Tag Archives: lentils

May 11 2012
10 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Pumpkin Lentil Lower Carb Burritos!

This is one of the easier things Brent and I have made in a while, all we needed was the following:

1 head of cabbage, raw

1 14.5 oz tin of pumpkin

1 cup of dry lentils

1 cube of veggie bouillon

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1 jalapeño (optional)

chili powder or chili paste and salt to taste

Start by cooking the lentils. Combine them with 2 cups of water and your bouillon cubes and microwave at 2 minute intervals until all the liquid is absorbed. You can also cook them on your stove at low heat until the liquid is absorbed.

Now put them into a sauce pan with the pumpkin and spices. Heat until it’s all steamy. Adjust the seasonings as necessary. You can also add a can of diced tomato and a diced onion but this recipe is designed to accommodate a friends with tomato and onion allergies, respectively. It’s delicious and filling just as I’ve written it.

Now carefully remove a cabbage leaf, add a scoop or two of your burrito filling and whatever other things you like (we’re adding cilantro and Daiya cheddar cheese).

Roll them up and insert into your face.You might not even realize you’re eating a cabbage leaf. This is a great way to have a low carb, low calorie wrap for your sandwich or burrito and doesn’t cost a whole lot. I hope you like it!

 

This is Brent and Christie, signing off.

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Apr 11 2012
4 Comments
Thoughts

Where do you get your protein?

I come from a family that loves meat and dairy. Sound familiar?

My dad doesn't really look like this.

My dad is an avid bow hunter. My mother is down with Paula Dean. My brother and I were certainly a product of them. That is, I freaking loved meat and cheese. Upon challenging myself to be vegan, I had to re-educate myself about what food was good for me. Being disgustingly close to a scientist/vegan makes for delicious amounts of good information.

Ultimately the question from my family is always — always — “How do you get your protein?” Without going into an anthropological diatribe reminding you and them how our LCA likely survived best on nuts and plants gathered rather than from the often rotten scavenged meats the males would kill themselves to get, I will throw down a quick list of vegan goodies that are high in protein.

Peas

Peas are the overlooked powerhouse of the western diet. Not only are they jam packed with vitamins and minerals your body craves, but they offer a generous dose of protein to keep you strong like young bull (5.9g/100g).  Protip : Stay away from canned peas… or canned anything for that matter.

Beans

They don’t just make you toot; they make you strong. A cup of cooked beans can yield 12g of protein. That’s pretty gangster if you ask me. I prefer black beans when I get the choice (read : when cooking). I like the flavor more than green beans, and I stay away from refried beans. While that seems limiting, the nutritional benefit is nothing to scoff at and there are loads of ways to prepare them.

Soy Beans

I had to put these separately as they provide such an insane amount of protein. 68g per cup, is what I’m reading. Unreal. I also had to put this separately as I know some folks who are allergic to soy. That really really really sucks.

Lentils

I love lentils. Lentil soup is amazing. Lentils with rice and quinoa is killer. What’s more is how they provide such an unreal amount of nutritional substance. 18g protein per cup? Yes please. Protip : If you sprout lentils before consumption (soak for more than 8 hours) you get all of the essential amino acids. By themselves.

Seeds

Here’s a fun one. Pumpkin seeds can provide 74g protein per cup. Eat them like sunflower seeds and crack the shell. Or eat them whole when cooking them in something. Better still, grind/blend up the seeds and make the pasty substance into something delicious!

Nuts

Nuts are awesome for protein, but the consequence for all that delicious flavor is a lot of extra fat and whatnot (20g protein per cup, but 48.11g fat too). That’s not to say that one should avoid nuts, but if looking for a lean way to get protein, nuts should be used sparingly. Almonds are a solid go-to and are now made into all sorts of goodies.

