As a new dietary vegan (my vegetarian to vegan story is on Cook.Vegan.Lover), I have been reading vegan books and blogs like mad. Which has, of course, inspired me to do a little blogging myself. Who needs another vegan food blog? Well, I did (and do). Every time I had a question about a vegan diet, I simply googled the question and I was led to really great blogs that helped me make the transition. If my little ole blog helps a new or returning vegan in any way, well then it’s worth my time. (And many of my Facebook friends now have a different, more organized, way to see my food porn pics. Smile.)
I am a creature of habit (some would say borderline-OCD or, more kindly, slightly anal-retentive). Whatever. I’m a planner. That’s how I get things done. From changing careers, to training for a race, to transitioning to a vegan diet. All have happened with a plan in place. So each weekend I plan. What do I want to eat this week?
See, recently, I’ve fallen in love with cooking. Vegan cooking. It’s a slight obsession. But don’t assume this means that I enjoy cooking. Confusing, I know. I’m not that person who comes home from work and looks forward to cooking to “relax.” Nope, I come home from work and I want to eat. Therefore, I love cooking on the weekend so that all week I have delicious food prepared. It keeps me on track. Each Saturday, after a long training run (10 miles yesterday!), I make my grocer list which takes me first to the farmer’s market, then to Mrs. Green’s Natural Market, and, every couple of weeks, to Trader Joe’s.
At some point on Saturday or Sunday morning I make my “cooking list.” Sunday morning is the one day of the week that I don’t set an alarm. I’ll work out at some point, but not in the morning. It’s cooking time. This morning I fired up the iPod in the kitchen with the new Karen Elson and Jack Johnson albums. (I have a summer cold and was feeling mellow) and got things started.
First, after reading about Green Monsters from Angela on Oh She Glows, I had to try one. It made sense to start with the Virgin Green Monster,
flax, spinach, banana and rice milk in the blender, which was delicious.What was I waiting for?
With a boost of energy I was ready to tackle my cooking list. I started out with food for the dehydrator. First, Vegan Sweet Seed Crackers which I modified as savory by using nearly a 1/2 cup of water, a splash of Bragg’s amino, a splash of vegan Worcestershire, sea salt and pepper.
It was a small batch (I will double it next time) so it only required one tray.
From there I loaded up two trays with raw Sunflower Rye Bread, with a nice kick of cayenne paper,
following a recipe from Meredith Frantz’s “The Magically Mysterious Raw Recipe E-Book,” 
which was included in a free download of “Profoundly Raw.”
I had some leftover kale from last week’s farmer’s market so I made up a quick batch of Tahini Kale Chips (two trays).
Inspired by this recipe, I just drizzled sesame oil and Bragg’s amino over the kale and added a dollop of tahini.
The L’Equip Dehydrator was quite busy.
I made a mess so after cleaning up the first round of food prep I decided to tackle some easy tasks and washed up the fruit and massaged collard greens in sunflower oil and sea salt— I can add a variety of bean salads or dressings to the collards throughout the week. 
Next up, a salad.
Black-eyed pea salad
black eyed peas (Trader Joe’s, steamed, in the produce aisle)
one large tomato
fresh basil leaves, chopped
baby onion (farmer’s market)
juice of one lime
splash of apple cider vinegar
sesame oil, drizzled over the salad
Following the theme of quick and easy, I decided to toss a few ingredients into the blender for a quick tofu marinade: sesame oil, Bragg’s amino, red miso, vegan Worcestershire, baby garlic and ginger. I diced up the tofu and tossed it in the marinade,
and then cooked it on the grill (wrapped in foil) Sunday evening.
I searched on Google for a cold soup recipe and was delighted to find Chilled Asparagus Pea Soup which I modified by leaving the peas in the shell (if I would eat the shell and peas whole while dipping in humus, why not use the whole pea?!), opted for basil over mint and drizzled a half cup of almond milk (to replace dairy) to make it vegan.
I happened to make a delicious Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas, and Coconut salad
for a BBQ yesterday, with plenty extra, so I’ll be able to enjoy this all week, too.
It’s going to be a hot week. I’m glad I focused mostly on cold foods. I know I’ll appreciate it when I am packing my lunch and snacks each day and when I get home from work I will be able to enjoy a light, refreshing and quick dinner.
I can’t lie. I was in the kitchen for many hours this morning (dehydrating always adds more time, which is why I tend to do it every other week.) But I will always choose three hours or so in the kitchen on Sunday morning over “making dinner” each night during the week. The meals are ready…now!
So what does one do after all of the food prep and cooking? Make lunch, obviously. I washed up the red Russian kale from the farmer’s market, topped it with the final serving of last week’s lentil salad, and added some strawberries and avocado…
…and poured a glass of red wine.
2 thoughts on “Sundays with JL (or, obsessed new vegan in the kitchen)”
Comments are closed.