If you haven’t already, seriously, watch “Food, Inc.” I became a vegetarian the next day after watching it. I just can’t ethically support factory farming any more. (plus a long story that the movie culminated - it wasn’t the lone reason) I still crave meat, but having watched that, the craving doesn’t last long. I just can’t do it. It might help those who switched for health reasons, but could maybe use an ethical reason to seal it up.
I have found the prepared, “fake” meat to help a lot when I’m having a craving. Maybe not use it every day, but it definitely has a place. I have three favorites: the fake bologna by LightLife for sandwiches, and the Gardein “beefless tips” for stir-fry along with their “chick’n strips” baked with sweet potato fries.
I usually make beans from dried unless I need them for tonight’s dinner, then I stop on the way home from work and buy canned. I have a small crockpot (maybe 6 cups at most, the “cheese dip warmer” size) and will put a cup of dried beans in, plus enough water to get to maybe an inch from the top, crank the crockpot up to high, and come back and check on it in about 2.5 hours. When done to taste, drain the beans in a colander, let them cool, then bag in 1-cup portions in ziploc freezer bags. Label with bean type, date, and quantity, then carefully pat the beans in each bag into a single layer. Stack the bags like playing cards and put in the freezer to firm up. You can leave them stored that way, or what I do is have them in a plastic container wide enough to accommodate these bags stacked on their narrow ends, so they’re up on end like books. Then I can just grab the container and slide it out of the freezer like a drawer, grab the bean type I’m looking for, and slide it back in. I typically have a few cups each of black beans and garbanzos/chickpeas frozen, often cannellini beans too.
Spices - to get cheap spices, check Whole Foods in their natural supplements section. They’ll have jars of bulk spices that you buy per ounce. Refill old spice jars or get new ones for a buck or two each there; each spice jar will usually only cost a dollar or less to refill. If you don’t have one nearby, go to a big supermarket that has big international or Mexican food sections; usually these will sell spices packaged in plastic bags for a couple bucks each. Much better than spending $5-7/tiny jar in the spice aisle.
Could you please share a few more specifics on the rice and lentil base in the crockpot? Do you just cover with water and the liquid you’ve chosen? I’m very interested in this idea!
I use a rice cooker, which I bought for $13.99 at my local Walgreen’s. One scoop rice, one scoop lentils, add water, chop chop all the veggies in the fridge and turn the thing on. All of that takes maybe 10 minutes and then it cooks for 20-30 minutes. I usually add a little soy sauce, but you can skip that. Try some veggies and hummus if you need a snack while it’s cooking.
The leftovers are also really versatile. Crumble and put into a salad, roll up in a tortilla with hummus. Today I spread it on a sandwich with hummus and balsamic dressed greens.
The other thing I like is to make a great salad, and put it into tupperware without dressing. Greens, beans, peas, veggies. Then just grab a handful and add dressing when I’m ready to eat. Or make pasta with a red sauce, put that in the fridge, and add it to salad for a nice quick meal.
The one thing I really miss is greek yogurt. I’ve tried soy/almond/rice yogurt and so far nothing compares. I’m still searching for the right vegan breakfast.
I know you said you’ve made some soups and things, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw this thread was chili. We’re meateaters, but I can imagine a veggie/vegan chili would be very satisfying if you flavored it right. I’m thinking this sort of recipe:
One med size onion
Garlic, one tablespoon
One can black beans
One can kidney beans
One can black eyed peas or other bean of your choice
Two cans stewed tomatoes (or you can do all or part fresh)
Pickled peppers (jalapenos, banana peppers, or whatever kind you like), maybe 1/4 cup or so
Chili powder (I don’t measure, but maybe 2-3 teaspoons, depending on your preference)
Cayenne powder (if you want more heat)
Salt (a few teaspoons)
Pepper (a few teaspoons)
Start by browning the onion and garlic in some vegetable or olive oil, and then dump your beans, peppers, and tomatoes in and start seasoning. Cook on low to medium heat for an hour or so, just simmering, long enough to let all of the flavors intermingle. Sorry I don’t have exact measurements, but I think my guesses are fairly accurate, maybe start with less and add as you feel you need it.
IMO, chili is one of the easiest, most awesome meals out there. You can’t beat it on a cool fall day, and it makes great leftovers. I think the veggie/vegan style chili would be great on corn chips, just like the regular stuff. Heh, I’ve made chili twice in the last two weeks, so you might say I’m on a chili bender of sorts. It’s very popular in my house.
The “fakey” meats are wonderful, and amazing…but if you are going Vegan, it’s important to know that some contain egg white. (bring the magnifying glass, it’s VERY small print!) And the OP mentioned avoiding gluten and soy, the two mainstays for fake meats.
