Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

Quick and Easy Lunch: Chunky Chickpeas and Rice March 3, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Product Reviews — epicureanvegan @ 9:57 am
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Not eating wheat, it can be tough not being able to make a quick sandwich. Scouring the pantry, I found Chunky Chickpeas from Tasty Bite.

We’ve taken these camping because they’re so easy—just pour into a pan and heat. At home, you can heat the packet in the microwave for 90 seconds. In this case, I decided to combine the chickpeas with some cooked rice and diced mushrooms. So easy! During the last few minutes of cooking the rice, throw in some mushrooms. Then heat the chickpeas in the microwave (according to the package instructions) and stir into the rice. Voila. Lunch is served.

The ingredients in the packet are simple: water, chickpeas, onions, sunflower oil, garlic, ginger, coriander, salt, cumin, and spices. There’s even 9 grams of protein per 1/2 a packet. I don’t remember how much the packets are, but I know they’re just over $3. (The Bombay Potatoes variety is awesome)!

 

Chickpea Salad February 28, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 5:23 pm
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I got this recipe from Luminous Vegans who called it “Chick-Peace Salad.” Great name—I didn’t want to steal it, so mine’s just plain old Chickpea Salad. Regardless of the name, it’s a delicious vegan version of tuna salad. LV added crumbled up nori to the mix to give it that tuna taste, but I didn’t have any. I still think it had amazing flavor without it. I did add some carrots and parsley. Just because. I also used Earth Balance’s vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free mayo that my good friend, Angela of The Veracious Vegan turned me on to. It’s fabulous!

I also served the salad on Food For Life’s brown rice tortillas.

I have to say, they’re ok. Heated up, they’re better, but you have to eat it fast before it gets crispy and falls apart. I’m wondering if steaming them would be better, or make it worse. The taste is chewy, but crunchy at the same time. Is that possible? Apparently so. Anyway, they’re not horrible, but they made eating this sandwich a bit tough because they tend to crack and split.

INGREDIENTS:

1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1-2 Tbs fresh dill, chopped

2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

2 Tbs vegan mayo

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1-1/2 tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Veggies, crackers, tortilla, etc

DIRECTIONS:

Mash the chickpeas. I used a pastry blender. You can also pulse them in the food processor.

Stir in all of the other ingredients and combine well. I layered the salad on some lettuce inside one of the tortillas and added some sliced cucumber and tomato.

This salad would also be great on crackers, or sliced veggies. Enjoy!

 

Kale & Cabbage Salad with Lemony-Almond Butter Dressing February 24, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 11:55 am
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Ok, this is probably my favorite dressing I’ve made so far. Love it! It has just a hint of lemon and with the ginger, goes fabulous with the almond butter. There’s some prep work involved here, but if can, make this the night before and you won’t be able to wait for lunch!

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:

2 large bunches of kale, stems removed and chopped

1/4 of a red/purple cabbage, diced

1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), diced

1 C carrot, shredded or finely chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small red onion, diced small

1/3 C sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1/4 C tahini

1/3 C + 1 Tbs almond butter

1″ piece of ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs miso (light, yellow or red)

1/4 C nutritional yeast

1/8 C water

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients.

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in the blender—except the water—just start with a little and add more as you blend it to reach the consistency you want. You may need more than the 1/8 cup. It also depends on how lemony you want it—you can thin it out with more lemon juice if you’d like. Blend until smooth.

You can pour the dressing over the salad, just a little at time to coat the salad, or serve on the side and mix into individual servings. Yields about 1-1/2 cups. Enjoy!

 

Quinoa with Mushrooms and Spinach February 9, 2012

Filed under: Dinners,Lunches — epicureanvegan @ 7:29 pm
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Occasionally, there are nights I don’t cook dinner for the fam. Either we have lots of leftovers, or everyone is doing their own thing, so we fend for ourselves. Tonight was one such night. But when The Husband saw what I made, he kindly asked if I’d share. He said this was one of his favorites dishes—we both loved it. And so easy! Throw this together in 20 minutes and you have a healthy, protein-packed meal.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C quinoa

2 C water

1 vegan vegetable bouillon cube

3 C fresh spinach

3 C fresh mushrooms, sliced

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, bring the water with the bouillon cube to a boil. Stir it around so the cube dissolves completely. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to low, and cover for about 15 minutes. When the quinoa is almost done—just a tiny bit of water left—add the spinach, mushrooms and seasonings; combine well.

