in cooking as a hint flavor in replace of butter you can’t even tell the difference. This stuff can probably be found at most reasonably sized grocery stores and is non-hydrogenated (no trans fat)! It has 50% less fat fat and calories than regular margarine, zero carbs, and contains Omega 3 (which is a tad difficult to obtain in a vegan diet). According to the container, it is also supposed to “improve cholesterol”. It actually says “Vegan” on the container, and by looking at the back it appears to be true.

Soy MIlk has the same properties of cow’s milk in regards to just about everything and is in fact a little better! Here is an excerpt from http://www.indoindians.com/food/soy.htm

“Let’s compare 100-gram portions (3.5 ounces) of soymilk vs. cow’s milk: 

Cow’s milk has 61 calories. Soymilk has 33 calories.

Cow’s milk contains 3.34 grams of fat. Soymilk contains 1.91 grams of fat. 

Cow’s milk has 14 milligrams of cholesterol and no dietary fiber. Soymilk contains 1.3 grams of fiber and has zero cholesterol. 

Cow’s milk contains a full range of amino acids. Soymilk also contains a full range of amino acids. Both contain plenty of protein. Cow’s milk actually has one- half gram more protein than the 100-gram portion of soymilk. 

As for the nine essential amino acids in protein necessary for sustaining life, cow’s milk and soy milk contain nearly identical amounts, but cow’s milk does win this one by a whisker, containing a mere one-fifth of a gram more essential amino acids than the soy. That may be a hollow victory for milk lovers because one of the nine essential amino acids is methionine. Cow’s milk contains more than twice as much methionine as does soymilk. The center atom of methionine is sulfur. Too much animal protein creates an acid condition in the blood which the body must neutralize by taking calcium from the bones. . Nations eating the most animal protein have the highest rates of osteoporosis. 

Soymilk contains greater amounts of other amino acids including arginine, alanine, aspartic acid, and glycine. Arginine slows the growth of cancers by strengthening the immune system. Alanine aids in the metabolism of sugars. Aspartic acid increases stamina and plays a vital role in metabolism, acting as an anti-oxidant. Glycine is necessary for brain and nervous system functioning and muscle/energy metabolism. 

When milk is pasteurized, Vitamins A, C, and D are destroyed. The same can be said for those vitamins when soymilk is manufactured. 

Soymilk does contain more than four times the amount of thiamin (Vitamin B-1) and nearly twice the amount of niacin (Vitamin B-3) as does cow’s milk. Soymilk also contains more magnesium, copper, and manganese than does cow’s milk. 

In order to absorb calcium, one needs magnesium. Copper also aids in bone formation. One early sign of osteoporosis is a deficiency in copper. Soymilk contains twelve times the amount of copper as does cow’s milk. 

Soymilk also contains 42 times the amount of manganese as does cow’s milk. Manganese is also needed for bone formation. People with anemia rely upon manganese for iron storage. Trace amounts of manganese are essential for neural transmissions, protein metabolism, and many other body functions. “

I have tried both Silk and generic HEB brand and, as far as taste is concerned, I can tell no diffrence except price. My favorite flavor is Chocolate (*of course*), but the vanilla is also excellent. I have yet to try strawberry or egg nog (minus the egg of course) flavors but I don’t think I ever will.
If you plan on drinking the stuff out of a glass I recomend the flavored stuff. There is nothing wrongwith the plain but, like cow’s milk, it has no flavor. I personally never realy liked cow’s milk anyway and even when vegetarian preferred soy chocolate milk to cow chocolate milk. Maybe that’s just me, but I have convinced a few non-vegetarian friends to try it and they all like it (one has now begun to put it in his cereal since he’s watching his cholesterol).
Soy milk is extremely versatile and as far as I can tell may be used just like milk. There are of course more than soy milk out there, but I haven’t tried them yet. I’ll do a review of them once I have. They include things like Rice Milk, Almond Milk and Coco Nut Milk.