Asparagus

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have asparagus. Not a lot of fat, but not a whopping amount of protein either (2.95g protein per cup, .16g fat per cup /underwhelmed). But consider that the human body isn’t meant to get 200g protein a day, folks. Rather, the average should be somewhere around 50-60g for men, 40-50g for the ladies. Then again, I’m not a nutritionist, and these numbers vary on height and weight. This should give you a nice jumping off point, though.

Final Thoughts

By being vegan, you don’t have to sacrifice protein. In fact, you shouldn’t. Your body effing needs it. I hope this post helps point you to the threshold of the myriad of options you have as a vegan to get your protein. Protein doesn’t just come from milk, cheese, eggs, meat. Some of the best protein comes from anything but meat and dairy. That said, this is not a comprehensive list by any means. There are loads of other protein sources out there. What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below.

Peas out, my vegans.

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Mar 16 2012
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Cooking, Main Dishes

Shepherdless Pie: for St. Patrick’s Day

Back when I was a little kid of 19 years, I used to get shepherd’s pie at my university cafeteria the week of St. Patties and wanted to recreate something like it, only vegan and gluten-free for this St. Patrick’s day. What’s more Irish than potatoes and veggies baked up to steamy perfection? Probably beer and leprechauns but I haven’t brewed beer in years and hear that leprechauns are tricksters. You’ll need the following to prepare this dish.
5-6 fist sized potatoes
1/2 cup of soy or almond milk
1/2 cup of shredded “cheese” (we used Daiya)
1 tbsp vegan butter

2 cups water
1 medium onion
4 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of frozen peas or chopped broccoli
1 cup dry lentils (we used French lentils)

1 vegan sausage, diced (optional)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 cube of veggie bouillon
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


To start Brent washed, cut the eyes out and wrapped 5 fist sized potatoes in tin foil. We used Yukon gold but any sort will do. He put them into the oven to bake for 50 minutes at 400F/200C. While that was happening we cut up the garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Those went into a pan with a little olive oil to saute lightly.

 
We prepared the lentils in the microwave with 2 cups of water and the veggie bouillon. I like French lentils because they’re smaller and cook faster. They’re also a fabulous color and have a great hearty texture and delicate aromatic flavor. When the lentils are done you’ll want to check on the potatoes.
 
Make sure that they’re tender before taking them out. I mashed them (skin and all) in a big bowl with almond milk, “cheese”, nutritional yeast and Earth Balance buttery spread. I added a little salt and pepper to taste.

The lentils went into the fry pan with the rest of the veggies, sausage (if you’re using it) and added the spices. The sausage is really for flavor and this dish already has plenty so we’re not using any. I stirred them until they were fragrant, checked the salt and pepper and then dumped them into a large glass baking dish. I smothered them with the mashed potatoes and baked at 350F/275C until the potatoes were brown on top.
 
We served this with some bonus cheese and hot sauce but it didn’t really need it.
Check out this happy satisfied face.
 
This is Brent and Christie, signing off!
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Dec 31 2011
2 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Lentil Soup

I usually have soup for lunch. I’m a  graduate student and this is cheap for me considering my budget. I make a batch on Sunday and have a bowl each day for 5 days. My favorite is lentil soup. Lentils have less sulfur compounds than most beans and that means I’m not offending my co-workers with my bowels, if you get what I mean. Whole lentils are also high protein, high fiber and have twice the iron, ounce for ounce compared to beef Get a medium large sauce pan combine and assemble these ingredients.
1/2 onion, diced
1lb (450g) of split red lentils
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of your favorite curry powder (optional, for extra zazz)
1 cube of veggie bouillon
1-2 dried red peppers, minced (more or less if desired)
2 tbsp lemon juice
cumin seeds (optional)
olive oil
salt to taste
Put a half tablespoon or so of olive oil to a big pot and a few pinches of cumin seeds (sometimes I add fenugreek seeds that crush lightly with the bottom of a glass or pan). Heat the oil until the seeds begin to sputter. Add onion, garlic and saute until the onions begin to caramelize.

