simplicity.

The number one, non-vegan related question I get whenever I'm eating food I've prepared is how I find time to prepare wonderful meals.  The truth is that I'm a pretty busy lady.  I work, I'm a full-time student, I have a husband, I manage a mental disorder, I work out, I have hobbies.  I have a lot on my plate...no pun intended.  Actually, pun intended, I love puns.

In order to eat well, both according to taste and nutrition, I plan a lot.  I make a big batch of something a head of time, I plan a lot of my meals ahead, and I always have quick "convenience" meals to eat in a jam.  I try to avoid eating out, but in a pinch, there are a lot of vegan options to choose from.

However, my number one piece of advice in eating well with limited time is SIMPLICITY!

Sometimes, meals don't have to be a great production.  Sometimes, it's okay to eat to live, not live to eat.  I do enjoy eating a great, meaningful meal, but I don't always have the time.  That doesn't mean that I don't have to skimp on eating healthy foods or eat something terrible.

For example, here is a picture of Monday's meal. 

Nothing show-stopping.
A simple spinach salad with some baby beets (I eat a lot of "baby" versions of foods.  Weird.) and some balsamic dressing that I made a while ago.
Steamed green beans with just a little salt and pepper.  I even skipped the vegan butter.
Cast-iron seared tofu cooked in a bit of oil.  I ate it with BARBECUE SAUCE.  Yes, barbecue sauce, which up until Google told me right now, I have been misspelling as "barbeque" for most of my life. If I felt fancy, I could have used some sort of sauce or other condiment.
Raw celery & cucumbers.  I had some vegan tzatziki sauce left over that I dipped these into.  I like things simple, but sheesh, I'm a vegan, not a tastebudless saint.  I need some sort of something on my raw veggies.

Simple.  This meal took like 15 minutes to make.  It took that long only because I realized my spatula was dirty, and I had to wash it mid-cooking.  Basically this meal is something that is delicious that anyone could make.  Tofu with bbq (HA! take that google spell check!) is my go-to lazy/quick meal, pair it with some veggies, a carb, maybe some fruit, and you've got yourself a meal.


stay simple,

danielle

Chickpeas 3 Ways: Part Three (A Modification!)

There's something about the idea of "the Sunday meal" that attracts me.  My family never really had a tradition of a special meal on Sunday, but since marrying Dustin, it feels right to eat a more special meal on Sunday.

First, for us, there's the practicality of it.  Sundays are our only full day home together.  We have time to cook all day, and we go grocery shopping most Sundays, so we can pick up whatever we need for a great meal.  There's also the gesture of the Sunday meal.  We know that we are facing a week of busy schedules, no time for a nice, home-cooked meal together.  Most of my meals are eaten in 15 minute spans of time at work or in between classes (these meals consist of cold/unheated foods).  It's nice to unwind with my amazing husband and eat a great meal.

Chickpea Cutlets

I would be lying if I said that I came up with this recipe all by myself.  That credit goes to Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her super brain.  Seriously, I have never tried a recipe from Veganomicon or any of the PPK recipes without loving them.  HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE DELICIOUS CREATIONS?

I started with this recipe and modified it.  Not that it wasn't perfect before, I just didn't have bread crumbs, and wanted a different flavor for mine.

Here are my changes:

1 16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil   ***1/8 cup canola oil***
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1 cup plain breadcrumbs    ***3/4 cup chickpea flour***
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme   ***1 teaspoon oregano***
1 teaspoon paprika           
1/2 teaspoon dried sage    ***1/2 teaspoon tumeric***
***1 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke***
Olive oil for pan frying

Optional ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a Microplane grater
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

I followed her directions, and voila! Out came amazing chickpea cutlets!


So what do I eat with them?  Besides steamed cauliflower...what else?  POTATOES OF COURSE! Every Sunday meal should have potatoes.  It's a rule, I swear.

Herb & Onion Baby Potatoes

Ingredients:
-1 pound baby potatoes
-3 tbsp garlic
-3 green onions, chopped
-2 tbsp onion powder
-1 tsp salt
-2 tbsp oregano
-2 tbsp basil
-Oil of your choice.  I used canola

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small glass dish, put about 2 tbsp of oil, potatoes, garlic, onion powder, salt, oregano, and basil.  Toss until the potatoes are coated.  Scoop about 2 tbsp of the remaining spice mixture out of the dish and set aside.  Cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and  checking to see if they are sticking. Add more oil if needed.  Add the spice mixture set aside earlier and cook for 5 more minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Top with chopped green onions and enjoy!

That's the meal champions eat to start their week, or the comfort food I eat to lament the fact that my week is starting and mourn the loss of the weekend.

BE WELL! 

-Danielle

Chickpeas 3 Ways: Part Two

So, it was gorgeous out today!  It was like 75 degrees and sunny all day.

I don't know about you, but whenever it's hot...the last thing I want to do is cook! I'd much rather be in the sunshine instead of near a hot oven, waiting for my meal to be done.  There's something about heated foods that sit heavily in my belly during the summer.  In fact, I'd much rather eat raw fruits & veggies instead of anything, but if you want something with a bit more substance...I have the perfect recipe! And this recipes features none other than CHICKPEASSSSSS!


 

Chickpea Salad 

This recipe is awesome because it's chilled, can be spread onto bread for sandwiches, or eaten with crackers for a lighter dinner or snack.

