Today was a pretty tough day on the vegan front. I feel like I'm in a bit of a food rut (an albeit weak pretense to post a pic of a couple of Rutt's Hut "rippers"). I had the same lunch and dinner (who eats breakfast?) today as I did yesterday, with one or two minor variations. It was also day three of vegan chili (recipe posted below), and I don't think I can eat another bite of it. I'm a bit hard-pressed to find a quick, filling mid-week vegan meal. Most of my dinners have been heavily spiced (curries, chilis, etc.) in order to hide the horrible taste of vegetables and to introduce a bit of variety into my diet. Pasta (most dry pastas, to my pleasant surprise, do not use eggs) is a decent alternative, but I'd like to be a bit more creative. Let me know if you have any advice.
Vegan Chili
3 medium onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 serrano chillis (with or without seeds and ribs), diced
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 chipotle peppers, diced
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1/2 pound frozen corn
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce (that would be tomato sauce, not some crappy canned marinara sauce - but only a n00b would buy that in the first place)
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder
1 tablespoon cumim(o)
Salt
Olive Oil
In a large pot, or preferably, Dutch oven, sweat the onions in olive oil and a little salt. You're not really looking for any color. When the onions begin to get translucent, add the spices and garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the bell peppers, serranos, and chipotles and continue cooking for several minutes. Drain the three cans of beans and add them along with the can of tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce to low simmer for anywhere between one and two hours. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning, or add a bit of water if the chili becomes too thick for your liking. Add the corn about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with nothing, because then it wouldn't be vegan.
.jpg){kind=small}
A couple of ideas for you.
ReplyDeleteFirst, a lot of soups can be frozen once cooked. So that might be a way to make your life easier, putting things in different bags and freezing them in one serving sizes. Especially if you make a big pot of chili or soup.
Next recommendation: my brother's vegetable soup. Edit as necessary to conform to vegan diet. It's a great soup:
Vegetable soup-
Soup Base
Use either chicken or vegetable broth or Knorr Soup mix to make about 2 or 3 gallons of broth
Hard Vegetables-
Potatoe (alternatively turnips) - about 2-3, diced into bite sized cubes
Carrots - about 7, cut into coins about 1/3 inch thick
Cucumber - about 5-6 sticks, cut a bit thicker then carrots
Cabbage (IT DOES GO HERE!) - 1 medium sized, cut into eighths
Stiff Vegetables-
Onion - about 4, cut into eighths
Brocolli - a head, cut into bite sized peices
Yellow Squash - About 8, cut into 1/2 thick slices
Zuchini Squash - About 3, cut into 1/2 thick slices (easily omitted)
Cauliflower - a head, cut into bite sized pieces (easily omitted)
Soft Vegetables-
Shitake Mushrooms - about a cup, cut thinly
Tomatoes - 2 large tomatoes diced
Spinach - several handfuls
Spices that I use-
Goya Powder
Italian Seasoning
Mrs. Dash
Lawry's
Basil
Make the broth and bring it to a boil before adding the hard vegetables and covering, simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, add the stiff vegetables and continue simmering, covered for an hour to an hour and a half, spice and add the soft vegetables and simmer until everything is soft.
Soup is a novel idea, one that I've thought of quite a bit. The problem is, I prefer to make my own chicken stock (spoiler: recipe coming with next diet), as store bought basically salt water. I thought about making a veggie stock myself, but the lack of collagen inherent in all veggie stocks make for limp, tasteless soups. At least in my experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you; making own stock is the only way to go.
ReplyDeleteHowever, no way you can do chicken stock with vegan diet!
Hi. I was wondering, how has your weight changed since you started this diet?
ReplyDeleteI can also recommend making roasted vegetables, which are delicious. Just slice up some beets, turnips, carrots, etc., sprinkle them with oil and spices (also make sure that your cookie sheet is greased in advance) and then pop them in the oven for fifteen or so minutes, until they start to shrivel up. You might need to turn them over at a certain point to evenly cook, but that sort of depends on you. They don't take terribly long to make, and they are mighty fine.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you should try exploring sandwiches: basil pesto is a delicious spread (http://vegetarian.about.com/od/morerecipes/r/Veganpestorec.htm), and it goes great with apples, tomatoes, and just about anything else you can come up with. Also, don't overlook the deliciousness of PB & J (or any other kind of nut butter).
I think one of the best things about being vegan/vegetarian is how you're really forced to actually be creative and to actively think about what you're eating. Good luck, bub!