miso soup is one of my staples
put some water in a pot on the stove, stir in globs of miso paste until it tastes good, then dump in some cubed tofu and some chopped green onions. voila!
miso soup is one of my staples
put some water in a pot on the stove, stir in globs of miso paste until it tastes good, then dump in some cubed tofu and some chopped green onions. voila!
Mmmmm - however - does anyone know how long Miso keeps in the fridge after you open it? I've had some that's been there for a while.
Hi.
I'm somewhat new to the lifestyle and I need help with diversity in my diet.
The real problem is that I find cooking an unrewarding process. Each utensil, bowl and plate I use, I know I'll have to wash. Then there's having to buy the raw ingredients at the store - finding greens with the least amount of dirt/rot on them, finding fruit with the least amount of bruising...
If I were a bit more hedonistic when it comes to food, the enjoyment of it might make all of the trouble worthwhile - but I'm no glutton, and I never will be.
Anyway - I'm looking for absolutely drop-dead simple stuff to whip up. The "Fast & Easy" thread that's stickied in this forum has so-called "CBF" recipies that have like 4 and 5 ingredients. THAT IS NOT SIMPLE ENOUGH!
I'm tempted to layout some requirements for the kind of meal preparation I'm talking about.
- No more than 3 ingredients.
- NO MORE THAN THREE INGREDIENTS.
- No knives or cutting boards needed.
- No frying/sauteing. Really, you're pretty much limited to boiling, baking and microwaving.
- Only one piece of cookware used. (Pots/pans)
(A couple of mixing bowls is OK.)- No LONG steps. (eg soaking beans for hours - 45 minutes for rice is OK, but just barely)
- Large quantities that create leftovers are OK, as long as they taste alright after being reheated in the microwave.
I'm sure I'll realize the rules I missed if people start posting ideas that I still think are overly intricate even if they meet the above requirements... If the only steps are mixing with water, boiling in water, or cooking in the oven or microwave, then it sounds like a winner to me.
I like eating greens, but I'm really turned off by having to wash them, cut them up, figure out which parts don't taste good... Usually I end up buying frozen stuff, which I suppose isn't nearly as tasty or healthy.
Right now I mostly get things like veggie hot dogs and bean burritos on the "no-prep" side of the scale, and about the only "cooking" i do is boiling water for whole grain spaghetti, couscous and boxed meals like the Lentil Pilaf from Casbah. Also I'll get bananas and natural peanut butter, apples when they're in season... I also enjoy every now and then buying a box of babaganouj, mixing it up and eating it along with a big bowl of couscous. Way too much for one meal, so I'll just put them in the fridge and microwave them later.
Thanks in advance.
Also if there are any single ladies in Austin who read these forums, listen to Mogwai and consider 2001: A Space Odyssey one of the best films of all time and enjoy cooking for others, drop me a PM.
Okay, you don't ask much do you?? I think your best bet is ready meals. You put them in the microwave and beep, done and the ingredients for vegan ones are usually pretty good compared to the nasties you get in omni ones. There's loads available in good healthfood shops. And what about packaged salad leaves and veg - you can buy these chopped and washed and in microwaveable bags. Guess this might get expensive. Run out of ideas but if its any help i live on pitta, hummus and jam and peanut butter sarnies! Just eat loads of fruit...
My turn of mind is so given to taking things in the absurd point of view that it breaks out in spite of me every now and then.
- Byron
i love fantastic's sloppy joe mix
boil water add fake sloppy joe mix, a tiny can of tomato paste and oil.
three ingredients and boiling water!!
great for lunch the next day
a can of bean, a can of corn, a can of grean peas, you mix it all together and eat until you feel sick ; ) you can also add some sprouts/whateveryouwant, it's not so hard to do and i really like it ; )
I posted instructions for making a simple veggie stew on some thread. All cooked in one pan and taking about half an hour. The carrots need to be cut up, so do spuds, if they're included. Same with the onion. As many ingredients as you like.
Now, THERE'S an optimist for you!gumpish
I think most of the "Fantastic Foods" meals (like the sloppy joe's that mophoto mentioned) are tasty and really easy to prepare. The vegetarian chili is super easy. Just throw it in a pot with 2 cans of kidney beans and a can of diced tomatoes (and some water, I think) and simmer it for a while. I love it!
