The Meaty Truth (24 page)

Pressed for time? Here are some on-the-go breakfast staples:

1. Engine 2 Diet cereals with blueberries, bananas, and other fruit of your choice and almond, soy, hemp, oat, coconut, or rice milk
   
2. Fresh fruit. So many options, so little time.
   
3. Cliff Bars (make sure they are vegan! Some have dairy in them.)
   
4. Luna Bars
   
5. Bagels, toast, and muffins
   

Let’s Lunch

Don’t skimp on lunch, friends. Our bodies need nourishment throughout the day. What makes the best lunches? Leftovers. See our dinner options. Here are some other, easy lunch options that won’t take too much time or energy.

Salads Aren’t Boring

Although many people tend to think that vegans live on salads, roasted veggies, and apples, this is not true at all. But we do like our salads. Feel free to put in all of your favorites to make a delicious, healthy salad. Get creative! Here is one of our favorite combinations:

Mixed greens, kale, sliced red cabbage, carrot strips, raw thinly sliced beets, bok choy, cucumber, sliced baby tomatoes, organic cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Other ideas: add avocado, grilled tofu slices, olives, roasted Brussels sprouts, or grilled Beyond Meat Chicken.

Plate your salad, starting with the greens, grouping the colored veggies, and finishing with the red cabbage, cranberries, and walnuts. Add a salad dressing of your choice or top with hummus. Our favorite is SASS Sesame Garlic dressing, found at Whole Foods.

Everything Burritos and Tacos

Mexican food is always a good idea and one of our favorite quick and easy lunches or dinners.

Add any or all of the following to a burrito or a hard-taco shell. Engine 2 or sprouted-grain tortillas are the healthiest.

• Veggie meat sauce with preferred vegan taco seasoning
  
• Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or Tofutti sour cream
  
• Refried beans
  
• Beans and rice
  
• Chopped tomato and onions
  
• Guacamole—you can buy vegan guacamole or make your own
  
• Chopped iceberg lettuce (or spinach as a healthier option)
  
• Vegan grated cheese
  

Brown-Bag Sandwich Ideas

Your child’s lunch doesn’t need to be a tragedy. Here are easy sandwich ideas. There is something for every preference.

The Classic PB&J
: Slather peanut butter on whole-wheat bread. Toast it. Want to spice it up? Add sliced bananas.

The Fake Out:
From Italian to oven-roasted, Tofurky has enough types to fill your alternative “meat” sandwiches. Add sliced tomato, mustard, Vegenaise spread, hummus, lettuce, or pickles on whole-wheat bread.

The Salad Sandwich:
Top any bagel with one of these three salad options: Chick’n, No Tuna, and No Egg.

Old Fashioned Grilled Cheese:
Spread vegan butter and Vegenaise on both sides of whole wheat bread. Add Daiya Mozzarella and Cheddar slices or shreds. Sprinkle with Oregano. Grill on both sides. Serve warm!

Plant-Powered Food: It’s What’s for Dinner

These tried-and-true, healthy and hearty meals are a wonderful start to your plant-powered journey. From Thai stew to mushroom burgers, we have every cuisine to satisfy your palate. Don’t take our word for it. Try them for dinner tonight!

Finger-lickin’ “Chick’n” Pot Pie

A classic that is perfect for cold, winter nights. This “chick’n” pot pie is sure to impress family and friends. This is made to share, so bring it to your next family weekend or host a dinner party.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil (sauté in water for a healthier option)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

¾ cup peeled carrots, diced into ½-inch pieces

2 ribs celery diced into ½-inch pieces

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 teaspoons dried, rubbed sage

3 tablespoons sherry or white wine

Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces

3 cups vegetable broth

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup water

¼–½ packet Beyond Meat chicken strips (or soy vegan nuggets from Delight), diced into ½-inch pieces

½ cup frozen peas

Pepperidge Farm puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling:

Heat a large, cast-iron or oven-safe pan over medium-high heat and add the oil or water. Sauté the onions in the oil or water with a pinch of salt (optional) until softened, about three minutes.

