Category Archives: Lunch

TVP “Meat” With Hidden Greens

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After discovering the best Chipotle Dressing/Sauce recipe (from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day), I decided to make Taco Salad! I know, I’ve been on a chipotle kick lately but I’ve made all these things with ONE can of chipotle peppers in adobo and I’m really excited about it.

You can use this “meat” to make anything that calls for taco meat. We love this filling in tacos!

This isn’t my usual loaded Taco Salad but it’s a really delicious one with minimal ingredients, great if you don’t have much time but you need something healthy. I can think of a bunch of additional toppings I could add but this is my quick version.

The “meat” ingredient is TVP – Textured Vegetable Protein.

Texture vegetable protein is a high-fiber, high-protein meat substitute made from soy flour and available in a variety of flavored and unflavored varieties, as well as different sizes, from large chunks to small flakes. It has a shredded chicken texture when cooked.
I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand, you can buy it at Sprouts for about $3 a bag – makes about 2 meals (4 servings each) with lots of leftovers.
** Here’s my Taco Salad “Meat” recipe, you can also use this “meat” for tacos or burritos.
  • 2 cups TVP
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil (optional)
  • 1 package taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning (link to homemade taco seasoning recipe!)
  • 1 bunch of chard – washed and chopped
  • 1.2 – 1 bunch of kale – washed and chopped
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup salsa (I like Costco Kirkland brand the best!)

Preparation:

* In a large skillet, heat the water over medium heat, and add the TVP, stirring well. Allow the TVP to reconstitute for 2-3 minutes.

* Add oil (if you are not using oil, add a few Tbsp of broth) and soy sauce, combine and cook for 30 seconds

* Add chard, kale and taco seasoning, stirring well. Cover and allow to cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring as needed.

* Mix in salsa and remove from heat.

–  My Quick Taco Salad Toppings

I like to use romaine lettuce for my taco salad base, it has a nice crunch to it!

I top most of my mexican dishes with Follow Your Heart cheese – I like the Nacho Cheese flavor the best! It shreds and melts well and tastes awesome!

I also like to use Tofutti brand Sour Supreme – tastes just like real sour cream but much better for you!

Shred the nacho cheese, add to meat and romaine lettuce, top with guacamole and sour cream. Finish it off with Chipotle Dressing/Sauce (the sauce is A MUST!), chips (if you wish, not necessary) and a little salsa (if you like it spicy!) and you have a VERY tasty meal!

My husband and daughter both loved this! This is a great way to hide a few leafy greens for those who refuse to eat them!

** Leftover Alert!

We had the TVP “meat” with all the same toppings in Napa Cabbage Tacos tonight for dinner and it was delicious!

Chipotle Hummus

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I love chipotle chili powder! I like to sprinkle it on my popcorn with wheat germ and a little salt. Anytime I see a recipe with chipotle in it I have to try it. This Chipotle Hummus is from one of my favorite vegan food blogs Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day. She has really delicious recipes and she teaches you how to eat healthy for really cheap by making a few base sauces and using them for other recipes. I pressure cooked a pound of chickpeas (cost me about $1.50) and I used half of them to make this delicious hummus.

My husband loves this hummus! He puts it on sandwiches, tacos and eats it with chips or crackers. I like it with jicama and lime juice or pita chips.

I used a batch of this hummus to make Cheezy Chipotle Broccoli Quinoa Soup (also from Melomeals) which turned out to be an absolutely delicious soup! Tastes like a cheesy broccoli soup with a little chipotle kick! My husband had two bowls and asked if I would save the leftovers for him!

Chipotle Hummus

  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 t Tony’s creole seasoning
  • ¼ t cumin
  • ¼ t coriander
  • 2 c HOT chickpeas (reserve ½ c cooking liquid)
  • 1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 4 T tahini or peanut butter (I used tahini)
  • 2-4 T chickpea cooking liquid as needed or Olive Oil if you aren’t watching  your calories
  • Juice of 2 limes ( around 3 T )
  • ¼ c chopped cilantro (optional)
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Method:

* I blended all the ingredients at once in my VitaMix blender and it turned out great!

* If you don’t have a VitaMix, here’s her food processor instructions:

  1. Pulse garlic and tony’s in food processor until garlic paste is formed
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until totally smooth
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more lime juice if needed.

My New Obsession… Collard Green Wraps!

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I love collard greens almost as much as I love kale. They are awesome for making wraps, I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of stuffings for my daily collard wraps. Right now I’m into my Tempeh Salad mixture, similar to a chicken or tuna salad but without the chicken or fish.

Tempeh Salad Mixture – for sandwiches or wraps

* I cut up 2-8oz blocks of Tempeh (Trader Joe’s Organic Tempeh) into cubes and boil them for about 20 minutes in salted water.

Tempeh Salad Mixture

* I drain these cubes and let them cool a bit. Then I mash them with a potato masher until crumbly

* I add (eyeballing along the way) Veganaise (vegan mayo) – about 1/4 to 1/2 cup

* Green onions, minced – about 6

* Half of a red or yellow bell pepper, diced

* 4 stalks of celery, diced

* About 3-4 Tbsp pickle relish

* 1-2 Tbsp each dijon mustard and spicy brown mustard

* 1 tsp garlic powder

* 2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes or fresh parsley

* Juice of half a lemon or more to taste

* Salt & Pepper to taste

** Add it all together, mix well and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour. Overnight is best, if you can wait that long!

