Vegan Tacos

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We have found that one of the most versatile meals are vegan tacos. There are endless possibilities. Hard shell versus soft shell. Lentil, cauliflower, Gardein seven grain crispy tenders or ultimate beefless crumbles, or Beyond beef crumbles filling. Veggies and sauces. So many choices!! Our family has truly enjoyed making our taco filling with cooked green lentils and finely chopped walnuts. See recipe below. The flavor profile can be adjusted to the amount of spice you and your family enjoys. We tend to keep it on the more mild side. When we are out of lentils we will use the Gardein crispy tenders. I like to air fry them for ~ 18 minutes on 405F (shaking often). Then I will chop them into bite size pieces and toss them stovetop with hot sauce and chiptole seasoning. You can also use a taco seasoning. Again, adjusting the spice level to your comfort zone.

Lentil Walnut Taco Filling:

2 cups cooked green lentils

1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped in food processor

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2- 1 tsp hot sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup water

Heat all ingredients on stovetop until thoroughly combined and warm. Serve immediately.


Taco toppings! So many options. One way to add crunch to your taco is to prepare red cabbage slaw. Simply shred fresh red cabbage and coat with 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Done! Delicious red cabbage slaw to compliment any taco. Don’t have cabbage on hand? No problem, slice up a bell pepper for that added crunch. Fresh guacamole is another favorite. I make gauc a lot! My recipe is to mash a couple avocados, squirt a bit of lime juice, add minced garlic, fresh or dried cilantro, and stir in a spoonful of salsa. Yum!

Taco shells: Hard or Soft? Do you have a favorite? We tend to enjoy the hard corn shells most. Our favorite is the organic blue corn taco shells by Garden of Eatin. They only takes a few minutes to bake and have a great flavor.

Raising Vegan Tip- When shopping for tortilla shells hard or soft, corn or flour, be sure to check the ingredients. Some may be made with animal products such as lard. A simple way to quickly scan is to look at the cholesterol. It should be “0” if free of animal products. Most flour or corn tortillas are plant-based. Another ingredient to stay away from is palm oil. While terrible for our health, palm oil is also extremely bad for the planet. Palm harvesting is the number one cause of habitat loss for the already endargered orangutans. Please be kind avoid this ingredient.

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Spaghetti & Garden Balls

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One of my kids’ favorite meals is “slurpy noodle” aka linguini or spaghetti pasta. My 4-year-old loves pasta with vegan butter, while my 2-year-old loves sauces with pasta. So spaghetti night works for everyone. If I’m looking for a wheat-based pasta, my favorite is the organic linguini from Thrive Market. It is a product of Italy and made from 100% Organic Durum Wheat Semolina. If I am looking to add more nutrition to the dish, then I will reach for Banza’s chickpea pasta or Explore Cuisine lentil spaghetti. Both have a wonderful flavor and texture.

It is also a nice way to had some leafy greens to dinner. Whether you choose kale or spinach, either can be chopped to tiny pieces and added to an organic, oil-free marinara or pasta sauce. We also will chop up any leftover artichoke hearts, mushrooms, olives, onion, and carrots. Another easy way to add some nutrients to the sauce is by adding riced cauliflower or broccoli.

I’ve read that hiding veggies is not the best way to expose children. Kids need to see the vegetable and know that it is on their plate for multiple times (anywhere from 5-15 times!). So how to you expose them and have a finely chopped mix of veggies in your sauce? Let them be a part of the prepping! We have metal children utensils and a couple of kid-friendly knives- I’ll link below. Mushrooms are soft and easy to grip, so little hands have an easier time chopping them. As the child advances their skills, a zucchini is a nice vegetable for practice, especially with a chopping knife. Adult supervision should always take place when a child is using a sharp object. Eventhough the chopping knives are considered extremely safe, our little one has cut himself on one of them before. It was a very minor cut and barely needed a bandaid, but best to make you aware as a more serious injury is always possible.

