protein. complex carbohydrates. unsaturated fat. vitamins. minerals. we know we need them, but it's an on-going struggle to eat enough of them every day and in the right proportions. i have a loose formula for a meal in which every ingredient can be traded out for another of similar nutritional content, ensuring you can get a wide range of all the aforementioned nutrients. roughly, it's: grain/starch, bean, green veggie, at least another veggie (usually 3).
i'll give a few examples; compare them to see what i mean by substituting ingredients. then i'll discuss when to add many of the common veggies to the fry pan so you can make your favorite combinations without under- or over-cooking anything.
1. cous cous, lentils, onion, garlic, hot peppers, bell peppers, carrot, tomato, kale
2. potatoes, chick peas, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, spinach
3. rice, black beans, corn, onion, tomato, mushroom, peppers, kale
4. cous cous, chick peas, toasted nuts, tomato, spinach, carrot
---------
1. cook cous cous and lentils separately, and separately from veggies.
-to make cous: in a small pot with a lid, boil 2/3 cup water. when it comes to a rolling boil, take it off the burner and turn it off, add 1/2 cup dry cous cous, shake the pot a bit so that it makes a smooth layer, and (quickly) replace the top for 2-5 minutes.
-to make lentils: i recommend red lentils for this because they cook fast. combine 1/2 cup red lentils in a small pot with 1 cup water. cook on medium heat until soft and creamy, stirring every so often so they don't stick. add more water if they do start to stick.
-order of the veggies mentioned above: in a pan with 1 Tb oil, before starting cous cous (so that you can throw the partially cooked veggies in with the cous cous while it's steaming-- saves energy), sautee on medium-high heat, starting with carrots and onions, peppers and mushrooms after about a minute or 2, then leafies like kale or spinach after another minute or 2.
2. cook potatoes & rest of veggies together, but potatoes a full 2 minutes or more before the rest. i haven't decided if steaming potatoes is faster than sauteeing, but you're welcome to try it either way. potatoes take a pretty long time to cook, so start them at least 2 minutes before the rest.
3. this is my broke ass attempt at something resembling a central american-themed dish if you're into that kind of food like i am.
-i'm assuming you're using canned beans, but if not, soak them in water in a large bowl on the counter in the morning or no earlier than the night before. cook them on medium/med-high heat with lid until soft, usually about 45 minutes? it really depends.
-combine twice as much water as rice in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low or simmer for about 25-30 minutes. i usually put the heat on high for a minute or 2 and then turn it down. don't stir or check it more than once, you have to keep in the steam.
-in a fry pan, add 1 T. oil and 1/2 an onion, chopped. turn the heat to medium-high (if you want more protein, this is where you could add 1/4 inch cubes of tofu) and sautee for about a minute before adding peppers and mushrooms.
-when veggies are cooked, turn off the heat and while it's still hot, add the beans and corn if you're using the canned versions. if you're cooking them yourself, you don't have to add them while the pan's hot, this is just to use residual heat for things that don't have to be cooked.
-add condiments like cilantro, salsa, citrus juice, nutritional yeast, cheese, vinegar, hot sauce, whatever...
4. i hope by now you get the idea. it won't take long to get a fair idea of the timing of each vegetable and gain and bean.
9.01.2009
salsa! a summer favorite
first of all... NEVER REFRIGERATE TOMATOES!!!!! EVER!
tomatoes and peppers have a tendency to REALLY grow when they grow, so lots of people growing them literally give away bags to friends and neighbors. so, when life gives you tomatoes and peppers... make salsa! this is a great way to use the bruised ones that still have a few good parts or the ones that are about to go bad or if you dumpster a bunch of them at once. in my case, i dumpstered about a gallon of tomatoes and at least 4 peppers, my roommate has been bringing home both, we're growing both, and so is my mom, my neighbor, and a friend. that's a lot of tomatoes and peppers.
any time other than summer, salsa is simply not good. not only do you have to BUY tomatoes and peppers, but they are often shitty quality because they were grown under lamps in labs in california or shipped in refrigerator cars from mexico. who fucking cares if they're organic if they come from so far away! that defeats the whole purpose of buying organic! as americans, we have been taught that we can have any food from anywhere at any time but we have to learn that is not true. think of how many tanks of gas it takes to get vegetables that grow in ohio in summer to ohio in the winter because we LIKE them and we WANT them. we have to continue to support our local economies and ecosystems if we want anything to change.
aside from being a delicious use for seasonally abundant foods, this salsa is raw, not cooked, which some think is better for you, but i tend to think is only sometimes better for you, as many foods' nutrients are more easily absorbed by your body when cooked. but whatever your raw/cooked persuasion, this is one healthy food with a ton of natural flavor-- no spices needed.
the proportions of each ingredient are totally up to you; there is no way i can rationalize telling you how much garlic to put in it. you could hurt yourself.