I personally can’t stand Nutritional Yeast. Some describe it as a “cheesy” flavor, but I don’t get it. I made a gorgeous stacked enchilada when I first started eating Vegan, and I made a white sauce with the NY stirred in, to serve as the cheese layer.
IMHO, it was revolting. I hated the idea of throwing away FOOD, so I smothered each serving wtih salsa to enable me to choke it down.
The rice-lentil mix is fantastic! Use it everywhere you’d use cooked, drained hamburger! Tacos, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, with gravy over potatoes…and I won’t even tell if you are running very short on time, and you use it with a box of Hamburger Helper!
~VOW
Agreed. I have an inlaw who changes her diet frequently - she goes from eating anything to macrobiotic to vegan to whatever, with little notice. Once I had a cookout at my house and she hadn’t announced any diet changes. I asked her about whether I should make a vegan dessert (as she’d been vegan last I heard) and she just said no, she wasn’t eating vegan any longer. My fault for not pressing further, perhaps, as at the cookout she asked if any of the vegetarian sausages I had were gluten-free and soy-free. :smack: Nope.
Excellent idea. These suggestions are all very helpful, thank you so much!
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I personally can’t stand Nutritional Yeast. Some describe it as a “cheesy” flavor, but I don’t get it.
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I tried it with a dish I made the other day (some rice and bean thing) and I thought it was okay. I won’t mind adding it occasionally to my food, but I don’t think I could do it every day.
[QUOTE=Indygrrl]
IMO, chili is one of the easiest, most awesome meals out there.
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Chili is one of my favorite things to eat, for sure. It’s not an option for my husband because he is also allergic to tomatoes (he is allergic to everything, really.) Although I made a white chicken chili once that he could have. I bet I could adapt that…
Today I asked him if he liked garbanzo beans.
‘‘Yes. Why?’’
‘‘Because there are a lot of garbanzo beans in our future!’’
[QUOTE=Hello Again]
I think if you have a diet plan that relies entirely on nutritionally balanced homemmade vegan foods 3 meals a day, yet you also work and/or have children, you’re being pretty unrealistic. It’s a lot of work, as you’re noticing. A few processed foods are fine and IMHO help you suceed in changing habits permanently if that what you want to do.
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I haven’t been able to let go of my CLIF Builder Bars… 20g of whey protein they really help me when I need a quick shot of energy. I think that will help me through the transition.
I’ve been having similar issues. The hurricane knocked out our power for a week and I got used to having take out food all the time and it was hard motivating myself to prepare food again.
One thing I do that helps is preparing more food at one time. If I’m cooking up something, I use a much bigger pan or pot, and whatever I don’t eat I save for another meal. I do the same thing with my salad. I got this thing, which will spin dry my lettuce so it lasts longer, store a decent amount so I can get several meals out of it, plus it has a built in slicer so you can easily cut up other veggies into it.
Another trick it to find or make a few different things to dip veggies into for a snack - sauce, salsa, dressing, whatever.
And in general, having some kind of processor or blender makes life much easier. You can cut up veggies very quick, and it makes soups or shakes a breeze.
OK, well, the general idea is to make healthy eating more convenient. An absolute must for my life. This is not meant to be a meal in itself, just a way to get the most time-consuming part of making dinner out of the way on the weekend. So I end up with a carb-protein base that’s always ready for whatever I have to throw on top of it that day.
Let’s start with the basics. Normally the lentils take longer to cook than the rice. I started with doing the lentils just covered with water for about an hour* then put in Basmati rice + water. Cover and cook until just al dente. Keep in mind you’ll be re-heating this, so you don’t want it completely done, just right on the cusp.
When I got sick of that I started messing around with it.
1/3 each basmati, brown, and wild rice. (Add wild rice at the same time as the legumes)
Using garbanzos instead of lentils
Using a seven-bean mix (I didn’t like that, but others porobably will.)
replacing half the water with other flavorful liquids. Cheap riesling works well, most other white wines you’d have to use an expensive one. Port = purple rice = unappetizing. Apple cider = very yummy especially with a drop of dark sesame oil.
adding aromatics like celery or onions. I don’t recommend fennel uness you are the type who eats black licorice daily. Keep in mind the idea is to eat it all week. Parsnips and rutabagas also work really well and add a sense of fullness.
freeze portion sized bits with a note as to which flavor mix you used. Personally I can eat the same thing every day and be fine with it, most people can’t.
Adding different spice and herbs and even curries.
Add barley or oat groats, or even a ten-grain cereal to the mix.
