Vegan shepherd's pie

I got the idea to make this from a vegan meal kit I bought from Greenling, a local, organic food delivery service. They have a few vegan meal kits you can order that are delicious and easy, and the ingredients are pre-measured and ready to go. I made this one from scratch, but I used similar ingredients.

First, I made basic mashed potatoes by boiling four russet potatoes. I cut the potatoes in half-inch cubes, combined them in a large pot with chopped garlic and fresh rosemary, and covered them with water. I boiled the potatoes for about 20 minutes, and then I mashed them with a fork and added a little sea salt and some of the cooking water as needed.

While the potatoes were boiling, I heated a little oil and some garlic in a skillet. I added chopped onion, sliced mushrooms and fresh green beans (cut into one-inch pieces). Once the veggies were tender, I added a drained can of lentils and a can of plain tomato sauce. I added some Italian seasoning to the mixture and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes. 

To make the pie itself, I added the mushroom/green bean/lentil mixture to a large casserole dish and covered it evenly with the mashed potatoes. Then, I baked it for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, 30 minutes covered with foil and 15 minutes uncovered (allow potatoes to brown).

I like to make it ahead of time or let it sit for a while, not only to cool down but to allow it to solidify a little. Then, just cut it in sections and serve!

www.greenling.com

Asian broccoli bake

I buy a lot of broccoli each week because I love it, and also it's very versatile and yummy. One of the most delicious things I've made with broccoli is this Asian style bake, which would make a good side item or a meal in itself.

First, I mixed fresh broccoli florets with garlic infused sesame oil, spicy red pepper paste and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Then I put it in a dish with green onions, cashews and sesame seeds and drizzled it with a little soy sauce and some more garlic sesame oil. I baked it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (I just watched it and took it out when the broccoli reached my desired level of tenderness), and voila! An easy broccoli dish that you can just throw together and bake!

Spaghetti squash with "meatballs" and broccoli

For my second time cooking with spaghetti squash, I decided to make a healthier, vegan version of a very simple and satisfying dish: spaghetti and meatballs with broccoli on the side. This is a cheap dinner that I ate frequently during my days as a poor college student, and it is definitely one of my comfort foods.

I baked the spaghetti squash the same way I did last time - slice in half lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and bake cut side down on a foiled cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (then scoop it away from the skin with a fork).

For the pasta sauce, I started by sautéing chopped garlic in grapeseed oil and adding chopped onion and frozen vegan meatballs. I used 365 brand (from Whole Foods), and I sautéed them for about 15 minutes until they were browned. Homemade vegan meatballs would have been delicious, but for the sake of time I used frozen. Keep in mind that they are not gluten free, but you could certainly find an alternative and make a delicious gluten-free "pasta."

Once the meatballs began to brown, I added plain tomato sauce, more garlic, Italian seasoning and basil. I like keeping my pasta sauce simple and cheap by using the plain, canned tomato sauce and adding my own seasoning (this also limits the sugar, which seems to find its way into a lot of pasta sauces).

After allowing that to simmer for about five minutes, I scooped squash on my plate, topped it with the sauce/meatballs and added simple, steamed broccoli on the side (I just sprinkled it with a little lemon juice and sea salt). I topped the dish with some Parma! vegan Parmesan and cracked black pepper. Bellissimo!

Mexican bean soup with lime

I really, really love soup. It's so easy to make, and you can just throw in whatever you like or whatever you have, add some broth and spices and you'll have a delicious, satisfying one-pot meal!

For my Mexican bean soup with lime, I started by sautéing chopped garlic, onion and jalapeño with a bit of oil in a soup pot. Once the onions started to soften, I added some frozen roasted corn and some mushroom slices and cooked until the mushrooms started to turn dark in color and the corn was thawed.

