Five Minute Vegan (Tofu) “Egg” Salad

Remember the rest of that block of tofu? After some green salads and some Greek, I was hankering for a different style in my salad week, so egg salad it was!

Ingredients:

-Extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, well-pressed, and crumbled
-Black Salt/kala namak (or smoked paprika if you have not got black salt)
-Pepper
-Vegan mayo (store bought, or you can make it from silken tofu- I’ll post a recipe in the future)
-Whatever else you put in your egg salad. (I added onion, peppers, cucumber,  and pickles. I also added a bit of curry powder because I felt like it. 🙂

You can crumble the tofu by hand or blitz it quickly in a processor. I like it a bit chunkier to retain some texture.

Add in the other ingredients, chopped finely. Season with the pepper and black salt. Begin with a pinch or two of the salt and taste it. Black salt (AKA kala namak) is a magical ingredient used in some Indian cuisine, so you can often find it in Asian food stores, or online. It tastes a bit smoky and sulfurous which gives this recipe a truly “eggy” taste. However, it can quickly overpower a dish if you use too much, and then some people say it tastes more like an egg that is past its prime. So, taste as you go! If you have not got kala namak, you can use smoked paprika to taste. It will not give it the same eggy taste, but it is slightly reminiscent of devilled eggs.

When you have your flavours the way you like them, mix in the mayo (and if you’d like a bit more salty moisture, you can add a wee bit of the pickle brine as well). Stir well and you have a delicious vegan “egg” salad. I couldn’t resist a sprinkle more of black pepper.

Eat it how you’d have any egg salad- a sandwich, on a bagel, or how I had it- on some homemade keto wraps with a few veggies for a simple garnish.

Love from Jo

 

My Salad Week (and Hot Meals too) Day 1

In my last post I talked about how excited I am to be back in “salad days”, so now I will share a few of the salads I’ve been making, and you will see how a few ingredients can lead to a large variety of different meals with very little prep.

Shopping haul:

Spinach, kale, carrots and cabbage were all on sale. Add to that a clearance on some potatoes and small lemons, so I grabbed them for pennies.

The store app also offered me “my deals”- a pre-prepared “eat smart” kale crunch salad and a sunflower crunch chopped salad, which I complemented with an extra bag of coleslaw mix- something that is always one of the least expensive offerings in the salad aisle.

For some sweet treats, watermelon was on sale, and strawberries were another “my deal” bargain. Finally, I couldn’t resist some Kind Bark that was on a discontinued item clearance ($2. 77 when regular price is nearly $6.00. Yum).

As always I prepped the entirety of the cabbage, kale, carrots, and watermelon. I also chopped a large red onion. I left the potatoes to prep later in the week since they keep best that way. With all this prep, I had enough for a week’s worth of meals that could be put together within minutes.

Simple Salad 1:
With most of the prep out of the way, I was ready for a quick and tasty salad break. It was as simple as tossing some spinach in a bowl, rinsing and chopping a few of the strawberries, tossing in some of the pre-prepped red onion, a quick handful of frozen blueberries, and mixing up a sweet and spicy dressing:

 

Poppyseed Dressing for Spinach Salad

•  1/4 cup balsamic or strawberry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
•  3 tablespoons olive oil
•  1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
•  1 teaspoon (or to taste) agave or other sweetener
•  1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper
•  salt and pepper to taste

The sweet strawberries and the heat from the onion is reflected in the sweet dressing with a hint of spicy heat from the cayenne. So delicious! In my next post, I’ll show how I use the packaged salads.

Yay! Salad Days Are Back.

 

In Canada, as in many parts of the world, we have been staying home- a lot- and repeating the same activities every day, so we sometimes even forget the day of the week. I am now working from home and my days usually start about sunrise when I head out for a few hours of walking with my dog, before too many other people are out and it becomes hard to keep distances. Then I head back home to start my work prep while listening to the Prime Minister’s daily update. Someone joked the other day that the only way they know that time is even passing is by watching the updates and seeing how Justin Trudeau’s hair is growing shaggier and shaggier each day.

It made me laugh, but I have another secret way to keep track of how time is passing and be reminded that there are some lovely things we can still look forward to. For one thing, every day this week on my walks I have spotted new flowers in bloom, and for me this also marks the start of “salad every day” season (maybe several times a day!)

