Dad's House

Cooking Tasty Vegan Recipes from Scratch

David Mott is on vacation this week, and Dad’s House has been taken over by some great guest bloggers. Ending the week, Honey from HoneyAndLance.com heads into the kitchen…

We go out to eat, or buy takeout, or get pre-prepared (kind of redundant, eh?) food so often these days that the idea of cooking something from scratch makes people raise their eyebrows a little. However, it really shouldn’t! Pre-made food from the grocery store typically has way too many of one (or more) of the following: calories, fat, sugar, salt. And it’s tough to say which of these things is worse, as they all contribute to serious health problems, especially if they’re all someone eats from an early age.

If you want to eat healthy yourself, as well as save your kids from a life of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, then cooking from scratch is one of the best ways to do it. Keep your eyes peeled for reruns of an excellent TLC show called Honey, We’re Killing the Kids! if you don’t believe me.

Tons of people have already heard that involving your kids in the cooking process is one of the best ways to make sure that they eat what you make. With that in mind whatever you make has got to be easy—then you can not only involve younger children, but also so that you can concentrate on conversation to help make the experience fun for everyone.

What you may not know is that being vegan is not only an extremely healthy lifestyle, but also the single biggest contribution you can make towards saving the environment. A vegan who drives a Hummer contributes less greenhouse gas than a meat-eater who drives a hybrid.

So cooking these types of foods is a way to have conversations not only about healthy eating habits, but instilling your children with a desire to prevent animal cruelty and pollution. With that in mind, two of my favorite recipes, a main dish and a salad—both vegan and both super, super easy. My boyfriend and I have been making these together incessantly since it’s over 110 degrees in Phoenix in the summer.

Healthy Meal Plan Recipes

Main Dish: Smoky Baked Tofu

I wish I could take the credit for this one, but it actually is a recipe that I stole from a friend. This doesn’t take much effort, but does require two days of preparation, since the tofu needs to marinade for 24 hours.

2 lbs. tofu, sliced into “steaks” about a half-inch thick
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. white pepper

Whisk together all the ingredients (except tofu) and pour into a flat bottom pan. The pan should be big enough to hold the tofu, but not so big that the liquid doesn’t cover the tofu. Submerge tofu in liquid, cover, and marinate in the fridge overnight. The next day, lay tofu out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes on each side. Let cool and enjoy in a wrap—it’s delicious with vegan sour cream and fresh basil.

Side Salad: Canned Summertime

This I picked up in a magazine somewhere, but have made so many adaptations over time that I consider it my own. It’s best chilled. If you make it while the oven’s preheating and put it in the fridge when the tofu goes in the oven, it should be nice by the time dinner’s ready.

3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. lime juice
3 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 15-ounce can sweet corn (kernels)

Fresh basil (for garnish and color)
Salt & pepper (to taste)

Whisk the olive oil, lime juice, and Tabasco sauce in a medium-sized glass mixing bowl. Drain the cans of black beans (rinse these as well), garbanzo beans, and sweet corn, and mix into the vinaigrette mixture. You can add more of the olive oil, lime juice, or Tabasco sauce to taste at this point, as well as add some salt and pepper. Be careful if you have smaller children that it’s not too spicy. Cover with tin foil and put in the fridge for about an hour. Chop the fresh basil and add it on top as a garnish when served.

These dishes are not only super easy to make, they’re very filling without making you feel heavy afterwards. Make them with your kids (or a date!) tonight.

© 2008 HoneyAndLance.com. All rights reserved. Published by DadsHouseBlog.com with permission from the author.

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July 18th, 2008 Posted in food recipes | Tags: cooking, food, healthy cooking, healthy food, healthy meal plans, honeyandlance.com, single dad, single dads, vegan recipe | 5 comments