I love the foods you described. Nuts are pretty expensive here but they are good for you. I'm going to make a trip to the health food store to get some tofu. I have a taste for it and haven't had it in quite awhile. They have all kinds of good food at Nature's Bin where I like to go at times.
It is good you have a place like Nature's Bin. Regular stores don't always carry the foods we want.
Nuts are expensive, but they are nutrient rich. I try to mix nuts into recipes and salads. I use them as a snack. If I eat a handful of nuts, I don't eat junk. If I eat a good balanced meal I am not hungry later.
That is what I am finding about the vegan meals I have cooked. I am satisfied, I like what I have eaten and I am not hungry later.
Yes, Nature's Bin has unsalted nuts and I have to watch my salt intake or my blood pressure goes up. I do love salty food though like olives. I ate a lot of them the other day. It's a good idea to have a hand full of nuts rather than junk food. I'm going to do that, too.
I buy the raw nuts and toast them myself. If I want I can add some salt, but just a little bit. I carry a bag of nuts with me and if I need a snack I eat a few. I throw nuts on my breakfast cereal and add toasted nuts as a garnish for soup.
The next time I make "lentil loaf" I think I will add nuts to it.
Lentil Loaf: Process a cup of lentils/kidney beans/ chick peas...anything in the bean family. Not too fine, chunks are best.
Add a cup of cooked rice (white, brown, wild or any mix you like)
Add tomato sauce or vegetable broth or any sauce you like, enough to hold together.
(pumpkin/ squash purée would work)
Heat in the oven, toaster oven or microwave
serve with some vegetables, cooked or raw.
Any gravy or sauce you like will do or eat it plain.
I plan to add nuts next time. I think they will add crunch and flavour.
This is a recipe I am doing from memory(the variations are my own) from a cookbook I had in the 1970s.
You can add any combination of grains(rice) and beans and have a complete protein. How you season it is up to you.
I am sure onions and garlic would add flavour, but I can't eat them so I don't add them.
That recipe sounds really good. I bought some lentils the other day and am going to make lentil soup.
Lentil soup sounds good. I love soup!
I bought some big Portobello mushrooms and I plan to pan fry the caps like "hamburgers". Then I will put them on a bun (English muffin actually) with hummus in the middle and any seasonings that I fancy.
It is a tasty vegan alternative to a hamburger and just as satisfying.
I am having fun with food.
Oh that sounds so delicious Catherine!! I love both hummus and mushrooms.
Here is the recipe I made up the other day:
Vegan Lentil Soup:
1 standard pkg. of lentils
1 large can of diced tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes diced
3 medium turnips chopped
4 large carrots or 12 baby carrots sliced
3 medium potatoes chopped
4 small to medium onions chopped
garlic powder
salt
sweet basil
parsly
Use large soup pot and put uncooked lentils in the bottom and cover them with about 2 inches of water. Bring to boil. Boil for 3 minutes and then take off heat and let them sit for an hour. After an hour drain lentils and then add to the pot of lentils about 5 inches of water. Bring to boil and then turn them on medium heat and cook for 50 minutes.
Add to the lentils tomatoes, potatoes, onions, turnips,carrots, spices and cook for 13 more minutes. Makes a lot of soup!
I could make that. I have everything, but the turnips. I am sure I can get a turnip or two.
I love making soup and in this cold weather, soup feels so good.
I add some hummus to my soup. It adds flavour and makes it more nourishing. I also sprinkle some toasted nuts on the soup.
I find a mix like that is filling and satisfying and I don't tend to snack on junk.
Years ago I had to break the salt habit. It was tough at first, now even a little salt is enough. You can put lemon juice on things and they taste salted(cooked vegetables especially).
I like dried seaweed as well. It has a little salt and a bit of crunch. It is like potato chips, but not bad for you.
I still haven't made it to Nature's Bin yet. Dying to go there but the weather is just too cold to go anywhere today. Adding hummus and nuts to the soup sounds like a smart thing to do.
Adding hummus to soup gives it flavour and a smooth texture. It makes your meal more filling and more nourishing.
Nuts give soup a fun crunch. Sprinkled on top makes the soup look fancy and more appealing.
I boiled up pumpkin with veggie broth and processed it smooth. I just defrosted a bowl added hummus and some wheat flour biscuits on the side. I have a balanced meal and on a cold day like this the soup is perfect.
I also boiled up carrots, squash and sweet potato, some alone and some combined. I usually add potatoes to the mix. I have a freezer full of bowls of soup. I can change the taste by changing the seasonings.
Good thing I did. We are having a serious cold spell. I heard -35C wind chill/ -19C. It is the coldest Feb 13 on record for Toronto.