Transitioning to Veganism/Vegetarianism

StarSong said:
Pizza peels.
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Just discovered that ‘now,’ THANKS!!
Pizza peels!!!
Do you have a metal one, wood one or other type?
I need one of these because the last time I made the mistake of adding all my toppings first and then tried lifting it without one of these. Hence the reason why you never saw a photo of the entire pizza cooked. It was a right mess. 😂

F4611796-A172-4D1B-AAC9-2ECFFC2FCC81.jpegD7D01E1D-97EA-47B7-920B-4D041E7D5FB5.jpeg
 
Keesha said:
When you roll out your dough, do you place your rolled dough on a cooking tray or pizza stone before adding the toppings and I’d you have a pizza stone, do they work good? I’ve never tried a pizza stone . I use a pizza try with holes in the bottom so the bottom gets cooked evenly but am wondering if there’s a better way.

Do you have one of those big pizza spatulas?
I don’t know what they are called but I’m sure you know what I mean.

I love making pizza. Do you make pizzas fresh each time or do you make a batch and freeze some of them?
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I spray the stone, put the dough ball in the center, pound it down with my hands, roll it using a 6" mini roller.
I have a pizza peel, the giant spatula. A must for getting it off the stone, while it's in the oven, and onto a pizza tray, for cutting.
I make pizzas fresh, each time.
Bon appetit!
 
treeguy64 said:
I spray the stone, put the dough ball in the center, pound it down with my hands, roll it using a 6" mini roller.
I have a pizza peel, the giant spatula. A must for getting it off the stone, while it's in the oven, and onto a pizza tray, for cutting.
I make pizzas fresh, each time.
Bon appetit!
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So does Little Caesar, 😂, all that work, you guys must really like to cook. We actually cooked/made enchiladas from scratch yesterday. Made our own taco season, our own sauce, and then beef/cheese enchiladas. We had to buy all the seasonings, since we had none, and a 1 pound bag of flour.

Took an hour plus and used almost every dish we owned. It was really good, but I can’t imagine doing this every single day, two or three times a day. How do you manage to do anything else?
 
Yes Anneda, some people actually take pride in self preservation and that involves caring about what goes into the body. Some people prefer to take their health into their own hands instead of relying on others to do it. There’s a certain satisfaction in making our own foods since then we know EXACTLY what’s in it which is extra beneficial so we can address any health issues through dietary changes. Making your own food is usually cheaper than buying prepared & prepackaged foods and especially cheaper than take out junk food.

If this diet isn’t for you than why keeping posting in this thread. I’m not trying to convince anyone here to change their mind about what they eat. I’m not hurting anyone on this forum by eating a diet that is best for me.

Anyway this morning I made myself fluffy gluten free pancakes . They are dairy free but not completely vegan as I did use an egg. I substitute coconut milk for milk and the cheese is vegan provolone. Ummm. They are delicious. Look at poor me suffering. 🤣

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Keesha said:
Yes Anneda, some people actually take pride in self preservation and that involves caring about what goes into the body. Some people prefer to take their health into their own hands instead of relying on others to do it. There’s a certain satisfaction in making our own foods since then we know EXACTLY what’s in them which is extra beneficial so we can address any health issues through dietary changes. Making your own food is usually cheaper than buying prepared & prepackaged foods and especially cheaper than take out junk food.

If this diet isn’t for you than why keeping posting in this thread. I’m not trying to convince anyone here to change their mind about what they eat. I’m not hurting anyone on this forum by eating a diet that is best for me.

Anyway this morning I made myself fluffy gluten free pancakes . They are dairy free but not completely vegan as I did use an egg. I substitute coconut milk for milk and the cheese is vegan provolone. Ummm. They are delicious. Look at poor me suffering. 🤣

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Alrighty then, I thought we were talking and sharing, but apparenrly I am wrong. I will put you on ignore. Please do the same for me.
 
