August Eats
In another installment of, Recent Eats, I’ve included some things I am able to cook fairly quickly and easily. With the seasons changing and schedules along with it, you may need recipes that do not require much prep or cook time.
I hope something you see makes you hungry!
Spicy BBQ Cauliflower Bites & Garlic French Fries
I constantly hear people talk about substituting cauliflower for chicken wings and I wanted to decide for myself, if this was as blasphemous as my carnivorous self would have thought. When I saw breaded cauliflower in the freezer section of the grocery store, I bought it long before I knew what I would do with it. I like to keep my freezer stocked for times when I need something to cook quickly. Luckily, I recently had one of those days and decided to try out the breaded cauliflower. I decided to make spicy bbq cauliflower bites and garlic french fries to go with some salad. The cauliflower and fries are both easy to prepare, and only need to bake in the oven. After that, all I did was add the bites to the bbq sauce I had made and add in some salad to complete my dinner. Super simple. Amazingly delicious. Highly recommended.
Black Rice & Bean Bowl
One of my favorite things to do is cook something that I can later turn into something else. Here is a prime example of that! What began as a rice bowl, also became tacos and nachos. This was another quick meal I made with mostly ingredients I already had in my cabinets. If possible, I would recommend trying black wild rice. For this recipe, I cooked my rice in a tomato sauce I made. You do not have to do it that way; I think my rationale was to make sure my rice would have flavor without being soupy. In the end, the rice, beans and veggies end up absorbing all the flavor from the sauce. My ingredients included black rice, black beans, corn, bell peppers, scallions, jalapenos and roasted tomatoes.
Rice & Bean Nacho
The next day, I added some of my leftover rice and beans to tortilla chips, topped it with vegan cheese and cilantro and flipped it into a nacho!
Rice & Bean Tacos
Switch it up again; by stuffing those rice and beans into softer tortilla shells to make tacos! By not having to cook dinner that night, I had time to whip up some guacamole and salsa to add to my tacos. Let’s just say I ate more than 2
Protein Packed Smoothie
I know mornings can be especially busy and pressed for time! A great way to start your day with a solid serving of fruit is with a smoothie! People love to ask me about protein, so here you go! I like to add plant protein powder for taste as well as nutrients-plants are the primary source of protein btw; maca powder to help balance mood, boost energy and help build muscles; hemp seeds for more protein, vitamin E and fatty acids. Add in as much liquid or ice as you need for your desired consistency and enjoy. This should keep you satisfied until lunch for sure!
Vegetable Jambalaya
Here is another dish that I managed to create, using ingredients from withing my cabinet. I made this while I was recovering from a severe infection so I was low on time, energy and effort! On hand I had a box of the jambalaya mix, black beans, roasted tomatoes, string beans, corn and a few spices. After the rice was cooked, I just added in the additional ingredients to simmer. By using canned ingredients, which are pre-cooked, you can save a lot of cooking time. I love to keep spice blends on hand, for when I need seasonings but do not have time to mix them myself.