Wednesday Food Blogging

White Beans with Seitan Sausage

Beans. Good for your heart, etc. But also just good. 

Sunday afternoons around here are often devoted to bean cooking. We try to vary the beans: pintos, black beans, kidneys, limas, or blackeyed peas. I think my favorite are white beans, in any shape or form: cannellini, giant lima, Great Northern or small flageolet beans. 

Yesterday we cooked Great Northern beans, which are very similar to cannellini or white kidney beans. When the beans were almost done, I scooped a couple cups out and made this: Mashed White Beans with Spinach and Olives. It was wonderful, made exactly as the recipe describes (albiet with beans cooked from dried rather than canned). 

With the rest of the beans, I drew inspiration from the previous night's dish, but added some sliced seitan sausage I'd made a few days ago. (From this recipe, with spices of my choosing.) I also left out the spinach and olives, and served the beans with spaghetti, thus creating a seitan Pasta e Fagioli. 

I would recommend using dried beans rather than canned, since you just don't get the flavor and the creaminess in canned beans that you do when you cook them from dried. I also have been breaking my dried beans rule and adding salt before cooking, which results in perfectly cooked beans. Who knew. 

Directions below: 

My Meatless Monday

Yesterday we cooked black beans and made chili (following this recipe). It was fabulous, and of course there are leftovers—the best thing about cooking dried beans. Not only are they mostly fuss-free, once you've started them cooking, but you've got at least 2 or 3 meals for your effort.

While I was spooning them into my bowl, I decided a nice slab of polenta would be nice. So that's today's evening meal, sorted.

We also tried out the latest advice on cooking dried beans: add salt before cooking, which is contrary to everything I'd read and indeed, written here. But it works. Salting them before cooking makes no difference to the texture of the beans; if anything, they cook faster and are just as tender. 

So now you know. 

Breakfast: cereal, banana, and soymilk

Snack: toast with apple butter, which isn't available in British supermarkets, so that's a rare treat.

Lunch: PB&J, my after-gym quick fix lunch. 

Dinner: The aforementioned black beans, polenta, and a salad. Here's how I make polenta. I grill it (in a pan with raised bits to give grill marks) with a little margarine/olive oil, on each side. 

Extra: Cookies. Made these this afternoon, in lieu of a walk. It was just too cold out there, and the idea of heating the oven had some appeal. Tip: If your brown sugar has gone hard, microwave it for 20 seconds or so. It's a miracle. 

My Meatless Monday

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, and accompaniments 

It's Monday again, and that means it's meatless around here. Okay, every day is meatless. But Meatless Monday has a ring to it, don't you think? 

For breakfast, I had my usual: Dorset Cereal with soy milk. 

For lunch, I ate Alpro yogurt (cherry—yumm!) and some carrot sticks. 

For dinner, I made a version of this: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. It wasn't exactly the same; I didn't use celery, and in the chipotle sauce I used sundried tomatoes instead of chipotles. On the side, some string beans with pine nuts (since I didn't use any of those in the peppers either) and a slice of La Brea bread, named after a place in Los Angeles but made in Ireland. It's a delicious whole grain bread, and the brand new Tesco in town was selling it at their grand opening today. My neighbors are upset about the new Tesco coming into town and changing the flavour of the village, but I'm happy for the convenience. 

Because Meatless Monday is all about convenience—my aim is to show non-vegans how easy and convenient it is to be vegan, even if for one day a week.

We also had a 2009 Bordeaux, which was a Very Good Year. Meatless Monday is all about good food and wine, too.

What was on your table for Meatless Monday?

My Meatless Monday

Today is Monday, obviously, and we're having—what else?—Red Beans and Rice. 

It's a tradition in Cajun country to eat red beans and rice on Monday, using the ham hock from Sunday's ham dinner. At least that's what they say. I doubt few Cajuns these days bake ham on Sunday, much less cook red beans from scratch on Monday. 

And of course 'round here, we never have ham hock at all. In fact, when you think about it, isn't that a pretty gross concept? The ankle bone of a pig in your beans? You have no idea where that ankle's been, and you want to put it in your pot of beans? Good luck with that.

We like to make red beans from dried, although if we haven't soaked beans in advance, canned will do just fine. If you can find actual red beans, instead of red kidney beans, do use those. They're smaller and more authentic than the larger kidney beans. 

