Talk about perfect timing--my stomach and GERD has been horrible this summer and I'm pretty sure it's due to consuming more dairy than usual. Oooops.
For some, the idea of a vegan diet is ludacris. After all, veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Even honey is excluded as it's produced by bees!
To our surprise, the instructor was a normal person--not your stereotypical whacked out hippy. For her, the vegan lifestyle is more about clean eating and the simplicity of preparing animal-free foods. There's a variety of reasons why someone would chose the lifestyle, but I could definately identify with her rationale.
She shared some information on going vegan but the primary purpose of the class was to COOK. We tried some different recipes and I left with two favorites...amazingly enough, the recipes are "normal" enough that anyone could eat them without being a "vegan." So don't freak out!
The first recipe was for a chickpea-based Masala...It was uh-mazing and it seemed to be the groups favorite dish of the night! It's a traditional Indian dish but even if you don't like Indian, you'll like this (just ask my friend--hehe)! Personally, I would serve it with rice on the side (probably some good old white rice to make the hubby happy) to make it a meal. If you wanted to go super healthy, quinoa would be a perfect grain to serve this with!
Chana Masala with Spinach
1 can chickpeas
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
3 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. curry
1/2 t. coriander 1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garam masala
2 handfuls spinach, rinsed
In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice; cover and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until chickpeas are cooked and soft. Reduce heat, add spinach and cover; allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
My other favorite recipe from the class was for Chili Soup. This was a dish I made back in the day when my stomach couldn't handle meat--I'm not kidding, you can't tell the difference between real ground beef and a meat substitute. Case in point, Justin was leery of any ground-beef dish for the longest time as he never knew if it was real meat or fake meat.
The dish is extremely high in protein and fiber but much lower in fat and calories than traditional chili. I'm going to stray from the recipe we used in class but rather offer the recipe I have made in the past.
Vegan Chili Soup1 onion, diced
1 can tomato juice
6 cans chili beans
1 can Rotel, drained
1 envelope William's Chili seasoning
In dutch oven, saute onions. Add meat crumbles, chili beans (do not drain), Rotel, chili seasoning and tomato juice. You may add as much water as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Simmer on stovetop for 1-hr.
If you decide to use Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) instead of the meat crumbles, add 1 C. TVP. Generally speaking, TVP is less expensive than the bagged meat crumbles and can be purchased in bulk.
To wrap up, will we be going vegan after taking this class? As I told Justin, the answer is "NO." Trust me, he was freaking out when he heard that I had signed up for the class. However, it is very likely that we will incorporate more vegan and vegetarian based dishes in our rotation of recipes. Heck, so many traditional recipes and snacks are considered "vegan" that he might not even notice!
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