Cherry

Bluebell

Camas

White fawn lily

So I am going to celebrate on here by reviving a very old post, with a few new tricks I’ve developed over the years. Because you’d better believe that it has to be an extraordinary salad if a food addict like me is going to look forward to eating it every single day for half the year at least. Check it out below and see if you agree that, indeed, my five step “Super Duper Addictive FITR Salad” is one that you could chomp on every day:

Step 1. (80-100 calories): Start with at least 3-4 cups of greens. Just grab handfuls and throw them into a very large bowl. Lettuce is fine, but so are dandelion greens, spinach, cabbage, kale, mustard greens, field greens, radicchio, anything you find (use iceberg lettuce rarely- it is the least nutritious salad green and it tastes weak, too).

Step 2. (50ish calories): Add in a cup or more of any other veggies you have on hand- celery, tomatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, peas, etc. Fresh is good, but frozen is fine too, and so is cooked. As you know, I often start my weekly food prep by roasting a few trays of veggies. Those roasted veggies are delightful in a FITR salad. Keto eaters can roast them in lots of good fats.

Fill that bowl- if you want to maintain your healthy weight, you need to enjoy your lifestyle, and that includes eating lots of good food. Finely chopped gives a different mouth-feel than chunks- go for the feel you want each day, switch it up. And try new veggies sometimes, too.

Step 3. (100 calories): Add some dense protein. These help you to feel satisfied- they give the “comfort” element to the salad and help you feel full longer. A few ideas:
-1/2 cup of: tofu (prepared any way*), beans (kidney or black beans are faves of mine), couscous, quinoa, or brown rice
-1/3 cup chickpeas
-chopped up veggie burger, tofurkey, or other processed vegetarian “meat” (less healthy option)
-for non-vegans, ½ cup of chopped meat, fish, or any style egg (less healthy option)

Step 4 (100 calories): Add some foods with healthy fats. These keep you full longer and provide a more satisfying “mouth feel” that we crave. Some ideas:
-2 tablespoons of nuts or seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, peanuts, etc)
-1/2 small avocado, or ¼ cup guacamole
-15 to 20 black olives (that’s a lot-yum!)
-1/4 cup daiya or other vegan shredded cheese
-for non-vegans, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, ½ cup cottage cheese, 1/8 cup sour cream (less healthy options)
-PLUS 1 to 2 tablespoons of storebought dressing (less healthy option), or a much larger amount (and much tastier) homemade dressing*.

Step 5 (100-120 calories): Bonus items. This is the zing that turns the salad into a luxury. Anything goes here- it is your “flex” calories. You might choose your items based on:
Theme/taste. eg:
-Make it a taco salad with greens, leftover veggie chili, beans, salsa, jalapenos, sour cream, and the bonus: 10-12 broken tortilla chips as a garnish.
-Or, for a sweet theme, use vegan “goat cheese” and poppy seeds with balsamic vinegar dressing, and bonus blueberries.
-Make an oriental salad with sesame seeds, snap peas, leftover chik’n and bonus interest: canned mandarin oranges and raisins.
Color. eg:
-If your salad looks mostly green and white, add 100 calories of yellow, red, and purple to increase appeal. Try: edible flowers, micro red amaranth, peppers, mini pattypan squash, apricots, seaweed, purple potatoes, grapes, strawberries, goji berries, dried cranberries (beware of added sugar), pomegranate seeds, watermelon, black olives, edamame, red onion, chopped peaches, etc.
Carb-y Treats eg:
-1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked whole wheat pasta, brown rice (or fried cauliflower rice for keto eaters), orza or any type of noodles, etc.
Any other criteria (what you have on hand, what you crave, etc.) eg:
-Pickle slices, croutons, a tablespoon or two of thick dips or sauces (sweet ones like plum sauce, or complex tastes like jalapeno mango jelly), apple slices, 1/2 cup chow mein noodles, deli salads, or for non-vegans, a slice or two of meats. Anything!

Now- Celebrate the lunch and enjoy every bite! Keep crispy items in a separate container and assemble in the big bowl at lunch time. (Tip- You can also add more eye and mouth appeal by changing textures- shredding carrots or spiralizing beets, or adding your leftovers heated up instead of cold). With such a huge and beautiful lunch, I guarantee that your lunchmates will be envious. First they will tell you how delicious it looks, then they will wonder how you can eat so much and still lose weight/stay so skinny, then your lunch will become a topic of conversation as everyone checks it out each day. They may even start a fan club and you will have to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Just be sure to wipe your face first.

