Just Another Pantry Meal ..

So I'm not sure what is considered a "budget meal" or even "pantry meal" with everything going on.
I have no idea what anyone has access to, but this is what I had access to.

I found this awesome box of pasta at the Dollar Tree. It's a pound and a half of pasta! For $1! Is that a deal or what? I think Aldi had a 2 lb box of spaghetti for around $2 if I remember correctly.

I had some broccoli in the fridge that needed to be used up.
I had a little bit of this mac n cheese powder mix that is from ItDoesn'tTasteLikeChicken.
I cooked up some pasta, added vegan butter to the pasta and the rest of the mac n cheese powder. I used some water and broth bouillon to finish up the sauce.

I air fried the broccoli. It was amazing.
I cut it up and tossed it in some oil with garlic salt and black pepper to taste.

I air fried it at 380°F for about 12 minutes and got CRISPY.
I'd probably go for about 10 minutes next time, but it was still really good.

- theⓋegan Hooker

CO-Blog? Update

This post is going to be a little bit more "chatty". Sorry if you aren't into that sort of thing..I'm not usually either. It really all depends on my mood.

But how is everyone doing with this self isolation/social distancing?

What the heck 2020?!

It has really disrupted my normal food shop.
I'm more or less a homebody, so I'm not complaining too much about having to stay inside more.
I do realize now, though, how often we come and go as we please.
I also took for granted how free we were to spend on what we wanted and could take what we would like to stock up on. Also how available everything was.

Limiting our quantities - I'm totally okay with. I totally get it. It just makes me realize how much we actually buy normally.

I can say we have more than enough food now.
I've been watching a lot of videos on YouTube where people meal prep or stock their pantries and freezers. I just find it fascinating. Not many of them are vegan or plant based meals, but I still watch for inspiration. I could easily veganize recipes. No problem.

I wish there were more vegan ones though.
In a time like this, it would be very appreciated.
I could do them myself, but I'm not that talented with a camera and making videos.

But after all of this I really can say that I'd like to organize my pantry more and maybe create a basement type of stock/pantry.

IP Corn Chowder

I won't bore you with my excitement, but I will say that I finally have had a successful
Instant Pot meal!

Short story shorter, I tried chili once and got the burn message twice.
Only stuck to making rice in it until I decided to make this corn chowder.

It is a mash up of a couple of recipes on YouTube - most of the inspiration coming from High Carb Hannah.

Here is my short blurb before I tell you the ingredients...

Prior to this virus I decided to do more cooking from my pantry.
I took inventory of everything I had on hand before going shopping.
Then I studied my lists and searched a few recipes using up corn (I had loads of it frozen and canned).

That is where this recipe came up.

I also decided to make homemade tortillas. That was probably my favorite part. I love carbs.

*Note that I have a 6 qt Instant pot. Amounts used are probably best in the 6 qt or larger. I'm not sure about the smaller ones.

*Note again: When I say "regular can" I mean the normal, what 14-15 oz can? I quickly wrote this all down as I was making it up and I didn't write down sizes. I also didn't take any other photos aside from the end result because I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Sorry.

What you'll need:

• 6 small potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled - I used russets)
• 1 regular can of fire roasted corn
• 1 regular can of corn (reserved for the end)
• 1 regular can Salsa ready tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen onions, diced (you can use fresh if you have it - just a quick little budget/time hack)
• 12 oz bag of frozen corn
• 1 cup of dried red lentils, rinsed
• 3 tsp Thai Red curry paste, adjust to your taste
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups veggie broth
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 can of coconut milk, I used full fat

Instructions:

1. In your Instant Pot add in your diced potatoes, diced onion, 1 can of corn, bag of frozen corn, lentils, curry paste, spices, coconut milk and broth. 
2. Stir.
3. Add in the can of tomatoes on top. DO NOT STIR (I'm just not very confident yet lol).
4. Hit Manual or Pressure button for 8 minutes on high pressure.
5. Natural release for 5 minutes then quick release.
6. Blend if you'd like. I did and then added in the last can of corn for texture (honestly I feel I blended too much). If you don't care to blend then feel free to add all of the corn prior to cooking. It really doesn't take long to heat up if you add it at the end.
7. Adjust spices at the end - like salt and pepper.

