So, I was looking at my garden and I noticed that the Brussel(s) Sprout plants I planted had these perfect green leaves. It suddenly dawned on me, hey, maybe I can eat that.
I looked it up, and yes, you can eat them, so I did!
I chopped of the top parts of the plant and rinsed off the leaves, cut them with scissors and put them in this pan with a little water and garlic granules. I sauteed a few minutes until they were brighter green and tender. And guess what?! They were fantastic!
Brussels sprout leaves taste like…Brussels sprouts! LOL! Which of course, why wouldn’t they? I heard they cook faster and are more tender than collards, and in my experience, this was correct.
The best thing about growing heirloom tomatoes and fresh herbs is getting to eat them! Certain varieties are known for making huge thick meaty tomatoes, like this old world pineapple tomato- when sliced it takes up an entire plate. You’ll want to serve this one with a fork and knife, steak style!
How I made this:
1 organic heirloom pineapple tomato, take out the seeds and save them to grow next year, then slice into thick chunks.
Homefrown organic heirloom tomato, pineapple
Some type of nut cheese: If you cannot make your own there are many in stores. I used Punk Rawk brand purchased from veganessentials webstore. Please, don’t buy it all up, save some for me! Put a scoop or slice of the cheese on top of each tomato slice.
Punk Rawk vegan cheese, one of several varieties
Next make the dressing:
I used organic balsamic vinegar, organic oilve oil, black pepper, etc. your favorite spices, shake well and let sit while you cut some herbs.
Next I went to my garden and cut some fresh organic garden chives, organic catmint, organic chocolate mint and organic true Greek oregano.
I rinsed the herbs and gently patted dry, cut up the chives with scissors and sprinkled on each tomato, and used each of the other herbs as a sprig, to be eaten with the tomato or ornamentation, depending on the eater.
Last, pour the dressing into the middle of the tomatoes, and you’ll have a tasty quick lunch for three (or more depending on your tomato size and appetite).
One of my favorite South Indian foods is idili sambar. it is considered to be a ‘complete’ protein of steamed rice and bean buns.
I made this with urad daal (like a split white lentil), basmati rice, both were a new organic brand from India.
First clean everything well, then soak over night. Then clean again and grind the beans and rice up and leave overnight to ‘ferment’. The next day you will have a nice bubbly batter to use.
You can use the batter to steam the idili, if you don’t have an idili steamer, you can use a steamer with pyrex flat container and cut the idili in cubes, or even muffin tins if you don’t mind aluminum cook wear (I do mind, so don’t do this way). Just make sure you oil the container, which ever one you use. It you are using an idili cooker, then I dip a paper towel in the oil and spread it around.
It will take you a few tries to get it right, but eventually you may become an idili expert.
As for the sambar, it is basically a lentil (red/yellow) soup with veggies in it. Make it how you want, but we like it spicy. In this version, I have a lot of yellow squash in the garden, so that is what ended up in the stew.
There are lots of recipes online for this.
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Take what ever veggies you have, chop and add your favorite dressing. This is our garden grown zucchini, tomato, cucumber, and some mushrooms, with dressing and seasoning.
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Make your favorite small shaped pasta (here I have bowtie), then when the pasta is done put in a bowl and top with some shredded vegan cheese. Stir it up until melty.
If your’e vegan cheese is not melting then, put it back in the pot you cooked the pasta in to warm it up a bit more. Fast n easy!
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I cooked the nachos w/ cheese and soyrizzo,( In the oven at 375 for 15 minutes) then topped it all with guacamole, olives, tomatoes, sweet peppers, vegan sour cream and salsa.
Vegan guacamole is easy to make. Get an avocado, moosh it up with a fork and stir in seasonings (like lime, cumin, chives, etc. what ever you like).
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Make some chili, rice, etc. what ever you want, then put it in the taco. Make sure you are using organic corn tacos, soft or hard, as if they are not organic, they are probably not vegan (see previous posts on corn https://foodforavegan.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/the-only-vegan-corn-is-organic-corn/
Homemade vegan chili
My chili secret is to use chilies I grew myself, and to shred all of the veggies. Whatever veggies you put in (except celery or corn), they are better shredded, even the onions. Also, this is a great way to get kids to eat the chili and their veggies too!
Vegan chili tacos
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Get a wrap, put on a griddle, sprinkle some vegan cheese some baby spinach leaves, and a spoon of salsa, put another wrap on top of it. Flip when browned and cheese is melting.
Served here with a side of organic vegan frijoles (refried beans) and a dollop of vegan sour creme seasoned with my favorite spices.
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When the garden is booming, it is time to make a vegetale sauce. Basically make your usually red gravy and put in a ton of veggies from the garden. And there you have it!
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What Vegans Eat? Food For A Vegan 