* Check out other recipes in the blog for ideas for starred items.

(salad art by Jo- inspired by enslavedbyfaeries at squidoo.com)

I have a few yummy salad and new dressing ideas to share coming up soon.

Eat well and take care,

Love Jo

Meal Prep (Continued)- Flatbread Pizzas, Today’s Dinner, and Start of Week

Following yesterday’s plan, I made some flatbreads last night ready to use today. They turned out pretty darned good, but I know the ingredients are not ones you can find in everyone’s pantry. I’ll put the recipe I made here and then try some alternative recipes using more common ingredients later this week. Then I will post the successful recipes.

Lupin Flour Flatbread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup lupin flour
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon soy lecithin
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup warm water

Method:

-Mix the  dry ingredients.
-Add the oil and water.
-Mix and knead dough.
-Divide dough into four balls and press them with a press or rolling pin (they may be sticky so use parchment paper).
-Fry on medium heat in a non-stick pan or oiled pan for 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip and cook a further minute or two until nicely browned but still pliable.

I ate one flatbread last night and it was very good (I had to test it, didn’t I?). Today I prepped the rest of the veggies for meals this week and used the rest of the flatbreads for pizza. I had covered and refrigerated them yesterday and they were still firm but pliable today. They made nice thin crust, low carb, low calorie personal pizzas. I ate two of them today for dinner and saved one for lunch tomorrow.

I will share the rest of the food prep in my next post, so you can find out what I made the delicious pizza toppings and gorgeous salad from.

Nutrition Facts- Flatbreads
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 96
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	10 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	3 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 16 mg	1 %
Potassium 130 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 2 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 7 g	28 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 7 g	14 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	4 %
Iron	1 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Another “Odds and Ends” Mealplan Week

I’ve been eating soups, casseroles and root veggie salads for about a month. But finally last week there were fresh greens on sale again, so I get green salads this week. But I also had lots of leftovers from last week’s meal prep. This is what I had to work with:

-6 romaine lettuce (yay!) ($4.99 total)
-2 five lb. bags of gala apples (were on a 2- hour sale for half price at one of my stores- couldn’t resist, but that’s a lot of apples for just me) ($6.44 total)
-About 1 cup of leftover white bean hummus.
-About 5 cups of leftover beet and edamame salad (chopped cooked beets with apple cider vinegar and edamame. It was a good side dish for the last few days but now the edamame are stained red and look like kidney beans- visually unappealing to me- it’s gotta go from the salad department to something else).

The solution:

I used the hummus in a salad dressing for my lunch salads. I also had one container of taco stew left in my freezer, which I took out to add to the salads (meal planning hint- keep a list of what you’ve frozen on the fridge with the date you froze it. You can refer to the list to make sure you rotate things back out for meals). I spiced up the hummus with horseradish to make a spicy taco salad. You’ll see why I chose horseradish as you read on…

I put the beet salad into a pot on my stove and pulverized it with my bullet blender. Then I added chickenless broth and a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar (there was already vinegar in the beet salad, so I didn’t need much). To give the taste some roundness and sweeten it a bit, I cut up 3 of the apples and microwaved them for about 1 minute (just until the juice was starting to boil), and tossed them in, skin and all. After they were softened in the soup, I again blended the whole pot with the immersion blender and finally added a few tablespoons of dehydrated soup vegetables just to put some texture back in.

After another 10 minutes simmering, a hearty borscht soup was ready. I had giant bowls of it with the rest of the horseradish dressing on top and a few sunflower seeds for crunch. Soup, salad, and a nice slice of bread- yummy dinners prepped too!

White Bean Horseradish Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• White bean quick hummus (leftovers- so half of original recipe is listed below):
  • 0.50 container (455 gs ea.), White Kidney Beans/cannellini Beans Canned
  • 0.50 Tbsp, Organic Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Everything Bagel Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp horseradish (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 Tbsp spicy mustard (or to taste)
• 1 tsp Franks Red Hot Original (or to taste)
• water (add until desired consistency)

Method:
– Put the hummus in a blender, add the other ingredients in increments, blending and tasting as you go, until you get a nice thick dressing with the desired spice level.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 41
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g	1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 157 mg	7 %
Potassium 5 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 5 g	2 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	9 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 2 g	4 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	1 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	2 %

Fast Borscht

Ingredients:

