I stopped eating meat almost two years ago, right after our son was born. At the end of 2008, I decided to stop eating animal products all together, and gave up eggs and dairy, including cheese… almost. I have always loved cheese, and I found that I would still occasionally buy it, although far less often than I used to.
Then I discovered Kristen’s vegan nacho cheese sauce, and no longer had a need for dairy based cheese in any Mexican-style meal. That stuff is amazing (my husband seconds that vote).
Last week, I discovered Gena’s Hemp-esan, and I think I’m now set for life without dairy cheese. I bought two big buckets of hemp seeds last month, and I also bought a six pound bucket of nutritional yeast at the co-op (for a sweet discount, since I bought it in bulk) last month, so I should be able to make hemp-esan and nacho cheese sauce for a good long while without running out of ingredients. (To be fair, hemp seeds are not cheap. But neither is parmesan cheese.) The first time I tried it, I used 1/4 cup of hemp seeds and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast. We used that up at one meal, so I’m now making two cups at a time and storing it in a glass jar in the fridge. My husband gave it a thumbs up, and as far as I’m concerned, it makes a great topping for just about anything. We’d had it on spaghetti, pizza, and several types of salad, and it’s definitely a winner.
I’ve always liked nutritional yeast. Maybe that goes back to the days when my mother would mix it into our orange juice in the mornings… I don’t know. But it adds a great cheesy flavor to foods, and is an excellent alternative if you’re looking for a way to avoid eating cheese.
Enjoy!
Simple in France says
Thanks!
I don’t eat a lot of meat either and often like to add toasted seeds/nuts to dishes in the place of cheese. These both sound like options to check out.
Emily says
Just out of curiosity, why did you choose not to eat animal products?
FrugalBabe says
Emily,
It’s been a long process for me. I have always had a huge soft spot for animals (I will go to great lengths to take spiders and other bugs outside, rather than kill them, for example). I grew up on a farm where we had some animals (dairy cows, pigs, chickens, goats, and rabbits), but they were all roaming around wherever they liked, eating grass/scraps/bugs, etc. and having a pretty good life. When I was 12, we moved to the midwest, and I saw feedlots for the first time in my life. I was stunned, and could not believe that animals were kept in those sorts of conditions. Those images have stuck with me ever since.
In college, I gave up meat (but was happily still eating dairy and eggs), and stuck with it for a couple years after college while I was in the Peace Corps. That wasn’t hard to do, since meat was very scarce in my village anyway.
I started eating meat again when my husband and I moved in together, and kept doing so for about the next seven years. But I was never really comfortable with it, mainly from an ethical standpoint.
Then a few years ago, I started learning more about the environmental impact of eating meat; how a meat based diet uses so many more resources than a plant-based diet. A vegan diet for one person can be grown on 1/6 of an acre. For a meat eater, that number increases to 3.25 acres. There simply aren’t enough acres of land on earth to support the sort of meat-based diet that most Americans eat, if everyone on earth were to start eating that way. We are overpopulating our planet, and running out of land on which to grow food. Raising meat is greatly exacerbating that problem, and I want to be part of the solution.
In addition, I’m thoroughly convinced that a vegan diet is better for my health.
One exception I might make would be if we were ever in a situation to have a few backyard chickens (I think they are currently not allowed in our HOA), I wouldn’t mind letting them wander around the yard, eating bugs and laying eggs. I would never eat the chickens themselves though.
I have posted before about my feeling regarding eating at other peoples’ houses… if someone else is cooking for me, I’ll eat whatever they prepare. But that is a relatively rare situation for us – the vast majority of our meals are cooked at home, by me. So although we might never be 100% vegan, we’re pretty close, and that’s ok with me.
Emily says
FrugalBabe – It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into your reasons. I am curious if you have read “The Vegetarian Myth” by Lierre Keith and what your take on it is? (Note: I have not yet read this book myself, just many reviews). Also have you ever heard of Mark’s Daily Apple and if so, what are your opinions on that?
