VegMoms

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: Yellow split pea dhal has to be one of the most gourmet, least expensive meals on the planet. This one dish meal is inspired by a dhal recipe in one of my favorite all-time cookbooks (just veganize any meat recipes), The More With Less cookbook, written in 1976 by the Mennonites and Doris Janzen Longacre.

(Serve as a stew with vegan naan to dip or on a bed of rice)

Dhal

2 c. dried yellow split peas, prepared by quick method on package.

4.5 c. water

Add:

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1.) Bring all ingredients above to a boil in a large pot.

2.) Simmer 20-30 minutes. Add a little more water, if necessary, to keep a soupy consistency.

3.) When peas are soft enough, mash some of them with a wooden spoon on the side of the pot (or use an immersion blender) to the consistency of baby food, leaving some split peas whole. 

4.) Add in cubed (raw) tofu. Heat until tofu is warm. Turn off heat and let sit on warm burner while you prepare the topping.

5.) Meanwhile, for the topping, saute one whole onion (sliced thinly) in a pan with 1 TB vegan margarine or olive oil until soft. At the last minute, add a handful of fresh spinach and sprinkle with dashes of salt and pepper. Lay on top of dhal as a healthy, delicious topping.

(serves 6-8)

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: This stir fry recipe was inspired by necessity. We were low on groceries and had very few veggies in the house, a block of tofu, lots of fruit and nuts and some rice. Necessity is the mother of invention, and I’m sure glad I invented this sweet dinner treat.

Fruity Stir Fry 

2 cups red cabbage, shredded

3 carrots, thinly sliced (I used a food processor)

4 celery stalks, matchstick sliced

2 clementines, peeled and spilt into individual slices

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup walnuts

1 lb. extra firm tofu block, cut in 1-inch cubes

For the marinade, stir together in a medium size bowl:

1/4 cup light vegtable oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup shoyu (or soy sauce, low sodium preferred)

2 TB mango nectar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Spray cast iron skillet lightly with oil. Saute vegetables until tender, leaving garlic and walnuts to add in last. Once garlic and walnuts are in pan, only heat until garlic is lightly browned.

2. Add in fruits and tofu.

3. Pour marinade over veggies, fruit and tofu. Let simmer over med-low heat until tofu is warmed.

4. Serve with basmati rice.

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: Nobody’s birthday to celebrate, but still craving cake and ice cream? We know the feeling. A few nights ago, we sat down to an Amy’s vegan chocolate cake, topped with some Tofutti vanilla almond bark ice cream (not so sure our health-o-meters are okay with the corn-heavy ingredient list, but it’s not a oftentime treat) and organic raspberries on top. Yum! Easy, delicious, less than 5 minutes from beginning to end quick… and that includes eating time. Happy Birthday to somebody, somwhere.

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: Spring is on its way, so that means maple trees will soon be producing more of my favorite sweetener in the world.

True, real maple syrup is extremely expensive, so we don’t always have it on hand. But it’s incredibly versatile and, like many Native American cultures, I happen to believe that because it’s so natural and so delicious there must be some health benefits to eating it, as opposed to the more refined sugars (and definitely better for you than fake, lab-made sugars).

So in honor of all maple trees, now that it’s soon to be spring, I need to make lots more vegan pancakes (already a weekly Saturday event in our kitchen), french toast, waffles and any other recipe that I can pour some maple syrup into or on top of — the following recipe does both!

Here’s my favorite recipe for Tofu French Toast by Jeanne-Marie Martin from the 1993 classic vegan cookbook Vegan Delights, one of the very first vegan cookbooks in our home and still one of our favorites:

(dipping mixture ingredients)

7-8 oz (250 g) regular tofu, crumbled

3/4 c soy milk, nut milk, coconut milk or water (we use soy milk)

1-2 TB natural light oil (like sunflower oil)

3-4 tsp. liquid sweetener (think: maple syrup here!)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

several dashes of sea salt

bread (we like using a multigrain bread that’s flat so the tofu sticks best)

(topping suggestions below)

maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)

stewed fruit or jam

chopped nuts and/or seeds

shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Blend all dipping mixture ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

2. Heat a well-oiled frying pan on med-high heat.

3. Dip the bread in the tofu mixture and place several slices in the hot pan.

4. Cook a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.

5. Make sure to re-oil the pan before cooking each batch.

6. Serve with toppings and coconut, if desired.

(Photo: iStockphoto.com)

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: Two out of three of my kids hate beets, but I love them (both my kids and beets, that is). Beets are a good source of: Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus and Copper, Vitamin C, Folate and Betaine, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Pantothenic Acids. Many people believe that beets help flush the body of toxins. Not to mention that the color and patterns in sliced beets are amazing, like a planet with rings or a red-eyed monster! This recipe is a version of a favorite fruit salad that I remember from childhood summer picnics with my family:

1-8.5 oz. can sliced beets (juice and all).

1- 4 oz. can pineapple chunks (ditto).

2 navel oranges, sectioned and sections cut into small, bite-size pieces.

2 bananas, sliced.

2 TB fresh lemon juice.

1 TB natural sweetener (I use Florida Crystals non-bleached sugar).

1/4 cup nuts of your choice, chopped (I use cashews).

1.) Stir all fruit together until it’s all red. (Have your kids do this. They’ll think it’s cool!)

2.) Drain the beet and pineapple juice from the fruit.

3.) Add lemon juice, sweetener and nuts. Stir.

4.) Serve on top of baby lettuce greens or simply in little party bowls on its own.

(photo credit: iStockphoto.com)