Turn the heat off, cover, and let the spinach and mushrooms steam a bit—5-7 minutes. You may need to drizzle with some water if there isn’t enough moisture left. Once the spinach is wilted and the mushrooms are tender, serve and enjoy!

 

Lemony Pan-Fried Chickpeas with Chard February 4, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 1:16 pm
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This recipe is from Color Me Vegan and considering I love chickpeas, (a.k.a garbanzo beans) and chard, this is a new favorite. I would, however, make a few changes next time. Even though chickpeas are a great source of fiber and protein, and have no saturated fat, they do sport 90 calories per half a cup. Given this, I would use just half a can and even double the chard. So what to do with the other half of beans? Make a small batch of hummus, perfect for a few sandwiches during the week. I could have eaten the entire pan of this, which would not have been wise, so reducing the amount of chickpeas and adding more chard, I think, is a smart way to go. Otherwise, share this dish with plenty of others! (The recipe below is sans my suggestions).

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped

1 small lemon

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the chickpeas and cook 10 minutes, or until the beans begin to brown.

Stir in the chard and cook until it begins to wilt and cook down, about 5-7 minutes. Zest the lemon over the pan, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half over the mixture. (Watch out for seeds). Stir well to combine. Add salt, pepper, and more lemon, if desired. (If you go with my suggestions, you can use the leftover lemon—if there is any— in the hummus). Serve immediately, or at room temperature. Enjoy!

 

Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing February 1, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 8:04 am
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This is a great salad to take to work for lunch, a mid-day snack, or even for a picnic. I typically steam kale, but if I’m not careful, it’s easy to deplete it of nutrients if I steam it too much. Raw kale can be awfully bitter, but chopped and served with other veggies and this tahini dressing, it tastes amazing. The dressing recipe is for 2 large bunches of kale, making at least 4 good-sized salad servings. Like any salad, you can throw in your favorite ingredients and actually be excited about lunch! (and be sure to read about kale’s super powers)!

INGREDIENTS:

Dressing:

1/2 C tahini

1 Tbs miso

1 tsp tamari

1/2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp agave

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp garlic, minced

3/4 C water

Variation: You can use almond butter instead of tahini, in which case, I’d leave out the agave since almond butter is sweeter. I also sometimes add some chia seeds.

The rest:

2 large bunches of kale, chopped

I diced up: cucumber, mushrooms, red onion, and green onion. I also threw in some Craisins and slivered almonds.

DIRECTIONS:

Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender and combine until smooth.

Combine the chopped kale with your other salad ingredients and toss well to combine.

(This is just one bunch of kale)

Pour the dressing over the salad and massage into the kale with your hands. Enjoy!

 

Tofu “Egg” Salad January 25, 2012

Filed under: Lunches — epicureanvegan @ 9:54 am
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This recipe is from Big Vegan. And it is big. It has over 350 recipes, most of which look and sound fantastic. When it comes to lunch, I seem to struggle finding something besides a mixed greens salad, or leftover pasta. And frankly, I’m not wild about leftovers anyway. So this I can get in to! This “egg” salad (I hate putting things in quotes, but egg salad is what this salad resembles) needs to be prepared ahead of time, so I recommend making it the night before or early in the morning–you’ll need some time. But it’s worth it. I served it on toasted bread with lettuce and avocado. The recipe calls for 12 ounces of firm tofu, but I recommend using 14-16 ounces because the recipe makes quite a bit of sauce—great for a few lunches.

INGREDIENTS:

12-16 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed

1 Tbs olive oil, plus 1/8 to 1/4 C

Salt

1/2 tsp celery seeds

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 C fresh parsley

12 oz silken tofu

2 tsp cider vinegar

2 Tbs Dijon mustard (I used just 2 tsp and I think it came out perfect–depends on how much you like mustard)

1 tsp dried basil

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 large green onions, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

1/4 C sunflower seeds, toasted

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400. Crumble the tofu into a bowl and combine with the celery salt, 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper. Lightly oil a baking sheet (I used foil and oiled that). Layer the tofu on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to turn the tofu. “Turning” crumbled tofu is about as easy as giving a cat a bath. Just move it around so it doesn’t stick and burn. Bake another 10 minutes.