Next, I added one drained can each of black beans and pinto beans, as well as two undrained cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis. Next came the spices, which I throw in liberally. I used cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric, onion powder and a pinch of jalapeño salt. I stirred the mixture to distribute the spices before adding lime juice and a carton of vegetable broth and allowing the soup to simmer for 45 minutes.

To serve, I topped this soup with avocado, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and several squeezes of fresh lime. It was spicy, flavorful and filling, just like I like it!

BBQ tempeh lettuce wraps

I am slightly obsessed with lettuce wraps, and I enjoy creating new variations. I usually make a traditional Asian-style wrap, but tonight I tried a BBQ version.

I based this off of a recipe for BBQ tacos, and I thought it might be interesting with a lettuce cup instead of a tortilla.

These are very easy to make. I sautéed cubed tempeh in a little grapeseed oil until it started to brown, then I added chopped onions and a little diced jalapeño. Once the onions were soft, I added a drained can of kidney beans and the BBQ sauce and let that simmer until the sauce was no longer runny. For this dish I prefer a sweeter  BBQ sauce, and I recommend OrganicVille's Tangy BBQ Sauce with agave nectar (I get it at Whole Foods). 

While that was cooking, I washed my lettuce cups. I used the hydroponic bibb lettuce you can buy with the roots still attached (usually comes in a plastic container). 

To serve, I put the tempeh/bean mixture in a bowl with a heaping spoonful of pico de gallo on top and set it on a plate with the lettuce cups. Then, all I had to do was grab a lettuce cup and load it up with a scoop of the mixture! Bon appetit!

What to Order: Bouldin Creek Cafe

One of my favorites here in Austin is the vegetarian/vegan Bouldin Creek Cafe. This laid-back place is amazingly delicious for brunch, or at any time of the day for that matter. I particularly like it in the morning after a long run. 

I recommend the tamale breakfast with tofu scramble instead of eggs. They have one of the best tofu scrambles I've ever tried, and the sweet potato/pecan tamales are yummy and filling. Be sure to order blueberry cornbread on the side!

Bouldin Creek Cafe

1900 S 1st St, Austin, TX

Leftover stir fry

Usually once a week I stare into an empty refrigerator and wonder what I'm going to cook for dinner. My solution is often a stir fry using whatever I happen to have left before we make our weekly trip to the grocery store.

For this stir fry, I used cauliflower leftover from my curry dish, white onion, green onion, cashews, and some asparagus my husband had in the freezer. I sautéed it until the veggies were soft, and then I added ground chili paste to taste (spicy!) and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. I topped it with a little soy sauce before eating.

I am obsessed with stir fries because of their simplicity and versatility. I sometimes buy stir fry sauce when I want to change things up, but I generally prefer adding just chili paste or red pepper flakes, Bragg's and soy sauce. 

Curry cauliflower and chickpeas

I don't have much experience cooking Indian food, unfortunately, but I do love curry. I usually make very simple curry dishes. Sometimes I buy vegan curry sauce that already has all the yummy spices and coconut milk, etc., but I usually just create my own dish with curry powder and vegetables I have on hand.

I made this dish with cauliflower, chickpeas, chopped white onion and diced tomatoes. I sautéed the cauliflower by itself for a while before adding the other ingredients, and then I added liberal amounts of curry powder, red pepper flakes (I like it spicy), turmeric and paprika.

I like to serve it with fresh cilantro and lime. Super easy!

What to Order: El Borracho

My husband and I were recently in Seattle, and we loved a Mexican food restaurant called El Borracho that we visited near Pike's Place Market. 

We went twice, the first time recovering inside at the bar after an exhausting trek through the crowded market. The second time we sat out front in the covered sidewalk dining area on a pleasantly drizzly afternoon. 

The restaurant isn't purely vegan, but they have a number of great vegan options.

I recommend the vegan quesadillas with soyrizo and potatoes. YUM! They bring it with vegan sour cream on the side. Top it off with some hot sauce from their salsa bar and pair it with one of their tasty margaritas and you're set!

