Vegan Taco Salad (no meat subs)

We made a trip to Trader Joe's earlier this week (there isn't one in town, so I really only get to go if I happen to be in Portland). John was requesting salad for dinner, but thats always a tough one because if there is no meat involved we end up being hungry again within a couple of hours. But it was a really hot day and we were trying to eat 'light' - even faux meats seemed too 'heavy'.... so vegan salad (with no meat substitutes) it was!

At Trader Joe's I picked up two types of salsa (salsa verde and corn & chile salsa)

 
and a bag of multi-grain nacho chips (also Trader Joe's brand), which I crumbled up a bit

I also made up a batch of pico de gallo

and added some chopped lettuce and shredded cabbage

 

Voila! A fast and easy taco salad - and nobody even missed the meat or cheese, until later that night when we got hungry again! So we gave this meal a 2 out of 3 stars, just because it wasn't as filling as it could have been. Maybe try adding black beans?

Black Bean & Corn Tortilla Bake

A layered casserole dish that has become a favorite in our family...

This is another almost-vegan recipe (the only non-vegan ingredient is a small amount of cream cheese, which you can omit, but it does contribute to a really nice, creamy sauce)

BLACK BEAN & CORN TORTILLA BAKE

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 package of Yves meatless taco stuffers (taco-flavored vegetarian meat subsitute) OR regular Yves ground meat substitute
• 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup black beans (cooked)
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• hot sauce to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 8 (small) corn tortillas (you could use any kind of tortilla, but corn is really good in this recipe)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the "meat" and cook until well blended, 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the taco seasoning, tomato puree, corn, black beans and cream cheese.  Cook until the cheese has melted in, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat
6. Add chopped yellow and red peppers and stir.
7. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
8.  Tear the corn tortillas into fourths and place half of them in a layer along the bottom of an 8" casserole pan. Top with 1/2 of the bean/meat mixture. Repeat tortilla and bean/meat layers, ending with a bean/meat layer (you should have 2 tortilla layers and 2 bean/meat layers.
9. Bake in a preheated 350F about 20-25 minutes.
10. Serve with more salsa and brown rice, plus lots of vegetables like shredded cabbage and tomatoes.

Banh Mi Sandwich

Banh Mi Sandwich (pronounced like Bon-Mee)

I've had these types of Vietnamese sandwiches before (food trucks, food courts, etc), but I always ordered them with chicken. When I tried to make my own at home, I realized that its the strong flavors of the sauce and the vegetables that make the flavor of these sandwiches so good. When I had ordered these sandwiches at food trucks the amount of chicken was very minimal, as if it weren't really an important part of the dish.

So I cut down the amount of chicken that I used (I went from using 1 sliced chicken breast for 3 sandwiches to using 1/2 sliced chicken breast for 3 sandwiches. They were still just as good. In fact, I figured I probably wouldn't even notice much of a difference if I took the chicken out of the recipe altogether. So the next time I made these sandwiches, I just didn't add chicken (or any other meat or meat-substitute) and I was right - they were just as good without the chicken.

If you have a family that is concerned about missing out on meat in vegan meals, this is one that you definately can get away with by using meat (but LESS) without complaints. Or just cut out the meat like I did - and really, they are still very good.

Ingredients for 4 Banh Mi sandwiches:

4 sliced rolls (or hoagie-type buns or baguettes)
1 cups broccoli-slaw mix (thinly sliced raw broccoli, carrots, and red cabbage - this is sold in the produce section)
1 cup cabbage (thinly sliced) or 1 cup raw cole slaw mix (without sauce)
1 cucumber, very thinly sliced
1 cup sweet chili sauce (available in asian section of grocery store)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a saucepan, heat up the sweet chili sauce and soy sauce over low heat. When warmed, put the bottom of each sandwich bun on a plate and pour 1/8 cup of the sauce over the bottom buns. Then stack an equal amount of broccoli slaw mix vegetables, cabbage, and cucumber on each bottom bun. Pour equal amounts of the remaining sauce over the top of the vegetables. Top with the cilantro, and then the top buns.

SOUTHWEST (CHICKEN?) WRAPS

This recipe was adapted from a recipe found here. I made these without the cheese that the original recipe called for. This recipe isn't vegan, but it is semi-vegan! I kept the sour cream (uses a very small amount) and made the chicken optional (we liked these a lot, with or without the chicken)

SOUTHWEST CHICKEN WRAPS (CHICKEN OPTIONAL!)
(Makes 6 wraps)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cooked brown rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, chopped chicken (optional)**
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for sour cream. Spread a small amount of sour cream on top of each tortilla before arranging rice mixture down the center of each tortilla.

Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Here is a photo of the rice mixture with the chicken (above)...

And here is a photo of the rice mixture without the chicken ...
 

**if you leave out the chicken, add an extra cup of beans and/or rice if you still want to have 6 servings

Spaghetti sauce with sneaky veggies

This might not actually trick a suspicious child, but if you're looking for ways to get 

more veggies in your meals, its easy to do.  

I like to buy the packages of cole-slaw mix (with the bagged salads- about 99 cents) and the packages of broccoli slaw mix (usually near the Asian type vegetables- about $1.99). These are just the chopped veggies- they don't have any sauce like the 'slaw' name implies. It might be a little cheaper to buy cabbage, broccoli, and carrots and chop them yourself, but I add these vegetables to almost everything I make and the convenience is unbeatable. One package of each lasts all week, even if I use them in some meal almost every day.

Here are photos of the spaghetti sauce that I made today:

I threw in about 1 cup of raw broccoli slaw (julienned broccoli, cabbage, carrots) and a big handful of chopped (fresh) kale. Look pretty heavy on the veggies, right?

