Honestly I've explored the anti-inflamation diet info. out there and if you're really into it, you might as well give up eating all together. Try to find a good list of foods to avoid if you're prone to gout, for example, which my BF is. Whoa! I have terrible menstrual cramps and tried a diet low in the precursors to prostglandins and also anti-inflammatory as well. Did it for months. Made no difference. Exercise helped dramatically with that problem though--sitting at a desk all day is absolutely the bane of life for our bodies! Now I'm on a low acid diet for interstitial cystitis. Only a few of the so called "trigger" foods bother me, which I found out by going the elimination diet route. Sitting isn't good for that problem either! So diet isn't always the magic pill. But some folks have found themselves remarkably healed by diet too, so there you go. As for beans and inflammation, the only one I'm aware of is kidney beans. Supposedly high in purine which causes gout. Honestly though, compared to meats, kidney beans are small potatoes. Oh, sorry you nightshade folks, small turnips, oh wait, those are cruciferous aren't they, small rice grains. I don't know if it is because I have always loved fiber-filled foods or what, but when I eat like my dad does, with the five main food groups being meat, starch, sugar, salt and oil, I start to feel lousy pretty quick! I tried it for a week when they were here one time for Christmas, I tried only making foods I knew my dad likes and not making separate for myself. Ugh. Couldn't sleep and felt sluggish. However, if you're used to a diet high in unhealthy foods, I don't think you realize its effects because that is just "normal" for you. And it takes a long time for the body to adjust to changes, either good or bad. Which is a good thing when you think about it. If your body couldn't adjust humans wouldn't be able to survive very well. But anyway, if you shock your system one way or the other, you're going to feel lousy and hate the foods, either way. That's why the best route is to go gradual. For some, "fake" products are part of the transition process. Eventually you may loose your taste for those kinds of things as your palate develops. I have been going low fat for so long that the full fat versions of most things don't agree with me, which is quite the opposite of how it would seem to someone just starting out on a low fat diet, they would find the low fat foods disappointing. But you can develop sensitivieis to certain foods as you age. I used to pride myself on having an iron constitution. I can no longer get away with those things! Last night I had a fishwich, fries and coffee. Hardly the worst of fast food meals, but I was not able to sleep well due to indigestion and thirst due to the salt and then going to the bathroom! But I'll bet if I was used to it I wouldn't have had as much of a problem.

I got the original recipe here: http://vegan-magic.blogspot.com/2012/06/bean-and-lentil-loaf-low-fat-gluten.html where credit is given to Anne Sheasby's book "High fibre cooking". Here is the version I did tonight, written as for a non-cook as much as possible: Food Processor, scale, large mixing bowl, strainer or slotted spoon, two pots, mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, wooden spoon or other cooking spoon, 9" loaf pan (mine is shiny aluminum), prep bowls, cutting board and knife, pastry brush (preferably silicone) Dry Garbanzo beans, about 200 g cooked weight Dry beans (black eyed peas tonight, white or black beans another time), about 200 g cooked weight 400 g cooked weight dried green lentils 1 onion, about the size of a fist, chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped 1 large or 4 small cloves of garlic, squished and chopped or pressed Oil for sauteing (I use Extra Light Olive Oil) Carrots, about 8 peeled baby or one large 1/2 c. walnut pieces 1/2 c. almond meal 2 TBSP tapioca starch 2 TBSP ground flax seeds 1/2 cup crumbs (better idea than rice) 3-4-ish TBSP Simply Heinz tomato ketchup (if you're picky--any would do), plus more for brushing on later Be generous on the measures with the spices. Not heaping, but a little rondure. :) 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp chipotle powder 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika 1/2 tsp black pepper, not too fine 1/2 tsp Morton's table salt (I say go for the iodine when cooking because who wants goiter?) 