One of the earliest and most common questions you get when you make the switch to veganism or vegetarianism is, “What do you eat?” 

It’s an interesting question because it shows how ingrained certain eating styles are, how people feel hesitant about experimenting with foods and flavors and how disconnected we can be from what we eat.  Why do I say that we’re disconnected?  Well, I have people tell me all the time they could “never” eat vegetarian which surprises me because I have to wonder if they never eat fruit or vegetables or pasta or cereal or bread or salsa.  If you think about your typical meal, chances are you eat this way a lot of the time already!

The biggest hurdle is really switching from thinking about your ingredients or a recipe as carved in stone.  There are so many options out there that you really don’t have to feel as if you are giving up anything at all.  You’re just making substitutions.  I love cereal and buttery toast, scones and jam and pizza.  I just use almond milk rather than cow’s milk and EarthBalance in place of  cow’s milk butter.  I used to bake cakes, cupcakes and cookies all the time.  And you know what?  I still do!  We’re real foodies around here and if we didn’t like the food, trust me, there would be a lot of unhappiness around here.

So, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes with you.  I have been adding a lot more over at The Daily Coop as well but I’ll continue to add them here too.  We both work, have a ton of pets and are busy so these recipes are usually pretty fast to prepare and make too.

Appetizer:  Vegan “Boursin-style” soft spread

Yield: 2 cups

Base Spread Mixture:

1 (12.3 oz.) box extra-firm SILKEN tofu, prepared as instructed in recipe text below

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw cashews or cashew pieces, ground very fine in a coffee/spice mill or mini-chopper

1/2 cup original Earth Balance

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

Garlic Herb version:

1-2 medium cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

Add to taste, as much as you like the flavor and chill until serving.  This is perfect with all types of crackers and even as a veggie dip.

You can add pretty much anything to this. Another options I like is adding rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes or putting roasted pepper in, chili flake, pepper, etc.  You could also make it sweet as a fruit cheese spread instead of adding in the garlic or herbs.  There is no end to the combinations you can try.

Main Dish: Dijon Canellini Beans

Ingredients:

1 large can Cannellini beans (aka Italian White Beans, aka Cannellini Beans)

Olive Oil

1 onion (yellow is best)

1 can/box chopped tomatoes or 1 – 2 fresh tomatoes

Herbs de Provence (about 2 Tbl or to taste)

Salt & Pepper

1 – 2 Tbl Dijon Mustard

Optional: fresh spinach

To make:

In a large pan, sauté the onions and the tomatoes in a few Tbl of olive oil over medium heat until onions are soft (5 – 7 min)

Add S&P, Herbs de Provence and Dijon.  Stir in and simmer to meld flavors.

Add Cannellini beans and gently stir in to combine.  Cook 2 -3 min until warmed

If adding fresh spinach, put leaves on top and cover pan or gently stir in, adding more leaves, until leaves are wilted.

Can serve over:

Rice

Pasta

Fresh greens

Dessert: Brownies!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 ½ cups sugar

1 cup cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup coffee

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

¾ cups water

1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease or line a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Add coffee, flaxseed, water, oil and vanilla to dry ingredients.  Combine with a spatula until just combined and thick. Stir in chocolate chips. I like to add a whole bag of vegan semi-sweet chips

Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 30 min or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

 

Let me know what you think about the recipes and if there are any favorite recipes you want ideas on how to adjust.

 - Poochie