• Beet salad (leftovers):
  • 4 cups pickled beets, chopped
  • 2/3 cups edamame (shelled)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cube chickenless bouillon
• 6 cups water
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 large apples, chopped and cooked until just softened
• 3 Tbsp dehydrated vegetable flakes

Method:

-blend the beet salad.
-Add the bouillon to the water and mix into the blended beets, along with the vinegar and the apples.
-Simmer for a few minutes and then blend again.
-Add the vegetable flakes, stir, and simmer until softened.
-Serve with the horseradish dressing from above, and garnish with seeds or tofu.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 109
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0 g	1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	0 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 347 mg	14 %
Potassium 45 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 26 g	9 %
Dietary Fiber 6 g	24 %
Sugars 18 g
Protein 2 g	3 %
Vitamin A	7 %
Vitamin C	4 %
Calcium	3 %
Iron	2 %

 

Five Ideas for Following Your Meal Plans

Like all other changes, meal planning can be derailed, so here are a few tips to stay on track:

1. When you do your planning, make sure to schedule in the times you plan to actually do the prep and cooking (not necessarily at the same time). Then if things go awry, make a note of why it happened to help you in future planning. For instance, I now know that my weekly energy is limited. The times I strayed from my meal plan were times I planned to make meals from scratch later in the week. So now I prep and make the first few dinners of the week on a weekend, and prep the later weekday meals as if I was buying them from one of those ready-made meal services. Then I just have to throw the pre-measured ingredients together to cook while I do my other after work chores.
2. Whenever possible, batch cook. If you are going to the trouble of creating a recipe, it’s just as easy to double it. Then you can decide if you’d rather eat it twice in a row or freeze the pre-portioned second meal. Rotate the frozen meals into later weekly meal plans, but also remember they are there for “emergency” days- when you just don’t have the time or energy to make anything else at all. This one is a great way to save you from the dreaded pizza run on the way home from work.
3. Speaking of pizza runs, make sure you cook and plan a few “junky” meals, even meals based on pre-packaged foods. At least once a month I make a pizza or beyond burger or Gardein chick’n meal. I sometimes buy frozen vegan pizzas on sale to keep in my freezer, rather than going to the trouble of making my own crust. It feels more like a pizza shop pizza when I add extra (fresh) toppings on it.
4. Send your own signals to yourself. My sister doesn’t follow strict plans, and she keeps very busy, so she used to forget to cook before she got “hangry” and wanted to eat immediately. Now when she knows she has a busy day and a plan for dinner, she will set out some of her recipe ingredients on the counter. Then as she walks by she gets a visual reminder of her plan, and she will remember to start dinner well before she wants to eat. You could do a similar thing with alarm reminders on your phone or watch.
5. Plan to cook and freeze meals with like-minded people (fellow vegans/keto/omnivores, etc). You can create a cooking club, where you rotate through each others’ kitchens for a batch cooking session of several recipes. Or, you could do something like a meal co-op, where each member creates one recipe (at their own home) with enough servings for everyone in the co-op. Then they package it with instructions and give it to each of the other members. For instance, if there are seven members in the co-op, you could prep your meal for one night in a week, and for the rest of the week, you are off the hook as you eat the meals provided by the other six members.

I’d love to hear what has helped you stay on track with your meal planning. Share in the comments below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall Haul (Part 2)

A quick recipe and some changes to the plan I wrote for the week. I made some black bean bars but I was trying a new variation so I only used a half can of black beans (less waste if I decide I hate the recipe). So instead I added the other half of the can to my lunch salads for the start of the week. Again, I love how I can change plans on the fly with my ingredient-based meal planning. Here is what my lunch salad for tomorrow looks like now:

(sorry for the blurriness). It is still a chopped salad, but I added black beans with the roasted veg, and instead of the sweet toppings (raisins, etc) I switched it up for savoury dried edamame and grains. The dressing will be poured on at lunch. I prepped the salad for the day after a little differently- I put the chopped salad in the big lunch bowl. Then I put the dressing, black beans, and the dried toppings in separate containers and tucked the containers into the bowl. I will also scoop in the handfuls of roasted veggies the night before or in the morning before leaving for work. That way it will all stay crisp and yummy.