Aneeda72 said:
Alrighty then, I thought we were talking and sharing, but apparenrly I am wrong. I will put you on ignore. Please do the same for me.
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Yes and I thought we were also but your joking around is all based around poking fun of this way of eating and after a while it gets old. I won’t put you on ignore as I don’t have anything against you but if you wish to do that then I’m ok with that also.
 
Keesha said:
Yes Anneda, some people actually take pride in self preservation and that involves caring about what goes into the body. Some people prefer to take their health into their own hands instead of relying on others to do it. There’s a certain satisfaction in making our own foods since then we know EXACTLY what’s in it which is extra beneficial so we can address any health issues through dietary changes. Making your own food is usually cheaper than buying prepared & prepackaged foods and especially cheaper than take out junk food.

If this diet isn’t for you than why keeping posting in this thread. I’m not trying to convince anyone here to change their mind about what they eat. I’m not hurting anyone on this forum by eating a diet that is best for me.

Anyway this morning I made myself fluffy gluten free pancakes . They are dairy free but not completely vegan as I did use an egg. I substitute coconut milk for milk and the cheese is vegan provolone. Ummm. They are delicious. Look at poor me suffering. 🤣

View attachment 107344
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Get egg replacer, K. It works very well.

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As for that person who's dissing what you post, in here: Ignore List.
 
treeguy64 said:
Get egg replacer, K. It works very well.

View attachment 107552

As for that person who's dissing what you post, in here: Ignore List.
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Thanks so much for this. You know, I looked around for something like this but the only thing suggested was to get flax seed and make my own flax egg and it’s just not suitable for many foods. I REALLY like Bobs Red Mill brand. They are a very reliable source for food substitutes.

By the way, I’m really liking that provolone cheese. Yesterday I made another vegan pizza and this time I grated this cheese and it tasted just like regular pizza. I hadn’t thought of that before so thanks again for the recommendation.

This diet is really improving a health issue I’ve suffered with for most of life. It’s not completely gone and probably never will but it’s certainly improved tenfold. Another major improvement is that my sinus infection is starting to clear up on its own. This is a problem that was continuously getting worse each year to the point where it was affecting my sense of smell and taste, not to mention basic breathing. Being a singer / saxophonist, it had a huge impact so I am really happy about this. Just these health issues alone have made this transition worth it.
 
Keesha said:
Just discovered that ‘now,’ THANKS!!
Pizza peels!!!
Do you have a metal one, wood one or other type?
I need one of these because the last time I made the mistake of adding all my toppings first and then tried lifting it without one of these. Hence the reason why you never saw a photo of the entire pizza cooked. It was a right mess. 😂

View attachment 107331View attachment 107332
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I have both.
Pizza going into the oven slides off a wooden peel very easily (I dust the peel with a semolina/flour combo), and the metal one is much better at turning the pizza in the oven and removing it when it's done.

Unlike @treeguy64, I never spray anything on my pizza stone. When I make pizza I preheat the oven at its very hottest temperature (about 550-600) for a full hour with two 16" stones in place. One on the top rack, one on the second to lowest.

Mind you, I make traditional pizza dough, meaning it contains flour and yeast, and the dough gets a 2-3 day cold rise. Because of this effort and the hour preheating, I don't make one or two pizzas at a time. I can't actually the last time I made fewer than a dozen, but it was definitely at least 15 years ago.

My frozen/reheated pizza is excellent. We add vegetable toppings before reheating in a preheated convection toaster oven. Cook at 425 for exactly 7 minutes.
 
StarSong said:
I have both.
Pizza going into the oven slides off a wooden peel very easily (I dust the peel with a semolina/flour combo), and the metal one is much better at turning the pizza in the oven and removing it when it's done.

Unlike @treeguy64, I never spray anything on my pizza stone. When I make pizza I preheat the oven at its very hottest temperature (about 550-600) for a full hour with two 16" stones in place. One on the top rack, one on the second to lowest.

