Welcome back. I am trying my best to make this a priority, so here's to trying again.
What's going on with me:
I am recently back from a vacation back in the United States over the holiday period. It probably goes without saying that my partner and I have put on a few pounds over this festive period. Being back in my home country made me vulnerable to the foods that I can no longer acquire in the United Kingdom and I found myself indulging in things I don't typically like simply because I can't get them in the U.K.
Not only that, the last few months have been a bit chaotic with myself finishing my bachelors degree and my partner starting postgraduate education. We didn't always have the time or energy to ensure that we were eating well. It was all about convenience and very little thought was put into what we ate. Most nights we would eat a takeaway and feel disgusting after, yet we did this almost every night.
Cut back to today. We decided that we were going to participate in Veganuary to give our bodies some much needed nutritional therapy and challenge our way of cooking and eating in our house. I know that this blog in the past has been run as a vegan recipe blog, but I have not always been a strict vegan. I typically eat vegan for about three months and then add a little bit of meat into my diet every now and again. If you are crazy about labels, I guess you would call me a flexitarian. But the term isn't important to me. What is important is that I am feeding my family delicious food that doesn't break the bank. I like to make vegan food and then I like to share it with you, the audience.
We started Veganuary early to jump straight back into the groove the moment we landed back in the U.K., so keep an eye out for new recipes in the coming month!
Showing posts with label Vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegan. Show all posts
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Monday, July 21, 2014
Refrigerator Pickles
I have been playing around with pickles lately... **How do you continue writing after a statement like that?**
Basically, I have been making pickles because they are delicious. Last time I bought some pickles they were a lot sweeter than I wanted them to be. The time before that there was too much garlic. Getting annoyed that I didn't like the pickles I was getting I decided to make my own. Looking at a simple recipe I threw something together that I like and hopefully you will too.
Pickled Cucumbers
Ingredients
Before any of you go off on me - yes, I know that this isn't the best way to make pickles. This is a way that I use when I want to make them quickly. Last minute sort of deal. There are probably better ways to pickle, but try this. You may like it. If not...no harm, no foul.
As always, until next time....
Happy Snacking!
Luke
Basically, I have been making pickles because they are delicious. Last time I bought some pickles they were a lot sweeter than I wanted them to be. The time before that there was too much garlic. Getting annoyed that I didn't like the pickles I was getting I decided to make my own. Looking at a simple recipe I threw something together that I like and hopefully you will too.
Pickled Cucumbers
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, to taste preference
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 5 mini cucumbers, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- Dill, green peppers, garlic, etc. to taste
Instructions
- Place sliced cucumbers, onions, garlic, green peppers (or any combination thereof) in a jar.
- Combine sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil making sure to fully dissolve the sugar. Pour over the sliced vegetables. Add fresh dill to taste, if desired. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Store in the refrigerator.
Before any of you go off on me - yes, I know that this isn't the best way to make pickles. This is a way that I use when I want to make them quickly. Last minute sort of deal. There are probably better ways to pickle, but try this. You may like it. If not...no harm, no foul.
As always, until next time....
Happy Snacking!
Luke
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Update
It's been two years, I have moved to a new city and have had a lot of changes, but am happy to say that I'm rekindling this blog. Expect some new and awesome recipes to come.
If you were following my blog originally you will know that it focused on vegetarian/vegan food at affordable prices. With the relaunch of the blog I will now be focusing on all foods as well as offer restaurant reviews from local eateries in and around Las Vegas.
If you would like to see anything specifically on this blog let me know by contacting me and I will do my best to accommodate all requests.
Glad to see you all again!
Until next post....
Luke
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Vegan Pecan Pie
Everyone loves dessert! Period. Don't try and deny it because you know if you weren't on that "New Year, New You" diet you would have a second helping if you allowed enough room after dinner. And if the dessert was good enough, it wouldn't matter if you had room or not because you would probably make room. My point is this: dessert is amazing so I am going to give you another amazing vegan dessert recipe - Amazing Pecan Pie
I found this recipe on VegWeb.com again and made it for Christmas dinner with my friend, Oriana. Needless to say, it didn't last long. This is another simple and delicious vegan dessert recipe, so check it out.
The Recipe
Amazing Pecan Pie
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix ingredients. They come out watery.
2. Pour into the pie shell. Place on a cookie sheet and put into the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20 minutes or longer.
4. Check, center should be slightly soft, but if it seems too watery, bake for 20 more minutes.
Makes: 1 pie, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 40-60 minutes
Original recipe can be found here.
In this recipe I modified it a bit as I had a moment of weakness and bought a few eggs during the week for breakfast. As I said, I am not 100% vegan, but like to eat that way when I can. So, because I had a few eggs left over I used real eggs in this recipe instead of egg substitute. The guy that wrote the recipe said that he used soy milk, but I try to stay away from soy so I used hemp milk or almond milk - I don't remember which one I used as I usually have both in my refrigerator. Everything else stayed pretty much the same except I used a bit more than a cup of pecans to give it the slight design on the top.