But alas, Cajun products aren't found on the shelves of Tesco, so red kidney beans usually do for us. Here's the recipe, along with a little Cajun lore. 

Oh, and for breakfast, I had the usual cereal—Dorset cereal, since I"m still trying to win a Mini. For lunch, a sandwich, made with wholemeal bread, my favorite Maille mustard and some of these sage and onion slices from Redwood. They're really yummy, even for a devoted PB&J fan like me.

What's on your menu for Meatless Monday?

My Meatless Monday

Today was dreary—wet and cold. I spent part of the morning at the gym, after a hearty breakfast of Dorset cereal and soymilk. (I love their cereal, but they're also giving away a Mini Cooper, which I am determined to win.) 

For lunch I snacked on popcorn and yogurt (Alpro soy yogurt). Lunch isn't my favorite meal, and more often than not I snack throughout the day rather than sit down to a proper plate of food. 

For dinner I warmed up leftovers from last night—there was more than enough for two generous helpings. I also steamed some Savoy cabbage, and shook a few drops of red wine vinegar on it for flavor. (Greens and vinegar were made for each other. Or maybe it's a Southern thing.) And we finished the bottle of 2009 Bordeaux, supposedly an excellent vintage. 

Speaking of France, if you happen to be in Paris for Thanksgiving, you can have a vegan Thanksgiving at the Gentle Gourmet. Details here. (I'll be in France the day before, stocking up on mustard and wine and yummy vanilla soya milk.)

My Meatless Monday

I sit here, full as a tick (Southern expression; sorry), remembering what I ate today. As promised, I'm sharing with you so you'll know what a day without meat looks like. Or rather, tastes like. 

It tastes rather good. Just ask Sparky, who got to share my sweet potato for lunch. Dogs love sweet potatoes, and they're good for them, so I cut off the end and gave it to him when he came when called. It's an excellent High Value Treat, for both of us. 

For breakfast, a bowl of cereal and soy milk. Wouldn't want to break a good habit. 

For lunch, the aforementioned sweet potato, baked, then allowed to cool in the oven while we took a walk, then mashed with Pure margarine. (A squeeze of lime is a nice low-fat alternative, fyi.)

For dinner, boiled edamame, soba noodles, and stir fried veggies with peanut sauce. One of my favorite meals, actually. The peanut sauce is easy: 1/2 cup boiling water, whisked with 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter. Then add 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons or so soy sauce, a minced clove of garlic, some minced ginger, and a glug of Sriracha sauce. I stir fried some onion, carrot, red pepper, mushrooms, mangetout (snow peas) and napa cabbage in a couple tablespoons of canola (rapeseed) oil and sherry. (Try this as a saute mixture for veg to cut down on the fat.) We actually had half soba, half somen, since I had less than half a package of each. That made for an interesting brown/white noodle effect. On top: a squeeze of lime, and/or cilantro (coriander), green onions, toasted peanuts. 

I had seconds.

For a snack, I had some Lotus Speculoos cookies with my green tea. 

Deprived? I don't think so.

My Meatless Monday

I'm starting something new here, at least until I forget. Every Monday I'll tell you what I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

The concept of Meatless Monday has been gaining steam, even becoming cool. It occurred to me that many people still have no idea of what an entire day of meatless meals looks like.

I wish my meals today were more cool, but this is a reality program...err, blog. 

For breakfast, I had wheat chex with banana and soymilk. (Get used to this folks; I rarely deviate from cereal/soymilk breakfast.)

For lunch, I warmed up leftovers: linguine noodles with mushroom stroganoff, made with soy cream. (This is a deviation—I almost always have a PB&J sandwich and chips/crisps. But Ocado smushed my bread.)

For dinner, leftovers again: Butterbeans (cooked yesterday from dry) topped with minced garlic and basil, drizzled with olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice; kale drizzled with cider vinegar and Tabasco; brown rice and leftover cornbread. (The addition of fresh garlic and drizzled olive oil was inspired by this, about Ikaria, a Blue Zone where people regularly live past 90.)

And two glasses of red wine.

Next Monday I'll try to plan something more exciting, less drizzly. I'll also try to take photos. 

Feel free to add your own day's worth of meals in Comments.