Mind you, I make traditional pizza dough, meaning it contains flour and yeast, and the dough gets a 2-3 day cold rise. Because of this and the hour preheating, I don't make one or two pizzas at a time. I can't actually the last time I made fewer than a dozen, but it was definitely at least 15 years ago.
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Wait, you make a DOZEN pizzas at a time? Must be great having a commercial quality, walk-in freezer at your house. I don't have the room for that, unfortunately. In my dream house, I have always wanted a walk-in refrigerator leading to a walk in freezer. Maybe one of these days.........

I could never place my dough on a heated pizza stone since my low gluten mix is not able to be easily moved, once rolled out. That's why I have to roll it out on a cool, oiled pizza stone, and then place it in the oven.

Hold on... You turn your pizzas, in the oven? OK, I think I'm understanding: You just make a bunch of crusts at one time, not fully dressed pizzas, right?
 
StarSong said:
I have both.
Pizza going into the oven slides off a wooden peel very easily (I dust the peel with a semolina/flour combo), and the metal one is much better at turning the pizza in the oven and removing it when it's done.

Unlike @treeguy64, I never spray anything on my pizza stone. When I make pizza I preheat the oven at its very hottest temperature (about 550-600) for a full hour with two 16" stones in place. One on the top rack, one on the second to lowest.

Mind you, I make traditional pizza dough, meaning it contains flour and yeast, and the dough gets a 2-3 day cold rise. Because of this effort and the hour preheating, I don't make one or two pizzas at a time. I can't actually the last time I made fewer than a dozen, but it was definitely at least 15 years ago.

My frozen/reheated pizza is excellent. We add vegetable toppings before reheating in a preheated convection toaster oven. Cook at 425 for exactly 7 minutes.
Click to expand...
OK, so, you flip your crusts, while they're baking. You want extra crispy crusts? What's your baking time?

Then you freeze them. Then what? You take out a frozen crust, thaw it, dress it, and then bake it, again? I'm having a tough time figuring this out, and I was the head pizza guy at one of the most popular pizza places in Champaign.
 
@treeguy64 We let the pizzas cool completely, cut them in quarters, separate them with waxed paper, then stack them flat in 2 gallon freezer ziplock bags. Eight or ten quarters to a bag.

The pizzas go in the oven, fully dressed (other than veggies or basil, if they're going in the freezer). About halfway through, I open the oven, slide the peel under the pizza, pull it halfway out, give the pizza a spin, and then put it back in to finish cooking. If I've got another pizza on the wooden peel, I move the first pizza to the top stone and put the new pizza on the bottom stone.

It sounds complicated, but hubby & I have this down to a really good rhythm.

We have a standard upright freezer in the garage and a gas (double) wall oven in the kitchen.
 
StarSong said:
@treeguy64 We let the pizzas cool completely, cut them in quarters, separate them with waxed paper, then stack them flat in 2 gallon freezer ziplock bags. Eight or ten quarters to a bag.

The pizzas go in the oven, fully dressed (other than veggies or basil, if they're going in the freezer). About halfway through, I open the oven, slide the peel under the pizza, pull it halfway out, give the pizza a spin, and then put it back in to finish cooking. If I've got another pizza on the wooden peel, I move the first pizza to the top stone and put the new pizza on the bottom stone.

It sounds complicated, but hubby & I have this down to a really good rhythm.

We have a standard upright freezer in the garage and a gas (double) wall oven in the kitchen.
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😲🥺

Sorry, I'm very confused. What type of pizza do you make, initially? After they're cooled, and quartered, you freeze them, yes? Then, what happens when you want a pizza with toppings? Take me from the frozen quarter to a veggie slice on your plate.

This sounds so complex. I simply make a pizza, and eat it, in about a thirty-five minute time frame:
Five minutes on the crust, five minutes to roll out and dress, twenty minutes in the oven, five minutes to eat a slice, or two.
 
I make a standard cheese pizza. Sauce and cheese only. Light on the cheese. Undercooked only slightly until the underpart of the crust is light brown but not yet dark-spotted. Then cool, quarter & freeze.
I defrost the quarters for an hour or so. Add toppings like bell pepper, mushrooms, basil, etc., and put it in the convection oven for 8 minutes.