Simple and simply amazing! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
I found this recipe on VegWeb.com again and made it for Christmas dinner with my friend, Oriana. Needless to say, it didn't last long. This is another simple and delicious vegan dessert recipe, so check it out.
The Recipe
Amazing Pecan Pie
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
- 1/2 cup raw sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons nondairy milk (I use soy)
- 2 egg substitutes (I use Bob's Red Mill substitute)
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter, melted (I use Earth Balance)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 9" unbaked pie crust
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix ingredients. They come out watery.
2. Pour into the pie shell. Place on a cookie sheet and put into the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20 minutes or longer.
4. Check, center should be slightly soft, but if it seems too watery, bake for 20 more minutes.
Makes: 1 pie, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 40-60 minutes
Original recipe can be found here.
In this recipe I modified it a bit as I had a moment of weakness and bought a few eggs during the week for breakfast. As I said, I am not 100% vegan, but like to eat that way when I can. So, because I had a few eggs left over I used real eggs in this recipe instead of egg substitute. The guy that wrote the recipe said that he used soy milk, but I try to stay away from soy so I used hemp milk or almond milk - I don't remember which one I used as I usually have both in my refrigerator. Everything else stayed pretty much the same except I used a bit more than a cup of pecans to give it the slight design on the top.
Simple and simply amazing! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Until next time...
Happy snacking!
Happy snacking!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Raw Key Lime Pie
Okay, so if any of you are like my lovely mother you are wondering..."Raw" Key Lime Pie. What the #*!! does that mean? As defined by Dictionary.com:
So, this is just a quick and easy Key Lime Pie that is amazing and completely vegan!
The Recipe
Key Lime Pie (Raw)
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
Filling:
2 avocados
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons agave or other sweetener
Crust:
1/2 cup almond pulp/flour
1/2 cup dates (not soaked)
pinch salt
pinch cayenne (or nutmeg)
Directions:
1. Lightly oil a muffin tin (springform could work if you doubled the recipe). Blend the filling ingredients until smooth.
2. In processor, combine crust ingredients until fairly smooth, no big chunks of dates.
3. Press crust into prepared muffin tin. Spoon in filling.
4. Freeze 1-2 hours. 3-4 hours gets it hard like ice cream cake. If that happens, set out for 5 minutes before eating.
Makes: 2-4 servings, Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
As I said, quick and easy and you will not be unsatisfied with this recipe. Add a few sliced strawberries on top and have at it!
Until next time...
Happy Snacking!
| Main Entry: | raw food |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | any uncooked, unprocessed, and often organicfoods, esp. as eaten as a large percentage ofthe diet |
| Example: | The most popular raw food diet is a raw vegan diet. |
The Recipe
Key Lime Pie (Raw)
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
Filling:
2 avocados
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons agave or other sweetener
Crust:
1/2 cup almond pulp/flour
1/2 cup dates (not soaked)
pinch salt
pinch cayenne (or nutmeg)
Directions:
1. Lightly oil a muffin tin (springform could work if you doubled the recipe). Blend the filling ingredients until smooth.
2. In processor, combine crust ingredients until fairly smooth, no big chunks of dates.
3. Press crust into prepared muffin tin. Spoon in filling.
4. Freeze 1-2 hours. 3-4 hours gets it hard like ice cream cake. If that happens, set out for 5 minutes before eating.
Makes: 2-4 servings, Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
As I said, quick and easy and you will not be unsatisfied with this recipe. Add a few sliced strawberries on top and have at it!
Until next time...
Happy Snacking!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
First Recipe - Vegan Seitan Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
Welcome to my blog!
The way that I like to load up my pita is with a mix of salad greens, red onion, sliced tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. I got most of my ingredients from Whole Foods, but you should be able to get the ingredients from any health food store as well. Here is the recipe.
Seitan Gyros
Ingredients
Gyro spice mix:
Seitan:
Gyros:
Directions:
1. To make spice mix, combine all spices. This makes enough spice for several batches of gyros. Store in a tight lidded container between uses. For seitan, place all dry ingredients in a large bowl, and stir with a fork until well mixed.
2. Add in cold water. Stir with fork until well blended. Knead dough about 23-30 squeezes by hand to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Let dough rest 10 minutes or so, and knead dough again for another 2-3 minutes to build up elasticity. Prepare steamer or steamer basket.
3. Form dough into loaf type shape, keeping the loaf about 1" thick (will rise while steaming). Tear off tin foil sheet about 12" long. Spray shiny side of foil with cooking spray. Lay seitan loaf in center of foil. Fold tinfoil up around seitan loaf making an envelope type shape (be sure to leave room around loaf to allow dough to expand while steaming).