Black Bean Bars (Non-Keto- see keto variations below)

I am not a fan of sweet breakfasts, but I do like the convenience of breakfast bars and muffins, so I sometimes turn to these for a nice compromise. I decided to try a sweeter version than I usually make, so I will share this recipe and the results here, along with suggestions for changes you can make to suit your tastes. The black beans add some protein to help with hunger and focus, and if you have kids who don’t like beans, they won’t even know they are in here.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black beans (1/2 can)
• 1 cup oatmeal oats
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tbsp ground flax
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups fruit of choice (I used frozen blueberries and cherries)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2-3 dates, chopped
• 1 medium banana
• 1-3 Tbsp water (or as needed)

Directions:

• Blend the black beans, banana, and flax seed in a mixer until they form a batter (I just use my bullet). Add a little water if needed.
• Stir in the rest of the ingredients and pour into a lightly greased pan. (The frozen cherries were huge, so I actually added them to the bullet in step one. I was picturing it chopping them into smaller bits. Instead it pulverized them and gave the batter a rather odd colour which came out looking like brownies after baking. So don’t expect yours to look like this. lol)
• Bake at 300 degrees for an hour (or sometimes a bit longer or shorter), until moist but cooked through.
• Cut into squares and let cool.

Lots and lots of possible variations for these bars!

• Sub in any grain or meal for the oatmeal- buckwheat, quinoa, homemade granola, etc.
• Sub in any frozen or fresh fruit (just be aware that it might produce different amounts of liquid. Or colours, lol).
• Sub in any seeds or nuts (but remember to keep the flax as a binder/replacement for egg in vegan baking).
• Sub in other beans of choice, or add hemp seed for more protein punch.

For people trying to eat keto:

• Sub in keto variations, like noatmeal to reduce the carbs,  xylitol, monkfruit, or other keto sweeteners instead of the dates, use low sugar fruits, and add healthy fats with your choice of seeds and nuts (ie, macadamia nuts). You can even add oils instead of the water when working on consistency.

For those who prefer the savory options:

• leave out the fruit and add an extra tablespoon of flax for binder, then add in cooked veggies, nuts and seeds, cheeses (vegan for mine please), and savory spices.  Mmmm- Mexican black bean bars, cheese and onion bars, spinach and feta bars, samosa bars, the possibilities are endless!

Nutrition Facts
Servings 9.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 249
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g	6 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	3 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 25 mg	1 %
Potassium 446 mg	13 %
Total Carbohydrate 45 g	15 %
Dietary Fiber 7 g	29 %
Sugars 11 g
Protein 9 g	18 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	2 %
Calcium	35 %
Iron	10 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Fall Haul- This Week’s Plan (Part 1)

I made a major haul this week. Root veggies were on sale in 10 lb bags for $3.49 each! Bonus- they are all local, from BC or Alberta. So I bought one each of white onions, carrots, rutabaga, and beets. That’s 40 pounds of veggies for $14.00! I also threw in a bag of apples for 60 cents a pound, and a celery head for 99 cents.

The veggies will last for a while as is, but I decided to prep at least a third of them for this week’s meals and this weekend’s family Thanksgiving meal at my house. Here’s the plan:

For the first part of the week, I have prepped and roasted about 1/3 of the root veggies (carrots, onions, rutabaga, and beets). With each veg roasted separately, I can simply scoop out portions as needed for each dish.

I will start the week’s dinners with a nice Thai curry using coconut milk and curry paste. In the sauce will go carrots, rutabaga, onions.

For lunch I will use the beets in a chopped salad. Here is the fast and easy way I prepped a dozen beets:

I topped and tailed them and rinsed them off, then put them in a large cake pan. I            covered the pan with tin foil wrapped tightly to the edges, and put it in the oven at 400 degrees, with the veggies that were already roasting on sheet pans. (Efficiency with the oven use is important when batch cooking). The beets cooked for an hour and then I let them cool with the foil still on. Once they were cool enough to handle, I used rubber gloves and simply slipped the skins off over the sink. Easy as pie with no mess. Then I cut the beets into chunks and packed them into the fridge with the other veggies.

In the second half of the week, I will use the same roasted veggies with moroccan spice, chickpeas, raisins, and dried apricots to make a moroccan stew.

Sunday is the Victoria marathon/8K and now that I live in Victoria, the family will be coming to my place afterwards for a Thanksgiving brunch buffet. In past years when we lived further up-island, the family would all go to Victoria on the Saturday and spend the night in a hotel. Then after doing the race on Sunday we would all drive back home, leaving our Thanksgiving celebration for the Monday. It made for a fun but exhausting weekend. Doing it this way means prepping ahead, but it also means getting Monday off to laze around and eat leftovers- yay!