Raising Vegan Tip- Interested in the Gardein Meatless Meatballs, but not in the mood for pasta? No problem. Grab a whole wheat vegan tortilla or pita, spread delicious hummus, layer on fresh spinach, and top with chopped (cooked) garden balls. Tada! You have a tasty wrap perfect for lunch or dinner. You can also add sauteed mushrooms, olive, and capers. Yum!

Really with the right sauce and seasoning most vegetables will be a welcomed addition. The vegetable marinara sauce paired with a nice chickpea or lentil pasta is a satisfying and complete meal. However, if you are in the mood for a more traditional spaghetti and “meat”balls, then I recommend adding Gardein Meatless meatballs. These can be prepared in the oven or via air fryer. Watch them closely if using an airfryer, as they can dry out a bit or stick. Below, I’ve shown the Nutrition Facts for those interested. These are not considered to the a whole-food plant-based product as they are processed. We try to limit our consumption of processed foods as much as possible, but if you are transitioning to veganism, or just trying it out the processed vegan foods are healthier than consuming meat. Not to mention the effects the meat industry has on our planet.

We like to stir the garden balls into the sauce mixture. Our 2-year-old enjoy a single bite of them (chopped into fourths). Overall this is an easy, quick, and satisfying meal! I hope you enjoy it and pass it on to your friends that may be needing a Meatless Monday meal!


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Tempeh & Vegetable Stir fry

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Using a combination of a few ready-made items, this dish is fairly easy, fast, and tastes delicious!  I like to use Trader Joe’s Asian Vegetables, but I do not use the sauce.  The veggies, though frozen, cook nicely without becoming soggy or tasteless.  Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki sauce is a great add to this dish, but it will increase the sodium levels.  For the chick’n, I use Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n.  I do enjoy the sauce that comes with this product and will use it when cooking the chick’n.  It blends well with the Island Soyaki sauce.  Another lighter option (Stage 3 vegan) is to use tempeh (pictured above) instead of Gardein chick’n.  There are several recipes online for Vegan Teriyaki tempeh.  I like to use VNutrition‘s recipe, when I have more time to invest in the tempeh.

Be sure to sit aside some steamed veggies and rice for your Littles to enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 baby bok choy (cleaned)

12 oz sliced Golden Oak Shiitake mushrooms (cleaned)

5 oz sliced bamboo shoots

8 oz baby corn

1 package of Trader Joe’s Asian Vegetables (frozen)

1 package of Gardein’s Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n

2 cups brown rice

2 stalks of steamed broccoli chopped

1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki

Directions:

Cook brown rice by boiling for ~ 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.  Cut bok choy into ~ 2 ” pieces.  Drain and rinse canned baby corn and bamboo shoots.  Prepare the Gardein chick’n per directions for stove-top.  Apply the sauce once the pieces are properly browned. Lower the heat and add rice to the chick’n, stirring often to prevent burning of the rice. While the chick’n is cooking, on medium heat, place frozen vegetables in a pan and cook until warmed throughout ~ 5-8 minutes, careful not to overcook.  Add bok choy, baby corn, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms and place lid over pan.  Allow the pan to steam until mushrooms and bok choy are soft.  Add ~ 1/4 cup of Island Soyaki to the vegetables.  Once the sauce is warmed and the vegetables are coated evenly remove pan from stove-top.  Serve by plating the vegetables on top of the rice and chick’n mixture or combine all of the ingredients prior to plating.

round logoRaising Vegan Tip:  Cook the rice earlier in the day and set aside.  This will lessen the total cooking time for this dish.  You can also focus on not overcooking the rice when it is done at a more convenient time.  You can also wash and prep the bok choy while the rice is cooking.

This recipe feeds two very hungry adults.  The Littles can enjoy the brown rice and vegetables (carrots and broccoli) prior to seasoning.  I usually prepare my Littles’ broccoli and carrots separately by steaming them.  As long as the broccoli is VERY soft, they have no problem eating them.  We call them “green flowers” in our home.