4. Fold and pinch outside edges of foil together to make a tight seam (middle seam should be overlapping, it is ok if it is not pinched). Steam dough in foil envelope for about 50 minutes. Remove from steamer, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Unwrap finished seitan loaf, and slice into strips 1/8-1/4" thick. Squeeze lemon juice over seitan slices, and allow to sink in while oil heats in pan.
5. Heat oil in a large pan. Add seitan slices, and fry until slightly browned on all sides, about 3-5 minutes each side. Remove from pan, but keep warm. Heat pitas, one at a time, in hot pan. Place on a plate and spoon gyro "meat" mixture into each pita. If desired, top with favorite cucumber sauce recipe, onions, and tomatoes.
Enjoy!
Makes: 4-6 gyros, Preparation time: 20 min, Cooking time: 1 hr +/-
Recipe can be found here.
And let's not forget the Tzatziki Sauce!
I am so excited to share this first recipe with everyone. My diet has recently changed to slightly vegan/vegetarian, whole foods, plant-based diet. Growing up in WI means that I LOVE dairy. It has been really hard to take out all dairy, but I have finally been able to do it fairly easily, however, I do find that on occasion I have some cheese in a meal or use butter to cook. Make it known that I am not doing this diet because I am against an animal losing it's life for my consumption, but more to see how this diet works for me.
Anyway, so before I started this diet I had come to know the amazing food known as the Gyro. Being in Chicago means that I can get one on any corner, almost literally. Each one has it's ups and downs and I have come to know where to get a gyro around Chicago and where to avoid. Since I am eating vegan/vegetarian meals I can't eat gyros. Lately I have been craving them, but have not wanted to give in to eating meat, so naturally the next option is to find a vegan gyro recipe.
My default website to find vegan recipes is VegWeb.com and after a short search, I came across an amazing Vegan Gyro recipe with Tzatziki Sauce. Having eaten a real gyro before (and I have had a large variety of them in just about every city I have visited) I was worried that this would taste nothing like a real gyro. Obviously a vegan gyro will not taste like a real gyro, but the last recipe I found was created by someone who has never had a lamb gyro and admitted that it tasted nothing like them. This is not the case for this recipe. The seasoning is very on and topped with the amazing Tzatziki Sauce I almost forgot that it was vegan.
Having never made seitan before, I was a little worried that this wasn't going to turn out well. The recipe called for it to be steamed, but since I have such a small kitchen and limited supplies, I just used my rice cooker and steamed the seitan in the steaming tray. After it was done steaming I cut the loaf into slices to be cooked and then eaten!
Anyway, so before I started this diet I had come to know the amazing food known as the Gyro. Being in Chicago means that I can get one on any corner, almost literally. Each one has it's ups and downs and I have come to know where to get a gyro around Chicago and where to avoid. Since I am eating vegan/vegetarian meals I can't eat gyros. Lately I have been craving them, but have not wanted to give in to eating meat, so naturally the next option is to find a vegan gyro recipe.
My default website to find vegan recipes is VegWeb.com and after a short search, I came across an amazing Vegan Gyro recipe with Tzatziki Sauce. Having eaten a real gyro before (and I have had a large variety of them in just about every city I have visited) I was worried that this would taste nothing like a real gyro. Obviously a vegan gyro will not taste like a real gyro, but the last recipe I found was created by someone who has never had a lamb gyro and admitted that it tasted nothing like them. This is not the case for this recipe. The seasoning is very on and topped with the amazing Tzatziki Sauce I almost forgot that it was vegan.
Having never made seitan before, I was a little worried that this wasn't going to turn out well. The recipe called for it to be steamed, but since I have such a small kitchen and limited supplies, I just used my rice cooker and steamed the seitan in the steaming tray. After it was done steaming I cut the loaf into slices to be cooked and then eaten!
It looks so good, right?
The way that I like to load up my pita is with a mix of salad greens, red onion, sliced tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. I got most of my ingredients from Whole Foods, but you should be able to get the ingredients from any health food store as well. Here is the recipe.
Seitan Gyros
Ingredients
Gyro spice mix:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon curry spice powder (I use McCormick mild)
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Seitan:
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons gyro spice mix (recipe above)
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Gyros:
- 4-6 vegan pitas
- 1 onion, finely sliced, optional
- 1 tomato, finely sliced, optional
- cucumber sauce, to serve, optional
Directions:
1. To make spice mix, combine all spices. This makes enough spice for several batches of gyros. Store in a tight lidded container between uses. For seitan, place all dry ingredients in a large bowl, and stir with a fork until well mixed.
