It seems like over the last couple of years I don't get a lot of questions about protein as a vegan, I get more questions about the expense of a vegan diet. I also have a coworker who thinks veganism seems really complicated. I have two coworkers who expressed interest in becoming a vegan someday, but because it's so complicated they want to wait until they can really commit. I of course have made it my mission to show how uncomplicated it is, and also how inexpensive it can really be. Any diet can be complicated and expensive. And any diet can be simple and inexpensive. Last night's dinner is a perfect example. I made some gluten free pasta, stirred in a little garlic hummus and a few spoonfuls of olive tapenade and nooch and half a can of white beans. Topped it all with some black pepper and crushed red pepper and I had a delicious one pot meal that was fancy and simple all at the same time. And it was ready in under fifteen minutes.
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| Crappy kitchen lighting, delicious meal |
This dish is creamy from the hummus, and the salty tapenade cuts through with a nice punch of flavor. This meal was neither complicated or expensive. You don't have to eat a frozen meal if you're tired and on a budget. And you don't have to spend a lot of time or money either. Vegan food like vegans comes in all shapes and sizes!
The girls get treats every morning, and yesterday I was having a tough time getting out of bed to hand out the treats. This is Kanye's very subtle stare letting me know I was late. Kanye has always been the treat regulator. She likes to get them in a timely manner thank you very much!
OMG - that face! You cannot say "no" to that face, surely.
ReplyDeleteI never can say no. And she knows it too!
DeleteThat pasta looks incredible and omg Kanye's eyes!!! What a beauty!!
ReplyDeleteIt was so good! Hummus and pasta go really well together!
DeleteShe does have the most gorgeous eyes!!
DOH! Pasta! LOL...I'm trying to do no pasta so of course this looks even more awesome than usual! LOL
ReplyDeleteOh no!! Are you even avoiding gluten free pasta?
DeleteThank you for the yummy suggestion. I'm in a food rut and never think to put hummus in a pasta dish. Doesn't have to be a marinara or a pesto. That's a great suggestion for a new vegan - there are no rules. I'm thinking roasted red pepper hummus with sundried tomatoes, maybe? :)
ReplyDeleteWhen you mix a little of the cooking water with the pasta and hummus it becomes so creamy, almost like a mac and cheese. It's so simple and tasty. Roasted red pepper and sun dried tomato sounds amazing! I want to know how it turns out when you try it!!
DeleteOooh, that pasta sounds amazing. I'd probably never think to stir hummus and tapenade into pasta, but it's genius! I will have to make this for a quick weeknight meal soon.
ReplyDeleteAlso, KANYE! :-) We have a similar situation in my house. I give them treats when I'm waiting for my coffee to brew in the french press. And every morning, as soon as I pour that hot water into the press, the cats all start mewing and Maynard starts following me around and wagging his tail. They'll never let me forget them!
It's such a quick meal. I love it when I want something good but feel super lazy. And it tastes fancy so that makes it even better!
DeleteNever forget!!!!:)
Such a pretty kitty. I agree with you, I eat a lot of the same things and it's so cheap. My hubby is a big meat eater and paid way too much for an unfortunate roast that made me sick when he cooked it last night. ugh. Anyway, I wanted to tell you about my Trader Joe's visit. Oh my goodness. I felt like it was christmas morning walking in there. It was so neat to be able to get a few things that I see in your blog pictures (and other blogs too, not stalking you, I promise! lol) I used their cream cheese in a strawberry cheese cake two days ago. It was awesome. Their cinnamon bread was out of this world. Tortilla chips awesome. Lemons were so darn cheap. I bought their vegan shreds but haven't used them yet. Do they taste like Daiya? So many great items. I want to go back and stock up in a few months. It took about an hour and a half to get there but well worth it. Hope your back is better from lifting those pumpkins.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what you thought of Trader Joe's! I still remember my first time there. It's like walking into a fantasy! I won't buy lemons anywhere else!
