I was able to avoid the grocery store today by getting a little creative and using leftovers! Hurray!
LUNCH: Based off of SporkOnline.com’s Tuscan Quinoa Salad.
Quinoa = Awesome.
Lacking many of the ingredients the original recipe calls for, I took the opportunity to use leftover chopped up veggies from last night’s pizza preparation. I scooped some refined coconut oil into a saute pan, added the onion, bell pepper, and a diced carrot, cooking till softened. Then I added 1/2 a can of Garbanzo beans, some arugula (probably a mistake… A little too peppery?), leftover artichoke hearts, and all the spices, oils, etc. that the Spork ladies list in the original recipe. I threw all of that in a big mixing bowl with my cooked toasted quinoa and toasted pine nuts, et voila. Lunch in under a half hour. Quinoa dishes always make me feel good afterward. I suppose the same can be said about ANY of the SporkOnline.com dishes. Those girls are geniuses.
DINNER: Yellow Split-Pea Dal w/a side salad.
Yellow Split-Pea Dal with Brown Rice from the Vegan Table.
Side "Salad" with Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing.
I’m one of those vegans who kinda hates homemade leafy salads. Pasta salads? Awesome. Quinoa Salads? Bring it. Boring dry, raw vegetables in a bowl? …Say what now? I know this is all my fault. I make really lame leafy salads at home. Chibi-carrots, broccoli florets, and bagged leafy greens mix from Trader Joe’s isn’t the most exciting combination. Maybe I need a book on salad makeovers. One thing that redeems this salad, besides the nutritional aspect of it, is the fact that I topped it with Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing. My mom had been eating this dressing for years and recommended it to me when she found out it was vegan. Now it’s my boyfriend’s favorite. It really is delicious and I can buy it already made! (Sometimes with all the cooking, it’s great to find a product that can add instant pizazz to raw veggies, saving you effort/time.)
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