a late night snack

So! I've ignored this blog for quite a while, eh? I've been pretty lazy about cooking lately, I'll admit. I would've been quite happy to cook more often -- it's actually just the grocery shopping I've been lazy about. This is why meal planning in advance is so important, so you know what to buy for the week and aren't standing in front of the refrigerator with your stomach growling, saying "I could make this if only I had..."

Anyhow, I usually have tofu on hand so I made this late night snack when I was feeling munchy. It's one of my favorite things to snack on.



I usually like to freeze/thaw my tofu to give it a different texture, but for this snack I like to use tofu that hasn't been frozen. It's very simple to make. Here I cut the tofu into flat squares, but sometimes I do little cubes too. Then I toss them in a bit of flour, shaking off any excess, and saute them until they're getting a little brown, usually about 15 minutes (turning to get other sides during that time of course). The dipping sauce is equal parts tamari and rice vinegar. It is soooo delicious, and best of all easy.

And if you're extra hungry you can be like me and add a couple pieces of bread and glass of wine too. :-)

roasted vegetables, mmm

It's my belief that every vegan should know the joy of roasted vegetables. Mind you, this is coming from the girl who years ago would cringe and make terrible faces should anything green -- even so much as a flake of parsley! -- grace her plate! I'm still not a fan of raw vegetables, but roasting them transforms them wonderously. I'll roast up anything and everything, just toss my veggies in some olive oil and then throw them in the oven. My favorites are asparagus, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes.

For this picture I simply splashed some tamari on my asparagus after it was done. I typically roast my asparagus for about 10 minutes, but that can vary based on the oven. The potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions were tossed with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and go in the oven for a bit longer (about half an hour).

Roasted veggies taste delicious, and best of all they're very easy to make!

scrambled tofu

Scrambled tofu: one of the vegan breakfast staples! Or so I hear. This was only the second time I've ever made it, but it turned out delicious and I plan to make it a regular feature at my table. The recipe I use comes out of Vegan with a Vengeance, but I use spinach instead of mushrooms (I've never been a big mushroom fan). If you want to add spinach I'd just throw it in in the last couple minutes of cooking, cover the skillet with a plate during that time so it wilts nicely, and then mix it up. I found some vegan crispy onion topping at my local health food store, so I sprinkled that on top also -- the little bit of crunch really made it excellent! I served the scrambled tofu with tempeh bacon and a slice of bread (with some red pepper hummus on the side to dip it in).

Recipe taken from theppk.com:

Ingredients
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped white onion
2 cups cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lime (or lemon)
1 carrot (this is optional, I grate it in at the end, mostly for color)

Spice blend:
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Saute onions 3 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes more. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes more. Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so. Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan, scrapingthe bottom to get all the garlic and spices.

Crumble in tofu and mix well. Don't crush the tofu, just kind of lift it and mix it around. You want it to remain chunky. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necesary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking. Add lime juice. Add nutritional yeast and mix it up. If it seems too dry add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.

Grate the carrot into it and fold. Serve with guacamole and salsa and potatoes and toast and tempeh bacon. Then rub your tummy till well into the afternoon.

artichoke stew

I recently picked up a book called "This Crazy Vegan Life", by Christina Pirello. The basic idea behind the book is that veganism doesn't need to just be about eating a plant-based diet -- that the worldview can be extended to things like fitness and lifestyle. My terribly out of shape self could definitely do to embrace the concept of "overall wellness" more, so I picked it up in the hopes that I might find some inspiration. I may write a full review on here later, but for the moment let's just say I have mixed feelings about the book, and wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't already vegan -- though ironically someone who is already vegan probably won't find too much of use.

Regardless, there are some good low-calorie recipes, and I hopped all over this artichoke stew one when I saw it. I absolutely looove artichokes. This stew was delicate and spicy at the same time, and even better as leftovers. Simple to make, too: Saute some garlic and leeks in oil, add red pepper flakes and a pinch of saffon, then carrots and artichokes and tomatoes. Add water, cook for about 10 minutes, add some basil and peas, and salt and pepper to taste, let cook a little more, and then eat!

seitan and polenta skillet

Hmm, I need to keep better track of the time between my posts! I swear it's only been a couple days, but already a whole week has gone by. This is one of my favorite recipes to use when I can't think of anything else to make, but I almost always have some polenta, seitan, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach laying around. They may not quite be vegan staples, but they are around here! The recipe comes from Nava Atlas's Vegan Express cookbook. The first time I made this dish I ate it so fast that I became woozy -- it's just that good. I usually make some sort of potato thing to serve with it.

