Seitan Fajitas

The Verdict

Fast, easy, delicious! I sauteed three red/yellow bell peppers, two onions, and a tomatillo I found on the floor, still in its husk (don’t ask), squeezed on the juice of half a lemon and a sprinkle of salt. I sauteed the seitan in another skillet, tossed together, and dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes.

This would be great with guacamole and pico ge gallo, but we didn’t have either. I served the children’s in corn tortillas and ate mine without a tortilla. All five of us had seconds. So tasty!

Today’s Tip

I make three pounds of seitan at a time. We eat one right away, one within the next week, and freeze one. When refrigerating or freezing seitan, be sure to cover it with its cooking broth; it’ll thaw out fine when you do!

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Broccoli Potato Soup with Fresh Herbs

The Verdict

I was going to take a picture of this (honest) but, uh, it’s kinda ugly. I mean, it’s pureed broccoli and potatoes, so it’s sorta Exorcist-worthy. However, that doesn’t harm the flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by this soup, primarily because I don’t like white potatoes. The tarragon gave it a nice flavor, and it held up really well in the fridge for two days.

Only one of my littles didn’t like it, and I think it was really more because he was having a rough day. Overall, two thumbs up!

Today’s Tip

I mentioned yesterday that I batch cook for the week on Mondays. That means that I have to have planned and gone to the store. Here’s how I manage our food

Friday: Go through Veganomicon/scour the internet for recipes

Saturday: Make a grocery list from recipes, shop, soak beans

Sunday: Cook 2 lbs. of beans

Monday: Make 4-5 recipes for the week

I usually only plan 4-5 recipes because we often have leftovers one night, and pasta one night. I always keep pasta on hand, as well as lemons and garlic for a simple pasta, and usually a jar of prepared sauce in a pinch. That keeps it easy to feed a crowd!

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Mostly Vegan Tikka Masala

Photo from Greenoptions.com

The Verdict

I was really planning to take a picture of tonight’s meal, but we were hungry and tucked in. Oops! The meal would’ve been 100% vegan if I’d made my own sauce, but I couldn’t resist the Seeds of Change curry at half off. $2.19 for organic? Yes, please!

This was a super easy supper. I made brown rice on Monday, had some Veganomicon chickpea cutlets in the freezer, and sauteed some green beans. This was so. flipping. good, all of us had seconds and finished it all!

Today’s Tip

I batch cook for the week on Mondays. This week, I made chickpea noodle soup, lentil salad, broccoli potato soup, and rice. Everything for tonight’s dinner was already in the freezer. I was going to make seitan with onions and spinach but I ran out of time, so I’ll have to do that on Thursday. Not sure what else I’ll make, but I’m considering creamy vegan polenta with roasted vegetables. Yum, right?

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Looking Forward

Sorry I didn’t post much this week, we had mostly recipes that we’d had before, so I didn’t re-post on them. This week I’m excited that we’re trying several new things, including a vegan tikka masala, a green (puy) lentil salad, and a couple of soups.

I’ll also try to be better about posting pictures. I know that pictures pretty much make or break a food blog and, though my pictures stink, stinky pics are better than none!

So come back this week for some new recipes. In the meantime, Isa Chandra posted a very intriguing looking mac and “cheese!”

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Red Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup

The Verdict

This was super delicious, super fast, and super easy. Can we say “winner?” I stumbled upon this recipe because I was looking at food porn pictures on Tastespotting, which led me to a recipe that was almost vegan to begin with. I subbed olive oil for the butter and voila!

The Recipe

From GreedyGourmet.com

• 25g (1 oz) butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) turmeric
• 5ml (1 tsp) garam masala
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) chili powder
• 5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
• 1 x 400g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• 175g (6 oz) red lentils
• 10ml (2 tsp) lemon juice
• 600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
• 300ml (½ pint) coconut milk
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• chopped fresh coriander (that’s cilantro this side of the Pond)
• naan bread, to serve

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the garlic and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add all the spices. Cook for a further 30 seconds.
2. Stir in tomatoes, red lentils, lemon juice, vegetable stock, and coconut milk and bring to the boil.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are tender, adding extra hot water if necessary. Season to taste and then serve sprinkled with the chopped fresh coriander.

Her pictures show the soup smooth, so I used my immersion blender to make it so. (Didn’t I just sound like Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard? “Make it so, number one!” Nerd alert.)