And "Amy's" makes lots of frozen vegan dinners, like the enchillada with beans and rice, or cheeseless pizza (to which you can add your own vegan cheese). Or why not buy some mock meats and make a vegan sandwich? It doesn't get much easier than that! You can also buy bags of organic baby carrots (no chopping required!) that you can eat with vegan dip, to get some fresh food in every now and then
I know you really hate all the preparation required when cooking. I hated it too when I first moved out of my parents' house, but now I love making my own creations. I find that cleaning up as I go along has really helped make cooking less of a chore. Oh and make sure you take supplements so you don't become unhealthy due to the limitations you've set in your rules
Even though you mostly like convenient foods, you really should try to get some healthy, home cooked food in your diet regularly. It might help to spend one afternoon a week preparing some nutritious food to freeze and eat during the week, or make a big salad that will last a couple days so you don't have to chop vegetables every day. Or if you'd really rather not do that, then do you know of any vegan restaurants in your area where you can eat regularly? I wouldn't want to see you forced to abandon veganism because of malnourishment!
"Man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills" - Arthur Schopenhauer
I like the Fantastic Foods Veggie Chilli too. Their hummus is awful though!
Now there is a quote that we all need to note, it makes such a big difference when you do this,Yoggy
Antony
i always make chili at home but its really easy. dump a can of baked beans in tomato sauce into a pot, add spices and whatever else until heated through. there ya go. serve with toast lol. takes like ten minutes.
"you dont have to be tall to see the moon" - african proverb
Just buy pre-made hummus, nut butters, canned beans, chili, lentil soup and such foods and have celery, carrots, bagged lettuces and greens, bread, nuts, seeds, dried and fresh fruits, frozen waffles and frozen fruits and veggies on hand. Eat sandwiches, soups, stews, beans, hummus, smoothies and so on. Open a can of beans and /or soup/chili and add frozen veggies in. It's easy to eat vegan and not cook at all if you really can't be bothered. That being said, it will be expensive and high in sodium and such!
Hi Gumpish, I hope you are know that if you eat only canned/processed food, vegan or not, you definitely need supplements?
I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.
Cmon.....! You can't sautee?
My advice is to check out vegan cook books from the library.
You need to learn how to throw more that just canned food together, for the sake of your health! Trust me, I totally understand what you mean about the dishes thing! I think things over twice before busting out even one pot or pan!
Good Luck-with cooking and with the Ladies!
I'm curious about how you got by when you were a meateater. Surely you had a hard time making food that fit the guidelines you mentioned when you ate meat? Even with chilli you have to sauté the meat first! If you want diversity in your diet like you said, you may have to break some of your rules from time to time. ConsciousCuisine's suggestions are great too.
"Man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills" - Arthur Schopenhauer
Quick and diverse:
Frozen veggies/frozen fruits. No washing, prepping, chopping or arsing with using it up before it goes off.Open a bag, grab a handful of veggies, toss it in and you're on the way. Easy-peasy.
Canned beans/canned tomatoes. Great to keep around. Open a can, do whatever you want with them, heat them through and enjoy.
Quick cook grains - quinoa (15 minutes), millet (15 minutes), bulgar wheat (5 minutes after you add boiling water).
TVP is also quick cook because you add boiling water (I flavour the water first), let it stand for 5 minutes then use it however you want.
Bagged salad with a commercial oil and vinegar dressing is quick and easy. Some dressings aren't vegan, so I get on with a bit of squeezed lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Nuts can be used in anything either whole or crushed (toss some in a baggie, whack on that baggie like mad).
Is that quick enough for you?
It's vegan, which means it's vegetarian which means there's nothing unheathy in it. -- my guy trying to explain vegan junkfood.
You are right about their hummus. Blah! I rather make my own. How about a box of curry couscous and a can of chick peas. Nice and easy
Maya
Roxy
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-Open a can of chickpeas
-Mash some up with a fork with some vegan mayo or tahini
-Slab it on some bread
**Beans on Toast.
**Grilled fake cheese with tomato (if you feel like slicing a tomato, if not, just grill the fake cheese)
**Grilled Hummous (make it the same as grilled cheese. it's really good!)
**Bean Burrito--vegetarian refried beans, flour tortilla, possibly rice. Salsa if you're up to it.
**Nachos--tortilla chips, refried beans, salsa (I usually add thawed chopped spinach). Bake 10 minutes at 300F.
**Fantastic Foods "Natures Burger"--soak in water 10 minutes. Fry in a pan til' brown, put it on a roll or bread. You can add lettuce and tomato if you want, mustard, or ketchup.
**Homemade salsa--can of tomatoes, small can jalapanos, one small onion. Put it in a blender. Eat.
**Hobbit Shire Soup--2 cans chickpeas, one pkg. spinach, one can tomatoes. Simmer all in a pan. Add garlic powder/onion powder, salt & pepper. Good for leftovers. (this may exeed the maximum ingredient requirements...but it *is* really easy.)
