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Kosher Foods Tips
Ease Into It
If you've decided to become a vegetarian, making the change slowly is often times in your best interest. Quitting a meateater's life cold tukeyon a dime can be difficult. If you ease into the new lifestyle gradually, you will give the body the time it needs to adjust to the big change in diet. By slowly converting to a vegetarian diet you also get the advantage of having more time to find read up on nutrition and about vegetarian foods in general. This way, your diet will be satisfying and nutritionally balanced from the get go.
A great way to ease into vegetarianism is to start leaning toward a kosher diet. In fact, more than 80% of the people who purchase kosher items are non-Jew vegetarians. When you eat foods with a kosher label you can be more confident that they do not contain animal products.
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Kosher Food for the Health Conscious
Not so very long ago kosher food was associated with the religious practices of Judaism, however, with the growing concern over the quality of the food supply, kosher food is no longer just for the Jewish population. In fact, according to recent reports on simpletoremember.com, an online Judaic forum, the number of health-conscious consumers seeking kosher food has grown steadily over the past several years.
It’s easy to understand why! From peanut butter recalls to mad cow disease, it seems the food supply is in the news on a constant basis. Health conscious consumers searching for assurance of nutritious, healthy and safe food are turning to the stricter requirements of Kosher food preparation as an added level of assurance.
What is Kosher Food?
Kosher food laws must abide by strict dietary rules in order for a food to be deemed “kosher” or “fit” to eat. In order to be certified kosher, food must conform to standard FDA guidelines and then the additional scrutiny of a specially-trained Rabbi who oversees the ingredient list, preparation guidelines and other standards. Because foods are categorized as either meat, dairy or “pareve” – a neutral category that does not contain either meat or dairy – kosher food is a particularly attractive option for many modern vegans and vegetarians!
What to Look For
Kosher food symbols include the letter K, often in combination with other symbols, or a U surrounded by a circle. The word "pareve" on a label means that the food contains neither meat nor dairy products.
Fantastic Foods has a full line of kosher products certified by Kosher Supervision of America (KSA) and administered by Rabbi Binyomin Lisbon.
KOSHER DAIRY Blarney Stone Creamy Potato Soup Dutch Split Pea Soup New England Vegetarian Chicken
KOSHER PAREVE Original Hummus Falafel Instant Refried Beans Instant Black Beans Tabouli
SIMMER SOUPS Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Split Pea Vegetable Barley
Just because you are a kosher vegan doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the delicious taste of butters. Believe it or not, butters made from nuts make for a mouth-watering alternative that will taste great spread on just about anything. Here is a fantastic kosher recipe for nut butter:
Spread the shelled nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, etc) on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Occasionally stir the nuts to ensure that they are evenly roasted.
Using a hand mill, grind the nuts into a firm paste. If there isn't a hand mill readily available, use an electric blender to make a paste (add oil to help the blending process).
When the paste is created, add sea salt to taste and store the mixture in a glass jar (make sure the container is airtight). Keep jars refrigerated.
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Careful with That Kosher
Many people think that any kosher product that is pareve is vegetarian, this is a common misconception. The general definition of "pareve" refers to food products that are categorized as neither milk nor meat. Many people automatically assume this means that the items are vegetarian. However, pareve certified ingredients may contain animal products, such as eggs and fish.
Kosher law is a very complex thing and the bones and skins used in gelatin production, even if they are not slaughtered according to “kosher” specifications, can still be considered pareve by some of the certifying agencies. Before you grab those kosher items off of the shelf in good faith be sure to read the labels thoroughly. If you're not careful you might consume animal products without even knowing.
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Kosher Condiment Recipe
Most people would agree that condiments can make a meal. The addition of these items can add flavor to just about anything. One of the most popular condiments is mayonnaise. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find completely vegetarian mayonnaise. There are companies that make such things but they are not always readily available. Here is a great kosher recipe for a tasty vegetarian mayonnaise that you can make in your own home:
1/3 cup almonds, raw
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
3 Tablespoon water
4 teaspoon vinegar
4 teaspoon lemon juice
Begin by placing 2 inches of water in a saucepan, and bringing it to a boil. Add the almonds and boil for 1 minute to blanch them. Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside for about 3 minutes to let it cool. Extract the almonds from the water and squeeze each almond to remove their skins, set aside skinned almonds and allow them to cool.
Put almonds in a food processor or blender and process for 1 to 2 minutes (until finely ground). Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, and process for an additional 30 seconds to blend. In a measuring cup, combine the water and oil. Then, poor into the blender while the machine is still running. Mix in lemon juice and vinegar and continue to process until mixture is thickened.
Put the mixture in an airtight container and chill for about 30 minutes to let the flavors mix together. Then, add to your sandwiches or use as a dip.
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Buying Kosher
Even if you're not Jewish, the existence of kosher food is a huge benefit to vegetarians. When you buy kosher you can be assured that an item designated definitely won't be made with any type of meat products. And, finding kosher items is simple if you follow the tips below:
Shop at bakeries and stores that are certified kosher markets. These are a lot easier to find in some cities than others.
Look in your local supermarket for a kosher food aisle, which should have a fair amount of staple kosher items.
Before heading out to a market or restaurant call to ask about the type of foods they carry or serve.
Look on informative kosher sites like Kashrut.com and KosherConsumer.org and read about the kinds of products that are kosher.
Many well-known companies actually manufacture their food products in accordance with kosher laws. Some of these companies include:
Thomas'
Lenders
Kellogg's
Philadelphia
Vlasic
Pepperidge Farm
Coca-Cola
Kikkoman
Heinz
Starbucks
Kikkoman
Near East
If you are having trouble finding kosher items, try shopping online and having kosher foods delivered.
