Tag: protein

Recipes, Uncategorized

Beyond Stew

veganlivingbydanielle

During fall and winter in New England I start to crave a good hearty stew that my dad used to make, but being vegan, I hadn’t been able to have it for years until Beyond Meat® came out with their steak-like product!

I took a stab at making the recipe in a macro-friendly way (basically I cut out the flour used to thicken the broth). I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cups Beyond Steak
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 3 – 4 medium celery stalks, sliced
  • 1/4 cup rice (optional)
  • vegetable broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt & pepper to taste (optional)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a large pan or wok, cover the bottom of the pan with the olive oil.
  2. Add the diced onions to the pan and saute until they are golden and translucent. See image A below.
  3. Add the Beyond Steak and cook until it’s slightly browned. See image B.
  4. Add the chopped vegetables. You can also add the rice at this time if you would like.
  5. Now when you add your broth, add just enough to cover the vegetables so they can cook. If your pan is not large enough for all this plus the broth, you can move the Steak and vegetables to a larger pot and add the broth. See image C.
  6. Add seasonings, cover your pot/pan, and simmer on low heat for about twenty minutes until the vegetables and rice are cooked to your liking.
  7. Remove bay leaves before serving.
  8. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Tips: You can swap the rice for pasta, potatoes, or quinoa as well. Or you can add potatoes AND pasta or rice.

I don’t add salt, but I do add pepper and garlic. Some people like it really salty, but the salt in the broth and in the Beyond Steak is enough for my taste.

If you want to hit certain macros, or keep sodium down, you can substitute part of the broth with water. I don’t recommend substituting the broth with water completely though or you lose a LOT of flavor.

You can portion out the servings for meal prep. You can also store in freezer safe Tupperware if you won’t consume it within the week. Just allow to cool fully before storing in any Tupperware.

Get creative! I’d love to hear what you decided to add, or any tweaks you made in the comments so please share!

A. This is what the onions will look like when you should add in the Beyond Steak
B. This is what the Steak will look like when you should add in the vegetables.
C. Mostly covered vegetable with broth, still cooks fine!
Recipes

Shepherdess Pie

veganlivingbydanielle

I get so many compliments on this dish from vegans and non-vegans alike! I like to veganize this dish to share at potlucks and holiday gatherings. It is a hit time after time! I think it’s pretty simple, I hope you agree.

I Googled “what do you call a vegan Shepherd’s Pie?” and it came up “Mushroom Planter’s Pie” or “Sheperdess Pie” so I chose the latter. The first felt like a mouthful…

If I’m making this to serve for dinner, I use a casserole dish. For potlucks, I use a crockpot.

If you’re using a crockpot, you’ll have to skip steps 6 and 11.

This is allergen friendly too because it’s dairy free, nut free, gluten free, and soy free!* *depending on the “butter” used

Ingredients:

Mashed Potato Topping

  • 3-4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened original oat milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)

“Meat”

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb Beyond Meat
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 8 oz vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies
  • 2 Tbsp flour (sun corn starch to be gluten free)
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:

  1. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover the potatoes with water, and boil until they are soft, about 10-15 min.
  2. While the potatoes are boiling, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
  3. Saute the onions in a large frying pan over medium heat with olive oil. After about 3 min when the onions are golden, add the garlic and Beyond Meat. Turn the burner up to medium-high heat to brown the meat.
  4. While the meat is browning, add the herbs, salt, and pepper.
  5. Once the meat is browned, add the broth and veggies. Then add the flour and nutritional yeast to thicken. Cook for about 5 min until the veggies are no longer frozen, and the sauce has thickened.
  6. If you’re using a casserole dish to serve, move the oven rack toward the top of the oven. Preheat the oven on to broil at 550F.
  7. Drain the water from the cooked potatoes.
  8. Add the butter, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast to the potatoes and mash them up until smooth.
  9. Add the meat and veggie mixture to the dish or crockpot and spread evenly.
  10. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat and veggies evenly.
  11. Put the casserole dish, uncovered, in the oven to cook the top of the dish until the potatoes are golden brown. This should only take about 2 minutes so keep an eye on it!
  12. Top with parsley flakes for garnish, optional.

Enjoy!

Recipes, Uncategorized

Chik’n Parm

veganlivingbydanielle

Dress up your Wheat “Meat” recipe and make a chik’n parm dinner!

It’s super simple and very similar to cooking up chicken or eggplant parm, if you’ve ever done that.

You’ll need flax egg, vegan bread crumbs, frying oil, flour (optional), and sprigs of basil (optional for garnish).

Make a flax egg:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk 1/4 cup flax seed meal with 3/4 cup water.
  • Let stand for 5 minutes for the mixture to become gelatinous.

Prep bread crumbs:

  1. I use 1-2 cups of vegan Italian bread crumbs. I like these bread crumbs from Whole Foods because they’re vegan and already seasoned.
  2. Whatever bread crumbs you use, you can add a bit of flour to the bread crumbs to make them stretch further and last longer.
  3. You can also search through your grocery store’s panko or plain bread crumbs and check the ingredients list that they are free of egg and dairy.
    • You can add Italian seasoning to the plain bread crumbs, 1 tsp Italian seasoning per cup.
    • If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can use 1/4 tsp of oregano, 1/4 tsp of basil, 1/4 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder.
  4. Put the bread crumbs, whichever option you choose, on a plate.

