Tag: lentils

Winter comfort food roundup

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Tis the season!

To layer on tons of clothes every time before you go outside.

I’m back in Toronto for the holidays and it’s been a hard transition from California. I almost slipped and fell on ice 2x, my skin is embarrassingly dry, and I resent having to wear 2 layers of pants on some days.

Anyway, now is the perfect time to make comforting meals that make you feel cozy and warm, like getting a hug from the inside.

Here are some healthy, vegan stews and soups that I’ve been making and / or are planning to make this winter:

Quick Beefless Stew (Gardein)

I made this tomato-based stew a few days ago (pictured above). It’s chock full of veggies, beans and flavor and comes together so quickly. I added extra mushrooms and peas and eat it with a side of brown rice.

15 Minute Vegan Kimchi Tofu Stew (Brothers Green Eats)

I haven’t made this yet but I love kimchi (the vegan kind that doesn’t contain fish sauce) and it reminds me of another Korean dish I also love called soondubu. The base is miso and vegan kimchi, which are both fermented foods that are supposed to be good for your gut. Some enoki mushrooms would also be really good in there.

Spicy Mapo Tofu (Vegan Miam)

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Mapo tofu, aka grandma tofu, is one of my favorite dishes. I finally found this vegan version a while ago and made a week’s lunch worth. I find it so flavourful & satisfying, and I also love bean paste. I think the spiciness and mushiness (in a good way) are perfect for cold weather.

Simple spicy butternut dhal (Jenny Mustard)

This dish looks super healthy, with lentils and tons of veggies. I have been really getting into Jenny Mustard recently and binge watched her videos.

Spicy Pumpkin Peanut Soup (Peaceful Cuisine)

Soup with peanut butter? Uh, yes please. I will eat cardboard if it has peanut butter on it. Even if you don’t make this soup, you will definitely enjoy watching this artfully created video.

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What are your favorite vegan winter meals or holiday treats?

I hope you’re all having a great holiday — not stressed — and enjoying this time of year 🙂

Meal Prep Sunday: Week of June 5

MEAL PREP SUNDAY

I went hard this meal prep, lol. I spent like 5 hours cooking, taking a break in between to go to acupuncture.

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I also started drinking wine into the afternoon.

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For breakfast, I made steel cut oats that I mashed some banana into while it was cooking, in order to avoid adding extra sugar or sweetener. I also threw in some goji berries and chopped apples to make it more filling.

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For lunch I made a salad in a jar, with pearl barley, arugula, sweet marinated tofu, edamame, and tempeh. I was kind of sad that the tofu didn’t look or taste nearly the same the next day as they did coming out of the oven. Thankfully I “sampled” some when it came out of the oven 😉

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For dinner, I made a lentil loaf with nuts and raisins in it (recipe from the Oh She Glows cookbook). The glaze is sweet and ketchup-based, and adds so much moisture and flavor. I highly recommend making this loaf — it’s super dense and filling.

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I served it with chili-topped green beans and mashed cauliflower sprinkled with nutritional yeast.

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My snacks were:

  1. Home-made protein bars that I kind of made up the recipe for. They have protein powder, almond butter, nuts, and dates. I keep them in the freezer because they taste the best that way.
  2. Cut up carrots and celery with this amazing cashew dip by the Cashew Reserve that I found at the grocery store. It’s so creamy and flavorful! If you come across it, I recommend you try it.

And that’s all, folks!