I like crusts that have had a long rise. And thin crust only. Naples or NY style.
 
Ok I’m sure learning a lot here. I’ve never used a pizza stone or pizza press and I actually enjoy making pizza a lot so this is something I’m on the look out for. My man usually makes our wooden utensils so I’ll see if he can make me one. He’s actually very good at woodworking. Far better than

Thanks. I completely enjoyed the pizza conversation. Speaking of basil. Does anyone put whole basil leaves on theirs.

I’ve currently got about 5 different types of mints growing so I’m making hot mint tea and cool tea with lemon. So yummy and soothing on the stomach.

Egg replacement I hadn’t even considered researching but now I will try and find Bobs Red Mill egg replacer.

Your method of making basic pizza crusts sounds quite handy. I’m wondering if it will work with gluten free the same. I’ve made pizza dough without cooking it and placed it in the freezer fine. Without the gluten, anything pre-made doesn’t last the same but I’ll experiment some.

I’m surprised at the oven temperature. I cook my pizza @ 450 degrees and even that seems high.

Does anyone make their own Pesto Sauce here using fresh basil. My basil doesn’t seem to last the winters here so I going to try and grow it in the greenhouse this year. I’ve got all kinds of vegetables growing in there now as well as some winterized oregano.

That’s great that you can safely cook two pizza crusts at once. You clearly have more than one pizza stone.


StarSong said:
I have both.
Pizza going into the oven slides off a wooden peel very easily (I dust the peel with a semolina/flour combo), and the metal one is much better at turning the pizza in the oven and removing it when it's done.

Unlike @treeguy64, I never spray anything on my pizza stone. When I make pizza I preheat the oven at its very hottest temperature (about 550-600) for a full hour with two 16" stones in place. One on the top rack, one on the second to lowest.

Mind you, I make traditional pizza dough, meaning it contains flour and yeast, and the dough gets a 2-3 day cold rise. Because of this effort and the hour preheating, I don't make one or two pizzas at a time. I can't actually the last time I made fewer than a dozen, but it was definitely at least 15 years ago.

My frozen/reheated pizza is excellent. We add vegetable toppings before reheating in a preheated convection toaster oven. Cook at 425 for exactly 7 minutes.
Click to expand...
 
I have four stones, all told. Two in my house, one in my camper, and a fourth that I bought for one of my kids but he beat me to it and bought his own, so the family has a spare. :) In over 20 years of pizza stone use I've only replaced two. One got cracked over the years, the other broke when we tried using it on the BBQ. One and done on the BBQ experiment.

I prefer only one pizza in the oven at a time, but occasionally I mis-time my next pizza and have one ready before the previous one is finished. Rather than having the second one wait and stick to the peel :eek:, we move the first one up and put in the second. The problem with two in at a time is that it means opening the oven more often and the temperature drops.

Wood and coal fired pizzeria ovens get hotter than 800 degrees. Their pizzas cook in 90 seconds or so!
My puny 550-600 degree temp is well within tolerance for flour based pizza. Reminder - I don't know anything about GF cooking or baking.

Because some swear by it, a couple of times I've tried freezing pizza dough but really, really dislike the results. They're harder to work with, don't stretch properly and the flavor/texture isn't up to par.

We always have pizza in the freezer, as does my daughter (I'm her family's pizza pusher-man.) When either or both of households get low, I schedule a pizza making session. Usually her family comes over and we make an afternoon/evening of it, but with the stay-at-home situation hubby & I just make them and hand off their share of the spoils.

I put full basil leaves on Margherita pizzas. I sometimes add them a minute (or less) before pulling them out of the oven, but generally put them on right as they come out of the oven. Fresh basil leaves on pizza are like making garlic bread. When you put either in the oven, someone has to be assigned to doing nothing else but watching them. They get overdone the instant one's attention is diverted.