**Indian curry chickpeas & potatoes--get a package of curry. Simmer chickpeas, add curry to taste. Add salt and pepper. Boil a potato or 2, chop and throw in with the chickpeas while they're cooking. (I usually will boil 4 or 5 potatoes one day during the week, and keep them in the fridge to add to things I'm cooking.)
**Stuffed baked potatoes--broccoli, spinach, corn, fake cheese/sour cream, gravy, seitan, whatever you want. Microwave potato 5 minutes on High. Slice open, chop up the middle, mash with a fork. Stuff whatever you want in there. Nuke for another minute or 2.
I was always told you reap what you sow - if you can't be bothered to cook you are probably gonna get bored pretty quickly ... that said, Tofu Scramble is pretty good - you need mushrooms, a bit of oil, turmeric and silken tofu. Gently fry (yes, fry!!! or saute - if you do it gently there won't be any burnt bits to scape off!!!) the mushies (chop them first ), and a pinch of turmeric, mash in the tofu and heat it all through, salt and pepper to taste.
Pressure cookers are the best thing! Green beans cook in about a minute and a half, cauliflower and broccoli florets take a little longer. Dress with oil, seeds, nuts....
Or cold tofu - eaten as is with soy sauce and freshly grated ginger.
Good luck on your quest - it's an interesting challenge!
No cooking required - just boil water, pour it on and let it stand.
I second pressure cookers. Great thing is, you can make mass amounts of beans and freeze them (an even cheaper and lower sodium alternative to canned).
Just a thought, does your supermarket ever carry those pre-cut packages of soup/stew veggies? Most (non-health food) stores I've ever been in seem to carry them. Toss those in to simmer with some veggie broth and add either beans, tempeh, tofu or a leafy green veggie (you can be lazy like me . . . as you're rinsing the leaves of, say, chard, just rip the leaves off the ribs . . . or toss in a package of frozen spinach). A simple hearty, healthy stew. Grab a potholder when it's done and eat out of the pot. Then you only have to clean a spoon and the pot. You can supplement this with a bag of lettuce. Open bag, pour in salad dressing, close the bag and shake. I've never tried this, but you sound lazy enough to go for it. Warning: this might dirty a fork, but you could eat it with your hands out of the bag.
I often eat straight out of the pan. It does save on washing up. I like the salad in a bag idea, too.jillian
Years ago, I used to eat toast off a magazine or folded newspaper. No washing of a plate afterwards. I stopped when my sister and nephew came for a visit and the five-year-old lad started copying me. My sister told me that I had to behave in a civilised fashion.
I love it - you go Gliondrach!!! Reminds me of that Sylvia Plath book when she describes the poet eating salad with his fingers in an elegant restaurant, saying that if you did something naturally enough, no-one would think it was strange. We could start a revolutionGliondrach
But that was civilized! I myself just eat toast over the bag the bread came in, shake the crumbs into the sink and put the bag back into the refrigerator.Gliondrach
My boyfriend tries to do that - but he's not very skilled at it yet. The crumbs end up ALL OVER THE FLOOR!jillian
Lol
"you dont have to be tall to see the moon" - african proverb
Fiamma, I probably would have stopped on my own - the margarine used to seep through and soak the pages.
Jillian, I'm not going to take you to a posh restaurant, if that's what your table manners are like.
Come, now. In public I'm absolutely charming and well-behaved. I even know which one is the salad fork.Gliondrach
You use cutlery? You are posh, then. I just eat straight out of the pan - like a dog.
Well I guess I can't really talk. My boyfriend does the vacuuming around here and he always wants to know how I get so much popcorn all over the carpet.
To tell the truth, I don't really know It's probably not even ME anyway lol.
Oh, so you are 12 now? Same age as my little girl? HA!Gliondrach
As a time traveller I might be many ages.
Gliondrach
MIGHT???
Ha! You ARE many ages, you transcend time and space!
You must be a time traveller, too. It is Saturday here but still Friday where you are. And, it is time for me to go up the wooden stairs to bedfordshire. Good night, and sweet dreams.
I wonder what age I'll be when I wake up?
Gliondrach
Hey what low prep/no prep meals for lazy vegans does a time traveller eat?
Antony
Well, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I think I've said it before. Try Hothuck's (www.hothucks.com) IF you are not afraid of mail order or can be lucky enough to have a Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca) close by.
It comes in 4 flavours, chili, curry and italian and also veggie burger. Regarding the first three, you boil water, drop the content of the package in the boiling water (in the pan), mix for about 30-60 seconds, reduce heat to minimum, cover, wait 5 minutes (maybe mixing once or twice) and voila! Your meal is ready.
