Types of Vegetarians

Pescatarian (also spelled Pescetarian)

The word “pescatarian” is occasionally used to describe those who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish. Although the word is not commonly used, more and more people are adopting this kind of diet, usually for health reasons or as a stepping stone to a fully vegetarian diet.

Flexitarian/Semi-vegetarian

You don’t have to be vegetarian to love vegetarian food! “Flexitarian” is a term recently coined to describe those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat.

Vegetarian (Lacto-ovo-vegetarian)

When most people think of vegetarians, they think of lacto-ovo-vegetarians. People who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products are lacto-ovo vegetarians (“lacto” comes from the Latin for milk, and “ovo” for egg).

Lacto-vegetarian is used to describe a vegetarian who does not eat eggs, but does eat dairy products. Ovo-vegetarian refers to people who do not eat meat or dairy products but do eat eggs.

Vegan

Vegans do not eat meat of any kind and also do not eat eggs, dairy products, or processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin. Many vegans also refrain from eating foods that are made using animal products that may not contain animal products in the finished process, such as sugar and some wines. There is some debate as to whether certain foods, such as honey, fit into a vegan diet.

Raw vegan/ Raw food diet

A raw vegan diet consists of unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). “Raw foodists” believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body.

Macrobiotic

The macrobiotic diet, revered by some for its healthy and healing qualities, includes unprocessed vegan foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and allows the occasional consumption of fish. Sugar and refined oils are avoided. Perhaps the most unique qualifier of the macrobiotic diet is its emphasis on the consumption of Asian vegetables, such as daikon, and sea vegetables, such as seaweed.

Source: http://vegetarian.about.com

DAIRY FREE !!! :) TRY ME !! Triple Berry Pie :) :)

Ingredients

            1 cup fresh strawberries, halved

            1/2 cup white sugar

            3 tablespoons cornstarch

            2 cups raspberries

            1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

            1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Add strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries; gently toss until berries are coated. When using frozen fruit allow fruit mixture to stand for 15 to 30 minutes, or until fruit is partially thawed.

Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the pastry. Stir berry mixture, and transfer to the crust lined pie plate. Top with second crust, and seal and crimp the edge. To prevent overbrowning, cover the edge of the pie with foil.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes when using fresh fruit, 50 minutes for frozen fruit. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Gluten-free COOKIES!!! :)

Peanut Butter Cookies !!!! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Vanilla Candiquik
• 1 pkg Chocolate Candiquik
• 2 ½ cups Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• Two eggs
• 6 oz. flaked coconut, toasted (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350F degrees!
• Melt Vanilla Candiquik according to directions on the package
• Add all the ingredients and mix well. Tip: place this mix in the fridge to cool (approx 30 min)…This is an important step.
• On a cookie sheet, scoop 1/2"  -1” balls, tightly formed (smaller is usually better since they are gluten free), and bake for 10 minutes
• Let cool on a sheet of wax paper.
• Melt chocolate Candiquik and simply dip half, or however much of the cookie you want... in the Candiquik.
• Set on the wax paper to dry and you're done!

Healthy Choice 2 !! Chocolate Swirl Bars :)

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups refrigerated Lightened-Up Holiday Cookie Dough (recipe on page _)
• 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup vanilla or white chips, melted

Directions

• Press dough onto the bottom of an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan (dough will be thin). Bake at 350° for 11-13 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
• Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow chips to soften for a few minutes, then spread over bars. Drop spoonfuls of melted vanilla chips over top; cut through chocolate with a knife to swirl. Let stand until set. Cut into bars. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 bar equals 82 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 31 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 fat, 1/2 starch.

HEALTHY !!! White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies!!! YUM !!!

Nutrition Facts: 1 cookie equals 70 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 16 mg cholesterol, 109 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup white baking chips

Directions

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks. Yield: 2 dozen.

Candy Cane Cookies :) :) :)

Candy Cane Cookies:

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (120 grams) confectioners sugar (powdered or icing)
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 teaspoon red liquid food coloring

 since candy canes do taste like peppermint. While tasty, the second time I made the cookies I replaced the peppermint extract with almond extract, and the results were much more to my liking. Of course, if you want these cookies to taste like peppermint, simply replace the almond extract with equal amounts of peppermint extract. The other thing about the batter is that two egg yolks are used instead of whole eggs, and this is done to give the cookies a richer flavor. As always try to use a good quality unsalted butter, and use extracts that are labeled "pure".

First we must make the cookie batter, which follows the basic instructions of beating the butter with the sugar, adding two egg yolks and vanilla and almond extracts, and then beating in the flour. There is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe, as we do not want the cookies to rise while they bake, as this would distort their candy cane shape.

Now, once the cookie batter is made it is divided in half, and to one half red food coloring is added. I have used regular 'liquid' food coloring, the type you can easily buy at grocery stores. Then the fun begins. If you find the batters too soft, then place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Then, take about a walnut sized piece of dough from each of the two batters and separately roll them each into a rope shape, that is about 4 - 5 inches (10 - 12.5 cm) long. Twist the two ropes together and place on your parchment lined baking sheet. Shape the cookies into a cane shape by curving one end into a hook shape. I like to gently smooth the edges of the two ropes to soften the lines between the two colors. The cookies are baked in a moderate oven just until set and the edges of the cookies are barely tinged with brown. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool, as the cookies will be quite soft and fragile. These cookies will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for about a week.

For Candy Cane Cookies: In a bowl, whisk the flourwith the salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture, in three additions, and beat until you have a smooth dough.
Remove half of the dough from the mixing bowl. To the remaining half add the red food coloring and beat on low speed until well blended. If you find the dough too soft, cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
Take a walnut sized piece of red dough and a walnut sized piece of white dough. Separately, roll each color on a lightly floured surface, into a 4-5 inch (10-12.5 cm) long rope. Place the two ropes side by side, gently press together, and twist the two ropes to form a spiral. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Shape each cookie into a cane shape by bending one end into a hook shape.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until set and the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely on baking sheet. Cover and store in an airtight container for about a week.
Makes about 30 cookies.

Classic! Ginger Bread MEN !! haha

 Gingerbread Men:

·      3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour

·      1/4 teaspoons salt

·      3/4 teaspoon baking soda

·      2 teaspoons ground ginger

·      1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·      1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·      1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

·      1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

·      1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

·      1 large egg

·      2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses (To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.)

·      Confectioners Frosting:

·      2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

·      1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

·      1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·      1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream

·      Assorted food colors (if desired)

Gingerbread Men: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.  With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. 

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm. Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles.

Confectioners Frosting: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended.  Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  Add a little more milk if too dry.Place the frosting in a pastry bad fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.

Tint portions of frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores).

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used.

Store in an airtight container.