Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [92]
The main course recipes in this chapter offer something for every palate. Ethnic spice combinations can take the same basic bean and grain ingredients around the world. You can bake, sauté, blend, boil, or combine vegetables and tofu with pasta to fill the gap left when you decided to leave dairy and meat behind.
Use your mealtimes wisely to choose the kind of energy you want to create in your life. You are what you eat: Your food goes into your stomach and becomes the building blocks of your tissues, muscles, bones, and thoughts. Rest easy knowing that you can choose delicious, nourishing recipes that help you create an amazing life. Did you know that food could do so much for you? It’s part of the reason that many of us become vegan: We know that what we eat matters!
Oh Boy! Burgers and Burritos
Putting protein between two pieces of bread or wrapping it in a tortilla can be wonderfully satisfying. The recipes for the hand-held foods in this section offer an easy, one-dish way to create a sensible meal. With protein, complex carbohydrates from grains and whole-grain bread, veggies, and spices, burgers and burritos can be a healthy lunch or dinner. You can easily make larger batches of these recipes for gatherings, or you can scale down the amounts for solo eating. Kids will be thrilled about a fun food that their parents are happy to serve.
Seitan Burritos
These filling burritos are easy to make, and they’re handy for casual gatherings. Providing lots of quality protein and veggie goodness, this dish can fortify a bunch of vegans on Super Bowl Sunday or before a big hike. For an even easier preparation, set out a variety of toppings on the counter and let your guests make their own burritos.
Preparation/cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped (use both green and white parts)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (see Figure 14-1 for instruction)
1/2 teaspoon naturally brewed soy sauce (tamari, shoyu, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
Ten 10-inch vegan flour tortillas
8-ounce package seitan, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes or strips
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup diced tomato
3 cups cooked brown or white rice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup salsa
Mashed avocado (optional; see Figure 14-2)
1 recipe Tofu Sour Cream (optional; see Chapter 13)
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped small onion for 2 minutes until it just begins to brown. Add the green onions, garlic, bell pepper, and soy sauce to the skillet. Continue to stir regularly and sauté for 5 minutes.
3 Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel, and then wrap the entire bundle in foil. Place in the heated oven to warm through.
4 Add the seitan to the vegetable mixture in the skillet and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the black beans and tomatoes. Heat through for 2 more minutes.
5 In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cooked rice with the seitan mixture. Toss with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the cilantro and salsa and stir well to combine.
6 Remove the tortillas from the oven and unwrap. Fill each tortilla with 3/4 cup of the filling and roll up burrito style (Figure 14-3 shows you how to wrap a burrito). Top each burrito with mashed avocados and homemade Tofu Sour Cream, if desired.
Tip: Using brown rice adds extra nutrition points to this dish.
Per serving: Calories 405 (From Fat 93); Fat 10g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 559mg; Carbohydrate 62g; Dietary Fiber 6g; Protein 15g.
Figure 14-1: Coring and seeding a pepper.
Baked Black Bean Burgers
Burgers are good — and vegan bean burgers are the best! You can serve them alongside traditional burger toppings to your loved ones for a fun Friday night dinner