What We Ate Today #2

Hey! Happy Monday! 

I hope you had an awesome weekend.  We hung out at the park, watched a few movies, ate lots of avocado rolls, and read a little (Dominique Moceanu's autobiography is pretty good).

Last week I posted another video on my YouTube channel (here's the first one) to show what we eat as a family. In the latest video, I show breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack.

Stay tuned for more videos like this!

All of the recipes from the video are at the end of this post. 

Did you do anything fun this weekend? Let me know in the comments.

Recipes from the video: 

Tempeh Bacon 

Creamy Grits from Vegan Cooking with Love 

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup from Chef Robert Martin

Spinach & Lentil Enchiladas

by Recipe from "Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food" by Susan O'Brien

Cook Time: 25

Keywords: vegan

Ingredients (Serves 6)

For the Sauce

• ¼ cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Filling

• 1 ½ cups lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ cup onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons green chiles, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 10 corn or flour tortillas
• ½ cup vegan cheese (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven at 400 degrees.

To make the sauce, in a saucepan, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, and then turn off the heat.

For the filling, heat oil on medium-high in a large skillet. Add in onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then add in garlic, stirring occasionally for about a minute. Then add in sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, lentil and broth. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes.

Line a casserole dish with about a cup of sauce.

In a small skillet heat each tortilla on medium heat for about 45 seconds on each side.

Working on a flat surface, scoop about a tablespoon of the lentil filling into each tortilla and roll up lengthwise.

Arrange each enchilada in the casserole dish and cover with the remaining sauce.

Sprinkle on vegan cheese (if you're using it), cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes.

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Check out all the previous "What We Ate Today" posts here

Other Brown Vegans: Michelle Johnson

With about 2% of Americans practicing a plant-based diet, it’s no wonder many feel that making healthier changes don’t relate to their lives.  Most people don’t even know anyone with a plant-based lifestyle.

I’ve decided to start a series to spotlight past and present brown vegans (famous and non-famous) who have made a change in their lives for health and/or ethical reasons. Enjoy!

How long have you been a vegan?

My 2 year vegan anniversary was on September 1, 2011.

What made you decide to embrace a plant-based diet? Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's podcast, Vegetarian Food For Thought, opened my eyes to the cruelty of factory farming. I instantly decided that I could not participate in that system.

However, I did not plunge directly into veganism. I was vegetarian for a month and realized during that month that the same reasons I decided to forgo eating animals also apply to their byproducts. Dairy cows and chickens don't get treated any better than the animals that are killed for their flesh and eventually, those cows and chickens are killed too.

Within a few months, I discovered the wealth of information available about the health benefits of embracing a plant-based diet and the ways in which the standard American diet contributes to disease. So, while initially embracing a plant-based diet for ethical reasons, the health-related reasons also played a role in my decision.

What was the hardest food to give up? I honestly can't say that I had a hard time giving up any particular food. This is only because I tend to think in "black and white" and embrace logical "rules" easily. What I will say is that I miss being able to easily access certain foods like baked desserts--pies, cakes and cookies. I enjoyed seafood prior to being a vegan and I miss scallops, which I discovered later in my adulthood. However, I don't consider these foods as temptations because as KD Traegner of Your Daily Vegan said in a recent post, "my taste preferences do not define my morals or ethics."

Michelle (on right) with best-selling author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Any advice to new vegans?

1) Find a real-life support network. This is one of the first things I did when I made my decision and it was so helpful. I joined the local Vegetarian Society and a Veggie Meet Up  group, which both have monthly gatherings involving food. It's such a relief and joy to go somewhere and not worry about what I'm going to eat. Being a vegan can be socially isolating when so many of our social experiences involve food. Finding a group of likeminded people and veggie friendly restaurants in your area will help. You can also meet people online but I think the social rewards and benefits of face-to-face interactions have a bigger payoff.

2) Get comfortable in the kitchen. I can't imagine trying to eat a whole food plant-based diet if I didn't cook. Believe me, you can be a junk food vegan but your body may hate you for it. Plant-based cooking involves preparing raw veggies. Get a good, sharp knife, a cutting board and practice your knife skills, like slicing and chopping. You'll need them :)

3) Try new foods and learn about vegan alternatives that are pretty easy to find. I think that most of us grew up eating the same vegetables and grains all of the time. Since my decision, I have grown to love several vegetables that I had never tasted before. I still have quite a few vegetables and grains on my list of "foods to try." Foods like Earth Balance buttery spread, soy and almond milk and Vegenaise are easy substitutes that can make the transition to a plant-based diet easier once you know they exist.

What are some of your favorite books or websites on veganism?

Podcast: Vegetarian Food for Thought

Books: Diet for a New America, 30-Day Vegan Challenge, The China Study and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Websites: 

Vegan Dad

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

MeloMeals

Vegan Yum Yum

Post Punk Kitchen

Please share a recipe you enjoy.

Delicious Marinated and Baked Tofu

The texture of this tofu is very chewy. You can eat it alongside other vegetables, add it to a salad or make a sandwich with it. It's a very versatile recipe. You won't believe how good this marinade is.

Ingredients:

2 packages of firm tofu, cut into strips (not too thin)

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon each - chili powder, onion powder

1/4 teaspoon each - oregano, garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Press the tofu for 30-60 minutes to remove as much liquid as you can.

2. Dry fry the tofu. Dry frying just means frying without oil. Fry the tofu until they are golden on both sides. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Combine the remaining ingredients for the marinade.

4. Marinate tofu for at least 30 minutes. I usually marinate mine longer, sometimes overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 350.

6. Place tofu on a sheet pan, lined with foil and bake 40 minutes.

Interests: 
I am an avid reader, techie and GTD enthusiast. I love to learn. Some of my current interests include: vegan cooking, minimalism, gardening, locs and increasing productivity and efficiency.

About Michelle:

I am an avid reader, techie and GTD enthusiast. I love to learn. Some of my current interests include: vegan cooking, minimalism, gardening, locs and increasing productivity and efficiency.

Reach my friend Michelle at:

Twitter - @michelle1908

Google+ - Michelle Johnson

Chelle's Zone