Easy Meals & Tricks for Busy Vegan Moms

I am well known in my circle of friend for being "The Cook".  I think this is more because I have been married the longest and I have gotten over my fear of things not turning out right.  I have had my fair share of kitchen blunders, a small one is listed in this post, but I always learned something from my experiences.  I think of it like an RPG (role-playing game, now I'm really showing my nerd-ness).  The longer you work at something the more experience you gain, and the faster you level up....okay maybe video games are like real life more than the other way around, but the lines are blurred for me sometimes ;)

My kitchen blunder this week was mistaking one grain for another.  I wouldn't exactly call this a blunder though, because the results were still pretty tasty.  I meant to make couscous stuffed bell peppers with a variation on a recipe I found online.  I gathered all of my ingredients from the pantry and the fridge and turned on the water for my couscous.  As the couscous was cooking I prepped all my veggies and cleaned out my peppers.  When the couscous was done I went over to fluff it up and I realized it wasn't couscous I had grabbed, it was MILLET!  Both grains look very similar when dry except millet is more yellow in color, but I didn't notice so I ended up with some millet instead of couscous.  After mixing it with the veggies and spices I adjusted a few things and stuffed the peppers.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but the millet was a little sticky so it helped bind the stuffing together in the peppers.  I think it might have worked out better in the end than I originally hoped.

Now onto my easy meal tricks.  I am slow to wake in the mornings, so cooking a big breakfast is not my idea of fun.  I will do it on the weekends when we have all the time in the world to relax and take it easy, but weekdays are hectic so it's either cereal or waffles.  Every so often I make breakfast the night before.  I really love making overnight oatmeal in the fridge.  I use a few cups of oats (depending on how many people are eating), almond milk, raisins, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and ground flax seeds.  I've made many different versions of this recipe but this particular one is my family's favorite.  I mix it all up in a tupperware container and stick it in the fridge.  When I wake up in the morning I mash up a few bananas, mix it in each bowl and it is ready to serve!  This is especially nice in the summer when you might not want hot cereal anyway, but it's also nice if you don't like to 'cook' breakfast first thing in the morning.

My last trick, and this is more of a shortcut than a trick, is to buy frozen vegan ravioli.  They may not be that easy to find, but they are worth it if you have small children.  The brand I buy at Whole Foods is Rising Moon Organics and they have quite a few vegan options to choose from.  My kids and I ADORE the Butternut Squash ones, and I just purchased the Spinach Florentine ones yesterday.  They boil up in 8 minutes and all you need to add is a bit of vegan margarine, salt, and pepper.  You could also add sauce, but I really loved the taste of the butternut squash ones without sauce because they have a lovely hint of nutmeg.  YUM!

The moral of the story is that anyone can be a great cook if you are not afraid to try something new.  There are always alternatives to fast food if you make some things ahead of time, and sprinkle in a few prepared foods here and there.