The last few days have consisted of teaching at Kendall and going directly to my art studio. I have a deadline, actually two deadlines and if I felt crunched for time to make healthy meals last week with the CAA conference than that was nothing. I thought because of this I would talk about quickie options for vegans. Now many die hard vegans don't like the idea of eating pre-made fake burgers and sausages because they feel like they may be too precessed. But I've had a few really yummy meals the past few days that I was able to make quickly because of pre-made fakers.
Monday night Feb. 15th I tried some new veggie sausages I have never tried before from whole foods and let me tell you they were knock your socks off good! Italian sausages are one evil as a meat eater I love so much, and I may have found an alternative that will never make me miss the real thing again. The brand is Original Field Roast Grain Meat Co. They make a few varieties but I tried the Italian sausages with eggplant, fennel, fresh garlic, and red pepper. The texture and taste of these is really good.
How I cooked it:
I used my grill pan put about a tbs. of sesame oil in and started heating it, then I cut up some yellow bell peppers and onions and got those started first, when they started to brown a little I put on the sausages until they had some grill marks in them and were warm all the way through. I ate it on a toasted bun with the peppers and onions and a lot of mustard.
It was simply awesome! And when I visited their website I noticed they make a meatloaf that I wanna try for sure. (see picture above)
Tuesday night Feb 16th maw (my grandmother) and I ordered Thai food from a place around the corner from her. I ordered two dishes and I tried my best to be diligently vegan but because of the language barrier I had with the lady on the phone I'm not a 100% sure it was all vegan. Man oh man was their deep fried tofu good!
My favorite tofu is usually from Chinese or Thai restaurants because they can fry it in those super hot woks they cook everything in and it gives it the best texture and taste. I HATE when tofu is slimy, I can barley get it down. The place is called Thai Village you can click on the link for directions. Again it's not the best Thai food in town but it's not bad and it's cheep. My favorite thing we ordered was the:
Sweet and Sour Tofu deep fried (this is where I worried if it was still vegan because I have no idea what they deep fried it in) in batter, cooked with cucumbers, tomatoes, pineapple, onions, and bell peppers for about 8 bucks.
Now let's talk veggie burgers we have all tried them but I have discovered some new ones that I really love! I got them in the frozen section of whole foods and I am hooked. They are called The Original Sunshine Burger I've tried all the varieties, and they're all good but my favorite is the Original burger. I grilled one up for lunch yesterday, and put it on a whole wheat bun with veggie cheddar cheese, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, and tomato. I also steamed (sadly overcooked them) broccoli, asparagus, and carrots, and made a fresh batch of guacamole with tomatoes and chips. It was all very healthy, and made for a fulfilling lunch break from work.
I'm really lucky this quarter because I get a really long break between classes around lunch time. It allows me to come home and make lunch versus having to eat something out. (see picture above)
Finally last night Wed. Feb. 17th I got home from the studio and was very distracted by the Olympics. I whipped up a yummy vegan Indian feast thanks to Tasty Bites and Trader Joe's in no time. Tasty bites are Indian dishes in little bags you can heat up in the microwave or in a pot of boiling water in about 5 minutes. Add in a bag of Steamed Basmati Rice that takes about 2 minutes, and frozen Garlic Nan that take 2 minutes. Your whole meal including the time it took me to wash and prepare a salad (about 8 minutes) took only 17 minutes and it was really good and those products are all good quality and really affordable. (see pictures above)
Dr. Praegger's (embarrassing name; most lovely burger) garden burgers are fabulous in a time pinch. Also, if you're not crazy about garden burgers, you can coat burger sized blocks, either extra firm tofu, or tempeh with barbecue and brown them on the stove. Serve with carmelized onions and avacodo slices or whatever else you like to top your burger with.
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