If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can just add everything into a large pot, simmer until the potatoes are cooked and either blend or serve with tortillas or rice.

- theⓋegan Hooker

WhAt iS FoOd PrEp?!

I don't really "meal prep" in a way that gives me meals for each meal of the day.
I don't really "blog" either. 😂

If I make something for dinner I usually, by default, make more than enough for all 3 of us.
I grew up helping out in the kitchen and cooking for a family of 4. We almost always had leftovers.

So from there when I lived on my own I was still cooking meals big enough for a family and had a hard time making enough for one person.

I still do. Even though I'm cooking for more people, I can still over do it.
I do my best sometimes to turn leftovers into something new or eat the same meal a couple of days in a row. But more often than not, if I'm not tossing it in the trash, I'm tossing it into the freezer.

In my mind I think "I'll use this later on". Or, "I'm saving waste and freezing it."
But the reality is that I let it sit in the freezer for months and clean everything out and throw it away.
So in the end it was a waste of a container and freezer space.

But like many people, I am ALWAYS trying new recipes.
I'm trying new ways to make old recipes.
I'm trying new ways to revamp leftovers, too.

So if I am making something that serves rice on the side, I'll make an extra cup or 2 of rice and save the rest for a quick fried rice/stir fry with some frozen veggies, spices, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce (those are my favorites).

If I have something like chili for example, I might eat it with rice or corn bread.
I have put it on baked potatoes and sweet potatoes.
I've put it on fries with vegan cheese.
The most recent one, I've added macaroni pasta to it and a little extra water/broth and made chili mac. 💣 😋

Heck, you could probably drain a little of the liquid and mix it in to a tofu scramble or turn it into some kind of breakfast hash. 😋

But basically, what I wanna say is this: I want to save more and waste less.
I know I won't be perfect any percent of the time, but I do want to use up meals that I have prepared in the freezer.

Beause the crazy part of it all is that I can EASILY use up already frozen convenience foods that I BUY in the store. Yet I can't use up the meals I made and froze.
And another crazy thing is that I can use up fruits and chopped veggies that I froze myself before I use up COMPLETED MEALS (such as chili, soups..that sort of thing).

🤯

So what I would like to do is make posts every once in a while about ways I was able to meal prep. Maybe it will inspire to make a little extra in the kitchen.

You don't have to set aside one day a week to prep a BUNCH of meals (unless you want to and have the time to do that).

Maybe decide on which meal you have the hardest planning or finding something to eat.
Is it breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Then bulk prep a few days worth of just the one meal.
Or maybe just snacks? Pop some popcorn, make granola bars or muffins or baggies filled with smoothie contents and just add your liquid.

Let's inspire each other and work on wasting less food!
And if you end up with more than you need, share with family or friends!
I've given away bowls of frozen chili to family before.

😉

Said Chili Mac from leftover Chili

- theⓋegan Hooker

Goodbye 2019! Hello 2020!

It has been a WHILE. How are ya?!
Has this last year treated you well?

Have you treated yourself well?
Do you have goals for the new year?

I have goals. We have goals.
I have goals with my husband.
I have goals with my good friend.
-BOTH- goals are related to health, plant-based foods, and wellness.

I'm not trying to perfect anything.
If anything I want to improve on things.
Maybe make some more substitutions in my daily life.
               Some food related and some not food related.

I hope that on this journey I can share with you some of my substitutions and our favorite vegan products.

If you are looking for support then definitely look into joining our Facebook group! My friend started one, Vegan Athletes in progress. It is a place where you can start your journey, ask questions, share progress or post recipes and meals.