1 very very generous tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried thyme Day before: Rinse and sort beans, well. Put beans in a heavy pot, cover with water, bring briefly to a boil and let cool, then put in fridge overnight. Day of:Pour off some of the bean water until it's only about a third of the way up. Bring to a moving simmer and cook the beans through to tender. Should take about the time it takes for the water to boil off/be absorbed. About 20 minutes. Add back more bean water if needed. Rinse and sort lentils, well. Cook about a cup of lentils to 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until they puff up. Saute onions and celery. When the onions start going transparent, add the garlic. Continue to cook until soft but not carmelized (brown). Put the walnut pieces in the food processor and pulse until small. Add the almond meal and pulse a few more times to mix. Put nut mixture in mixing bowl. Put carrots in food processor and pulse until small but not minced and loosing their water. Add to mixing bowl. Add the crumbs to the mixing bowl. Measure and combine in a prep bowl: seasonings, spices, herbs, flaxseed and tapioca (i.e., the small amounts of dry stuff). Mix well with a fork. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Drain both the beans and lentils. Measure out 400 grams of the lentils and 400 grams of the beans. Put equal portions in the food processor with a portion of the sauteed mixture equal to the proportion of the beans/lentils. That is, if you're putting in a third of the beans and a third of the lentils, use a third of the sauteed vegetables. Turn on the FP and let it run until a paste develops. Scrape down the sides once or twice. It's done when looking from the top (lid off) it seems well blended and doesn't have big pieces of anything showing. About the texture of stiff hummus. Empty into mixing bowl and repeat until done. Mix the contents of the bowl with your wooden spoon until everything is well distributed. Add the ketchup, and mix. Pour the spice mixture all around the bowl so that it's well spread out, and mix bringing the outside edges in, until all the spice mix is well mixed in and distributed. If you think it needs more color, add another squirt of ketchup. Prepare the loaf pan by generously oiling it (or spray oil). Not enough oil for puddles, but so there's lots on the sides and bottom. Don't do this ahead or the oil will all run down. The oil is for making the crust as much as keeping the loaf from sticking. Put the bean mixture in the pan and smooth the top. Try to get the sides not to stick up so they won't burn. Place in the middle of a 350 degree oven on convection/bake if you have it, or else convection or bake. Set the timer for 45 minutes. If the top is at all dry looking, use your pastry brush to cover it with a thin layer of ketchup. Bake a further 10-15 minutes. When it's ready the edges will just be getting dark and will be pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and put on a rack. Let it cool and rest for at least 20 minutes. When the pan's edges are cool enough to touch, place your plate over the pan, grab the edges of both and invert. Garnish as you please. A scalloped or serrated knife will probably cut the cleanest, or choose a thin blade. Just don't press down so hard it squishes. Since I wasn't having company, I went for the practical and unmolded my loaf onto the top of a long Ziploc container. That made it easy to just put the container over the loaf for storage in the fridge. Edit: Left off the lentils from the ingredients. This post was edited by plllog on Tue, May 6, 14 at 1:10

Okay, I'm beginning to organize my thoughts. I've been working on this reply for three days now, but keep having to leave. This is what I've gleaned as categories for a care package: 1. A family sized bottle of B12 supplements. :) Thanks, Grainlady! For the info as well as the recipes. I will also do one of your chia ones for them for the Omega-3. 2. Seeds and nuts that they can throw into any dish they put together, or just snack on. A friend recommended hemp hearts, but also chia and flaxseed, some pre-cut nuts, etc. 3. Some kind of grab and go bars/logs/balls. I'm still checking recipes for these. I've found a couple of good ones that have cocoa but aren't overly sugary. A lot of the bars are no-bakes that require dates to make them stick together, and that's too sugary for this purpose. It's fine for an energy bar, but the girls get plenty of carbs. If the only nuts I use are a nut-butter for stickiness it wouldn't be too bad, I think, though I was trying to expand them from over-reliance on nuts. 4. Easy prep/grab foods like lentil pasta (high protein), packaged tempeh or tempeh sausage, saitan burgers, organic soy protein, etc. 5. Easy to prep/grab vegetables like TJ's Cruciferous Crunch and Power to the Greens, which look like salad but are more nutritious than lettuce. Also, green beans and/or sugar snap peas, which can be eaten raw or cooked, little tomatoes, which can be eaten like candy, and anything pre-prepped. 6. Something home cooked, such as bean and lentil loaf muffins or vegan chili and beans. Islay Corbel: Your cheese and nut ball sounds good. I'll see if I can find a vegan soft cheese. I haven't seen any artisanal vegan cheeses like on your link, but I may not have looked closely enough, since, when I do look, I'm usually looking for one with a kosher hecksher. One of the girls is Middle Eastern, so I'm not going to bother with a hummus. There are also a plethora of made up ones available at the stores close to them--because hummus is such a good food for vegans and there are many among the young. I just wish they'd mind their nutrition better. Cornflakes and cupcakes is not a nutritious diet! Your links are very promising, and I'm still going through them. DCarch, good idea about the Chinese store. The textured soy proteins are also available in more mainstream stores, here. Localeater, Thanks for the recipe. I've only eaten Muhammara a couple of times and didn't really know what was in it. I don't think they'd bother making it. I wonder if I could substitute seeds or beans for a portion of the nuts? Bean salads are a great idea, too. Very grab and snack. Sleevendog, I keep coming back to your patties. Any recipe or guidelines? I make beef meatballs with a lot of veggies in them (more than half). Maybe I should do the same kind of thing with tempeh or something in place of the meat, and egg replacer for the sticky? Would it be sticky enough? I also have chia and flaxseeds. I just don't have enough experience and understanding of which to use when. What makes a meatless ball stick together in lieu of eggs? To make: Kale Chips and Texas Caviar (though the former don't have enough oomph to carry the latter). I can definitely make the Texas Caviar from fresh/dried, rather than canned. I've never seen a can of Rotel tomatoes, so I looked it up. Mine might not taste exactly the same, but I think I can make it taste good. :) Writersblook, I don't have a dehydrator, and while my oven will do the right temperature, it holds too much moisture. I've looked at Rawmazing, thanks for the reference, and didn't see anything that jumped out at me as tempting the young away from nuts and cornflakes. Is there something there that you particularly like? Ruthanna, your salad sounds really good and different. I will definitely be making this, just in general, besides for the girls. Colleen, I appreciate all of your comments, and agree about the cheeses. Vegen rennet is derived from fungus, but milk is milk in any form. Some rabbis rule that beef rennet and cassein are chemicals that are so far from their original source that they may be considered non-meat and non-dairy for Jewish purposes, but that doesn't count for a vegan who wishes to consume no products that started with an animal. I hope to get to the store tomorrow for some ingredients, and get right onto the vegan health snack experiment.

I don't dabble in vegan cooking as rule but decided to make this soup (more or less) when I discovered a sizable stash of mung beans in the pantry. I purchased them to sprout but my sprouting efforts were not particularly successful. Bulk bin dispensers being what they are, filling the bag quickly got away from me and I came home with a large bag of these little green bbs. Curried Mung Bean Soup 1 medium onion, chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 1 rib of celery, chopped 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 serrano, minced 1 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1/2 tsp. coriander 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 cup dried mung beans 4 cups vegetable broth salt to taste 1/4 tsp. garam masala 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1. In a thin laryer of water, saute the onion, celery, and carrot until they are just starting to get soft. Add in the garlic and serrano. If mixture starts to stick, add some more water. 2. Add in spices and the tomato paste. Stir constantly and let the spices cook for a few minutes. The vegetables in step #1 should be coated with the spice/tomato paste mixture. 3. Add in mung beans and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower to a simmer. Let cook for 45 min., or until mung beans are cooked. 4. I like my soups to be thick and blended, so I used an immersion blender to blend approximately half of the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, just add half of the soup to a regular blender, blend, and then add it back to the pot. Feel free to skip this step, it's a texture-preference. 5. Taste the soup and add salt to taste. Add in lemon juice and garam masala. MY CHANGES: I doubled the recipe. I added a small can of coconut milk, also a pantry find, and 3 teaspoons of curry powder. I added 2 pods of ground cardamom and 1/2 cup of chopped bell peppers. I reduced the serrano amount to a hint of serrano. A whole is too much heat for me. I didn't have vegetable broth and just used water. I used a small amount of olive oil to saute the vegetables. I also soaked them in water overnight in the refrigerator before cooking them - a step not mentioned in the recipe. I was pleased with the result. I definitely prefer mung beans to lentils. Eileen Here is a link that might be useful: Curried mung bean soup.