Over all I highly recommend this stuff (*did I say that already?*)! I’m not knocking Silk, it’s actually quite good and (you’ll have to check the label) I think it has guarantied non-genetically altered soy beans and for sure some specialy fortified versions with things like calcium (it already has the same as cows milk).

I was purusing the health food isle at my local HEB (I live in San Antonio) and I came across the very same bar I had seen on Vegan Essentials just that afternoon! The two flavors I tried where Chocolate and Chocolate Coffee. Here is the info for them (I got it from Vegan Essentials’ site)

Ingredients: - Organic dates, organic almonds, organic walnuts, organic cocoa, organic cacao nibs, organic cashewsChocolate Coffee flavor - Organic dates, organic hazelnuts, organic walnuts, organic cocoa, organic cacao nibs, organic coffee

Chocolate Mint flavor - Organic dates, organic almonds, organic cocoa, organic cacao nibs, organic peppermint flavor, organic vanilla flavor

Orange Mint flavor - Organic dates, organic almonds, organic cocoa, organic cacao nibs, organic orange flavor

Nutritional information:
Serving size – 1 bar (48g)
Servings per package – 1
Calories per serving – 190 (180 for Mint flavor)
Total fat – 9g / 1g saturated for Chocolate and Orange flavors, 8g / 1g saturated for Mint flavor, 11g / 1g saturated for Coffee flavor
Sodium – 0mg
Total carbohydrate – 25g (5g fiber, 19g sugars), 26g (6g fiber, 19g sugars) for Mint only
Protein – 4g, 5g for Orange flavor only

ORGANIC  *  NO ADDED SUGAR  *  90% RAW  *  NON- GMO  *  GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE  *  SOY FREE  *  VEGAN  *  KOSHER

Well, as some of the other reviews on Vegan Essentials said, this isn’t exactly a chocolate bar in the traditional sense. It’s more of a chocolate flavored food bar. Also, while it says “No added sugar” (which is usually a good thing) that leaved the bar slightly bitter and definitely not as sweet as you’d expect from a chocolate bar. However I did like them, especially the Coffee flavored, but just know that they aren’t exactly what you’d expect.

As far as I know, most or all of Larabars are vegetarian if not vegan. I have yet to try the others, but I have heard they are good …

Now I know that some people object to anything that even looks like meat, and then there is the whole deal about processed foods. Keep in mind that this sort of thing shouldn’t be the foundation of your diet. The issues with processed foods are valid, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a treat every once in a while. These kind of foods also help new vegetarians/vegans in their transition to no meat.

With that said, allow me to introduce, Smart “Meat”! The first time I had a Smart “Meat” product ( The Chick’n Strips I believe) it actually creeped me out and I had to check the ingredients like 5 times *cough* *cough* (embarrassing moment). The next few ventures went much smother. I tried the ground “beef” in Mexican food and it worked well. Then I tried the Smart “Bacon” and fell in love. I think Smoked “ham” is my second favorite (keep in mind these two taste best cooked in the traditional way minus the animal products). To find a list of certified vegan Smart products go here.

Next is my other favorite brand when it comes to not-meat, Boca products. Now, before I go any further I must unfortunately inform you that they too are not all vegan. As far as I can tel they are all vegetarian though. I checked out their FAQ and this is what they say about Vegan friendly products: “The following BOCA products in our Mainstream line are now designated vegan: Chili, Vegan Burger, Roasted Garlic Burger, Roasted Onion Burger, Chik’n Nuggets, Chik’n Patties, Spicy Chik’n Patties, and Ground Burger. For the Roasted Garlic Burger and Chik’n Nuggets and Patties, we’ve recently removed egg, milk, and dairy ingredients to make them vegan. To ensure that the package you have is vegan, we recommend that you check the ingredient line to ensure that egg, milk and dairy ingredients aren’t listed. In our line made with no artificial preservatives or flavors, both the BOCA Vegan Burger and BOCA Ground Burger are vegan.”

The Boca Burgers are great! I have non-vegetarian/vegan friends who love them too, so if your skeptical, why not try a bite? If you’re vegan just remember to check the lable, because, as I said, not all of it is egg/milk/cheese free.