Add the carrots and celery, and sauté for about five more minutes until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic, thyme, and sage (crushed in your fingers). Sauté for a minute or so, then add the sherry to deglaze the pan, along with the remaining one teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Let the sherry reduce for a few minutes.

Now add the potatoes and vegetable broth. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about five minutes. Be careful not to overcook them; no one wants mushy potatoes.

In a measuring cup, mix the flour into the water with a fork until no lumps are left. Slowly add the water-flour mixture to the pot, mixing well. Let thicken for five minutes or so. Add the Beyond Meat chicken (or soy nuggets) and peas, and continue to cook. After about five more minutes, it should be perfectly thick but still smooth. Taste for seasoning.

To make the crust:

While the oven is preheating and the stew is thickening, prepare the dough as per the instructions on the box. Gently roll out one of the dough sheets onto a lightly floured surface.

Place a large coffee mug into the center of a casserole dish to keep the dough from collapsing. When the stew is ready, pour into the casserole dish, and smooth with a spatula. Gently place the pastry over the stew. Using a sharp knife, make five, three-inch slits from the center of the casserole to allow the air to escape. Brush top of pastry with water. Place in the oven, and bake for about twenty-five minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven.

Make it a meal. Serve with a nice green salad and mashed potatoes.

Mamma Goodman’s Cottage Pie

Hearty, healthy, and homemade, this secret family recipe comes to you all the way from South Africa. It’s a tried-and-true favorite and one of the best comfort foods. We promise you will be coming back for seconds.

Ingredients:

1 packet veggie-meat crumbles (Lightlife, Tofurky, or Gardein brands)

6 garlic cloves

1 yellow onion

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 carton sliced, button mushrooms

1 can peeled tomatoes

1 tin tomato puree

2 teaspoons mixed herbs

2 teaspoons oregano

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

About six large potatoes (one bag of small potatoes)

Vegan butter

¼ cup plain almond (or soy, rice, or any other plain-plant) milk

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1 tablespoon Vegenaise

Garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling:

Brown chopped onions in a little olive oil or water. Add garlic and stir for thirty seconds. Add the veggie meat crumbles and brown. Add canned tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs, oregano, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and freshly sliced, button mushrooms. Simmer for about an hour.

For the mashed potatoes:

Peel and quarter potatoes, and boil until tender. Mash with the soy milk, vegan butter, vegan sour cream, and Vegenaise until creamy. Don’t be shy. Add heaping spoonfuls of vegan butter, sour cream, and Vegenaise, and taste test to find what works for you. Spice with garlic powder and pepper.

Putting it all together:

Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Place the “meat” sauce in a casserole dish and the mashed potatoes on top. Lightly spread some vegan butter on top. Sprinkle paprika, and bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until the potato is slightly crisp on top.

Thai Curry Stew

We win over hearts and minds in favor of plant-powered diets with this simple Thai curry stew, adapted from Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim Barnouin. We promise guests will be begging for more. If there are leftovers, it tastes even better the next day for lunch!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons organic canola oil

1 teaspoon ginger

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cans organic-coconut milk (14-ounce cans)

1½ cups of water

4+ teaspoons red curry paste

3 tablespoons white-miso paste

3 teaspoons curry powder

1 packet Delight Soy Patties

1 packet organic mushrooms, sliced (we usually use Bella)

1–2 organic carrots, diced

2–3 potatoes, cut into pieces

1–1¼ cup organic frozen broccoli florets

1–2 cups fresh spinach leaves.

Sriracha sauce (to taste)

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, and fry soy patties until nicely browned on each side. Remove from pan, and slice into bite-sized pieces. Fry mushrooms until cooked through. Remove from pan.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for fifteen seconds. Add the coconut
milk, water, red curry paste, miso paste, and curry powder, and stir until well combined. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for twenty minutes.