Once you start playing with it there’s a million ways to change it around. Whatever flavors are your favorites, this base won’t argue with them. Have a taste for spaghetti and meatballs? Add oregano, roll it up into balls and fry them in peanut oil. Pour on marinara sauce. Mmmmmmm Yummy! Feeling sick? Add a touch of cardamom and warm in a saucepan with vanilla soymilk.
The possibilities are endless. And mostly healthy.
*I hate the texture of legumes, so cook the heck out of them - you’ll get more nutrition if you don’t have this hang-up
I’ve cooked the lentil-rice mixture in a rice cooker, and it works beautifully. Since I use a mix of white/brown basmati rice, I’ve never had a problem with overcooked rice.
Different broths and juices are wonderful, but be careful: some lentils don’t like tomato products until AFTER they are fully cooked. I’ve always been cautious, and avoided tomatoes (and tomato juice and V8) until the lentils are tender. I’ve heard of people who end up with crunchy little lentil disks if the tomato goes in at the very beginning.
And surprise, surprise, there are ZILLIONS of different lentils out there! Find an Indian/Pakistani market and go crazy! You’ll also find indescribable “things” that you need to note down, research, and then come back later to buy. It’s fun!! You’ll also save lots of money by shopping at ethnic markets.
Try red lentils. When you cook them, they turn bright, almost psychedelic yellow!
~VOW
Well, not a vegan but as a big fan of the meals that would qualify, I can suggesting the book Lean Bean Cuisine in addition to others mentioned. A one-pot of collard greens, black eyed peas, and yams is both very tasty and, pretty quick and easy from there. Lots of good ones. Pumpkin stew with corn and beans, ground nut stew, lentils and bulgar … yumm. Bags of no added salt nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, for snacking can go a long way.
I do have to ask however, why do you feel the need to go to extreme measures with a nutrition plan? I mean I read your post on the paleo diet thread. Why raise the bar to what feels so impossible? I can understand if you had a philosophical reason to be vegan, but really, you can eat extremely healthily without needing to follow all the rules of one or another “plan,” without accepting another creed …
Sorry. The ‘‘impossible’’ part is working around my husband’s food allergies. He has thirteen.
What it comes down to is, I am overweight with high cholesterol and I recently started taking an (unrelated) medication that makes me want to eat everything in sight. I gained 11 pounds when I started taking it and I realized something would have to be done. When it comes to dairy foods, I don’t seem to have an ‘‘off’’ button. I realized the only way to really control that problem is to just keep it out of the house.
Then I watched an interesting documentary, **Forks Over Knives **, about the health benefits of a nutrient-dense diet. Meat just happens to be one of those things that isn’t so nutrient-dense.
I don’t know if I ever will be a true ‘‘vegan’’ so much as a flexitarian, since I fully intend to eat some dairy and meat on the rare occasions when I’m eating outside the house, and I take fish oil tablets for my cholesterol. I just figured eliminating meat in the house will force me to eat more vegetables and legumes, which are really more nutritious overall and have the added benefit of being lower in calories. So far I’ve been correct on that measure and my body fat is decreasing. So basically the vegan diet just happens to fit what I think I need to eat.
My mood hasn’t changed for better or for worse since I started eating this way. And physically I feel freakin’ awesome. I’m eating much less food but not getting hungry as often. I do have cravings. But since I have no ability to indulge them, I’m not actually giving into them. I think right now the cooking is awkward just because I’m not used to it. Prior to this I had my easy standby healthy recipes… I just need to find that rhythm with the vegan stuff.
And this is why you should taste everything **while **you’re preparing it, because nothing sucks more than choking down food you don’t like because one of the ingredients doesn’t work. You could have thrown out and remade the white sauce.
When I’m feeling too lazy to cook, I mix canned black beans (rinsed) with raw corn sliced off the cob. Top with salsa and if you want, raw chopped bell pepper or onion. Add chopped homegrown tomatoes if you have them from your garden (don’t use supermarket ‘tomatoes’–see the expose TomatoLand.)
Very easy and quick.
Another thing I eat a lot of is pasta with greens (spinach, kale or arugula) with sauteed vegetables. You can do the veggies while the pasta is cooking, so it doesn’t take any longer than just pasta by itself. And it keeps for the next day so you can make a lot and save the leftovers.
Oh, and another thing–if you’re eating non-vegan food a few times a week this might not be an issue, but if your diet is all vegan you’ll want to take a B12 supplement to prevent nerve damage / pernicious anemia. Don’t depend on any kind of vegan food to supply this nutrient. Take it in supplement form.
TruCelt, just want to thank you for this. As a beginning vegan lurker, I saw your advice and immediately made a batch. I’ve been using it in some of my regular non-vegan recipes to take the place of a ground meat. I used it to fill cabbage rolls (mixed with onion, garlic and diced tomatoes) and they turned out great.