And here is another photo after the vegetables have been stirred in:

They disappear right into the sauce (especially the kale)! A pain-free way to add a extra couple of servings of veggies!

Sesame Peanut Noodles

Sesame Peanut Noodles (a cold salad)

This recipe comes from Nigella Lawson, and I've made a few adjustments. Click here for original recipe.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

For the salad:

• 4 ounces/1 1/2 cups snow peas
• 2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
• 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into small strips
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 1/4 pounds cooked long noodles (you can usually buy pre-cooked in the produce section near the wonton wrappers, etc)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves 

Directions

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Put the pea pods, bean sprouts, sliced red pepper, sliced scallions and noodles* into a bowl.
Pour over the dressing and mix thoroughly to coat everything well.

Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and coriander/cilantro. This can be served at room temperature, but it is very good chilled and can be packed in tupperware for lunches.

*If you buy the pre-cooked noodles, be sure to follow the package directions for prepping the noodles. Half the time I forget to rinse them and then I have to rinse the dressing off and make another batch because the noodles are too stiff.

Orange French Toast

This recipe is from a site called The Vegan Stoner. Click on the name to go to their site. They have a lot of recipes and they all have cute cartoon pictures.

Here is the recipe in non-cartoon form:

Orange French Toast

1. Mix 1/2 of a glass of soy milk (or almond milk) with 1/2 a glass of orange juice. Exact measurements don't matter here, this is just for dipping  
2. Add 2 spoonfuls of powdered sugar and 1 spoonful of cinnamon to the milk/juice mixture and stir well.
3. Melt a spoonful of (vegan) margarine in a pan on medium-high heat. Slice bread (if not sliced) and dip both sides into the milk/juice mixture.  
4. Cook for several minutes on each side, or until browned.
5. Serve with syrup and more powdered sugar sprinkled on the top.

Mulligatawny

• 

  Mulligatawny is an Indian style curry soup. This version, adapted from a recipe found in Clean Living Magazine, uses more rice than the original, because my family prefers a less-brothy version  

  Ingredients 

  • 4 cups cooked Brown Rice (original recipe called for 2 cups)
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 package of Field Roast brand vegan sausage links (any flavor)
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Yellow Onion
  • 1 Leek
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1/2 cup chopped kale  (not in the original recipe)
  • 1 tsp Grated Ginger
  • 2 Tbsp Curry Powder
  • 3 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
  • 2 Granny Smith Apples
  • 3/4 cup low fat coconut Milk
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • Sriracha Hot Sauce (or any hot sauce)
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
  • Pico de Gallo (not in the original recipe)

• Instructions 

  1. Heat oil medium high, Add vegan sausage to pot and cook until  golden brown (3-4 Minutes), Remove sausage and set side.

  2. Add chopped garlic, diced onion, sliced leek (white and light green parts only -no leaves), diced carrot, kale. and grated ginger to pot, saute 3 minutes. Add curry powder and cook additional 2 minutes.

  3. Return vegan sausage to pot and stir in stock.

  4. Bring to boil, reduce to medium and simmer (covered but stirring occasionally) for 30 minutes.

  5. Remove from heat, stir in apples, coconut milk and lemon juice, season with additional salt and pepper if desired, Add Sriracha to taste.

  6. Spoon 2/3 cup rice into each bowl and top with soup mixture, then cilantro and pico de gallo

  
  

  Serves 6

   

Indian Curry Pasta

Indian Curry pasta

First I cooked some fausage* in a frying pan with a little olive oil. When it was browned, I added some leftover pico de gallo (you could use chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro) and let it all cool.

Next I started cooking the shell pasta.

Then I heated up a jar of curry sauce (bombay style, I think, but you could use any type) and added the fausage mixture and a cup of broccoli slaw (packaged shredded broccoli, cabbage, and carrots you can buy in the produce section of most grocery stores)

When the pasta is done, add it to the curry sauce!

*Fausage just means fake sausage. Whatever brand you want. I usually buy Field Roast sausage (either Italian or Mexican Chipotle, depending on the recipe)

Fried won-tons and stir-fry noodles/veggies

Fried wontons (filled with pre-cooked fausage* and shredded broccoli, carrots, and cabbage) and stir-fry chinese-style noodles with veggies (with asian dressing)




*Fausage just means fake sausage. Whatever brand you want. I usually buy Field Roast sausage (either Italian or Mexican Chipotle, depending on the recipe)

What is a Flexitarian?

Flexitarian - what is that? A fringe political party? A bizarre religion? Neither, my friends - a flexitarian is a person who avoids eating animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, etc) in general, but does still consume those things on occaision.

Now the whole idea of a might seem a little hypocritical at first glance, but I think that entireley depends on your reason for being vegetarian or vegan (or mostly-vegan)... Many people who avoid consuming animal products seem to do so on principle, because of their belief that animal flesh or related animal products (such as dairy) should not be harvested for human greed, etc.

However, this is view is not a belief that I personally share. In my personal beliefs, animals are meant for human use (in responsible ways, of course), so I do not believe that it is wrong to consume animal products. However, I also believe that we should consume meat 'sparingly' in our diets, for health reasons. And I believe that using animal-derived products (dairy, eggs, etc) falls into that same category as well.

So, there you have it - My family and I are probably strangest kind of semi-vegan flexitarian you will probably ever come across... the kind who try to limit our intake of meat/dairy/eggs, but who occaisionally do continue to eat all of those things without hypocrisy. Do we like meat, dairy, and eggs? Yes. Will we eat it? Yes. We just try to cut most of it out of our diet on a regular basis.