Fill a saucepan halfway with water, and boil quartered potatoes until soft, but don’t overcook. Drain.

Add the soy nuggets, mushrooms, and carrots, and simmer for about twenty minutes. Squeeze in four to six drops of Sriracha sauce, or more if you like your curry very strong. Add potatoes and broccoli. Adjust seasonings. Before serving, add one to two cups of spinach leaves, and mix well.

Make it a meal, and serve over Thai jasmine rice.

Mushroom Pecan Burgers (Mmmm-Mmm Good!)

Even those who don’t fancy mushrooms will fall in LOVE with these burgers!

Ingredients:

1½ pounds cremini mushrooms

1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro

1 cup cannellini beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large-size yellow onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1½–2 cups bread crumbs or cracker meal

3½ tablespoons plant-based barbecue sauce

1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, well chopped

3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

2 teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon thyme

Salt and ground pepper

In a sauté pan over medium heat, cook onions and garlic for five to six minutes. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Add the minced mushrooms, cilantro or parsley, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, tahini, chopped nuts, tamari, tyme, oregano, sage, salt, and pepper.

Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour. Form the patties with your hands. The texture will be soft, so add bread crumbs if needed.

In a sauté pan, warm the olive oil, and fry these awesome patties over medium heat for about three or four minutes on each side, until slightly browned and crispy.

Yields ten to twelve servings. You can also put the mixture into a 5” x 9” x 2” loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Pâté: Walnut and Mushrooms

We have made this over twenty times and like to play with it, adding and subtracting the personal favorite flavors of the evening’s guests. It is adapted from one of our favorite cookbooks, Veganomican. Whether you want to increase the thyme and tarragon or add sage or black olives, this pate recipe is the best . . . ever. And no rotting, infected liver goes into it!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced, yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

3 teaspoons dried thyme or 9 teaspoons fresh

2 teaspoons dried tarragon or 6 teaspoons fresh

2 teaspoons dried sage or 6 teaspoons fresh

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound of your favorite mushrooms, chopped

1 cup toasted walnuts

1 cup cooked cannellini beans

½ cup hummus

3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

⅛ cup vegetable broth

Cook onions in a sauté skillet for about four minutes until translucent. Add garlic, thyme, tarragon, sage, salt, and pepper, and cook for another minute. Then add the mushrooms, and cook for another four minutes at medium temperature. Place the walnuts in a food processor or blender and process until very fine.

Add the cooked-mushroom mixture to the walnuts in the food processor. Add the balsamic vinegar, beans, and olive oil. Process until smooth, adding the vegetable broth a little at a time, as needed. Puree the ingredients until the pâté is a thick spread. Scrape mixture into a container, and chill for at least one hour. Bon Appetit!

Yields about 2½ cups.

Delicious White Sauce

This white sauce is quick, easy, and absolutely our favorite sauce to eat with everything. It can be served over roasted vegetables or tofu with rice, or even used as a fettuccine alfredo sauce.

Ingredients:

¼ cup almond oil

1¼ cup water

One package firm, organic tofu (rinsed)

¼ cup Bragg Liquid Aminos

¼ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes (available at Whole Foods and most health-food stores)

¼ teaspoon kelp powder

¼ teaspoon Spike seasoning (optional)

½ teaspoon organic basil

¼ teaspoon organic, granulated garlic flakes or one or two cloves fresh garlic, depending on your taste

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (can use organic bottled)

1 tablespoon Tamari sauce

Blend above ingredients until smooth and creamy. Gently heat in a saucepan on low heat before putting on vegetables or pasta. Store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator.

Let’s Celebrate with Dessert!

There are plenty of amazing, melt-in-your-mouth vegan desserts. No, you don’t need milk and dairy products to achieve that delicious, sweet satisfaction.
We are the first to admit dessert is not healthy, but fine on occasion. Here are two recipes to enjoy and celebrate your new, compassionate lifestyle!