VeganMOFO day 5: A normal meal

Everyone always wonders what exactly we vegans eat on a regular ol day so I thought I would snap a picture of a midweek meal. I try to keep things as balanced as possible and when ever I can pick fresh fruits and veggies from the garden its always a plus. For this dish the husband and I dinned on baked yams with purple onion, mustard greens with bell pepper and lentils. Before growing our own mustard greens I had never had them before and it for sure was an acquired taste...it took about 3 times of eating them before I started to really like them but now they are my favorite. They have quite a bit so if you are trying them out for the first time and aren't a fan, give them another shot. Just to be sure. This meal was super easy to pull together, the entire plate was pulled together in under an hour.

To make the yams: I used 2 small/medium yams {sweet potatoes work too} chop up into little pieces and spread in a glass dish with about a table spoon of butter {Earth balance} and a teaspoon of olive oil. Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes. Throw in the onion around 20 minutes in otherwise the onion will be burned to a crisp. 

To make the greens: Chop up a good amount of mustard greens {approx. 3 cups, they cook down} and bell pepper. Saute pepper over medium heat until tender and then throw in greens. Sprinkle garlic powder to taste, I like it with a ton! Saute for about 5-8 minutes.

What are you favorite go to dishes that pack a punch of flavor?

Vegan MOFO: day 2 Hearty pancakes

Before I came up with this recipe for pancakes it was like pulling teeth to convince my husband to accept pancakes as a good enough breakfast, something about just being a glorified cake, yada yada yada. But now that I add a few extra bits and pieces they not only still taste like cake {score one for me!} they also provide us with a bit of nutrition like vitamin E, folic acid, protein and fiber. I love to top my pancakes with fresh fruit like bananas, strawberries or blueberries and a splash of agave nectar. So delish!

Hearty Pancakes

1 Cup unbleached flour

3/4 Cup chickpea flour

1 Tbsp. flax seed

2 Tbsp. wheat germ

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. {vegan} sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 Cup rice milk

1/4 oil {I used canola}

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Earth balance for pan

*In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients till blended well.

*Add in wet ingredients and stir just until blended. Try not to over stir or it will get a little elastic like.

*In a large pan place a little bit of butter over low/medium heat until melted. Pour batter and turn once they begin to bubble. 

Makes 6-7 medium sized pancakes.

These babies will keep you full for hours and taste oh so good. Just writing this makes me want to whip up a batch. And the best part, from start to finish is under 30 minutes!

**side note** I used a small and medium sized stainless steel pan to make these and found that the small pan made the pancakes nice and even. The medium pan seemed to make a rim around the edge of the pancake and the middles got a bit fluffy. Both taste great but if you are not used to a thicker batter and use a big pan you might be surprised by the look. Just sayin.

images by our designed life

Vegan MOFO: day 1

orange banner via vegan mofo, eating meat is dumb image by our designed life

Hi friends. Throughout the month of October I will be participating in Vegan MOFO {month of food} where I will share my favorite recipes, local San Francisco eateries, tips and general vegan issues. Now don't get me wrong, I am not here to judge anyone, so please, I ask the same to you. For some the topic of herbivores vs. carnivores can be very touchy but I assure you, I come from a very loving heart {for all things, not just people} and am doing the best I can to maintain a healthy diet for myself, my husband and my growing baby belly. Heck I even have a dog who's favorite snack is oranges and brussel sprouts, but more on that later! I will start each vegan post this month with the bright orange banner, if you would like please participate- it will be fun! If not, just skip on down I will continue to also bring my meat eating friends daily design and lifestyle inspiration, but I do encourage you to give a few recipes a try. You never know, you may even find yourself surprised with how simple a vegan diet can actually be, not to mention cheaper!

Now that that is out of the way, welcome to my very first vegan MOFO post! A little about me: I have been vegetarian for about 6 years now, vegan for the last 5 months {right when I found out I was pregnant with my first itty bitty}. The {then fiancee} and I took to a vegetarian diet a little slow at first, in fact, our first go round in college we gave up and gave in to the calls of cheap and fast food. But after learning a bit more have been growing to find a great balance in what works for us and what doesn't. It wasn't until about 2 years ago that I can say we really got it. We tried our hardest at being good veggie eaters but it was hard. Especially for me coming from a large Mexican family where everything was centered around food and animal products. Not so say we don't struggle every now and then {still to this day when I pass by a doughnut shop and the wind is just right my mouth still salivates} but we give it our best we possibly can and really that's all I can ask for. 

Now for all of you that may be unfamiliar with a vegan diet you may be wondering what the heck am I doing 5 months pregnant and not eating meat or dairy. Well friends, eating a balanced diet not only works for my growing belly it is giving me a head start in providing a healthy environment for my baby. When I was a meat eater not only was a little heavier then need be but I was also at a risk for high blood pressure and cholesterol. Today I can proudly say I am nice and healthy. And in case you are wondering I get my protein from many natural sources- did you know you can actually get more from some whole foods then from a piece of meat? True story.

Well, enough about me- this post is verging on the longest I have ever written- its about time we get to the food! Join me tomorrow as I share with you one of my {and my husband's} favorite breakfast foods that you can whip up in less then 30 minutes from start to finish. And a big ol' welcome to those that have stopped by from Vegan MOFO. I can't wait to get reading and find fantastic recipes that everyone will be sharing!

If you are interested in finding out more from this huge vegan community please check out the 2012 Vegan MOFO blogroll where you will find hundreds of folks sharing all things food.