Vegan lunch fit for a queen!

I am not a lunchbox blogger... I enjoy reading lunchbox blogs and try to pack myself healthy delicious bento-style lunch boxes but I tend not to write about them. Let's just say that it is not my "shtick"

(If you want to read an excellent vegan lunchbox blog check out: vegan lunch box by cookbook author Jennifer McCann or cafe veg news by the staff of Veg News Magazine)

However, today's lunch was just too good to pass up sharing. Today I picked up some wonderful produce at the store with no idea what I was going to do with everything. I have a tendency to do this. It's a bit of a problem... My typical solution is to place everything on the counter and treat it like a puzzle. I try to figure out how it all goes together.

After this trip I came home with (among other things) zucchini, yellow squash, portobello mushrooms, an assortment of peppers, sweet onions, and a small "Sicilian" eggplant. Hmm... there are some obvious choices I could make here but I was really craving a sandwich. After some digging around in the drawer where we keep bread, chips, cereal and things I unearthed some hot-dog buns... not exactly the basis for a gourmet meal but they got me thinking. Finally, I came up with a marinated vegetable hoagie on toasted buns with vegan cream cheeze. Feel free to replace the very plain (and less nutritious) hot-dog buns with a different type of bread. Later when I could find some brown rice tortillas I enjoyed the leftovers again and they were just as good!

Marinated Vegetable Hoagie

Ingredients:
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 small eggplant
1 red pepper
1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms

for the dressing:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 TBS crunchy whole grain mustard
garlic powder
basil
freshly ground black pepper
(all to taste)

bread of your choice
vegan non-hydrogenated cream cheese

Method:

1. Chop all vegetables and put in a Tupperware container.
2. Mix dressing ingredients carefully, check and adjust seasoning.
3. Pour over vegetables and allow to marinate for at least one hour.
4. Pour vegetables and marinade in a 3 quart stock pot and simmer on low until vegetables are cooked to your preferred level on doneness and marinade is slightly reduced.
   
5. Strain veggies out of marinade and reserve for later if desired.
   
6. Toast bread, smear with cream "cheeze" and top with warm veggies.

Note: This makes enough for 6-8 sandwiches depending on the size and type of bread. I left my vegetables in the marinade while I was storing the leftovers.

When I took my lunch to work I didn't reheat it, I just ate it lukewarm. It was still delicious and tasty! The vegetables were satisfying, with a little sweet, tart tang from the vinegar and a creamy rich mouth feel due to the cream "cheeze".

Easy Weeknight Dinners Series presents: Southwestern Wow!

Since my week doesn't seem to be getting any easier... this is the second installment in my new series of simple family dinners for weeknights. Tonight's meal has a slightly higher sodium content than I would like but it is still has a fat free option and is quite tasty. This is so simple that it is almost silly but I was able to throw it together in about 30 minutes and the bulk of that time was spent just letting the rice cook which makes it a definite plus in my book.

Southwestern Wow!

Number of tools: 5 (pot, cutting board, knife, spoon, can opener)
Time: Approximately 30 minutes

Ingredients:
olive oil or extra broth for sauteing
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS dried oregano (or you can just give it a good sprinkle...)
2 chipotle peppers*
1 cup uncooked rice (I set this for white because that was what I had, brown rice would be awesome, just adjust the water/vegetable broth)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 can of low sodium corn (15 ounces)
1 can of black beans (15 ounces)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach

Possible stir-ins and additions to make it fancier:
Vegan cheese
Vegan sour cream
guacamole
tortilla chips

Method:

1. In a tiny amount of olive oil or broth saute the onion and garlic until slightly translucent.
   
2. Add the chipotles and oregano stirring constantly.
3. Stir in the dry rice for a few seconds until everything is well mixed then add the water.
4. Bring to a boil, add corn and beans.
   
5. Return pot to a boil then reduce heat.
6. Simmer mixture until rice is done (mine took about 25 minutes) adding the spinach a few minutes before serving in order to heat through.

* A note about those chipotles: Two make it pretty spicy so you may want to reduce them amount or omit them all together. Also if you don't have chipotles on hand DO NOT even consider going to the store. This is supposed to be quick and easy! Use some other type of hot pepper or a small sprinkle of hot sauce.

Easy Weeknight Dinners Series presents: Veggie Pasta Presto!

This has been one of those crazy weeks where there haven't been nearly enough hours in the day to accomplish even half of my to-do list. I am lucky if my husband and I eat one balanced meal-a-day (I wonder...do cheerios even count as a balanced meal?) and takeout menus are scattered across the dining room table instead of dinner plates plates heaped with nutritious and lovingly cooked meals.

This is a sure sign that I need an intervention...

As I was pondering with great distaste my lack of both time and tasty vegetable concoctions it occurred to me that many people were also probably suffering from similar time constraints. After all, I can't possibly be the only person with a long commute, large to-do-list etc... Thus I was inspired to start this little series:

Easy Weeknight Dinners

Nothing you'll find within this series could ever pass for gourmet. But it is all quick, simple and nutritious. Best of all, the recipes shouldn't require any special trips to the health food store for weird ingredients.

Without any further ado... here is the first installment.