We have basil plants in the garden, but I've never been successful at keeping them alive for very long over winter, not even as house plants. I buy two plants at a time at Trader Joe's to get us through winter pizza. I try to encourage them along to last for two pizza-making sessions. Overall success rate is about 50%. No matter. TJ always has them and at $4 or $5 for a plant, I can afford to replace them.
 
Thanks Starsong
What you write makes perfect sense. The pizza stones sound like just what a need. Having more than one pizza in the oven at a time is what I wondered about. How would they cook evenly. It seems similar to putting two trays in the oven at once.

I had no idea fire / coal pizzas cook so fast and at over 800 degrees. That’s very hot. The hottest my oven gets is only 500 degrees. Gluten free baking is VERY different and probably not something used like to try. Gluten is what gives flour it’s stretch and stickiness so many alternatives are used to try and replicate it and not always successful. I probably tried hundreds of ways how NOT to make something before I discovered a way to make it.

I’m surprised you can’t grow basil where you live. I figured I couldn’t since I live in a 4b zone. You’re in a zone 9 or something but now I understand how fragile basil really is and yes it wilts and burns quickly. It’s so good though. Do you ever make fresh pesto sauce? That’s really good on pizza crust and pasta. it looks like I won’t be winterizing it in my greenhouse, after what you’ve written. I’ll do what you do and buy one somewhere. I do have some growing lights to keep them healthy & alive.

Thanks Starsong. That’s great info.
 
Now on a more serious note.
Questions for any other vegan / vegetarians.

When you started this diet, did you find you couldn’t sleep well? At first I noticed a huge surge in energy which was great but then I’m also not sleeping well which isn’t good.

Another thing I noticed is depression. I’ve got a depressive disorder as well as some other mental health disorders which seem to be aggravated by eating this diet so I researched this and was surprised to learn that it’s a common denominator in eating this way. Apparently the lack of vitamin D from not eating dairy products along with the lack of B12 in not eating any animal products can affect sleep and moods. Here’s some info about it.

Any thoughts on this? It’s really a major concern for me.


https://www.google.ca/amp/s/theslee...how-eating-vegetarian-affects-your-sleep/amp/

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.psy...tion-between-vegetarianism-and-depression?amp


https://www.google.ca/amp/s/thethirty.whowhatwear.com/amp/vegan-diet-and-depression
 
You're very welcome for the info.
To clear it up a bit, I can grow basil outside during the summer, but they die when winter's shorter days and cooler nights arrive. I've never tried using grow lights, but your post inspires me to check into it.

The step-by-step instructions on this website seem reasonable and doable. If you'd check the site out when you get a minute and give your opinion, I'd really appreciate it. https://thepeasantsdaughter.net/how-to-grow-basil-indoors/

To answer your question, I haven't made pesto in a long time because the best pesto has plenty of oil and cheese. I suppose I could try it with vegan cheese though. Perhaps @treeguy64 can steer us in a good direction on that.
 
Keesha said:
Now on a more serious note.
Questions for any other vegan / vegetarians.

When you started this diet, did you find you couldn’t sleep well? At first I noticed a huge surge in energy which was great but then I’m also not sleeping well which isn’t good.

Another thing I noticed is depression. I’ve got a depressive disorder as well as some other mental health disorders which seem to be aggravated by eating this diet so I researched this and was surprised to learn that it’s a common denominator in eating this way. Apparently the lack of vitamin D from not eating dairy products along with the lack of B12 in not eating any animal products can affect sleep and moods. Here’s some info about it.

Any thoughts on this? It’s really a major concern for me.
Click to expand...

I require less sleep now, which is why I'm up so early most days. No depression. I take 4000 iu of Vitamin D daily, and a sublingual Vitamin B12 twice weekly. B12 supplements are universally recommended for WFPB and vegans.

Please take care of yourself, @Keesha. If it turns out that you need some meat or dairy to preserve your mental health, don't beat yourself up for it. Remember - you're doing this for YOU, for as long as it works for YOU.

You'll win the battle but lose the war if your body feels a little healthier but your emotional state prevents you from enjoying it.
 
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