1. roughly slice or chop any kind of tomato, onion, garlic, spicy or bell peppers, cilantro or parsley and put them in a colander to drain off any excess water. you can squeeze the tomatoes if you want, but some think the seeds have the most flavor.
*my proportions are generally: 2-3 tomatoes and a few cherry tomatoes, 1/4 bell pepper and 2-3 hot peppers, 1/4 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, a large handful of cilantro.
2. place ingredients in a food processor to at least an inch below the top (you might have to do a few batches) and add 1 Tb olive oil (helps you absorb vitamins and adds flavor) and the juice of half a lime to each batch.
3. pulse for a few seconds until you find the right consistency.
tomatoes and peppers have a tendency to REALLY grow when they grow, so lots of people growing them literally give away bags to friends and neighbors. so, when life gives you tomatoes and peppers... make salsa! this is a great way to use the bruised ones that still have a few good parts or the ones that are about to go bad or if you dumpster a bunch of them at once. in my case, i dumpstered about a gallon of tomatoes and at least 4 peppers, my roommate has been bringing home both, we're growing both, and so is my mom, my neighbor, and a friend. that's a lot of tomatoes and peppers.
any time other than summer, salsa is simply not good. not only do you have to BUY tomatoes and peppers, but they are often shitty quality because they were grown under lamps in labs in california or shipped in refrigerator cars from mexico. who fucking cares if they're organic if they come from so far away! that defeats the whole purpose of buying organic! as americans, we have been taught that we can have any food from anywhere at any time but we have to learn that is not true. think of how many tanks of gas it takes to get vegetables that grow in ohio in summer to ohio in the winter because we LIKE them and we WANT them. we have to continue to support our local economies and ecosystems if we want anything to change.
aside from being a delicious use for seasonally abundant foods, this salsa is raw, not cooked, which some think is better for you, but i tend to think is only sometimes better for you, as many foods' nutrients are more easily absorbed by your body when cooked. but whatever your raw/cooked persuasion, this is one healthy food with a ton of natural flavor-- no spices needed.
the proportions of each ingredient are totally up to you; there is no way i can rationalize telling you how much garlic to put in it. you could hurt yourself.
1. roughly slice or chop any kind of tomato, onion, garlic, spicy or bell peppers, cilantro or parsley and put them in a colander to drain off any excess water. you can squeeze the tomatoes if you want, but some think the seeds have the most flavor.
*my proportions are generally: 2-3 tomatoes and a few cherry tomatoes, 1/4 bell pepper and 2-3 hot peppers, 1/4 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, a large handful of cilantro.
2. place ingredients in a food processor to at least an inch below the top (you might have to do a few batches) and add 1 Tb olive oil (helps you absorb vitamins and adds flavor) and the juice of half a lime to each batch.
3. pulse for a few seconds until you find the right consistency.
cookbooks i recommend
these 3 have inspired me the very most of all cookbooks i've gone through. i don't follow recipes unless i'm making something out of the ordinary like baked goods, but when i do, these are my go-to books. they are a manageable size, which i feel is important. once they pass 400 pages, cookbooks become unwieldy and just plain overwhelming. you don't need 3 pizza dough recipes! just the basics and maybe an alternative here and there. i digress. if you like structure in your life or feel a cookbook would be the best way for you to start/maintain "the lifestyle" (what can i call it that contains fewer than 5 words??) then by all means make them your bible. no shame in following recipes. i do hope you will try something of your own, though!
1. "how it all vegan" by sarah kramer and tanya barnard. practical and easy recipes, and is fairly comprehensive in terms of other ways to live vegan. drawback is that there are no pictures, so sometimes it's hard to tell what you're making.
2. "vegan soul kitchen" by bryant terry. good for the hearty foods addict as a transition into a plant-based diet. the recipes are interesting, as he really integrates african-american traditional cuisine.
3. "vegan with a vengeance" by isa chandra moskowitz. because it's written by a punk, the recipes are cheap. they're practical and easy but also really innovative.
1. "how it all vegan" by sarah kramer and tanya barnard. practical and easy recipes, and is fairly comprehensive in terms of other ways to live vegan. drawback is that there are no pictures, so sometimes it's hard to tell what you're making.
2. "vegan soul kitchen" by bryant terry. good for the hearty foods addict as a transition into a plant-based diet. the recipes are interesting, as he really integrates african-american traditional cuisine.
3. "vegan with a vengeance" by isa chandra moskowitz. because it's written by a punk, the recipes are cheap. they're practical and easy but also really innovative.
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