This cheese is 'meh'. I mixed it in with cauliflower and it was "a'ight". By itself? Oh honey no. I am reading rave reviews about a particular brand of vegan cheese, so once I track it down I will let you all know. This however is found at your grocery store so in a pich (and mixed with other shit) it will be fine,
Also its a matter of lifestyle/convience. Do you buy your beans in cans, for example-or do you buy bulk? Do you buy all your veggies fresh or frozen?
Shown: veggies, veggie burgers. And yes, it's ok to have a few 'for eaze'. Amy's line is perfect for this.
Not a huge fan of tofu. I rarely use it. But I was hungry after shopping and needed something quick. This is stuffed with veggies, and the tofu really didnt taste tofuy. More like eggs. Im also not usually a big fan of wraps, but this wrap actually tasted more like a tamale. It was a bit pricy-2.99- but then again, so's an Egg McMuffin these days. All told this was filling, vegan and took 2 minutes to heat. And OMG IT'S GLUTEN FREE, FUCKING A!!!!!! (insert eye rolling sarcasticon here)
Well.......both. To answer do I use dried.fresh/frozen/canned. I stock up on the dried goods when they are on sale. If I plan out a dish ahead of time,
then soaking the beans or boiling the rice is not an issue, and if you use a slow cooker or pressure cooker-even better. I prefer my veggies fresh and in the summer local, however I am one of those 'produce goes bad before I use' peeps. Well-was.
*hard to take pic with bad hand sorry
I invested in a few produce keeper Tupperware thingy, and they really do work. There are also green bags, these produce fresh balls you can get at places like Bed Bath and Beyond that go into the fridge drawers, or if you're really into it=vacuum seal.
What a producer keeper looks like
Produce Bags
Give your produce balls
You can also buy fresh and blanch and freeze your own fruits and veggies. But I like both. Nutritionally frozen is superior to canned veggies, which have been boiled and the nutrients boiled out, and with too much salt (even if it says low salt). Some cans are ok, such as tomatoes (watch for sugars and oils though) and a can of corn in a pinch. I also tend to buy 'exotic' things in a can, like Mandarin oranges for my beet salad (and I'll sometimes cheat and buy canned beets), and baby corn and artichoke hearts. Things like that-bamboo shoots, water chestnuts-that's fine for cans.
Otherwise, I keep a freezer of veggies handy and a stock of canned beans, along with a bowl of rice or quinoa cooked up in the fridge. I do this because let's face it; Sometimes we feel freaking tired. We are sick, run down, worked overtime, a crisis happens, the kids need stuff, the spouse is off work-whatever. Shit happens. And in those times, its all too easy to just say 'Fuck it' and go thru a drive-thru or order a pizza. There's no need to do this however, because you'll be prepared. I spend a couple hours on Sat or Sun and I get ready for the week.
I chop some veggies, I make some kale chips, and I've started making my own veggie broth (more on this below.) I make the rice or grain to keep during the week. Ive got herbs in the produce keepers and beans and canned veggies on standby. I've also frozen left.overs and batches of things as I've made, so on those burnt-out nights I can grab my own 'frozen dinner'. This works with making lunches to take to work (I'll be doing a whole post on that) and also to throw different kinds of salads together.
Buying in bulk helps greatly and that's including bags of onions, potatoes, apples and just keeping them in a cool, dry place. Spices too, keep indefinitely if you dont store in the direct window light or near a heat source.
Speaking of spices-I grow many herbs-indoors. In the city. My little kitchen urban garden of basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, etc. I use these so much that it made sense to grow my own. You can get a kit even at the Wal-Mart for like 10.00 to start, or you can buy the potted herbs-often right at the grocery store in produce section and just re-pot. Each pot really starts out being around 5.00 and you save so much money..Bonus, even food stamps will cover potted herbs. No shit.
So, back to the produce wasting. I really try and make a meal plan for the week so for no other reason I dont over buy produce and it goes bad. Im fortunate enough to live near a market so going every other day is ok for me, but many peeps can only do a weekly trip. So get solely what you;ll need for your specific meals. Though as stated, you can freeze (including your fresh herbs.)
I've learned that commercial veggie broths often have added oils salts and sugars, so I make my own. I use whatever I cut off of whatever I'm making. I take carrot ends and pepper caps and onion bottoms-all the veggie 'waste' and store in a big baggie. At the end of the week, I put it all in a pot, add water and simmer for hours. I only lightly salt it as I dont want it highly seasoned since I use it in many different dishes and dont want it adulterating the recipes. I then store it in my fridge in a glass pitcher (after straining the broth thru a colander) and use it to cook rice, saute, add to this and that-basically as an oil substitute. (You can also use Nature Made, Mrs. Dash or salt-free seasoning of your choice if you are avoiding all salt.)
Time management is another post, but its really not as hard to make scratch things as you'd think. The irony is that the energy and good health and feelings this lifestyle of eating brings means you find, make, have, enjoy and are not lazy and it all just will fall together. Unlike a fast food drive thru where you have to take the time to double check your order because invariably something is missing and not right and its cold when you get home and yeah ick.
*Sorry for typos, spelling and generally piss-poor writing. I'm still pecking this out with my non-dominant hand as the good arm is still in a cast but I still managed to cook today ;)
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