On Thursday or Friday I will chop another bunch of veggies and roast most of them. I will also keep some unroasted to make a veggie pot pie topped with vegan puff pastry. Saturday will be the cooking/assembling day, and Sunday I will just reheat all the dishes for the buffet. Recipes for the buffet dishes will be posted in the future.

Family time this coming weekend, the next week a four day week, and I’m guessing there will be Thanksgiving leftovers to make it even easier. So many things to be thankful for!

“What I Eat in a Week”- This Week’s Shop and Prep.

After lots of sales on Fall veggies last week, suddenly not much seemed to be on sale this week- time to incorporate some of the foods from my freezer and pantry. I still had a few carrots, about half a head of cauliflower, and some spiralized beets in the fridge, and I did manage to get a few deals as I was out and about:

Fresh prune plums and apples for snacks, arugula and cherry tomatoes ($1.99 after $2.00 off. I already ate half of them before the pic) for this week’s big FITR salad base. Zucchini and acorn squash (from the farmer’s market), with mushrooms and onions for my two main recipes. Also grabbed a 3-pack of tofu, salsa, and some hot pepper pickles on sale.

I decided to make two main dishes this week. The only reasonably-priced leafy veg I could find was arugula (or “rocket”). I loved my taco-style salads a few weeks ago, and I realized that it would work well with the strong taste of arugula. So- “rockettaco salad” it is. Since I was on a beefy theme, I decided to make a big beefless stew for dinners. I pulled some pantry and frozen ingredients to round out the recipes:

Frozen peas and corn, Yves veggie ground round, frozen diced red peppers, leftover carrots, cauliflower, and spiralized beets.

Once I’d gathered all the bits and bobs, I got out two pots and chopped the carrots (already cleaned and cut down last week) into two styles- slices for the beefless stew, and small cubes for the taco mixture:

A small amount of water and a little olive oil and the pots both began sweating down the veggies. I cubed 3 onions and added about 2/3 to the stew and 1/3 to the taco pot. Mushrooms were cleaned, cut, and divided the same way, as were the frozen peppers. All the cauliflower and two cubed zucchini went into the stew pot. Then back to the taco mixture, which I finished off with the ground round, taco seasoning, about 2 cups of the salsa and a half cup of the hot pickled peppers. Finally I tossed in a cup of frozen peas and removed that pot from the heat.

Now to work on the stew: To that pot I added a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of green beans. Then a few cups of hot water with Better Than Bouillon beefless stock and some Tesco onion gravy granules for an instant “pantry” gravy. I also added a few tablespoons of mushroom powder to give it an earthy/meaty taste, and a few spoons of vegan worcestershire sauce and tamari for colour and taste.

I had plans of making some seitan beef to add in later, but I got called out and didn’t have time. Instead I grabbed some frozen vegan beef pieces (Happy Veggie World’s Vegan Black Pepper Ste’ks), browned and cut them up, and added them to the stew for a last minute boost. (Another alternative would have been to add a tin of beans). Finally I added a cup of frozen corn and a cup of frozen peas. Enough stew for tonight and the early week dinners- as well as several more dinner portions that I will freeze in serving sized containers.

While I was making the taco mix and the stew, I also cut the acorn squash in half and oven cooked it, to use as a dinner side dish.

Finally, I prepped a few lunches for the week, and my work was done.

Lunches- Two arugula and beet salad bowls with taco topping in the glass bowl, taco sauce in the dressing cup, and cherry tomatoes and a bit of vegan shredded cheese for the top. Prune plums and almonds for snacks.

Total prep time- about 1 1/2 hours (not including letting the stew simmer).

Menu for this week:

Workday Breakfasts: Tofu frittatas (still half a batch in the freezer- I take out 2 at a time), oatmeal, or chia overnight pudding. (Also have salsa, the tofu and 2 zucchini left if I feel like making a scramble).

Workday Lunches: Arugula taco salads (or taco lettuce boats some days if I find some good lettuce on sale), prune plums, apples, almonds for snacks. (Also one lunch out for a birthday, and I still have tofu packages to switch up my salads for later in the week).

Workday Dinners: Beefless stew with different side dishes (including the squash for Monday and Tuesday) I’m going out for Birthday dinner Wednesday. I have the tofu packages, the other two zucchini, and some shiritaki noodles in the fridge for some almost instant dinners Thursday and Friday.