While the tofu is baking, however, start on the sauce. In a food processor or blender, mince the parsley, then add the silken tofu. Process until smooth, then add the basil, vinegar, mustard, and a pinch of salt; combine well. While the machine is running, add the remaining oil. The recipe calls for a 1/4 cup, but I reduced it to an 1/8 cup.

While the tofu is cooling (which should only take about 10 minutes or so), you can chop up the veggies and toast the sunflower seeds. Combine the sauce, carrots, green onion, celery, and tofu in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Enjoy on bread with lettuce, tomato, avocado, or on crackers or toasted baguette slices.

 

Pasta with Kale January 22, 2012

Filed under: Dinners,Lunches — epicureanvegan @ 9:48 am
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I was on my own for dinner the other night, so after staring blankly at the cupboards, then the fridge, I decided to combine some of my favorite ingredients for dinner: tri-color pasta, kale, mushrooms, and miso. For some added crunch (and protein) you could throw in some pine nuts or chopped cashews.

INGREDIENTS:

8-10 oz tri-color rotini

1 bunch kale, chopped

5-6 mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbs Earth Balance margarine

1 Tbs yellow miso

1 tsp garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the pasta until al dente and drain. Meanwhile, steam the kale and mushrooms 3-5 minutes—just until they’re tender. Usually, once the kale turns bright green, it’s ready. Using the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the margarine and garlic. Stir in the miso and blend it in. Add the kale and pasta and combine well. Enjoy!

 

Mushroom and Snow Pea Soup December 19, 2011

Filed under: Dinners,Lunches,Soups — epicureanvegan @ 9:35 am
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This soup is perfect if you want a comforting meal in no time. I used lots of my favorite ingredients and like most soups, it will taste even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS:

6 C vegetable broth

1 Tbs olive oil

6 green onion, sliced

3 C Shiitake and white mushrooms (or cremini), sliced

2 C snow peas, cut into pieces (and ends snipped)

1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated

3 tsp garlic, minced

2 Tbs yellow miso

6-oz Angel hair pasta

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and garlic. Add the green onion, mushrooms, and snow peas. Cook until the veggies are tender.

Add the ginger and miso, and combine well. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook another 3-5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

 

Experimenting with Ramen: Let Junior Cook August 17, 2011

Filed under: Lunches — epicureanvegan @ 11:45 am
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The Seventh Grader loves to cook. He’ll help me out in the kitchen whenever possible and makes some pretty darn good chocolate chip cookies! There are times, however, when he wants to create something for lunch and be the master of kitchen without me hovering over him. In comes Top Ramen and Maruchan Ramen. Ask any college student (or any one who spent a few semesters in a dorm) and they’ll tell you that Top Ramen accounted for about 60% of their diet (along with beer, Lucky Charms and Totino’s pizzas). At 19 cents a package, Top Ramen is a mainstay for those on a tight budget.

The spice packets that come with the noodles are not vegan, but who needs them? This has prompted the Seventh Grader to come up with his own ramen meals. The variations are endless. Today, I took some pics of his cooking and I thought I’d pass along his recipe of the day. He didn’t really measure the ingredients, but that’s the fun of winging it. So if you have middle schoolers at home, this is a fabulous way to give them some freedom and independence in the kitchen. I also think it’s imperative to teach boys how to cook . . . girls dig a guy who can cook.

INGREDIENTS: (serves 2)

2 packages Oriental Top Ramen

Tamari

black pepper

garlic salt

cayenne pepper

olive oil

Optional ingredients: green onion, minced garlic, mushrooms, red bell pepper

DIRECTIONS:

After adding the noodles to boiling water, he added some tamari, then continued to cook for 3-4 minutes. He drained the noodles, but reserved some of the cooking water because The Husband likes his with some broth. In a large skillet, he heated about a tablespoon of oil and then added the noodles. He added some water once the noodles started to get dried and sticky. This created more of a sauce. Add the spices here, too.

Once the noodles begin to get a bit crispy, he separated them into two bowls, adding the reserved broth to one.

Enjoy! (and of course, use chopsticks!)

 

 
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