Veggie Pasta Presto!
Number of tools: 6 (2 pots, cutting board, knife, spoon, strainer)
Time: Approximately 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb frozen broccoli
olive oil or white wine for sauteing
additional olive oil/ vegan butter for pasta (optional)
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
generous sprinkle basil
generous sprinkle marjoram
1 can plum tomatoes (28 ounces)
1 cup frozen peas

Method:

1. Put a pot of salted water on to boil for pasta.
2. In a tiny amount of olive oil or white wine (for fat free version) saute onion, carrot and garlic.
3. When onion is nearly translucent add basil and marjoram and saute for about a minute more.
4. Add canned tomatoes (including liquid) and bring to a boil. Break up tomatoes using the spoon and boil for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary (if you like a sweeter sauce, this would be the time to add sweetener... though I don't advocate it)
5. By now the water should be boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions, adding the frozen broccoli for the final few minutes of cooking time.
6. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to pot.
7. If desired, stir either olive oil or vegan butter through pasta (to prevent sticking) and broccoli and season generously with pepper and salt if necessary (skip this step for fat free).
   
8. Stir in vegetable mixture and serve.

Note: My husband actually likes this dish as it stands in step 7 with LOTS of pepper and olive oil. He calls it "Macaroni and Greens". This is what it looks like.

Red Emmas.... Anarchist bookstore? Internet Cafe? Vegan Restaurant?

It depends on who you ask....

One thing is true though, whenever I feel like a small treat: coffee, a bagel with hummus or a vegan doughnut, I head to Red Emma's which is a "worker-owned and collectively managed bookstore and coffeehouse". I lifted this description directly from their website, because if you ask the average Joesephine on the street, these are the range of possible descriptions you might get:

"Oh... you mean the communist book store?"

"that place is run by a bunch of hippies"

"That's a vegetarian internet cafe"

"I think its some sort of anarchist coffee shop... they have meetings and stuff"

Regardless of what people call it, Red Emma's is a pretty cool place. The menu is vegetarian with many vegan offerings. They offer tons of good coffees and teas. My personal favorites include their wide selection of vegan baked goods from Brunie Bakery,especially the cupcakes, doughnuts and now the vegan cinnamon rolls!!

I also imbibe a ton of their iced coffee and enjoy their bagel sandwiches. If I am going to eat hummus in a restaurant this is one of my top two places to go! The food is never fancy but it is tasty and their prices are fair.

They have a small selection of books, magazines, "zines" and CDs as well free internet. The overall vibe is cozy and laid-back.

Plus they even have their own wikipedia entry!

Everything but the kitchen sink....

Have you ever wanted something sweet... I mean really CRAVED something sweet? Craved sweetness in a way that a banana or a bowl of cereal can't solve? That was my problem today. So I decided to make muffins, which are essentially cake without the added fuss of frosting. Except I couldn't seem to make up my mind, vanilla-coconut muffins, blueberry muffins, banana muffins.... why not all three?

As a result I ended up with these oddly pale little muffins that actually sated my sweet tooth. I still have no idea what I was thinking when I look at the ingredient list...

Everything but the kitchen sink muffins
(if you have a regular muffin tin this should make about 24 muffins)

Ingredients:
3 TBS Earth Balance, or other vegan "butter"
3 TBS vegan non-hydrogenated shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 medium banana
5 TBS ground flax seed + 8 TBS cold water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 cup coconut milk (not the canned kind, the kind in a carton such as "So Delicious" brand)
1 cup blueberries

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375.
  
• Cream butter, shortening and sugar.
• Add banana and combine until well mashed.
• In a blender combine flax and water, then add to butter mixture.
  
• Add vanilla.
• In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Gradually add flour mixture alternating with the milk until everything is combined.
• Stir in blueberries by hand.
• Bake in muffin tins 35-40 minutes.

Ever considered going vegan???

Have you ever considered going vegan but feel that there are too many obstacles in your way? Perhaps you are nearly there, but need to give up butter or cheese... well the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine is about to give you the support you need!

Beginning September 8th, they encourage you to jump-start your health by trying out a vegan diet for twenty one days. By signing up for their free program they will send you support, recipes and motivational web posts to help you try living life as a vegan, as you experience how it affects your health and mindset.

If you have ever considered a vegan diet and lifestyle, I encourage you to give it a try!

You can find more information at:

http://support.pcrm.org

Curry in a hurry!

Tonight I got home from work to a fridge full of unrelated veggies and a growling stomach... what to do? Curry! Curries are fast and always seem to bring together the best dinners out of odds and ends of vegetation. I have a rice cooker, so usually I can have dinner done in the time it takes for the rice to cook!

Curry #1: Spicy Thai Panang Curry
(this one is great for when you have a stuffed nose)

Ingredients:
the tiniest amount of vegetable or peanut oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 inch of ginger grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans of panang curry paste
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
juice of one lime
2 cans coconut milk
small hot dried peppers, to taste (a normal palate will not need these as panang by itself is very hot)
assorted veggies (good choices: carrots, snow peas, broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, tofu, english peas)

Method

• In a saucepan fry onion, ginger and garlic in oil. (Use as little as possible)
• Stir in curry paste and stir constantly until paste is well mixed with aromatics and you can smell the spices, stir in basil leaves.
• Add lime juice and coconut milk.
• If using throw in dried peppers and bring to a boil.
• Add veggies and cook until they are done.

Curry # 2 Indian Style Aromatic Tomato Curry

Ingredients:
(please note: spice measurements are approximate, please adjust to your own tastes!)
1 tsp. Coriander
1 TBS Garam Masala
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove powder
1 tsp cardamom powder
pinch red pepper flakes
tiny amount of mild oil such as vegetable or peanut
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled & cubed
1 carrot, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup chopped okra
1/2 cup frozen english peas
Method:

• In a very hot, dry pan toast spices.
• Add a small amount of oil and saute onion, garlic and ginger.
• Add potatoes and carrots and continue to saute, stirring constantly.
• When potatoes have browned slightly add canned tomatoes and bring to a boil.
• After boiling for 5 minutes, stir in remaining vegetables and cook until potatoes are done.
  
• Taste and add salt if necessary.

Serve both curries with a high quality basmati rice.