So, that’s the outline for the week- so much delicious food for such a small price- groceries this week cost me about $46.50 (including the impromptu splurge on the Ste’k for the stew). And all prep is done until Thursday. Yay.

Beefless Stew

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 cubed onions
• 3 cups cubed carrots
• 1/2 head large cauliflower, chopped
• 2 large zucchini, cubed
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup cubed red peppers
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 can green beans
• 1 can (27 oz) no salt added canned diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp mushroom powder
• 3 Tbsp Better Than Bouillion Beefless Stock
• 3 Tbsp onion gravy granules
• water (to desired thinness)
• 2 tsp tamari
• 3 Tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 package (300g) Happy Veggie World’s Vegan Black Pepper Ste’ks (or beans, or other veggie “beef”)

Soften the raw veggies with olive oil and a few spoonfuls of water in a large stockpot. Add in tomatoes and mushroom powder. Mix the stock and gravy granules with boiling water and add to the pot. Add tamari, worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, tasting and adjusting bouillon and flavourings to taste.  Finally, brown the beefless pieces  and add just before serving.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 219
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7 g	11 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	8 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 711 mg	30 %
Potassium 740 mg	21 %
Total Carbohydrate 26 g	9 %
Dietary Fiber 6 g	24 %
Sugars 11 g
Protein 12 g	24 %
Vitamin A	112 %
Vitamin C	81 %
Calcium	19 %
Iron	12 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

(Nutritional information based on MyFitnessPal data)

Roast Veggie Salad With AMAZING Cumin Citrus Dressing

Last week’s sales included lots of fall veggies, and the weather turned cool and rainy after a long dry spell. Yay! A perfect opportunity to take a break from my regular leafy green big salads and make a big mess of roasted veggie meals- here’s how you can too:

Roughly chop up your choice of sturdy vegetables (I used 5 lb bags of beets and carrots, 2 heads of cauliflower, and onions. I also pre-steamed the chopped beets and carrots for a few minutes just to soften them slightly). Then toss all the veggies on baking trays with a little olive oil, a few sliced cloves of garlic, and any seasonings you like (I used pepper, sea salt, onion and garlic powder, and a bit of ground cumin).

To get a nice brown caramelization, don’t overload the trays. If there are too many veggies on the tray, the excess moisture will make them steam and turn to a soft mess (still delicious, but not too attractive). I turn the heat up to 500 degrees F (I like a few slightly burned edges to give it a barbecue-type flavour), though I know other people who use a more moderate heat. Once you make these a few times, you will find your own preference.

This was all I had left for sneaky snacking after portioning out the rest for week meals.

That’s it! These veggies are delicious hot or cold, and children love them because they become so sweet when they caramelize (in fact, kids will even eat those dreaded brussels sprouts like they are candy if you cook them this way). I ate them heated for dinner for the week, filling half my plate as per the new food guide, and adding different sides and flavourings.

I also had them as my cold lunch salad. A little excessive I know, to eat them for two meals every day, but I never tire of the variations you can create with them. In experimenting, I developed my new favourite dressing for the roast veggie salad:

Cumin Citrus Dressing for Roasted Veggie Salad

• 2 tsp whole cumin seed
• 3 Tbsp cider vinegar (or other vinegar of your choice)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup lime or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1-2 tsp mustard (any kind of your choice)
• 1-2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 Tbsp hot pepper jelly (optional)

Stir the cumin seeds in a heated frypan until they become fragrant and start to brown. (I suppose that you could use ground cumin and skip this step but I recommend taking the extra trouble because this adds *so* much flavour!)

Remove the cumin seeds from the pan and add them with all the other ingredients in a bullet blender. Blend until emulsified. Taste and adjust the heat/sweet/acid components according to your taste. Refrigerate and let the flavours meld for at least an hour. Paired with the smoky vegetables, this was just heavenly! The only picture I took of it, however, is in the lunch photo below (in the little dressing container on the left. Sorry). But I don’t think it will be long before I make this again.

Packed lunch with cumin citrus dressing on the left. Addictive!

 

Nutrition Facts
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving 2 Tbsp
calories 65
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	10 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	4 %
Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 213 mg	9 %
Potassium 25 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 3 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g	1 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 0 g	0 %
Vitamin A	4 %
Vitamin C	3 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	2 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

(calculations based on MyFitnessPal data)