El Borracho

1521 1st Ave, Seattle, WA

Spaghetti squash with chickpeas and kale

I can't believe I just started cooking with spaghetti squash! It is SO delicious and versatile.

I'm not completely gluten-free, but I don't eat much of it. My mom is sensitive to gluten, as is one of my good friends, so I take gluten into consideration. I think that spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta!

I will say that cutting the squash open nearly required a chainsaw, so use a super sharp knife. It's on par with cutting into a pumpkin, in my opinion.

I sliced the squash in half lengthwise and removed the seeds/pulp. I set the seeds to the side so that I could bake them (like you would pumpkin seeds - easy) I drizzled each squash half with olive oil and baked them cut side down on a foiled cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. They came out perfect.

While the squash halves were baking, I sautéed chickpeas, kale and onion slices with garlic and red pepper flakes. I also added a little lemon zest, salt and pepper.

When the squash was done, I used a fork to scoop out the strands, which look like thin pasta. I scooped it into a big bowl and mixed it with the chickpea/kale concoction. I added lots of cracked black pepper and drizzled it with fresh lemon juice. I also sprinkled some of the baked squash seeds on top for crunch.

I look forward to experimenting with spaghetti squash in the future! Think of the possibilities... 

Hello!

Hi everyone,

My name is Emily, and I'm vegan. I've been vegan since early 2012. 

I like to think I have a very open mind, and I've tried a lot of different ways of eating up to this point: standard American diet, Mediterranean diet, pescatarian, vegetarian, etc.

To the shock of my parents and relatives, I started my vegetarian journey in 1997 at the wise, old age of 12. I credit my decision to a project I did in 6th grade on animal rights. There the facts were, on my family's 1990s MAC signed in through an old-school AOL account. I stumbled across a video about chicken factory farming that I will never unsee. I made the decision to quit meat cold turkey, and it changed me forever.

Around 2007 I made a brief foray into eating fish and white meat again on the advice of a doctor while trying to get to the bottom of a medical issue that ultimately turned out to be thyroid related. I continued with a pescatarian diet for a while, not really enjoying it but mostly just shoveling it into my mouth and swallowing before my brain caught up to me.

In 2010 I started volunteering heavily with the local humane society in my area. And I had a "What am I doing?" moment. How can I work so hard to save these animals while supporting the death of others with my diet? So, back to a vegetarian diet I went. 

What I learned is that in my attempt to find and make vegetarian alternatives, I was eating a lot of cheese and eggs. My doctor confirmed that as only a 20-something, I already had borderline high cholesterol. With each passing year I've also had progressively bad stomach issues after eating dairy. In January of 2012 I read The Kind Life by Alicia Silverstone, and it opened my eyes to the cruelty of the dairy and egg industries, which I had been trying to avoid thinking about for years. I decided to make the plunge to vegan, and I've never looked back. On a side note, my cholesterol is back in normal range, and I very, very rarely have stomach issues at all.

I decided to start this blog because I get the question "So, what do you eat?" frequently when the topic of my veganism comes up. I also have a constant desire to post what I'm eating on Instagram. I know many people do that as well, but I really want to show people that vegan food is SO good! I want to open minds and maybe inspire someone to eat something they normally wouldn't.

Please note that I am not an avid recipe follower. I use recipes primarily to get ideas or to find out what temperature the oven should be, but I rarely measure (unless I'm baking). I like to get creative, experiment and add things to my taste. I love flavorful food, and the spicier the better! 

Please also consider that vegans are not perfect. I'm sure I have accidentally eaten non-vegan items at times along the way, because dairy seems to find its way into everything. All I can do is educate myself and do my best, thus I try to cook most of my own meals and limit my restaurant visits ( unless it's a vegan/vegetarian restaurant with a true understanding of my diet).

I hope you enjoy seeing the vegan meals I make.... And who knows, maybe it will inspire you to cook a meatless meal of your own!

Emily