Ingredients:

One 18-ounce tube polenta
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking oil spray, optional
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 pound seitan, cut into bite-sized pieces or strips
4 large or 6 medium stalks bok choy, with leaves, sliced crosswise*
5 to 6 ounces baby spinach**
4 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
1/4 cup oil-packed sliced sun-dried tomatoes, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the puckered ends off the polenta, then slice 1/2-inch thick. Cut each slice into 4 little wedges.
2. Heat a wide nonstick skillet. Add a drop of the oil and spread it around with a paper towel to create a very light coat, or use cooking oil spray. Add the polenta wedges; cook in a single layer over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes on each side.
3. Transfer the polenta to a plate. Heat the oil and soy sauce slowly in the same skillet. Before they get too hot, add the seitan and stir well. Raise the heat to medium-high and saute, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in the bok choy, spinach and scallions, then cover and cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in vinegar to taste. Gently fold in the polenta wedges and sun-dried tomatoes, if using. Season with salt and pepper, and serve at once.

* I had no bok choy when making this, but it was still really good.
** When I saw this number I was like "Holy crap, that's a whole package of spinach!" But I learned something new about cooking -- spinach shrinks down a lot when it wilts, so even though I felt like I was putting in a ton of spinach I probably could've thrown in more (I put in about half a package, ~3 oz)

the awesomest vegan french toast ever

This recipe comes from Viva le Vegan! by Dreena Burton. If you can't tell already, I'm a big fan of her cookbooks. Eat, Drink & Be Vegan is my favorite, but pretty much any recipe you pull out of her books is guaranteed to turn out wonderful. As long as you make it right, that is -- I won't get into the time I misread 3 tbsp of tamari as 3 tbsp of tahini. That one turned out... weird, no fault of Dreena's of course.

When I first went vegan I was very sad that I was never going to have French toast again. I've always loved French toast, and I was happy when I learn that it (like so many things) also has a vegan equivalent. Now, I know a lot of people really love the "Fronch" toast recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, but I find that recipe lacking compared to Dreena's version. She includes tofu and flax meal in the batter, which makes it thick and coat the bread like real eggs would. It also calls for vanilla non-dairy milk, which I almost never have on hand, but I substitute normal almond milk and just add a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and it works fine. I tried this recipe out on my parents and they were really impressed by it.

In this picture I was making French toast as breakfast-for-dinner, so I also included tempeh bacon, and a random polenta creation. I cooked the polenta slices in a frying pan for five minutes on each side, and then topped each with a dollop of salsa and vegan sour cream. It was very compimentary to the rest of the breakfast, oddly enough.

chickpea salad with tofu and rice

This recipe for Creamy Chickpea Salad with Fresh Herbs is my absolute favorite thing to put on top of salad. And crackers. I'd probably eat it out of a spoon even. Point: It's delicious. I throw it on top of some baby greens and drizzle a little vinagrette or Annie's Goddess Dressing, and that's all that's needed for the best salad ever.

That's hardly a meal though, unless you're just having a light lunch. For dinner, I paired it with a wild rice mix and some baked tofu (both the Lemon-Herb Tofu from Viva Le Vegan! and the Italian tofu recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance are good).

another simple dinner

I realize I've been posting a lot of easy meals here lately, but I guess that's okay -- I mean, I did create this blog for beginners right? I get kind of intimidated reading some vegan blogs where the recipes call for all kinds of exotic ingredients and two hours of prep time. Being vegan does NOT require extra work at all, as illustrated by this dinner. This is another of my "Lisa is too damn tired to cook" meals, and consists of angel hair pasta, roasted asparagus, and breaded eggplant slices (made by Dominex; I found them in the frozen section at my local health food store and am in love). If you want to include some protein in the meal you can crumble about half a block of tempeh into your sauce. I occasionally do that, and it gives the sauce a more "meaty" texture.

sometimes i feel lazy

It's okay to be lazy sometimes, so long as it's not at the expense of your health or wallet. Okay, I admit, I do occasionally indulge in an Amy's Organics frozen vegan meal of some variety and they're a little pricey -- but if I'm feeling slightly more motivated than "throw frozen food in the oven" I can still make a meal like this with very little effort.

