What do Vegans Eat?-Salad of Course!

Another very typical scenario when the topic of my vegan-ism is discussed with curious but clueless omnivores...
"You are vegan!? So what does that leave you to eat..... salad?"
This one always confused me. Why do people associate salads with vegetarians? I guess because of all the vegetables...but when I look around there are tons of salads that have meat, dairy,and eggs. Actually try and go somewhere with prepackaged salads like at a super market or fast food joint and pick up a vegan salad. I dare you. They are literally non existent. If you do manage to track down that ever elusive beast it will most likely look like this-
Don't worry guys a vegan would not call this a meal either!

I have heard many vegans say they don't like talking about salads because we don't want to give the wrong impression- that we subsist only on salad. However, I do like salads! I know many omnivores that like salad too! So I want to talk about my favorite salad fixings to make vegan, delicious and nutritious meals very unlike that bland water based concoction seen above.

I try and serve fresh veggies with most meals and one of the easiest ways of course is in the form of a dinner salad. Everyone has heard of that 5 colors a day rule right? Well I like to try and accomplish this as efficiently as possible by creating my five color salad!

(OK the stickers were not on purpose! Someone brought the stickers over the other night)
5 Color Salad

• Spring Mix or Spinach
• Red Cabbage
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Pears

The ingredients don't matter just be creative and try and combine as many colors as possible.

Here it is with the dinner we made that night- Pasta with spicy tahini sauce and baked tofu. My husband added the beer for his contribution.


Another Example? I went in search of an extra tasty salad to bring to an international student potluck and found this treasure. The dressing is literally to die for. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. It is rich, creamy and hearty-like a good salad should be!

OK now lets talk dressings- Many store-bought dressings are not vegan. Many store-bought dressings also contain other not so nice ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and trans fats. My solution to this is to make my own! Here is an easy to make and super simple salad dressing.


(Once again whoops on the stickers!)
Grandma's Dressing-I am sure my version is nothing like Chris's grandmother's recipe. I asked her how to make it and she does not know the ratios or amounts. Grandmas are magical like that. Here is my best shot at it.

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic ( I use a garlic press)
• salt and pepper to taste

I added 1 table spoon of dried Italian herbs. Fresh mint goes really well in this.
Make sure you shake or stir before you serve!

Here is another salad I made along with this lasagna. This one is spinach with a lemon tahini dressing.


Eat your veggies! Golden~

What do Vegans Eat? Brunch, or how I learned to relax and love the scramble

To start off our new blog I am jumping right into one of the reasons to start the blog in the first place! The question we all, as vegans, hear most frequently... "What do you eat?"
I always have a hard time coming up with a succinct and intelligent answer to this--"Food?" Is what I usually blurt out, or defensively--"All kinds of stuff!" It is not really something I can answer in a sentence. So let us answer it in a blog!

Brunch
One of my most favorite meals. Also a meal that is almost synonymous with two ingredients that are definitely NOT vegan. Cheese and eggs...so what in the heck do you eat? I personally love making brunch at home.

Love quiche?
Well I discovered that quiche vegan style is so simple it's criminal! I made an easy and super yummy quiche for a potluck and it went over without a hitch with veggies and omnis alike! The recipe is easy to change around. I made a mushroom and spinach quiche instead of asparagus. I wish had a photo to share. I will get better about it promise!

Like omelets?
I tried out an omelet recipe from my favorite vegan cookbook and it was great! It really cooks up well in the skillet and looks like an omelet and tastes great!

(I need to perfect my food photography skills to say the least)

When I first went vegan the true staple for that Sunday morning brunch was the "Tofu Scramble" I am no cook but I do love to make scrambles so I will share the ingredients I use to make it extra scrumptious. Tofu Scramble is a super easy introduction to the vegan brunch!

Ingredients

• I package firm tofu
• a few Tbsp of olive or sesame oil
• one small onion diced
• 2 (or more!) cloves of garlic minced
• 1 and 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of diced fresh veggies

I am addicted to spices in general so I throw various things in with this like cumin, garlic powder (did I mentioned I LOVE garlic) etc etc but this basic format should start you guys off...
This is a scramble so add some veggies! You can add pretty much anything to this but I recommend spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and carrots.

To Cook

Slice up all of your veggies and drain your tofu. Heat up the oil in a non stick pan. I usually go with a medium high setting. First add the chopped onions. When the onions are soft add tofu. I crumble the tofu in the pan with the back of the spatula. Cook for about 5 min stirring occasionally. When the tofu begins to turn brown add the seasonings. Once stirred in add the veggies and cover and cook until the veggies are soft. Serve with toast, sauteed potatoes, or as a sandwich.

-Golden