week one of our vegan challenge is under our belts and despite a small slip up (an isolated cheeto incident that shall never be mentioned again), we are pretty proud of ourselves!
this past week we struggled with the fact that being a junk food vegan is waaaaay too easy. french fries, “chicken” nuggets, black bean burgers, chips, cookies, pizza, ice cream…yes, all of these things can be vegan! not only is vegan junk food so much more tempting than a bowl full of steamed veggies, but its much easier to grab on the go. being a health conscious vegan takes a little forethought and a pinch of preparation. and thus, we discovered batch cooking.
up until now, we considered batch cooking to be a little like a unicorn. we had heard rumors. legends and myths of highly organized, obscenely healthy people with unnaturally focused and lengthy attention spans preparing a weeks worth of delicious homemade meals in one go! sounds ideal, but could we be those unicorns?
so we swapped recipe ideas, made our grocery lists, and devoted our Sunday evening to our kitchens. as it turns out, batch cooking is super relaxing, really efficient, and fills your home with the yummiest smells! below we share our 3 favorite recipes that we’ll be feeding on all week! xo, Lexi and Lo.
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 3/4 cup cornmeal
1 3/4 cup flour (preferably whole wheat flour)
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 tablespoon ground flax
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons baking powder
preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. in a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and then add to dry ingredients. mix well. grease muffin pan with a light brushing of vegan butter (we like earth balance) and then fill in with mixture. bake for 12-15 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown.
2 cups dried black beans
5 cups veggie stock
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
thoroughly rinse the beans and soak overnight (or 6 to 8 hours prior to cooking). drain and rinse and proceed with recipe.
heat a large pot over medium heat. add 2 tablespoons water, onion, bell pepper, corn, jalapeno, and garlic. saute, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes translucent (about 10 minutes). add in cumin during the last few minutes of sauteing. add beans and veggie stock. bring soup to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours (or until beans are tender). stir in nutritional yeast during the last ten minutes. soup will keep up to 5 days refrigerated.
marinated tofu
14 oz package of firm tofu
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
drain and lightly press tofu. in a small mixing bowl, combine balsamic vinegar with dijon mustard and dried oregano. pour over tofu in an oven safe dish and let marinate for half an hour. preheat oven to 350 degrees. bake tofu for 1 hour. serve with steamed veggies over brown rice or quinoa.
here’s a bonus recipe that puts that marinated tofu to (very delicious) use!
“chicken” salad
marinated tofu from above recipe
1/4 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
squeeze of lemon
cube marinated tofu in to bite size pieces. soak cashew pieces until soft and then drain. combine cashew pieces, vinegar, salt, and lemon in a food processor and blend until smooth. combine with tofu pieces (add chopped celery and onion, if desired) and season to taste.
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happy (early) st. patrick’s day, little leprechauns! lexi and i try our best to avoid mcdonald’s like the plauge. but every year around this time, those golden arches threaten to pull us in with those tempting shamrock shakes. oooh yum!
xoxoxo 