Well, we got a request for some good, vegan recipes. I’ve been cooking quite a bit recently, and I
got to try out some new-to-us meals. A
few of them were not so good (samosa salad, bleh) and a couple were keepers
(butternut squash quesadillas, yum). I
don’t like using a lot of pots and pans, so these are post-dinner-cleanup
friendly, too.
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Butternut Squash Quesadillas (about 470 calories
per quesadilla)
These are incredible. They do require one thing non/new vegans may
not be used to: fake cheese. Daiya makes
the BEST. I use the cheddar style
shreds, and they melt like a dream. *For
those of you concerned about soy, it is a tapioca base.
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1 Butternut Squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cut
into small cubes (think the size of cheese cubes)
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Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds (how much depends on
how cheesy you like your quesadillas)
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1 Can of Black Beans, rinsed
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Tortillas (we use whole wheat)
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Oil of your choice (we use avocado, but olive or
canola is fine)
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Pinch of salt
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Pinch of pepper
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Pinch of chili powder (these are obviously exact
measurements)
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Optional: some kind of green. Fresh spinach or kale works.
1.
Heat up the oil in a big skillet.
2.
Throw in the squash, sprinkle salt, pepper, and
chili powder, and toss it around to coat.
3.
Cook, stirring/flipping occasionally, until
squash is tender. It takes a little while, but stove top is faster than the oven
version. (If you want to throw in a green, throw in when the squash is almost
done. Greens wilt pretty fast in my
experience.)
4.
Dump the cooked squash into a bowl. Dump in your rinsed black beans and mix.
5.
Wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels
(DON’T BURN YOURSELF!!!)
6.
Slap a tortilla in the skillet, and pile in the
squash/bean mixture and “cheese”.
7.
Cover with another tortilla, and squish it down.
8.
Flip when you think it’s ready (not rocket
science. Cheese melty=flip!)
9.
Slice and eat!
We like to dip ours in salsa.
v
Vegan Stew (about 420 calories per bowl)
This is the best on a cold day,
something we have no shortage of here in Illinois! This one has a meat
substitute, but I don’t think of it as “fake meat”. It’s more of a grain cake that’s packed with
protein! Fair warning: it does NOT have the same texture as meat.
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1 Package tempeh, cubed (as big as you want)
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1 Sweet potato, peeled and cubed
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½ cup lentils, rinsed
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4 carrots, sliced in discs
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1 Carton vegetable stock (low-sodium)
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2 tablespoon flour (I can’t even pretend to know
the differences in flours. Use what
you’ve got.)
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Splash of almond milk (original, unsweetened)
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½ onion, diced
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2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
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Olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of your
pot)
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Mrs. Dash Italian Blend (or whatever
herbs/spices you like in a stew)
1.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2.
Dump in the onions.
3.
Wait a few minutes, and dump in the garlic.
4.
When you smell the garlic, throw in the tempeh
and carrots.
5.
Stir everything for a minute, just to get some
flavor on the tempeh.
6.
Sprinkle in flour, and stir to coat everything
in the pot.
7.
Add the almond milk, enough to wet everything,
and to scrape up some of the goodness on the bottom of the pot. The milk is
also good to eliminate some of the lumps the flour can leave in the final dish.
8.
Pour in the entire carton of vegetable stock.
9.
Add sweet potatoes, lentils, and seasonings.
(All ingredients should be covered in stock/almond milk)
10. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer until
it’s reduced to a consistency you like. I like a really thick stew, so I let it
go for quite a while (about 40-50 minutes).
11. Ladle into a bowl and eat!
I also want to include some premade meals that are a
lifesaver for me. Amy’s Low-Sodium
Lentil Soup is AMAZING!!!! I eat it for lunch almost every day. I can pop in in the microwave, and 90 seconds
later I’m ready to eat. That’s vital
when you have a ½ hour lunch. Amy’s has
a ton of soups, and they are clearly marked if they are vegan. I get mine from Kroger, in the natural foods
section. It’s usually on sale for about
$2.50. That may seem like a lot for a
can of soup, but it’s better than running to the nearest fast food chain! It also keeps me full until dinner (no small
feat).
Have I said enough about how much I LOVE Daiya “cheese”
products? They have shreds, slices, and
blocks. I love making grilled cheese
with the slices. Even Tutu likes it, so
it can’t be all bad. It’s not exactly
like real cheese, but it’s the second best thing I’ve found so far.
We love Mexican food, so a taco meat substitute was
necessary. Fantastic Foods has a taco
mix that is super simple. It’s dry, so
you just boil some water, dump in the mix, and boom! Taco meat!
We stir in cheddar style shreds and put it over chips for some
nachos. It takes about 5 minutes from
start to eating. The sky is the limit
with nachos. Pour on some salsa and
sliced avocado (or guac… my mouth is watering!), sliced jalapeƱos, shredded
lettuce, cilantro, and you’ve got loaded nachos!
I hope this helps all of you that either want to go fully
plant-based, or just want to lay off the meat a little. Enjoy!
Vegans: Do you have any quick recipes that are a go-to on busy nights?