DeleteI feel like their vegan shreds have a much milder taste than daiya. They melt great though which is what I like. I like them because they are the cheapest vegan cheese I've found and because of the mild flavor they can be used in a lot of dishes.
It's very hard for me to listen to the excuses people make for avoiding a vegan or vegetarian diet.
ReplyDeleteMost commonly i just say that they are best to just slowly adopt more and more vegan (or vegetarian and then vegan) meals based on what they already make and eat that is "accidentally " vegan; like a bowl of beany chili, or like this meal a simple pasta, or even a meatless burrito bowl at chipotle. Not expensive, not complicated or using obscure hard to find ingredients.
Great idea to use the tapenade here! Your cats are too funny- and very smart since they have trained you so well to stick to a regular treat giving schedule ;))
Ttrockwood
The excuses are frustrating. It really isn't difficult. I did it cold turkey with no research or planning and somehow I managed to survive and thrive!
DeleteIt's so funny, the other girls like treats but they don't really bug me for them. But Kanye keeps me on a regular schedule and absolutely does not let me forget!
I am trying to become vegan and it does look expensive. I saw some packages of sliced cheese for almost $8. Most common recipes use oatmeal, tofu, rice and bananas. I don't even like these foods that much. This is a challenge but I am going to keep trying.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that faux cheeses and faux meats can be expensive, they're really great for omnis transitioning to remove animal proteins but are more of a once in a while food than everyday kind of thing for most vegans.
DeleteLook at some of the great recipes from budget bytes, this is her vegan section and she makes simple delicious budget friendly dishes
https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/vegan/
I like the variety and different ingredients for the meals she shows. These meals are much more affordable and palatable. There’s hope. Thank you so much.
DeleteSuch perfect, sweet eyes!
ReplyDeleteHow have I never thought to use hummus with pasta before? I use it in all sorts of other things. That is such a good idea! Especially with the tapanade. I often find tapanade a bit over powering in flavour, but mixing it with hummus would solve that!
I know! Her eyes kill me every time!
DeleteHummus mixed with warm pasta and a little of the cooing water makes such a creamy, almost cheesy sauce it's really a nice easy meal. And you're right, the hummus mellows out the tapenade.
Hummus sounds like a great ingredient to add to pasta; I'll have to remember to try that sometime! Kanye's little face is so cute! :)
ReplyDeleteIt works really, really well. It turns super creamy. It's a great super quick meal!
DeleteThe other day my Mom (who is trying to eat more vegan meals) asked me why my older sister thinks veganism is so expensive. I explained to my mother that the processed foods are really expensive. I get so mad when I see how cheap some processed foods are! Like mac and cheese was 3 for a dollar! I can't even get vegan mac and cheese for a dollar! There isn't any REAL reason why vegan food can't become this cheap, they just aren't in high demand and mass produced like some of those products. One day right?
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm a cashier at a grocery I really see how cheap a lot of non vegan processed food is. On top of it already being cheap, a lot of stores have additional sales like ten for a dollar or buy one get one free.
DeleteI feel like vegan foods and organic food will never go down in price to be honest. I remember reading an article like ten years ago saying if we all keep buying organic it will bring the cost down, but it hasn't. Organic food has grown in popularity, but the cost remains higher. In some cases a lot higher. I feel like the precedent has been set that people will pay these prices so why bring them down? I don't mean to sound cynical because I would love the prices to come down but I just don't see it happening. The same with gluten free. I've pretty much just accepted that as long as I avoid gluten I'll just pretty much be not having bread at all.:(
I know organic is a little bit more complicated. Overall some things have gone down in prices, but others not so much. Some have gone up because there is too much demand and not enough suppliers (mostly fruit and the dirty dozen) Also it is really expensive to get certified organic, like several years so it is hard to meet the demand.
DeleteI can see SOME processed vegan food eventually going down in price, just maybe not in our lifetime? Like I think we would need to see much higher number of vegans like 20-40% for major brands to produce in masses. We would also need the government to stop freakin' subsidizing the milk and meat industries. *sigh* Drives me nuts.