10.24.2009

vegan mofo: beans and greens.

Yay! Keep those entries coming! If you haven't entered, please do!

Part of the reason I wanted to participate in the mofo is because our food budget is out of control. It is not uncommon for us to go to the grocery store for one meal's worth of ingredients and end up spending $40. Do that a few times a week, and it just is way too much money. Or we just get tired and lazy and end up eating out. I mean, Soul Vegetarian is literally right around the corner. Closer than the grocery store. How can you resist that?

So I figured doing the mofo would be a great way to force myself to cook everyday. And surprisingly enough, I pretty much have. I think I went out to eat only once so far this month. Sure, I haven't posted as much as I was planning, but that's okay. I really just wanted to get back into cooking.

When I first became vegan, I made EVERYTHING from scratch. Granola, bread, vegetable broth. I didn't eat any processed foods. And then I discovered that lots of processed foods are vegan. And I became a bit of a junk food vegan.

I know that eating whole foods is better for me. I feel the difference when I eat loads of crap versus a nutritionally-packed meal. None the less. Convenience often reigns. I could stand to lose SEVERAL pounds. So it is time for me to clean it up a bit.

Here is a delicious and nutritious and quick meal (and cheap!) meal that I made for lunch:


Kale + white beans + shallots + splashed with hot sauce.

5 comments:

Grammatically Delicious Designs said...

Stop by my blog and look for the post on my daughter's birthday. I made our favorite tortilla soup that can easily be made vegan and is a family favorite even in a household of meat eaters!

Danielle

shannonmarie said...

Looks yummy, simple and economical. I usually make most of what I eat, and to keep expenses under control, I purchase produce and other ingredients based on what's in season, on sale, etc. Then, I whip up meals using what I have on hand. It is so much cheaper than following recipes.

Gina said...

Isn't kale great! You've made a truly healthy and delicious combo.

I'm still a do it from scratch. Since we invested in a soy milk maker it's so quick and easy to have fresh milk and tofu which is a cost saver as well as tastes so good. I've been making veggie burgers with the okara leftover which saves on buying frozen burgers (a staple for my husband). The okara is also great in making granola cereal or in baking.

jeanette said...

I'm trying to return to making everything from scratch. I'm kicking myself for giving away a soymilk maker a few years ago, because I never used it.

What is okara?

If anything, the vegan mofo has introduced me to many new recipes and ideas and blogs for continued food inspiration/education.

Gina said...

Okara is the pulp that is left over when making soy milk. I use our soymilk maker every other day so have lots of okara to use! You'll love it if you get another maker.

Your samosas look great! I have that cookbook so will try out her recipe.