– My hubby and daughter like this between two pieces of toasted wheat bread with sprouts and avocado on top. We keep this in the fridge at all times, I make a batch of it about once a week. This is one of my husbands favorite things to take to the station.

I like to take a large collard green leaf, wash it, dry it and cut off the bottom part of the stem and slice the stem flat on the veiny side of the leaf.

I slather a bunch of Kale Spread on the bottom, slap a sandwich sized amount of the Tempeh Salad Mixture on top of that followed by Daikon Sprouts, Avocado and a little Salt & Pepper. After I finished rolling the green wrap I realized I forgot bean sprouts! I’ll add that next time as well as some leftover blanched asparagus!

Collard Wraps with Tempeh Filling

I’ve noticed that the leaves roll better after sitting in the fridge for a couple days. I’ve been making a few of these at a time, wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing them in the fridge for lunches or snacks on the go.

YUMMY!!!!

Garlic Kale Hummus

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I’m always thinking about how I can make more spreads to go on our veggie sandwiches/wraps. Plain or Red Pepper Hummus is generally our go-to spread but I’m learning to venture out a little. I’m always looking for ways to get more healthy greens into my daily diet so I came up with this “Kale Garlic Sandwich Spread”. (I’ll go into detail about kale soon – all the details you need!)

First I start with one bunch of kale – I like to use Lacinato Kale the most, also called “Black Kale” or “Elephant Kale. There are two other kinds of kale – red and green. The red and green look similar except for the color. They are a little more prickly than the lacinato and provide a little different texture. I used green kale for this recipe because that’s all I had on hand.

I also love garlic… who doesn’t!?!

I threw this little mixture together yesterday and it came out pretty good!

Kale Spread

* 1 bunch of kale – I used green kale

* 4-6 cloves garlic

* Juice of half a lemon

* Splash of bean-cooking liquid (or water)

* 1 can white beans – drained

* Salt & Pepper to taste

I mixed all these ingredients in my food processor until smooth, scraping the sides along the way.

I wonder if my toddler will eat this on pasta or toast with avocado? Hmmm… I”m going to try that tomorrow!

End Result:

Garlic Kale Spread

Tastes Like Cheeze!

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I’ve accumulated a few good fake cheese recipes over the years, some are nut based others are bean/potato based… all are really good! So good that I don’t even miss the real thing! My latest favorite recipe is from one of my favorite vegan food blogs, Healthy Happy Life (a.k.a. The LunchBox Bunch). Kathy, the lady who writes the blog, has a TON of really yummy recipes! Her Fake-Out Cheese Sauce is my daughter’s favorite! It’s a white bean (or cannellini bean) based “cheese” made with either sweet potato or instant mashed potato as a thickener – I prefer the sweet potato base myself. My hubby and I use this recipe when we have “Vegan Nacho Night”.

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Fake-Out Cheese Sauce
vegan, makes 5 cups

3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 can cannellini beans, drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
2-3 Tbsp tamari (replaces added salt)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fine pepper
1 cup mashed sweet potato OR 1/2 cup instant mashed potato (unflavored) + 1/2 cup water – (I’ve used both and I like the sweet potato better!)
*see note below
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance) softened
1-2 Tbsp agave syrup
2 Tbsp tahini (adds a tang to the sauce – just as real cheese would)
Last step: thin out to desired thickness with soy milk, soy creamer or water

Potato note:

* The first go around I used dehydrated potato flakes as a thickener. The white potato flakes are quite bland so they act as a neutral base for the sauce. Silky sauce. Then the next few tries, I used my go-to sweet potato instead. I actually like the sweet potato version better because I gravitate towards sweet dishes. But my husband loved the white potato flake version better. Choose your potato as you wish. Or use a mix of the two.

To Make:

1. Bake your sweet potato – if using that method.
2. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. I used my Vitamix. Blend on low and increase gradually until mixture becomes smooth.
3. You can do a taste test and adjust spices, sweetness. Lastly, thin out the sauce to your desired thickness using soy milk, soy creamer or water. I added in a splash of soy creamer.
4. If serving with pasta, add directly to hot, just drained pasta and the pasta will heat the sauce. Otherwise, you can simmer the sauce on your stove top until ready to be served or used in a recipe. Simmering the sauce is great if using for a cheesy dip or fondue.

I mix it with my homemade pesto and serve it over whole grain noodles for my daughter. She loves it!

Toddler Approved Mac n' Cheeze with Pesto!

I make my own pesto, the recipe is different every time I make it because I just eyeball the ingredients. I use avocado instead of cheese (to add healthy fats to my daughter’s diet) and pine nuts or walnuts depending on how expensive pine nuts are at the time. I’ve used almonds before, I just make sure and blanch them first.

We use pesto on sandwiches and pasta, my hubby is obsessed with veggie sandwiches and loves to slather on a thick layer of it.