Easy as pie: canned tomato soup, grilled cheese (using Tofutti slices), and a salad of baby spinach with shredded carrots and experimental polenta croutons (from the recipe in Eat, Drink & Be Vegan). Not a bad lunch at all!

deconstructed tacos

I'm not sure if these can even be called tacos, because when I think of tacos I usually think of something with lettuce and tomatoes, and these have neither. "Deconstructed tacos" sounds better than "Deconstructed taco-ish-things" though, eh?

I believe everyone should have several meals that they can make off the top of their head in a short amount of time and with minimal ingredients -- a "holy crap I'm tired and don't want to cook" type of recipe. This is one of my standbys for when I get home after a long day, and as a result my husband and I end up eating them about once every week... but that's okay, because they're so tasty!

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. package WestSoy seitan
1 tbsp olive oil
Taco Bell taco seasoning (or your choice of vegan taco seasoning)
Yellow corn taco shells, broken down the center
1 Hass avocado, diced*
Your favorite salsa
Tofutti vegan sour cream

Directions:
Slice the seitan into bite-sized pieces. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Brown the seitan for three to four minutes, stirring a couple times to get all sides, and then set aside. Using the same skillet, follow the package diretions for your seasoning mix -- for the Taco Bell kind, this is add 3/4 cups water to the seasonings in the skillet over medium heat. Stir until dissolved and then let it come to a bubble, and let it bubble for a couple minutes to thicken. Add the seitan to the mix, stir to coat, and let cook for about three more minutes. When done transfer to a bowl, top with diced avocado, a couple spoonfuls of your favorite salsa, and a dollop of vegan sour cream. Eat by scooping with the taco shells!


*This tip may seem silly, but before I became vegan I had never done anything with avocados and I didn't know how to choose one from the store, and I would absolutely butcher them trying to get the fruit out. If you don't know how to select or cut an avocado, this video may help.

creative (or uncreative?) use of leftovers

I know this isn't the most exciting looking dish, but it was actually really good. The night before I'd made the White Bean & Walnut Bruschetta from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan and I had a bunch of leftover cannelli beans, tomatoes, and fresh basil*. Somehow I forgot to take a picture of the bruschetta... which is a shame, because it was incredible in it's deliciousness. Anyhow -- instead of pondering what to do with my leftovers until they went bad (which is what usually happens), I decided that the ingredients were good enough over bread, so they'd be good over angel hair too. I was right!

*A beginner's tip for fresh basil -- I've found that a lot of vegan recipes call for fresh basil, and while a lot of the time you can get away with substituting dried herbs when fresh are called for (by using 1/4 of the measurements called for fresh), basil is often one of those where you'll want to use the real thing. Most grocery stores will sell small packages of fresh basil, but those are expensive, so I'm thinking of growing a pot of it on my porch this summer.

super tasty potatoes + super tasty soup = tastebuds explode

The potatoes pictured here are my favorite recipe out of Vegan with a Vengeance. I'll admit I haven't tried everything in there, but if all of the recipes were children trapped in a fire, this is the one I'd save: Maple-Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and String Beans. Long name, amazing results -- to quote a phrase from the (yourcityhere)helpwanted.com radio ads. As these potatoes will probably crop up in future meal photos, I want to focus on the soup.

The original recipe came out of Real Simple magazine, which is kind of a crappy magazine, but I bought it once to see what it was like. It was also non-vegan, so I replaced the bacon with tempeh bacon and half-and-half with regular almond milk. Some soy creamer might be pretty good too. Anyhow, the recipe!

Smoky Corn Chowder

3 slices of tempeh Fakin' Bacon
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika*
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 10-oz package frozen corn*
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup almond milk
salt & pepper
scallions to top


Cook the tempeh bacon in a wok or soup pot according to Lisa Specialty: Use wok oil & Mongolian fire oil, and spread a thin layer of A1 sauce on top of each piece. Or don't do that -- it's your bacon and you can do whatever; leave it plain if you want. Cook for four minutes, then flip and cook another four minutes. Set aside. Use the same pot to cook the onion for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and red pepper, stirring, and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the corn, broth, and almond milk, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, and chop up the tempeh bacon into small pieces while waiting. Transfer half the soup to a blender (after letting it cool slightly) and then puree until smooth. Return to the pot, and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide the soup into bowls and top with scallions and tempeh.