Directions:

  1. Take one slightly cooled piece of Wheat “Meat” and dunk it in the flax egg until it’s evenly coated on both sides.
  2. Take the piece that’s coated in the flax egg and cover in the bread crumbs on both sides.
  3. Put the coated piece on a clean plate.
  4. Repeat until all pieces are coated in flax egg and bread crumbs.
  5. Set frying pan on medium-high heat and add frying oil.
  6. When the pan is warm, put the Wheat “Meat” pieces in the pan.
  7. Cook until one side of the piece is golden brown and flip to cook on the other side. Add more oil if needed.
  8. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
  9. Remove from pan.
  10. Top with warmed red pasta sauce and vegan cheese if desired. I prefer Violife mozzarella and parmesan.
  11. If you are using “meat” that is completely cooled, I recommend baking for 15-20 minutes. You can also bake for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.
  12. Top with a sprig of basil for garnish.

Enjoy!

CH

 

 

Recipes, Uncategorized

Wheat “Meat”

veganlivingbydanielle

My friend and chef, Steve, was kind enough to share this recipe with me and let me share it on my blog here! Thanks Steve! I made some very slight adjustments to the recipe he gave me as he works at ION Restaurant (in Middletown, CT, USA) and designed his recipe to serve the masses!

For this recipe, you need:

  • KitchenAid mixer or something similar with a dough hook (you can also combine by hand in a bowl and knead it if you don’t have a dough hook with a mixer)
  • medium to large saucepan
  • cooking tongs or skimmer
  • rolling pin (I used a cup or my hands before I had a rolling pin, you can improvise!)
  • parchment paper or dough mat
Dough Hook

This recipe is protein rich (20g of protein per 50g wheat “meat” serving, 7g carbs and 6g fat). The first way I made it was as chik’n parm! You could also marinade with vegan BBQ sauce (most are vegan if they don’t have honey) and grill it up! I will expand on directions for prepping the Wheat “Meat” in future posts. I posted the finished product because it’s not very pretty before it’s prepped.

Meal Prep Tips: Freeze unused cutlets either individually or separated into meal-sized portions for the meals you intend to use them for. (The cutlets freeze together and are nearly impossible to separate without breaking or defrosting and you want to avoid refreezing after thawing.) Cool the cutlets you intend to freeze on a baker’s rack or something similar so they cool completely and don’t carry extra moisture/broth. You can package the cutlets individually or in a large freezer safe Tupperware separated by parchment paper. 

High Protein Meal Prep Tips: Double the recipe if you can so you get more out of your time spent on this recipe. Also, consider increasing your portion size to 75g cutlets and the protein becomes 28g per serving (10g carbs and 10g fat). Use a scale to measure your serving size, especially if you track your protein intake.

Prep time: 30-45 minutes; Cook time: 45 minutes

Dough Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
  • 2/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbsp sesame tahini or smooth peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Broth Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:

  1. Combine dough ingredients in the bowl of the mixer.
  2. Mix on speed 2 with dough hook attachment for about 5 minutes or until dough has formed into a ball. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. If you don’t have a mixer, knead by hand until all the dough is mixed thoroughly. A wooden spoon may be useful for this as well. Don’t over knead the dough or it’s harder for the “cutlets” to stay in shape when you’re forming and cooking!
  3. Once the dough is well mixed, shape into smaller pieces.
  4. On a dough mat or parchment paper, roll the pieces out to about 1/2 – 1 inch thickness.
  5. Put water on the stove in the pot on high. Add broth ingredients to the water. Bring water to a boil.
  6. Place the “meat” pieces into the boiling water using the tongs or skimmer. Boil for at least 40-45 minutes. The “meat” will start to flake apart slightly. You can tell if it’s cooked all the way by cutting into it. The middle section looks thicker/ there’s no texture or air bubbles, if it’s not fully cooked. The texture should be consistent throughout.
  7. Remove the “meat” pieces from the water.
  8. Allow them to cool slightly and prep as desired.

Enjoy!

Lifestyle Tips, Uncategorized

Tips for Cooking Beans

veganlivingbydanielle

Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit…

It’s a topic we don’t talk about enough, but there are ways to cook or consume beans to reduce uncomfortable gas. Beans cause gas because they are complex carbs and have sugars (healthy sugars) that cause gas as they break down in our digestive tract.

**Note: This post is not intended to replace a visit to a medical specialist. I am not licensed or certified to give medical advice. This list contains suggestions that I have personally found useful.**

  1. Progressively add beans into your diet so your body can get used to digesting them.
  2. Avoid eating fruit or other sugary foods at least two hours before or after consuming beans. Adding different types of sugars makes digestion harder and produces more gas.
  3. Don’t just drain canned beans, but rinse them thoroughly.
  4. Chew your food slowly. The process of digesting foods begins in your mouth. The more the food is broken down before entering your digestive tract, the less work has to be done by your stomach and intestines, where gas produces.
  5. Don’t have a meal that combines beans and potatoes. Potatoes also have sugars that conflict with the sugars in beans that makes digestion more difficult.
  6. Avoid cooking meals that combine beans with other proteins. Each type of protein requires different enzymes and they don’t play nicely together.
  7. Make sure your meal is made up by 75% veggies to aid digestion.
  8. Be aware of the types of beans you consume. Mung beans, lentils, and peas have high protein, and produce less gas.
  9. Drink herbal tea after your meal. Certain herbs can reduce uncomfortableness associated with gas. Teas with ginger, peppermint, and/or fennel work best. (Try these: Simply Balanced by Target and Traditional Medicinals.)
  10. Consider seeing a specialist.

 

sources:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/diana-herrington/pass-on-the-gas-7-ways-to_b_3080786.html 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228670/