I must admit that I am a huge fan of Mark’s, but am always interested in hearing other people’s approach to life and am curious just to further my own understanding. I do agree with you that the current meat industry is not sustainable and really horrible, and have taken measures to work towards eating only meat that is grass-fed, free-range, etc and not part of that, but feel that meat is an integral part of a human diet and necessary to thrive.
Thanks!
johnnie says
I’ve known about nutritional yeast as an alternative but not the hemp. Ill have to try that. As for the previous poster ignore her! It always amazes me how people base what is true false based on a handful of books. I don’t think you should’ve explained anything. Carnis quit trying to promote your damn theories!
Emily says
Johnnie,
I think you’ve missed the reason for my asking about what her feelings and reasons were. I am not trying to promote my ideas over hers, only to further gain understanding for myself and about how others tick. I respect all the research that she does and am truly interested in how she has come to her opinions. I was only upfront about my feelings because she is being honest about hers and I don’t want to be dishonest about mine, especially when asking about two very pro-meat sources. The best thing you can always do about what you think and read is challenge it and I am truly interested in what she thinks about both of those things as she is coming from a different view point than myself.
I have been reading her blog for almost two years now and have recently gotten very interested in diet and that is why I am asking about these things.
FrugalBabe – I hope you realize that I am not trying to attack or change your opinion, but approach you about a topic that I and you are interested in and learn.
Thanks
FrugalBabe says
Emily,
No problem. I’ve put that book on my list to request it from the library, and I’m interested to read it. I am always trying to learn more about nutrition and the environmental impact of all the things we do, and that won’t happen if one only reads sources that agree with the viewpoints we already hold dear. To be sure, my views have changed on all sorts of issues over the years… if they didn’t, I’d figure that my brain was turning to mush.
Our family is actively working to remove ourselves from the commercial food cycle as much as possible, and we’re spending every spare minute lately out in the yard – digging, mulching, spreading compost, watering trees… it’s very exciting :)
One thing to note about vegetarianism/veganism: neither are an automatically nutritious diet. Just giving up animal products does not make a person healthy. I go to great lengths to incorporate things like spirulina, hemp seeds, several kinds of seaweed, flax seeds/oils, several kinds of sprouts, sesame seeds, dark green leafy things, and loads of veggies/fruits into our diet. We eat very few grains (other than our morning oats) and we don’t eat refined sugar at all. Our family is in exceptional health, based both on how we feel and the results of physicals. But it’s quite possible to be a very unhealthy, overweight vegan if a person is eating a lot of processed meat substitutes and grains, and not a lot of vegetables. The word “vegan” encompasses a lot of different diets, and they are definitely not all equally good.
Emily says
FrugalBabe,
I am excited to hear more about how all your planting and growing goes and wish I was able to grow as much as you are. Someday (though my version might include a cow! ;))! Once you do read that book (I am going to try to get my hands on it as well), I would love to discuss it with you.
I totally agree with your note about Vegetarianism/Veganism and it goes the same way with meat eaters – just because you do eat meat does NOT mean you have an automatically nutritious diet.
Good luck with your planting!
M- says
I was curious about how you eat the hemp seeds and nutritional yeast? Do you put into a blender and make a paste out of it? Does it melt? I have to say my mind is completely boggled in how these two ingredients would taste like cheese. Also, to eat it like cheese sauce and pour it over tortilla chips?
-please help my little head is starting to hurt with all questions…
thanks
m-
FrugalBabe says
M – check out the recipes I linked to in my post. The cheesy hemp nacho sauce is amazing stuff. It’s made with a red bell pepper, hemp seed, nutritional yeast, and a bunch of other stuff. It does require a blender, and takes about 5 – 10 minutes to make.
The Hemp-esan takes about 10 seconds to make: you just dump equal parts nutritional yeast and hemp seeds into a food processor, and process for several seconds. Then I store it in a jar in the fridge – but it seems to disappear very fast! I sprinkle that on just about anything, and I think it tastes great. The use the nacho cheese sauce as a dip for veggies, and on tacos.
Unos gift card says
Post is good, but what is the reason you choose not to eat animal products?
Benjamin Bankruptcy says
We can’t buy this stuff here all hemp products are illegal! Booo