Bean and Veggie Tacos

This is a yummy low-fat vegan variation on traditional tacos

Wheat tortillas (I like the uncooked kind.  Then I cook them on the skillet right before serving)
1/2 batch of Red Beans and Rice  or you can use your favorite canned beans or refried beans
4 carrots, pealed and coarsely grated
1 cup shredded cabbage (I like boc choy)
1 onion, sliced
1 cup vegetable broth
Lettuce or raw spinach (as desired)
Salsa (as desired)

Coat a skillet with cookie spray and stir-fry the carrots and cabbage. Set aside.
Caramelize the onions.  To do this, coat a skillet or wok with cooking spray.  Stir fry onions until they brown slightly.  Pour in a little of the broth, and cook until the liquid is gone.  Pour in a little more. Continue adding broth and cooking onions until they are thoroughly cooked and translucent. Set aside
Heat beans, and cook tortillas.  To assemble tacos place some of the beans, onions, carrots, lettuce or spinach and salsa if desired on a warm tortilla.  Roll up and eat.

If you are not worried about being Vegan and Low-fat, you can also add cheese, plain yogurt or sour cream as  toppings.

Red Beans and Rice

These make great filling for enchiladas or tacos, or can be eaten with your favorite ethnic bread.

1 bag dried kidney beans
1 small red or green pepper, chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
7 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice

Put everything but the rice in a crock pot and cook on low for at least  8 hours
Add the instant rice, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Bubble and Squeak (potato pancake)

Here is a low-fat version of a recipe I found in the Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking. The traditional version of this dish is served as a breakfast food in England.  There are a variety of vegetables that could be used to flavor the  potatoes.

1 lb potatoes (I like to use the yellow kind)
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup thinly sliced boc choy or nappa cabbage
1 teaspoon vegetable base
Cooking Spray

Boil the potatoes in water until soft, remove skins. Mash
Heat a pan and spray with cooking spray.  Stir fry the carrot, cabbage and onion until soft.  Stir in the vegetable base to coat.

Mix the vegetables and the potatoes together thoroughly. Spray a good sized nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Spread the potato mixture in the pan and cook until the bottom starts to brown.  Carefully flip the potato onto a plate, and then return it to the pan with the other side down. Heat that until slightly browned.  Carefully remove to a plate.  Cut like a pizza and serve.

I served this with a side order of peas, and a nice crisp apple.  It is a filling dinner, but doesn't have much protein.  Good for when you had beans or tofu earlier in the day.

Asparagus Soup

Here is another wonderful fresh vegetable soup.
I modified it from a recipe I found in The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking to make it low fat and vegan.

1 pound young asparagus
6 shallots (or you could use 3/4 cup chopped onion)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup plain soy milk
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper to taste

Cut off about 1 1/2 inch off the tops of the asparagus and set aside.  Cut the rest of the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces, making sure to discard ends that might look tough.

Spray a large sauce pan with cooking spray and heat. Slice the shallots, and add them to the pan, stirring to prevent them from scorching.  Add about 1/2 cup of the broth, a little at a time, and continue cooking until the shallots are soft. Add the asparagus pieces (not the tops) and saute for a couple of minutes.  Add the rest of the broth and the lemon juice and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the asparagus is quite soft.  Pour the mixture into a blender and process until smooth.  If you like, strain it to remove any tough fibers.  Return to the pan. Add the reserved asparagus tops and simmer until they are soft (about another 10 minutes).  Add the flour to the soy milk and mix until smooth.  Add to the asparagus mixture and heat through.  Serve.

If you are not concerned about dairy or fat, substitute 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup light cream for the soy milk (that's what the original recipe called for, but really this version is yummy without the added fat.)

The Protein Question

I have been doing the low-fat vegan diet for two weeks now.  I keep track of what I eat and have been watching my nutrition statistics.  My average calories have dropped by about 60/day.  That is not a bad thing, since I haven't lost the weight I gained over Christmas yet.  The statistic that worries me is that I have been eating much less of my calories as protein.  I was eating about 15% of calories from protein, and that last two weeks it has dropped down to about 10%.  Since my calories has also dropped, I am guessing my protein intake has decreased from about 50 grams a day to about 30 grams a day.  I don't know if that is a problem or not.  The calculators online recommend that a woman my size eat about 50 grams/day (what I was eating before).  I am also more active than many women my age, so I might need more.  I think I need to watch my protein more carefullly.

A struggle is that the things that are plant based and have a lot of protein, also give my indigestion.  I enjoy the taste of beans and lentils, but it is hard for me to digest them, even with digestive enzymes.  I like soy milk, but it is not particularly low fat, nor is tofu.  (both about 30% of calories from fat.)  What is a woman to do?  I wish they had protein supplements, like they have calcium supplements. 

Tomato Basil Bisque

You can use canned tomatoes and dried basil, but if you use can use fresh, it is much better.

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
2 stocks celery, chopped
6 fresh tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water,  or 2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed), or 1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup plain soy milk

Spray a pan with cooking spray.  Sauté onions, pepper, and celery until soft.  Add tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.  Put the tomato mixture into a blender.  Add the basil, sugar, salt and soy milk. Blend until desired smoothness.(add in stages if your blender is too small to fit the whole recipe). Return mixture to the pan and heat through. 

Serve with your favorite whole grain bread.

Vegetable Curry

Here is one of my favorite vegan comfort foods.  You can make it higher fat or low-fat

4 carrots, pealed and sliced
2 potatoes, pealed cut into cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 parsnip and or one sweet potato, pealed and cut into cubes
5 cups vegetable broth
1 curry cube, or one Tablespoon curry powder (more if you like it spicier)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed.

1 cup coconut milk (higher fat option) or 1 cup plain soy or almond milk (lower fat option) or leave out the milk all together.

salt and pepper to taste
Cooked white or brown rice,

Put the first 6 ingredients into a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8+ hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Mash the vegetables a bit with a potato masher to make the broth thicker. 
Add coconut or soy/almond milk (or leave out the milk).  If you want a thicker sauce, mix in 1/4 cup flour in the milk before you add it, or thicken by stirring in  1/4 cup dried potato flakes.  Add the thawed peas.

Serve over white or brown rice, or eat as a stew.