Yields: Enough for  Picnic
Ingredients:
-1 cup TVP (cooked according to directions)
(TVP stands for "texturized vegetable protein. You can find it at most health stores, bulk bins, and even some grocery stores.  For some reason, the name "TVP" and then explanation of what TVP stands for freaks some omnivores out.  I'm not sure why. If you can't find TVP or want to be boring and not try new things, you can certainly replace TVP with an additional can of chickpeas, mashed) 
-2 Cans (13-16 oz) of Chickpeas  (if using dried, 2 cups), mashed up
-1/4 cup relish (sweet or dill, your choice)
-1 TBSP mustard (I used Grey Poupon because I'm undeniably fancy.  You can use whatchu like)
-3 green onions, chopped up
-1 stalk of celery, chopped into tiny pieces
-1 teaspoon white vinegar
-2 tsp dill
-2 tsp onion powder
-3 tbsp garlic
-3 tbsp paprika
-vegan mayonaise***
-salt'n'peppa (push it real good. okay, actually just to taste)


*** there is no "right" amount of vegan mayonnaise.  It really depends how creamy you like your sandwich spread.  I used Follow Your Heart's Vegenaise.  It can be hard to find and a bit pricey. I'm also trying to eat a bit healthier, and vegan mayonnaise is still kind of blah for you.  For this batch, I used 4 heaping tablespoons worth.  It wasn't as creamy as I liked it, so I added the following (blended together):
1/4 cup almonds
1/8 cup water, plain soy milk, or veg broth
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp oil (I used canola)
1 tsp dijon mustard (grey poupon, kids)
2-4 tbsp of vegan cream cheese (because it's less fatty and cheaper)
If you can't find vegan mayo, you can use this recipe or this or one of these or this fancy thing and make your own!  You'd be surprised how easy it is to make "creamy" vegan things without the [bad] fat or garbage that's put into regular mayo.


Basically, mash the chickpeas, and mix everything together.  Chill for a few hours, and then get some crackers and stuff your face.

hello!

Chickpeas 3 Ways: Part One

I can't think of a better way to get things started again than to focus on chickpeas.  This is silly, you might be saying.  What do chickpeas have to do with starting over?

Well, dear readers (if you are out there), chickpeas are an extremely versatile source of protein.  Beans are great, but for the most part, I get burnt out on beans.  Chickpeas seems to have a light flavor that makes them a source of protein that I can eat without getting tired of them.  Plus, they pick up flavor well, you can process them a ton of ways (hummus, mashed, whole).  Chickpeas keep on keepin' on.

For my first recipe, I'm going to see how many puns I can make.

Vegan Falafel With Tzatziki Sauce

Do you sometimes falafel [feel awful] about deciding what to eat?  Do you want something quick and easy?  Well, here's something I falafel [fell] in love with.   Okay, I'm done being silly.

Falafel are great because I can eat them cold.  They're easy to pack.  They're a quick, cheap, and easy meal.  Plus, they're really easy to make vegan (most falafel already are!).  These are baked, so they aren't totally FALAFEL [awful] for you!


Yields: 12 small falafel patties
Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas (you can use dry if you want to save even more money. if using dry, cook normally, and then use a cup and a half)
1 tbsp oil (I used sesame oil!)

4 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro (fresh)
4 mint leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander

3-4 tbsp chickpea flour (you can use any flour, but I'd use less)
1 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a cookie sheet, set aside.

In a large bowl, mash up the chickpeas with the oil.  Use your muscles.  DO NOT USE A BLENDER! You will puree it to the point of hummus.

In a blender (I used a magic bullet), add green onions, garlic, lemon juice, mint, cilantro, and spices.  Puree until you get this awesome green stuff.

final product!

When you're done, add it to the mashed chick peas.
Lastly, add flour and baking powder.  Mix all the ingredients together.  (I used my hands because I am awesome).

Take a tablespoon or so of the mixture, roll into a ball, and then flatten it.  Place flattened patty on the cookie sheet.  You should have about 12 patties.

Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake until brown and crispy.  Be careful! The bottoms will brown quickly. You may want to flip them over to get a nice even browning.

Vegan Tzatziki Sauce:
Yields: A ton, but that's okay because it's light and delicious.  You can eat it on other things too, and you'll want to because...it's light and delicious.  Seriously.  It's like a delicious cloud of awesome.
Ingredients:1 Box of Silken Tofu (make sure you drain the excess moisture)
2 Tbsp White Vinegar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Oil (of you choosing, I used sesame)
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Large Cucumber, peeled.
3 Tbsp Dill Weed (I used dried)
3 Tbsp Garlic

In a blender, pulse cucumber to chop it up.  Don't liquefy it.  Remove and place into a bowl.
In the blender, add tofu, vinegar, salt, oil, lemon juice and garlic.  Puree until creamy.  Place this mixture in another bowl.
With your hands, take the cucumber and squeeze liquid out of it.  Add half of the liquid to the tofu cream, discard (or use for something else. you can infuse mix it with some water for a refreshing drink or use it to wash your face. trust me) the other half.  Add half of the cucumber flesh to the cream.  Discard (or use for something else) the other half.
Add dill to tofu cream, stir in dill and cucumber (by hand or with a blender).
You can add the cucumber to thicken the dip, if needed.

Put tzatziki sauce on falafel.  Stuff your face.  It's amazing.



hope you enjoy!
be well,
danielle