 

Veganism Made Easy

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Just as there are many reasons to live a vegan lifestyle, there are many ways to obtain this lifestyle.  Some people may be needing an immediate health-correct, in which case, switching to a whole foods plant-based diet would be indicated.  Others may also want the health benefits, but are not facing an imminent health crisis and can make the transition to a whole foods plant-based diet more gradually.  Based on Veganuary.com, the motivation for many people to become vegan is multifactorial: wanting to stop animal cruelty, lower the environmental impact of their diet choices, and improve their health.   I mention these scenarios as a preface to me proposing stages of veganism.  Hear me out.

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For those who have been raised on meat and dairy products, the thought of quitting those foods up may be hard.  It may even seem impossible.  Despite knowing that the evidence and science supports their decision, it can be an internal struggle of self-doubt.  Many are faced with loved ones questioning their decision while being surrounded by ads for enticing meat and dairy products.  They many experience fear of cravings or failure.


This is why I am proposing stages.  Initially, when transitioning to a vegan diet, I recommend utilizing the vast array of products designed to mimic meat and dairy.  The food science has exponentially grown over the past 10 years.  Now you can find vegan burger patties that are juicy and sizzle in the pan (i.e. Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger).  You can find vegan cheeses that slice, dice, and melt, just like the real thing, but without the terrifying hormones and saturated fats.  The use of these items helps quiet the cravings and helps the initial feel of isolation from your omnivore loved ones.  Bring the Beyond Meat patties to a BBQ or offer a dairy-free cheese spread at your next party.  These are nice, easy ways to step into the vegan lifestyle.  The key is to incorporate these meat and dairy substitutes into a well rounded vegan diet, which is comprised of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and beans.

round logo Raising Vegan Tip- Beware of products packaged as dairy-free or lactose-free but are not actually vegan.  How is this possible?  Casein.  Casein is a milk protein that slips into seemingly healthy products but it is in fact milk.  Go Veggie is one brand that comes to mind that offers lactose-free (NOT vegan) and vegan products.  Be sure to ALWAYS read the ingredients.  

Stage 1 Meat Substitutes Dairy Alternatives
Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains, and Beans, Supplemented with Processed Foods Gardein, Quorn*, Beyond Meat, Carla Lee’s Nut, Tofurky, Field Roast, Morning Star*, Lightlife Chao Creamery, Silk, Follow Your Heart, Go Veggie*, Just Mayo, Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozarella, Tofutti, Daiya, So Delicious, Miyoko’s
Stage 2
Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains, and Beans, Supplemented with LESS Processed Foods Upton’s Naturals, Sweet Earth Natural Foods, Trader Joe’s 3-grain tempeh Some from above, nutritional yeast, nut cheeses
Stage 3
Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains, and Beans, Supplemented with FEW to NO Processed Foods Tofu, Seitan, Tempeh, Miso paste, Mushrooms, Jackfruit, Lentils, Beans Nutritional yeast, homemade nut cheese, tofu ricotta, etc

*Not all Brands are strictly vegan

**There are more brands than shown here.

It is amazing to me how the senses, especially taste and smell, change with a diet change.  After just a few months of quitting meat and dairy, vegetables and fruits are more favorable.  Even plain tofu tastes good, which I commonly serve to our Little.  My husband and I were preparing a Beyond Meat burger the other day, and we were astonished by the resemblance of a beef patty.  Flashback to when we first quit meat and we would have been thrilled.  But, now the fake flesh was no longer appetizing.  The smell and the way it sizzled was also a perfect replica of a burger cooking.  Again, this would have been very enticing long ago, but now not so much.  Our bodies crave different foods and feel better when they receive what they were designed to digest.  I proudly support the mimicking fake meats, because they are great transitional foods.  There are certainly plenty of veteran vegans that also enjoy them- so well done Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger!