Just because you have a few dietary restrictions: no soy, gluten or animal products, doesn’t mean you have the time to cook from scratch every night of the week. What if you travel or like to camp?  The thought of concocting a vegan meal plan that doesn’t take any prep and has a shelf life can get exhausting.

The good news is that commerce is global, if you have access to the Internet you can find what you need. Here are a few options for the gluten-free, soy-free vegan eater at home or abroad.

Amy’s Kitchen is terrifically accessible. You can find these products in most stores and online if you need them to be shipped globally. Whether or not you have dietary restrictions Amy’s soups are super tasty and come in a variety of flavors. If you can shop at a store, they also make pasta and pizza options with rice flour and vegan cheese.

Allergaroo is another easy winner to check out. They make three styles of vegan, soy-free, rice-based pasta that can be microwaved or cooked on the stove top. Have them ship to you direct or find on most grocery store shelves in the gluten-free isle.

Energy bars are the easiest things to carry with you to munch on, but finding one that tastes decent and has non-soy protein is another story. NuGo, short for nutrition to go, has a line of ‘free bars’ that have 9 grams of protein without violating any of your dietary restrictions.

With just a can opener and a small pot, you can hike for a few days armed with a satchel full of these guys. The best thing is they can all last on the shelf for a good while and let you be location independent with your diet!  Vegan meal plans for the adventurer don’t have to be a struggle; you’re just a click away from finding what you need.

As many of you know, I am currently a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Senegal, West Africa.  In October, eight volunteers and I are organizing a weeklong leadership camp to encourage middle school girls to stay in school.  This camp, taking place October 2^nd-8^th 2011, will challenge the girls to think about all aspects of their lives from personal health and hygiene to how they relate to the environment and how to handle money.  There will also be sessions on setting goals and future planning which, for many, will be the first time these students are asked to consider what they want for their futures.  Giving these girls the tools to make and achieve concrete goals comes at a critical time, since middle school is a common time for girls to drop out of school to get married or be full time workers in their homes.

This project has been fully funded, thank you everyone for your support!

Ingredients:

1 – 2 medium russet potatoes, cubed

1 cup of cooked black beans

1 red onion, chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

a handful of chopped chives

salt and pepper (to taste)

sour cream

Rinse cubed potatoes and heat a skillet with olive or canola oil to medium heat.  Add potatoes and stir until coated.  Add some salt and pepper and fry with lid for 10 minutes.  Remove lid and add bell pepper, carrot, and onions.  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Add beans and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with chives and sour cream. Enjoy!

Makes 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

Top Layer (Red):

1 cup whole raw cashews, soaked for 15 minutes

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked until soft

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 clove garlic

2 T red miso (look for soy-free miso at health food stores)

2 T olive oil

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 – 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Middle Layer (White):

2 cups whole raw cashews, soaked for 15 minutes

1 cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked for 15 minutes

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 T olive oil

2 T nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Bottom Layer (Green):

1 cup walnuts, soaked for 15 minutes

1/2 cup whole raw cashews, soaked for 15 minutes

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 packed cups spinach leaves

2 cups basil leaves

1 cup parsley leaves

1/3 cup pine nuts

sea salt to taste

2 T red miso (find soy free miso in health food stores)

2 T olive oil

To prepare the top layer: Drain and rinse the cashews.  Spread on a dry towel and blot dry.  In a food processor, chop soaked cashews into a fine meal.  Add softened sun-dried tomatoes and bell pepper, garlic, miso, olive oil, cayenne, and sea salt and blend until smooth.  Stash in refrigerator until ready to use.

To prepare the middle layer: Drain and rinse the cashews and macadamia nuts.  Spread on a dry towel and blot dry.  In a food processor, chop the nuts into a fine meal.  Add lemon juice and olive oil and blend into a smooth paste.  Add nutritional yeast and sea salt and blend until smooth and mixed.  Stash in refrigerator until ready to use.

To prepare the bottom layer: Drain and rinse the walnuts and cashews.  Spread on a dry towel and blot dry.  In a food processor, finely chop the garlic, green onions, spinach leaves, basil leaves, and parsley.  Add walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, and sea salt and grind as smooth as possible.  Add miso and olive oil and blend until smooth.  Stash in refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble: Oil an 8 by 9 inch long rectangular bread pan or ceramic dish with a bit of olive oil.  Line the pan with plastic wrap.  The oil will help the wrap to stay flush to the pan.  It is best to allow the spreads to chill for several hours in the refrigerator and become firm before spreading so that they dcan hold their own.  Evenly spread the red layer into the plastic-lined pan.  Spread the white layer evenly on top of the red layer.  Spread the green layer evenly over the white layer.  Fold the plasticc wrap over the top of the terrine to cover.  Allow to chill in the pan for several hours or overnight before serving.

