Ah, January. The boys and I go back to school. Frank returned to his writing. Our lovable old dog is back to barking screaming exactly 15 seconds after being left outside.
Eid decorations are packaged. (Well played, Neighbors with the Skeleton Army set up – or destroyed? – a festively lit evergreen tree. Also kudos to our neighbors with plywood daffodils swimming in a sea of candy canes. A lot of people’s holiday decorations have been amazing lately, but they were These are some of our family favourites.)
At this time of year, many of us are faced with a challenge or decisions, somehow to start 2022 on a meaningful note. We would like to suggest that you incorporate more plant foods into your life! Resolve to eat more plants is a great way to align your diet to serve your health, compassion, and your planet.
But where do you start?
Try these recipes:Cook some fun, kid-friendly vegetarian recipes
We loved trying to demystify some of our family’s food items in this column, but maybe you’d like some tips to help you plan an entire month or more of vegan meals. Enter a vegetarian!
As reported in the New York Times and Washington Post, Veganshwari is a non-profit organization that encourages people around the world to try living vegan for January and beyond. According to the vegan website, more than 500,000 people pledged to try a vegan diet during the 2021 campaign, and more than 825 new vegan products and menu options were launched in their main campaign countries. That’s a lot of vegan foods!
Visit the Veganuary.com website and sign up for 31 days of easy meal plans, a star-studded celebrity cookbook, nutrition guides and daily training emails – all for free.
In the spirit of a vegan vegan, we wanted to take a step back and debunk the many myths about vegan meal planning, as well as share a couple of very simple vegetable dishes that were part of a hugely successful holiday meal we served up the insatiable Frank family.
The first myth: Vegetarian is just “rabbit food”. While our kids share our bunny’s deep love for kale, we rarely eat salads in our home. Instead, we delve into loaded tacos, delicious pasta dishes and bowls brimming with a variety of textures and flavors.
Alternatives:Vegetarian and dairy cheeses add flavor to many dishes
Myth 2: Vegetarian food cannot be compatible with family and cultural traditions. Whether you’re looking for a recipe for “chicken” cordon bleu, “fish” and chips, cheese lasagna, dim sum spread or sweet potato pie, vegan and home cooks. Tradition matters, and no matter your cultural background, chances are there are great home chefs at work turning your favorite meals into hearty vegetarian dishes.
Not all Internet recipes and print cookbooks are created equal, as we learned the hard way while writing this column. However, sampling recipes from different sources will help you begin to see the general strategies and flavors that can bring plant foods to life. Our local library’s selection of vegan cookbooks is fantastic, with sounds and recipes to please any event or taste.
Myth 3: Eating vegan is expensive. Yes, sure, if you buy the prepackaged stuff. Last year, though, Frank learned to make our own delicious vegan yogurt as well as homemade alternatives for convenient single-serve “bars.” And we’ve experimented with buying dry beans and nuts in bulk, paying very reasonable prices and avoiding the sadness of swinging into the grocery store only to find a few canned goods on the shelf due to the supply chain.
more:Don’t get lost, want seconds? Even banana peels can be delicious
Growing up, my family often ate beans and rice as a survival tactic – my dad tried to feed us well, but there were tough months when he couldn’t. We had the classic “meat makes the meal” ethos and only inadvertently switched to vegetarian meals when there wasn’t enough money for more. Now, though, my family rejoices in eating plant-based foods as the basis for healthy and tempting meals. When you start with relatively unprocessed ingredients, delicious vegetarian meals tend to be very inexpensive.
The two recipes we’re sharing this week are cheap to combine, easy to taste to your liking, and can help form the cornerstone of vegetarian meals. Whether you serve them over rice or pasta, cook them in tacos or spread them on top of pizza, they are delicious ways to eat more plants.
spiced eggplant
1 eggplant cut into cubes
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed Sichuan pepper
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Add the eggplant to a well-seasoned or non-stick cast iron skillet, cover the skillet, and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes. This will mysteriously steam the eggplant and help it cook much more quickly than just frying it, helping those who tend to procrastinate.
When the eggplant cubes seem to have mostly crumbled and darken in color, add the cooking oil and spices and continue to heat over medium heat, uncovered, for another 5 minutes, stirring. In a small bowl, mix the miso paste, lemon juice, and sesame oil, then pour this mixture over the eggplant once the heat is off.
Barbecue style tofu and peppers
14 ounces tofu, cubed
2 cups sweet pepper or bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon cooking oil (we usually use olive oil)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and diced, unless you’re serving this to kids who might scream “hot!” If they taste even the tiniest speck of ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon basil, leaves rolled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Add the tofu to a well-seasoned or nonstick cast iron skillet and heat over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally (preferably by gently scraping the bottom of each cube so it doesn’t tear), until most of the water has sweated.
Add pepper, oil, and spices and increase heat to medium at this point, cooking for an additional 5 minutes, stirring once every minute. Turn off the heat and add the basil, lemon juice and soy sauce.
Garnish with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan cheese, if desired.