Add the lentils and stir for 1-2 minutes until everything is mixed and coated with the oil. Add the pepper, bouillon and about 1L of water.

Bring to a boil and then let simmer for an hour or until the lentils begin to break down. Add up to another 500mL of water or until you like the consistency.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and salt to taste.

This is Christie, signing off.

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Dec 07 2011
3 Comments
Main Dishes, Recipes

Delicious/Disgusting Bachelor Chow

Here’s the deal : I like mixing different food together to make something new. Ultimately, it looks unappetizing, inedible. I don’t care because it’s me eating it.

This is why writing for this blog is going to be decidedly difficult.

When I first started going vegan with by better half, I hit the same wall all soon-to-be-vegans do : WTF can you eat that doesn’t have meat or dairy in it? My go-to was rice.

Rice is deceptively easy to cook if you treat it tenderly and with respect. I prefer brown rice which is harder to cook for some, mostly because it takes longer to cook. And I must admit that it took (and is taking) a lot of trial and error to get the texture right. But the result is healthier than white rice.

Regardless of which kind of rice you choose to cook, rice by itself is pretty effing dull. Granted, you’ll get some basic nutrition out of it, but without loading up on soy sauce it can pretty much suck. Especially when you eat it every. night. like I did when I was first going vegan.

My solution to the boring rice problem was Bachelor Chow.

No, it’s not the dog food you see on Futurama. Rather, it’s a mix of things that can be super easy to cook, and winds up giving you an extraordinary amount of nutrition. Then I proceed to make it into junkfood with the things I add to it.

Let’s begin with the ground-level edition of BachChow, shall we?

BACHELOR CHOW

~6 Cups Water
1 Cup Brown Rice
1 Cup Quinoa
1/2 Cup Lentils

Estimated prep/cooking time ~50 minutes

Get a pot big enough to furnish ~7-8 Cups of material. Drop your water in there, and bring it to a full boil. Dump the rice, quinoa, and lentils all into the boiling water. Wait until the water starts to act all uppity and try to boil over, and drop the burner head down to medium heat (a little above medium is sufficient). Now, you play the waiting game.

With rice, you shouldn’t have to stir it to make it do its thing. Just let the boiling water do the work. Wait a half hour, and then return to the pot. If it still has water, let it boil another 5 minutes or so. But once holes start appearing in the mixture, that’s when it’s go time (Read : Get ready to make sure you don’t lose your batch of Bach to the burn deities).

Get your wooden spoon and go around the edges of the mixture to keep it from sticking. Then go from the outside of the pan in, so you scrape the bottom of the pot. If you feel resistance or a bumpy texture at the bottom of the pan, quickly go around the pot outside-inning until you ensure there is no stickage at the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat. Note that there may be a little teensy-weensy bit of water left in the bottom of the pot. That’s totally cool. Just let the rice absorb what’s left of it.

Now you should have baseline BachChow. It has some fiber, some carbs, some aminos, some iron.  The rice should be soft, the lentils should be squishy, and the quinoa should make the dish look like a bunch of tiny sperm and egg exploded. It’s pretty damn good as it is. But you may want to add some flavor.

Below are some suggestions on how to spice up your BachChow to make it look horrific, and make it taste amazing.

Things you may want :
Daiya grated cheese (Mozzarella and Cheddar)
Garlic salt
Liquid Aminos
Hot Sauce (Tapatio, Cholula, Sriracha)
Tempeh

I’m not saying you need to mix all of the above into the BachChow. But I’m not saying you can’t, either. I like to add Liquid Aminos, hot sauce, and Daiya at the minimum. If you want to add some meaty texture, make some tempeh strips and drop them in there. Garlic salt can be a gangster addition, but some freshly diced garlic is a healthier choice.

Frankly, BachChow is something you should experiment with. Add veggies, add other sauces, add tomato sauce. Do what feels right. You may end up making an earth shattering mixture that is deceptively easy to make and reproduce.

Good luck with your BachChow.

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