To serve: Unwrap the plastic from the pan, but leave it in place atop the terrine.  Place a serving plate upside-down on the pan, making sure the plastic wrap is out of the way.  Flip the pan over onto the plate.  Slide the pan away gently, so as not to disturb the terrine.  Peel off the plastic wrap and slice with a wet knife.

recipe from: Living Cuisine (I highly recommend this cookbook, it has a lot of really neat recipes)

photo by: Jamie Tilley

This weekend I had the treat of visiting my best friend Anne.  We had lots of fun exploring, creating art, and eating great vegan food in NYC and Hoboken.  Well mostly, we explored and she created art while I ate great food.  Check out her blog: Griffin Dry Goods to see all the cool stuff she has been working on.

But back to the food: after being introduced to so many great restaurants/coffee shops I decided that I should start a whole page devoted to great places to eat (see “Favorite Places”).  But, one place in particular deserves a post here as well.

Now, for those of us, like me, who haven’t had ice cream in a really long time (and no, I’m not talking about rice dream ice cream, I mean old fashioned from a cow – eww – ice cream) you may not remember how good it tastes.  That’s why when Anne suggested we travel all the way into the city just to get ice cream I kind of rolled my eyes and said, well why don’t we just eat some coconut ice cream from the freezer?  She sighed and practically dragged me to Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, and it has changed my world.   In fact, after dreaming about the double scoop cone, one of peanut butter fudge, one of pistachio, I insisted to go back every day.  It’s a good thing I did because the very next day they had blueberry ice cream made from fresh picked organic blueberries and it was out of this world!

Lula’s makes their own hand packed vegan ice cream in rotating flavors daily.  They have gluten free, soy free, and nut free options available (although I’m not sure they actually have a soy free, nut free option).  They even have gluten free cones (although they have soy lethicin in them)!  Not only that, remember the glory of watching your soft serve swirl onto a cone as you waited with eager anticipation?  Lula’s soft serve comes in three flavors although only the chocolate is both gluten and soy free.  If you ever get tired of cones (what?!?!) you can also get banana splits, floats, and flurries (with delicious mix ins like vegan gummies).  So, long story short: if you live anywhere remotely close to NYC you need to visit this ice cream shop.  You won’t be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 large japanese (white) sweet potatoe, chopped

1/2 butternut squash

1-2 cups of cooked black beans, or 1 15oz can rinsed and drained

1/4 cup of baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup of kale, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

small amount of chopped fresh basil

white pepper to taste

salt to taste

Lightly steam the potato and squash, and set aside.

Sautee onion (and garlic if you want to add).

Add the rest of the ingredients, except tomatoes and basil and cook until vegetables are soft and flavor has melded.

Garnish with tomatoes and fresh basil (or use cilantro).

Serve with Cashew Sour Cream.

cashew butter

water

lemon juice, preferably fresh squezzed

Combine until you get a thick sauce.  If it tastes too much like any one ingredient, add more of the other ingredients until it tastes kind of like sour cream, or just like a really tasty sauce.  Serve on everything!

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1.5 cup of cooked black beans or 1 15oz can, rinsed and drained

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

pepperjack daiya cheese (optional)

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp marjarom

1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 T lime juice (or lemon)

salt and white pepper, to taste

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the rice cooks, While the rice cooks wash the peppers well, cut in half length wise, and remove seeds and membranes from the inside walls.  Place open side down in a baking pan with 1/4 cup of water added to it to keep them moist.  Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until a knife easily slides through the side.

Chop the onions and garlic and steam them in a little water to soften.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese) including the rice and cook on med-low for about 15 minutes to mix the flavors.

Stuff the cut peppers very tightly with the rice mixture and top with a little vegan cheese if desired.  Broil for 5 minutes until the cheese melts.  WATCH CLOSELY vegan cheese burns quickly!  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and ENJOY!

recipe adapted from: The Veggie Gal

serves 4-8

prep time 10 minutes, cook 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 medium golden beets, chopped

2-3 medium leeks, well washed, cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 4 cups)

1 low-sodium vegetable cube (or 1 cup of veggie broth)

1 cup water (do not use if using veggie broth)

2 (14-ounce) cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add leeks.  Stir constantly for about 2 minutes, or until beginning to soften.  Do not brown.

Increase heat to high, add beets, and stir another 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are nearly dry.  Add bouillon cube and water (or veggie broth) stirring to deglaze pan bottom.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer.  Cover and cook 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Liquid should be reduced to about 1/3 cup.

Add cannellini, thyme, and pepper, and stir very gently, to prevent crushing beans.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes to allow flavors to meld; salt to taste.

recipe from: Delicious Living March 2011

I’m  home for a month on vacation, hurray:) Of course, the first thing I had to do was make some delicious bread (I hadn’t eaten bread in 14months so it was well overdue).  I found this recipe at Ginger Lemon Girl’s blog and I love it! plus it was a hit with the family:D