Make Your Own Frozen Bean Burgers

Such a healthy and yummy food to keep in your freezer.  Great for busy days.

I made a large batch of my 'cheesy' bean burgers, then separated them on a baking sheet.  I placed them in the freezer for an hour, then dropped them into a freezer bag.  Now, I have healthy bean burgers whenever I want.


I reheat mine in the microwave for about a minute.

Tomato, Corn and Red Onion Salad

Fresh and yummy!  And my husband ate it all!

Toss 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved, with 1/2 cup corn, and 2 tbsp minced red onion.  Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.  Serve either cold or room temp.

A Week in an Hour

So, in this wild stab at not eating entire jars of peanut butter at a time because I DO NOT feel like chopping another veggie...ever... no, really... ever.... I tried something new today. It took an hour, and it was pretty cool. Now vegan lunches and dinners for the next week are in my freezer, my kitchen is cleaned up, and the knives and cutting boards are away... for a week! And I will not be a total food loser like last week.


 

I made a spreadsheet in excel with a list of meal ideas for the next week across the top. On the right, I made a list of every ingredient I needed to make those meals, one per line, then carried it across. At the bottom, I listed the extra items I'll need the day of. I shopped for only what I needed. (Right column. Saving money.) I labelled 10 large plastic bags with the name of the meal on them, and lined them up on the counter. Turned on some tunes and started chopping and dropping each ingredient, one by one into the bags that needed them. Less that an hour later, I had a freezer full of joy.

What can I eat if I'm traveling to France? Help!

I get this question a lot.  Let me try to address it, once and for all, here.


You can buy vegan foods except for vegan cold cuts, vegan cheese, non-dairy coffee creamer, non-dairy sour cream, and non-dairy whipped cream, in the average grocery store.


There are health food stores with better options out there.  My favorite is BioCoop.  (See my post about this.)  They have vegan hot dogs, sliced cold cuts, spreadable cheeses and such.


The French, as a culture, have not heard of veganism (vegetalien), and will think you nuts.  They will be 100 percent certain you are about to drop dead of this nightmare diet of yours, and will argue with you non-stop until they've saved you.  It is better to say that you are a vegetarian (vegetarien).  Then add that you are allergic to eggs and dairy.


I would 'piq-nic' for most of your meals to make sure you are eatting vegan.  You can get gorgeous produce here, and some ready made foods, like hummas, packaged preped quinoa,   olives, and, of course, bread, easily enough.  Some of my favorite vegan packaged foods are listed on my blog as well.


In restaurants, bakeries, etc., good choices include...
Tabole
Pain (French bread)
Salade verte (green salad)
Frite (fries)
Vin (wine!)
Legumes (veggies)
Salade de fruits (fruit salad)
Pomme au four (baked potato)
I'll work on expanding this list as I think of things.


Word to love:
Lait soja (soy milk)
Lait almond (almond milk)
Lait avoine (oat milk)
Tofu
Soja (soy)
Legume (vegetable)
Levure nutritionnelle (nutritional yeast)
100% Vegetal (a label you will see on products showing that they have no animal products in them


Words to avoid:
Lait (milk)
Creme (cream)
Beurre (butter)
Eggs (oeufs)
Yaourt (yogurt)
Miel (honey)
Viande (meat)
Poulet (chicken)
Dinde (turkey)
Volaille (poultry)
Boeuf (beef)
Steak
Lapin (rabbit)
Poisson (fish)
Saumon (Salmon)
Thon (tuna)
Crevette (shrimp)
Homard (lobster)


Feel free to copy this down and carry it with you to show people in restaurants.  It may result in a vegan meal, though I offer you no guarantees.  There is also the small chance you will be asked to leave by an unhappy chef.  It says, "I am a vegetarian.  I am also allergic to dairy products, including milk, butter, cream, cheese, and eggs.  Would you please recommend a meal for me?  Thank you!"


Je suis végétarien. Je suis également allergique aux produits laitiers, comme le lait, le beurre, la crème , le fromage et les œufs. Souhaitez-vous recommander un repas pour moi, s'il vous plaît ? Je vous remercie!


I hope that this helps.  And I really hope you love my adoptive country!  Bon appétit!

"Ham, Egg, and Cheese" Breakfast Sandwich

I toasted 2 slices of my beer bread from yesterday, added some vegan margarine, then scrambled up some cheesy eggs (see previous post) and sauteed vegan ham.  Put it all together for a hearty and messy breakfast.

Some Vegan Cookies (Biscuits) I've found in France

I took the time today to hunt through the 'biscuit' aisle at the local grocery store.  I found that two of my favorites are vegan.

Beer Bread! Super Easy!

I love this!  So easy and great!  The beer acts as the yeast, and there is no kneeding necessary!  Soft center.  Crunchy crust.  Perfect for sandwiches!

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F).  Spray loaf pan with Pam.


Sift together:
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder


Stir in one beer.  Spoon into pan.  Bake 1 hour, or until golden.  Cool on wire rack.

Soft Scrambled "Cheesy Eggs"

I was missing my favorite morning breakfast from before becoming a vegan.  I decided that today was the day to do something about it.  I am so glad I have leftovers for tomorrow!

Blend until smooth:
275 g (10 oz) silkened tofu
1 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup nutritional flakes
2 tsp tahini
3 tbsp flour


Heat skillet.  Add a touch of veggie oil and margarine.  Pour in as much as you'd like (save the rest in the fridge.)  Scramble as you would eggs.  I added a slice of vegan ham to the pan as well.  Eat hot.

English Muffins

Great breakfast!  Found that my favorite whole wheat English muffins are vegan.  Topped with margarine and jam for a filling breakfast.

Triscuits!

Vegan!  I will be doing a lot with these!!!

Baked Sweet Potatoes

So easy, good and good for you!  Just bake sweet potatoes in oven until tender.  Slice open and top with vegan margarine, salt and pepper.

My Rice Cooker

I seriously could not live without this thing.  My brother got me hooked.  Mine is extra big, and has a steamer basket that you can use at the same time you are cooking your rice.  Yep!  Veg and rice, cooked at the same time in one easy step.  And it switches to a warmer setting when it's done cooking.  Hassle free.

Ratatouille by Cassegrain

Vegan!  Score!  Yessssss!