* Okay, I admit I would be a terrible cookbook chef. This is the recipe I was looking at when I was whipping up this soup, but I didn't exactly follow it. I was initially trying to halve this, and then abandoned that idea, so I put corn in until it was "about right". I have no idea how much was actually in there. So... add corn until you think it looks right! Helpful, eh? Also, I like paprika and made the terrible mistake of thinking that I could just sprinkle in a little bit extra. So I turned the bottle over the pot and... whoosh! I somehow thought it would come out slower! Oops! I scooped out as much as I could, and in the end the soup was very paprika-y, but that somehow made it. Again, no idea how much was in there. If you want more flavor, add more paprika... just do it the right way. ;-)

seitan and green beans

I'd never tried seitan before this meal, and had a package sitting in my fridge for quite a while before finally taking the plunge with this recipe from Vegan Planet. I'd also never used shallots, and just so happened to have picked up a bag of them.

Everyone should really own that cookbook, because it's awesome. Basically for this recipe, you steam the beans, brown the seitan for about five minutes in olive oil along with the shallots and garlic, and then transfer the seitan to a bowl. Add some sherry to the skillet, then stir in a little dijon, tamari (soy sauce) and vegetable stock and let it reduce for about 10 minutes. Add in the seitan and the beans, let it heat a couple minutes, and then serve over rice (next time I'd use brown instead of white). Go pick up the book if you want specifics though!

This meal officially made seitan my favorite vegetarian meat. It has a such a perfect texture, and the flavors in this dish were divine. The next time I have my parents over for dinner, this is what I'm making. I think even my meat-loving father would approve.

continuing with the breakfast theme

On the morning of this picture I'd woken up late and had only about 45 minutes to get ready, but decided that about half an hour of it should be devoted to making breakfast anyway. And you know what? It was totally worth the mad-dash thereafter and the being late to class by 5 minutes.

Judging by the color of this smoothie, I think it was raspberry-strawberry. I always keep a good stock of frozen fruit in my freezer -- bananas, raspberries, and mangos for the most part. Every smoothie I make has strawberries, though, and I also almost always have fresh strawberries in my refridgerator also. I've noticed that if I try to use all frozen fruit for a smoothie my blender chokes up and wants to die, so fresh strawberries is easier on its old bones. I also throw in a handful of spinach since it's not even detectable with all the sweetness of the fruit, then blend it all up with orange juice and a bit of water.

Also pictured: Tempeh bacon doctored to my standards by sauteing it in a mixture of wok oil and Mongolian fire oil, with a touch of A1 sauce in the mix. Also, an onion bagel with fake cream cheese and green onions.

This was like the most awesome breakfast ever!

a breakfast that is not cereal

Normally I eat a totally boring breakfast. I'm not a morning person in any way, shape, or form, so usually my level of functioning upon waking is enough to merely pour myself a bowl of cereal, or if it's a good day then actually operate the microwave to make oatmeal.

I was feeling a bit more ambitious on the day of this picture though, and plus I had some really interesting fruit to use up before it went bad. One was a dinosaur egg, and the other a... plout? I can't remember the exact name. They were both plum-peach hybrids, but had slightly different coloring. I cut them up and spooned some granola and black cherry soy yogurt on top. It was *delicious*, and soooo filling. I was feeling totally stuffed when I went off to class.

Also, organic chemistry book? Gone. That evil spectre has since been banished from my life!

an introduction

Why start a vegan blog when the blog-o-sphere is already so cluttered with them? Well, for one thing, I haven't seen any blogs that are aimed towards beginning vegans or budding cooks. Something like that may very well be out there and I just haven't stumbled across it, but in any case, this blog is my attempt to fill the perceived gap. Also, to show my mom what sorts of things I'm eating. Hi mom! ;-)

From my own personal experience, transitioning to a vegan lifestyle can be very overwhelming -- the recipes you're looking at have all sorts of strange ingredients you've never heard of, you have no idea what to do with tofu, and besides which you're a busy college student who is more used to eating boxed meals than spending time cooking things from scratch (okay, maybe that last part was just me). Whatever your cooking background, I hope this blog can be of some help in learning to create simple, healthy and vegan meals!

- Lisa