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Vegan Bites:
Light & Easy
by Hope Matthews, from the January 2006 newsletter
As all of you are reading this article, the holidays are pretty much over and 2006 has begun. At my house, a similar phenomenon occurs every year as we near the second week of January: lights are still strung, our tree needs more TLC than Charlie Brown’s, and the last remaining candles are mere nubs. Around the time that I should be packing away the ornaments, I’m also busy creating mental lists of New Year’s resolutions.
I look in the mirror and in my pocketbook and assess my assets with some weariness, but then cheer myself into motivating towards a healthier, more creative, productive me. All the would-haves and should-haves that topped my list last year are regarded with well-meaning fervor.
Although making resolutions is a generally positive act, as they enforce a healthy dose of objective perspective onto one’s habits, they can also perpetuate stress by adding to an overwhelmed “to do” list and tempt one into ignoring the tasks at hand.
On that note, I am advising myself to do LESS this January. Every year there is a list of resolutions that seldom get tapped until mid-March. With the exception of last year.
Last January, the one resolution I actually stuck to was going raw. For about 1 1/2 months my diet mostly consisted of salads, smoothies, nuts, and lots of fruit. Think of it as the lazy (wo)man’s diet. After a couple of weeks, I would break down and eat something cooked here and there, but basically little time was spent in the kitchen cooking for myself. When a snacking urge arose, I ate a banana or carrot stick. If my palate called for something more elegant, I made an elaborate salad. The reason this resolution actually stuck is because I expended less energy on it.
Regardless of whether or not eating a wholly raw diet sounds like your idea of a good time, incorporating more uncooked foods into your repertoire of things to munch on can take the stress out of whipping up post-holiday meals.
Here are a few snack and lunch ideas that are not exactly raw, but still require no cooking: sliced celery, carrots and broccoli dipped into Toby’s Tofu Pâte or peanut butter, a tomato and lettuce sandwich with Nayonaise, soy milk poured over frozen berries, and dates with apple slices. For dinner, grab some BBQ Tofu from the Co-op deli counter and make a tortilla wrap with the tofu, grated carrot, fresh baby spinach leaves, avocado, chopped tomato, and thinly sliced onion (or mushrooms). In between meals indulge generously in lots of crunchy fruits and veggies. Easy!
Two other benefits that add to the allure of adopting a mainly raw diet are weight loss and fewer dirty dishes. Even though I love to cook, after baking enough cookies for a small army (nearly everyone likes cookies, so they make wonderful gifts), not looking at another chocolate-blackened baking dish balancing precariously on a stack of crusty mixing bowls makes me feels kinda warm and fuzzy inside. Especially after sliding into those grey corduroy pants which have been hibernating underneath the jogging shorts since early fall.
Roasted Veggie Platter
Although not raw, these are really easy to whip up and look very elegant alongside
kalamata olives (nestled on spinach leaves) and sliced baguette centered
around some baba ganouj.
Any of these will do:
Asparagus
Head of garlic (with most of paper shell removed)
Red and/or yellow sweet peppers, cut lengthwise into thirds
Purple onions, quartered with topmost skin removed
Button or portabella mushrooms, whole
Zucchini (thickly sliced)
Tofu (drained, sliced 1/4 “ lengthwise)
Baby carrots
Drizzle a little more than a teaspoon of olive oil on a baking sheet. Cook tofu, garlic and onions in the oven at 375 degrees F. Ten minutes later, add carrots if desired. In another ten minutes the peppers are ready. Wait until the peppers have cooked for 7 or 8 minutes to add the mushrooms. Flip all of the veggies and tofu. Finally, after the mushrooms have been in the oven for 8 minutes, add the zucchini and asparagus. Sprinkle rosemary or thyme over the veggie mix and lightly coat with olive oil spray. Cook another 5-10 minutes (depending on how well you like your veggies done), then remove from the oven, arrange on a platter and voila—dinner is served!
Roasted Veggie Sandwich
Pick up your favorite spread at the
Co-op and roast an extra red pepper & purple
onion the night before to save for this sandwich.
1-2 Tablespoons of your favorite spread (Toby’s Tofu Pâte, Hummus, or Baba Ganouj)
1/3 of a roasted red pepper
3 roasted purple onion slices
Very thinly sliced cucumber (optional)
Spring lettuce mix (or spinach leaves)
2 slices of hearty bread
Place red pepper on 1 slice of bread and onions onto the other. Heat in toaster oven (or conventional oven) for 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove red pepper and onion from bread, then layer 1/2 the spread, pepper and onions on 1 slice (in that order), then top the other slice with rest of spread, cucumber and spring lettuce. Put sandwich together and eat.
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