My boyfriend and I decided to take the plunge into the world of veganism. Yup, we researched vegan recipes, loaded up on beans and spices, and signed up for the plant-based life. It’s been a challenging 6 days for me so far. It’s been an emotional and stressful week, and I couldn’t turn to food to comfort me. Well, at least not the usual foods. Instead I bought a loaf of nutty, grainy bread and a container of organic hummus. Mmmm, hummus.
I’ve started cooking more beans, lentils, and quinoa to make sure I still get enough protein. Have I told you just how easy it is to cook lentils in the rice cooker? It’s amazing. You rinse them first, and then dump them into a rice cooker with a 1:3 water ratio (1 cup of lentils and 3 cups of water). Wait about an hour and BAM, your lentils are ready to be seasoned. Amazing.
Quinoa is pretty easy to make, and super delicious. Same recipe as above, but a 1:2 ratio for water.
I tried chickpeas (did you know they’re also called garbanzo beans?) last week too, but it never stopped cooking in my rice cooker. I flipped the switch from “warm” to “cook” on my rice cooker, and even after 3 hours, it never sprang back to “warm.” So…. I’m not 100% sure about that. I’ll have to try cooking it on the stove top too, because I love chickpeas. Fried and seasoned chickpeas, mooshed up into creamy hummus, you name it.
Next up on my list (and in my pantry) are red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. I’m a little nervous for kidney beans because they can be toxic! Did you know that? Raw kidney beans have a high concentration of a protein called haemagglutinin. When the beans are soaked and then cooked, this removes 22-66% of that protein. This has been feeling a little nervous, so I’ll probably cook kidney beans on the stove top rather than in my trusty rice cooker.
My boyfriend and I cooked a vegan FEAST yesterday morning! It was so delicious. I think my taste buds have changed and I do really enjoy the taste of a variety of crisp, fresh vegetables.
We started out with a huge salad. This is what we usually make for weekend brunches at his place. Full of crunchy fresh and organic vegetables!
Then we had some mushrooms and roasted potatoes. The potatoes were so good. They were cooked Greek style, with oregano, salt, pepper, and some lemon juice!
We also had some sweet potatoes. Now these were good. Sweet and soft, warm and delicious. I wonder why I don’t make these more often. Just pop them in the oven and you’re done. Plus they’re so healthy and filling.
Lastly, we finished up with some pomegranate seeds for dessert. Dessert for breakfast? Why not.
This healthy and delicious feast with my man was exactly what I needed after the long week. On Saturday, we also went to Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant. We ordered brussels sprouts for appetizers, my boyfriend had the lentil/rice bowl, I had sweet potato flautas, and we finished with a chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream.
Man, everything was so tasty. I also kept thinking about how cheap it was to make. Lentils and rice are pennies per bowl. My flautas were delicious, yet so easy to make. Just bake a sweet potatoe, and wrap a toasted tortilla around it. I love exploring this world of veganism, and challenging my tastebuds, my creativity, and my wallet to expand its horizons.
I also believe I have more energy. I didn’t feel like my usual, lazy “let’s take a nap after brunch” self after weekend brunch. Instead, I was ready to GO! We’ll see after after another week or so of this, but I’m excited!