This is in response to Deb who relates difficulty in sticking to a vlf vegan
diet. I am a former Entenmann's vegetarian. I didn't cook unless there was
nothing prepared in the house. Here's how I stay on my vlf vegan diet now that
I'm more in tune. Do all of your cooking on Sunday. Or whatever day that you
normally have some down time. Freeze stuff in serving size portions. This
doesn't have to cause a lot of wrapping waste - check out the soup freezing
idea below. Secondly, wash and reuse those zipper freezer bags, they are
strong and can take a few washings.
I cook lots of grains on Sunday of every week. Variety is the key, so I bought
an electric steamer and can put the grains on to cook and go about the normal
Sunday routine. This way, I can cook several different grains without
babysitting.
Now, what do you do with them? Here's a favorite lunch - I take a Nile spice
or Spice Hunter soup, prepare it as normal. Once it is ready, I add it to a
bowl of mixed grains and let that steep for a few minutes. Add an apple for
dessert and you have a good hearty lunch. Add a salad for those real hungry
days. Breakfast is even easier. I make oat groats and add a cup to instant
oatmeal. The groats are creamy and make the oatmeal a little less pasty.
Make beans, too. I make an experimental soup every week and it never turns out
the same. That is the key, because I never tire of it, and I use whatever
ingredients I have hanging around the house. Freeze the soup in muffin tins
and pop the frozen soup servings into a ziploc freezer bag for long storage.
They thaw very nicely and can be heated and served over grains.
Don't forget your vegan pastas, polenta pasta and rice sticks. The rice sticks
cook very quickly, add a hot soybean paste or guilini garlic sauce, some
steamed veggies and dinner is ready. Sunflower sprout and ff soycheese
sandwiches are great with soup.
My favorite grains for the lunch are kamut, wehani, brown rice, hulled barley
and rye groats.
Breakfast grains are millet, yellow corn grits, and oat groats.
I make salads with wheat berries and kamut as well.
Enjoy!
Susan
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