The Loma Prietan
April 2003
Cooking Green: Short on Time? Easy Plant-Based Cooking
by Kay Bushnell
What's the easiest way to prepare plant-based meals? Most people would agree that hiring a cook to prepare plant-based food may be easy, but it is usually not cost effective. Even fetching a meal from the local deli or frozen food section requires a trip to the store, waiting in line, and toting the meal home, usually in plastic or paper containers. All things considered, home made, earth-friendly meals require relatively minimal effort.
Plant based meals that we prepare ourselves have many advantages. We know what is in them; we can control costs; we can make sure that the ingredients are fresh and organic; and we have the personal satisfaction of knowing that we created them. Easy meals often include time-saving convenience foods and fresh produce in season.
Planning is an important part of easy cooking. Thinking ahead, choosing recipes, and organizing one's shopping list gets easier as it becomes routine each week. For nutritional balance a rough rule of thumb is to include within a 24-hour period food from each category of the healthful plant-based food pyramid. The pyramid consists of a foundation of grains and potatoes, a second tier of vegetables and fruits in approximately equal amounts; a somewhat smaller tier of
legumes, and a top tip consisting of seeds and nuts. Keeping this pyramid in mind can serve as a handy guide in meal planning.
Plant based stir-fries, chili with rice or cornbread, pasta entrées, stews, and hearty soups are refreshing contrasts to the typical American meal with its focus on meat. A good 100% plant-based cookbook such as The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond is invaluable. Simply leaving out the meat in favorite traditional recipes or replacing it with chopped nuts, beans, or a meat alternative yields surprisingly delicious results.
Here are some other time-saving tips: Open a bag of frozen vegetables and add them directly to chili, stews, and soups. Quick-cooking potatoes, rice, and oatmeal may not taste quite the same as their longer cooking versions, but they are still tasty and can save cooks much time and effort. Add commercial blends of spices to bean, tofu, and vegetable dishes to simplify the seasonings. Chopping vegetables is not as difficult as it may seem. With a little practice chopping onions from scratch many people find that they can soon perform the job quickly, skillfully, and even enjoyably. (Tip: use a sharp knife, and wet the onions as you chop to keep them from stinging your eyes.)
In addition to the benefits of high quality ingredients, economy, and personal satisfaction, home cooked meals often provide enough food for more than one meal, which means that you'll have dinner already made for the next several days. Leftovers are the busy cook's friends. Look for more information about easy plant-based cooking in the next issue of the Loma Prietan.
If you use canned pinto beans, the following recipe will be ready to eat in minutes and will last for several days. It has already received thumbs-up from many chili lovers.
Quick Chili
Delicious with rice or cornbread. Soyrizo is available in most mainstream supermarkets. Serves about 6.
1 onion, chopped (can use frozen, chopped onions)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cans (3 cups) cooked pinto beans, black beans, or half of each, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (add only if you like very hot,
spicy chili)
1 15-oz. can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup Soyrizo (meatless soy chorizo)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro and/or chopped red onions for garnish
In a large saucepan sauté onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of water until onions are translucent. Blend in all remaining ingredients except Soyrizo and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-30 minutes, stirring frequently as it thickens.
While chili is simmering, slit half of the Soyrizo casing and scrape out contents with a spatula. Add a little olive oil to a small skillet, and over medium-low heat brown the Soyrizo, breaking it up with a spoon as it browns. (Stir it often; be careful not to burn it.) Stir the browned Soyrizo into the chili. Season to taste and sprinkle cilantro and/or chopped red onions on each serving.
Copyright Kay Bushnell