Also if you'd like to take the Vegan pledge then head on over to Veganuary.com and pledge to try vegan for the 31 days of January!

- theⓋegan Hooker

Broccoli Cheez Soup

So last night I had a hard time falling back to sleep.

I was thinking about all of the broccoli I had in my fridge.

I decided to check out Pinterest and look up broccoli cheese soup recipes.

I mashed a few I saw and came up with this.

Even my picky 5 year old had 2 bowls!

Sorry I didn't get the best photos this time.



Here is what I used:

• 4.5 c broccoli, chopped into florets
• 1 onion, diced
  3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6.5 c water (or half water/half broth, or all broth)
  1 tbsp bouillon paste/2 cubes
• 1 large white potato, *peeled and diced *if Russet (or 2 medium, or 3-4 small. Peeling optional if using Golden potatoes)
  1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced or shredded (6-8 baby carrots)
  1.5 cups plant milk (unsweetened and unflavored)
• 1/2 cup raw cashews, boiled or soaked until softened
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
  1/2 tsp celery salt

Optional, 1/2 cup vegan cheddar shreds

Oil or additional water to saute

Here is what I did:

1. Soak or boil cashews.
2. Chop onion, garlic, celery, carrot and saute starting with the onion then add the veggies in after 1-2 minutes in between (but give garlic less than 1 minute).
3. Prepare broccoli and potatoes.
   - Add them to the veggies.
4. Add seasonings.
5. Add liquids and bouillon if using it.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
8. Blend half with cashews in a blender (or in batches if you want all of your soup smooth).
   Or use immersion blender to blend soup. Blend cashews with a little bit of water until smooth and add to the soup. (3/4 to 1 cup water)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Hope you enjoy!

- theⓋegan Hooker

Vegan Alfredo

Hello Friends!

I'm going to be honest. I didn't have many ingredients on hand. 

I had to think really hard about what I had and what I could put together.

I came up with this random alfredo.

Everyone seems to love it!

It is really easy to swap ingredients or add more of something depending on your preference.

Here is what I used... 

• 5 cloves of garlic - peeled 
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup frozen cauliflower - defrosted
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp dried chives
• 1/4 tsp dried italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tbsp cashew parm
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp almondmilk, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• Half a bag of chickn strips (Aldi brand, optional)
• 1 Fieldroast Apple Sage sausage, crumbled
• 2.5 cups chopped frozen kale
• 1 package of Follow Your Heart mozz slices (or melty vegan cheese of your choice) - I had 8 slices left in my package.
• 4 fresh basil leaves, cut with kitchen scissors - at the end (optional)
• 1 box of pasta (I used small shells)

Here is what I did...

1. Sautee the diced onion in oil with some salt and pepper on medium heat. (1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt)
2. Roast 5 cloves of peele garlic in foil with tsp oil + salt and pepper for 20 minutes @ 350℉
3. Boil water for pasta.
4. After 15 minutes turn heat to low. Add in the herbs (parsley, chives, italian seasoning, oregano, thyme). Turn off heat.
5. Cook pasta. Drain when cooked.
6. Add garlic, onions, cashew parm, nutritional yeast and almondmilk to a blender.
7. Add to a pot and add in the vegan cheese. Add in veggie broth. Whisk until melted.
8. Crumble 1 Apple Sage Fieldroast sausage and add to a pan with half of a bag of the chickn strips from Aldi. Sautee. Add in the kale and put on a lid for it to wilt.
9. Combine the vegan meats + kale to the sauce and stir in the cooked noodles.
10. Add in the fresh basil and top with more cashew parm and pepper to taste.

Bonus Recipe:

Cashew Parm-

• 1/2 cup raw cashews (or sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 to 2 tsp salt (to taste)

Blend in a blender or food processor until it is nice and crumbly like powdered parmesan.

Hope you enjoy!

- theⓋegan Hooker