2. Add in cold water. Stir with fork until well blended. Knead dough about 23-30 squeezes by hand to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Let dough rest 10 minutes or so, and knead dough again for another 2-3 minutes to build up elasticity. Prepare steamer or steamer basket.
3. Form dough into loaf type shape, keeping the loaf about 1" thick (will rise while steaming). Tear off tin foil sheet about 12" long. Spray shiny side of foil with cooking spray. Lay seitan loaf in center of foil. Fold tinfoil up around seitan loaf making an envelope type shape (be sure to leave room around loaf to allow dough to expand while steaming).
4. Fold and pinch outside edges of foil together to make a tight seam (middle seam should be overlapping, it is ok if it is not pinched). Steam dough in foil envelope for about 50 minutes. Remove from steamer, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Unwrap finished seitan loaf, and slice into strips 1/8-1/4" thick. Squeeze lemon juice over seitan slices, and allow to sink in while oil heats in pan.
5. Heat oil in a large pan. Add seitan slices, and fry until slightly browned on all sides, about 3-5 minutes each side. Remove from pan, but keep warm. Heat pitas, one at a time, in hot pan. Place on a plate and spoon gyro "meat" mixture into each pita. If desired, top with favorite cucumber sauce recipe, onions, and tomatoes.
Enjoy!
Makes: 4-6 gyros, Preparation time: 20 min, Cooking time: 1 hr +/-
Recipe can be found here.
And let's not forget the Tzatziki Sauce!
Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Mix well.
Recipe can be found here.
For this recipe I like to use Cilantro instead of parsley, but that is my personal taste. I usually just do dill in the normal Tzatziki Sauce that I make, but wanted to share this version.
Mad props to Jamie Monster on VegWeb.com for this gyro recipe and veganmiss for the Tzatziki recipe!
For this meal I paid about $15 for all of the ingredients. Most recipes that I have I won't include the cost of everything because I usually have those things stocked (such as seasonings, herbs, etc.). Here is the list of everything that I purchased:
(I didn't include the cost of the seasonings, garlic, tomato, onion or olive oil because those are things that I always have in my kitchen.)
Price of a Gryo at a local restaurant: $4.95 for one sandwich.
Until next time...
Happy Snacking!
Ingredients
- 1/2 (8-ounce) container vegan sour cream
- 1/2 lemon, squeezed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup cucumber, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Mix well.
Recipe can be found here.
For this recipe I like to use Cilantro instead of parsley, but that is my personal taste. I usually just do dill in the normal Tzatziki Sauce that I make, but wanted to share this version.
Mad props to Jamie Monster on VegWeb.com for this gyro recipe and veganmiss for the Tzatziki recipe!
Finished Seitan Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce
For this meal I paid about $15 for all of the ingredients. Most recipes that I have I won't include the cost of everything because I usually have those things stocked (such as seasonings, herbs, etc.). Here is the list of everything that I purchased:
- Sanabel Bakery Fresh Whole Wheat Pita Bread (local) - $2.99 for a pack of 8 large pitas.
- Earthbound Farm Organic Mixed Baby Greens (4oz bag) - $2.49
- Tofutti Milkfree Sour Cream (12oz container) - $2.39
- Small Organic, Fair Trade Cucumber - 48¢
- One Bundle of Cilantro - Free because is wasn't ringing up right at the register
- One Organic Lemon - 93¢
- One Cup Vital Wheat Gluten (.36 lbs @ $3.99/lb) - $1.44
- One Bundle of Dill - 69¢
(I didn't include the cost of the seasonings, garlic, tomato, onion or olive oil because those are things that I always have in my kitchen.)
Price of a Gryo at a local restaurant: $4.95 for one sandwich.
Until next time...
Happy Snacking!
Welcome!
Hello Everyone and welcome to Eat At Home For Less - the blog devoted to sharing the best (and worst) vegan/vegetarian recipes on the web!
Each week I will choose a recipe that I want to share and show not only how eating at home can be a lot cheaper, but also go over meatless and vegan options to some of your favorite dishes. I am in no way trying to force vegan or vegetarianism, it is merely the way that I have been eating for the last few months and am amazed at the amazing options there are for dishes.
I also want to point out that I am not a professional chef, nor am I dietician or a nutritionist. What I show and go over on this blog is merely for my own enjoyment and in the process hoping to share some of the best and affordable whole food, plant based meals!
WELCOME!
Each week I will choose a recipe that I want to share and show not only how eating at home can be a lot cheaper, but also go over meatless and vegan options to some of your favorite dishes. I am in no way trying to force vegan or vegetarianism, it is merely the way that I have been eating for the last few months and am amazed at the amazing options there are for dishes.
I also want to point out that I am not a professional chef, nor am I dietician or a nutritionist. What I show and go over on this blog is merely for my own enjoyment and in the process hoping to share some of the best and affordable whole food, plant based meals!
WELCOME!
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