Meal Plan Update

Last week, I tried out some new recipes with my first week of meal planning. If you didn't catch the first post, here's another look at the past week's menu:

 

 

Here are some reviews of a few of the recipes I tried:

Mexican Chorizo 

The Mexican Chorizo recipe that I made last Thursday was another Happy Herbivore hit! Her Chorizo recipe uses quinoa, which is pretty awesome. I ate the quinoa chorizo with leftover corn tortillas from Wednesday's taco night, Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, Daiya shredded cheese, and some romaine lettuce. I'll definitely be adding this to my cooking repertoire. It's super simple to make and another way to make quinoa delicious.

Cornbread and Baked Beans

I don't have any pictures of the Happy Herbivore cornbread and baked beans that I made last week because they were that good. We demolished them! The baked beans were amazing, and much better than any baked beans that I've ever had before (probably because they were not canned). Also, the cornbread was moist and delicious, and the first time that I've tasted good vegan cornbread. It was very quick and easy to make, and I plan to make it again several times in the near future!

 Cheezy Shells and Broccoli 

 Whole Wheat Shells
 

 Cheezy Sauce
 

 Pre-Cheeze Sauce 

 Close-up of Cheezed Shells

 

 Finished Cheezy Shells & Broccoli

This recipe of Easy Cheezy Shells and Broccoli came from Vegan Comfort Foods from Around the World By: Veronica Grace  AKA Low Fat Vegan Chef. I've made this recipe before, but the first time I didn't have all of the ingredients to make the cheese sauce, so I just mixed some of them with a processed vegan cheese. This time I followed the directions.

 

I think this recipe is pretty good, but I would not recommend it for your omnivore friends and family. My omnivore husband was not a fan. It doesn't exactly taste like cheese, but it is a good sauce. The sauce doesn't have any added fat, so if you want to add a little bit of oil or vegan margarine to the sauce for a more creamy taste, I say go for it. I'm trying to be healthy and lose weight. So I only added a little extra paprika and chili powder.

 

In conclusion, the first week of meal plans went really well! I'm currently working my way through week 2 of Meal Planning, and I'll try to post an update on some of the new recipes I tried out sometime this weekend.

My Very First Tofu Scramble!

Yes, I've been eating (99.5%) vegan for about 2 1/2 months now (and vegetarian for about 3 years), but I have never attempted to make a tofu scramble.  Shame on me!

Well, here is my first attempt.  It was pretty scrumptious if I do say so myself.  Next time, I would probably use more tofu (only had less than half a pack leftover) and probably not use the pre-cubed kind, but all in all, I have to say that it turned out well.

Tofu Scramble

Ingredients:

1 pack extra firm Tofu (Don't use pre-cubed because it will not scramble as well.)
About 1/3-1/2 of a head of broccoli (chopped into bite size florets and pieces)
2-3 bell peppers (I used red, yellow & orange for more color and flavor variety.)
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1/2 tbsp. (or more to taste) of Soy Sauce, Tamari (gluten-free option) or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1-2 tsp. of Vinegar, depending on your preference
*I don't usually measure my spices when I cook, I just shake liberally to taste.  So I've put them in order of amount used from most to least.*
Cumin
Turmeric
Nutritional Yeast
Chili powder (or crushed red pepper)
Garlic powder**

**If you want to chop up some actual garlic cloves or add some onions, I'm all for it, but this morning I was going for ease in preparation.


Spices and ingredients I used.  (No penguins were harmed in the making of this scramble!)

First, chop up all of your veggies into bite-size pieces, just like you're doing a stir fry.  Add 1 tbsp. of the olive oil to a large skillet or saucepan.  Heat to medium and add all of the chopped broccoli and bell peppers.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring regularly.  Season with some cumin and turmeric.

Turn the heat to medium-low and add remaining tbsp. of olive oil.  Push the veggies to one side and add the tofu to the other side of the skillet.  Use a spatula to break apart the tofu into little pieces. Mix the tofu and veggies back together.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes.  Then add soy sauce, vinegar, and the rest of the spices.  Feel free to add more cumin and turmeric if you like.

This recipe feeds 2, but if there is only one of you, the leftovers would also be really good wrapped up in a tortilla for an easy lunch or dinner.  Maybe add some hot sauce, Tofutti Better than Sour Cream, and/or vegan shredded "cheddar" to make it seem more like a taco/burrito.