It’s easier to be vegetarian than most people think. (That’s coming from a place of privilege: I can afford to choose to be vegetarian, and I have access to food staples and produce.) This is true in most situations, college dining halls excepted. I used to make a BBQ chickpea sandwich from the salad bar, and one day I had already toasted my bread, put my BBQ sauce on, and I went to the salad bar... and there were no chickpeas. Then there were no veggie burgers, and I couldn’t think of anything else to put in it, so I just ate toast and barbeque sauce for dinner. Sometimes I could tell my friends to go to The Perch first and tell me if they had tofu, and if they did, I would sneak up with my Tupperware to stash some tofu, or have my friends sneak some out for me in a cup covered in napkin and held closed with a hair tie (thank you, my sweet friends). I also had my handy rice cooker in my room, my mom’s frozen rice and peas in my mini fridge freezer, and one dish that I would wash in the tiny Sutherland sink. Now, I have a kitchen, a real freezer to store my mom’s rice and peas in, and a slightly larger sink to wash my three plates (it was four: I accidentally shattered one last week along with the apple crumble I'd made). And now that I have the ability to feed myself, I find being vegetarian to be easy. Or at least easier than people think. I think that when people think about vegetarian and vegan recipes, they think about fancy and expensive imitation meat burgers, raw cheesecakes made from cashews, and cauliflower rice that in no way tastes like rice (not even close: you cannot trick me with carbs): all of these expensive, weird, and inaccessible-sounding things. But you don’t need any of that! One of the best things about vegetarian and vegan meals is that they pare down recipes to their simplest forms. They force you to omit things, find replacements for other ingredients, and cut down on cooking time. Chili can be pared down to some browned onions, good seasonings, beans, and maybe some sweet potatoes for extra body. A hearty pasta sauce can replace ground beef with lentils or white cannellini beans. Instead of scrambled eggs, try scrambled tofu. This isn’t vegetarian propaganda, I promise! But during times when meat, eggs, and other standard ingredients may not be available (not like beans may be any more available: suddenly beans are the most popular guy in town), I like to be creative with my cooking by figuring out how to recreate or invent typical meals with plant-friendly substitutes, using as few ingredients as possible. It's good for saving food, and also helps you appreciate your food a li'l more because the ingredients get to shine! To get you started, here’s this vegan banana pancake recipe I love. No butter? No problem. No eggs available? Banana replaces the egg in this recipe: other egg substitutes include peanut butter, applesauce, flax, and chia seeds! These don’t work for every situation, though: you need to do some research and experimentation, 'cause we don’t have food to waste! I promise you they don’t taste any different: the only thing they taste like is delicious. If anything, they taste even lighter and fluffier. I posted a picture and the recipe for these on my Instagram; my sweet friend Erica told me it was the best thing she’s made, and I shed tears of happiness. These pancakes get a lot of love. I hope you enjoy! Vegan Pancake Recipe ● 1 really REALLY ripe banana (the spottier, the better! It’ll be sweeter!), mashed ● ¾ cup milk (I use almond) ● hearty splash of vanilla extract ● 1 tbsp oil ● 1 tbsp baking powder ● 2 heaping tbsp sugar (any type, I use brown) ● 1 cup flour ● a few generous dashes of cinnamon ● dash of salt You only need one bowl! Make sure your banana is ripe (I can’t say it enough) and really well mashed, and add all your wet ingredients. Mix, and add the dry ingredients. Mix again: the mixture should feel kinda fluffy. (Be careful not to overmix, though!) Cook in a frying pan low and slow. Be careful: if you cook them on high heat, the outside will burn and the inside will be undercooked. They’re sensitive. Enjoy! (Oh, and try and make some banana bread, too!) - Kami Beckford, Center for Creativity Student Ambassador. Find Kami's work on her website.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WelcomeOur blog is a space for C4C staff and guest contributors to share thoughts on creativity, workspaces, processes, and more!
Archives
August 2020
Categories
All
|