Today’s Tip

Lentils are only somewhat interchangeable, as they range in mush level upon cooking. Red lentils, used here, are the mushiest and practically disappear after cooking. Brown lentils are next, mushy but still present. Green (or puy, or French) lentils retain their shape the best, but they’re tiny. There’s a lentil for every need, just make sure you know what you’re going for texture-wise before you make a swap!

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Vegan Sushi Hand Rolls

I have fantastic kids. I mean really, my little loves will put up with just abut anything I dish out (literally), even vegan sushi hand rolls, and ask for seconds.

Rarely have I made anything so speedy and easy as these rolls. I bought toasted nori to save myself that step, and I read a fantastic little tip that said to use leftover white rice from Chinese food and sprinkle the vinegar over it. Worked like a charm!

I sliced an avocado and squeezed some lemon over it, then an English cucumber and some sprouts. The kids loved rolling them in their chubby little hands, then dipping in a bit of nama shoyu. My oldest even had it again for lunch today!

Today’s Tip:

Authentic pickled ginger (gari) isn’t bright pink, so skip that stuff in the grocery store and instead make your own. It’s simple and sooo much tastier. Here’s a quick recipe!

• 2 lb. fresh young ginger (shin shoga)
• 1 tbsp. Real salt
• 3 cups rice vinegar
• 2 cups coconut sugar, agave nectar, or white sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. whole peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• Small Thai bird chile (optional)
• Small garlic clove, crushed (optional, but not really optional, if you know what I mean)

Peel your ginger. Using a mandolin or box grater, or a knife if you’re very precise, slice your ginger as thinly as possible. You can also use a vegetable peeler to do this

Combine ginger with salt and cover with ice water. Allow to soak for 1 hour, then drain thoroughly. A salad spinner works very well for this.

Combine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, cloves and chile in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and pour over sliced ginger.

Place ginger and liquid in nonreactive containers, either ceramic or plastic. Refrigerate. Keep the container covered. This will make about 2 cups of gari.

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Pasta Surprise

The Verdict

The surprise isn’t so much that there’s a little chevre on mine, rather it’s the noodles themselves. They’re not whole wheat, or even wheat at all, but shirataki noodles.

If you’ve dieted in the last few years, you may have heard these things called miracle noodles or some such nonsense. Let me tell you how I really feel about these little guys.

First, they smell bad when you open the bag, and even a little still after you rinse them as directed. They still taste faintly of what they smell like and, if you have a sensitive sniffer, that could be a problem. It is for me.

Second, the texture is bizarre. Ever have a steak like shoe leather, so tough you could barely chew it? I try to be a mindful eater and, as such, chew food thoroughly. It’s impossible to chew these things.

I know that you get 8 oz of noodles for a mere 40 calories. I love that, but frankly the trade-offs are too great for these to go in my rotation.

I bought three bags, so I’m going to try them in a soup and a stir-fry to see if these Asian noodles perform better in Asian dishes. I have my doubts, but I’ll give it a shot!

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Manzana Chili Verde

The Verdict

I was extremely surprised that I liked this dish. With all the green from poblanos, jalapenos, cilantro, avocado, lime juice, and tomatillos, I thought it’d taste a bit like grass. I also don’t typically like white potatoes, so their inclusion didn’t excite me.

I have to say I was really pleased with the sweetness from the Granny Smith apples. Most everyone had seconds, and it made 10 cups, so there’s enough to have leftovers for lunch today. Nothing makes me happier than not having to scrounge up a healthy lunch!

I’ve been lazy about posting pictures, but really, this soup isn’t pretty. It’s muddled green and white and brown, not much to look at. Good thing it’s tasty!

Today’s Tip

I do a lot of batch cooking, with a twist. I don’t care to freeze too many things because it takes so long to thaw and bake them. Instead, I like to plan my meals in Saturday, shop on Sunday, and batch cook for the week on Monday. Spending three or four hours in the kitchen to make everything for the week is a good investment of time, especially in a month where I’m out of the house all but five nights (it’s madness).

This week from Veganomicon, I made BBQ seitan with crispy cole slaw, chickpea cutlets (burger sized), ancho lentil soup with grilled pineapple, rustic white beans and mushrooms, and chickpea noodle soup along with this chili. Now Hubs only needs to warm them on the stove and the everyone has a great dinner, even sans mom!

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