The veggie burger are more complicated, but it might just be the best veggie burger on earth... You add boiling water to the content of a package (in a bowl) and mix for about a minute. Put the bowl in the fridge and leave it there for 4-12 hours. Then use it in shepperd pie or as burger.
We've been using this food for ALL our outing trips for the pas 8 months. Apart from the difficulty of obtaining the stuff, it's pretty close to perfect (if you can get your hands on it.... ).
Well I know you said no prep but I have another suggestion - take it or leave it. I am on my own with two children 11 & 4 who do not like to eat like I do and don't leave me much time to cook, so I spend a few hours on the weekend in the kitchen. I always make a bean dip, a cold bean salad to last the week, muffins or bread, and soup to freeze individual servings (sometimes I make more! It's a great time to use things up to). The rest of the week I rarely cook - the kids eat a lot of raw veggies, fresh bread and fruit - sometimes nuts and rasins too. I barely even feed them meals anymore - and no I'm not neglecting them they eat very often through the day and mostly very healthy no cook stuff. I also do this cooking spree soon before I do my weekly house cleaning - the mess doesn't bug me as much and I get it all over with at once. Best of luck and take your vitamins!
To find peace in the world you must first find peace in yourself.
That's a dream I have there are things you can make and freeze like curries and sauces and stuff then heat em up during the week. At my house we make a big pile of thick chunky stuff that we call stewp, it's a cross between soup and stew, and that lasts easily for two days, including lunch at work.
keep up the good work.
Antony
I've been trying all Amy's Organic products and all that I've eaten have been extremely easy to prepare and very tasteful... Only thing is they are pre-made but they're GREAT!!!
All that are Vegan are my favorites except for The Thai Rice Bowl..I think... It tastes kind of like deviled eggs to me... I never ever liked those....
As boring as this may sound.. I usually make a huge meal on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. For some reason this week I've been eating all Amy's products.. Need to branch out
Meikmeik
Life Is GOOD! :p
Years! In fact, as it ages it gets betterRoxy
Bagel with hummus.
Linda McCartney sausages....microwaved
Hemlock (lazy)
Anyone know a cheap recipe with easy to get hold of ingredients that can feed six people? I'm cooking for my friends' band on Friday (and myself) and don't want to just resort to pasta or a stir fry as usual.
dahl and rice. Works out at about 10p a head. If you bulk buy on lentils you can feed an army for a tenner. You'll hafta search for a recipe thou, i have none at work
"Mr Flibble - forum corruptor of innocents!!" - Hemlock
I made this soup for Halloween to serve 4 adults and three children and it was well-received... by the adults. Hey, toddlers are fussy about food! Anyway, if you like a curry taste, this is a pretty good soup. And if you don't like a curry taste, you could probably omit that or change it to your liking. You could maybe make it at 1 1/2 times the recipe to make sure there's enough and serve with some bread and salad to round out the meal. Without distractions, it only takes about a half hour to make it too. I did have enough leftovers for my friends to take a serving or so and for me to keep and additional serving or so. So, as written it's probably fine for your crowd.
It's not the prettiest soup, but the ingredients should be inexpensive. Oh, one change I did make in this was to add an extra can of beans when I made it. It just didn't seem like enough beans the way it's written. It's a thick soup, so you may find yourself adding more liquid than is written, as I did. Oh, and I didn't bother with the chives either.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups canned or packaged vegetable stock, found on soup aisle
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
2 cans (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (found often on the baking aisle)
1 cup non-dairy milk or coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 palm full
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 palm full
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, eyeball it in the palm of your hand
Coarse salt
20 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped, for garnish
Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion. Saute onions 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in milk, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt, to taste. Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve garnished with chopped chives.
If at first you don't succeed, laugh as you set it ablaze!
Geez, she got that recipe to you a lot faster than to me!
Anyway, if you want a sweet potato and chick pea curry recipe to be served over rice, I've got one. Basic ingredients are onion, garlic, green or red pepper, sweet potato, can of coconut milk, small can of tomato sauce and chick peas. I'm only going to post the recipe if you want me to (I've got something in the oven that needs to come out now.)
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein
AVOCADO VEGGIE TACOS
1 1/2 cups julienne strips sweet green pepper
1 1/2 cups julienne strips sweet red pepper
1 1/4 cups julienne strips onion
12 (8-inch) tortillas
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 medium avocado, peeled and cut into 12 slices
1 1/2 cups fresh tomato salsa
1 8-ounce package shredded soy cheddar
romaine lettuce, shredded
Lightly saute the green and red peppers and onion.
Warm tortillas in oven and fill with sauteed peppers and onions, cilantro, avocado slices, salsa, lettuce, and cheese. Fold tortilla over and serve.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
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