Lunchbox Tuesday: Lazy Lunchin’

Sometimes I just don’t have it in me to pack a good lunch to take to school. I forget. I don’t have time. I get lazy.

When this happens, I just throw a container of WholeSoy & Co yogurt in my lunch box along with a bag (yes, the whole bag… I’m too lazy to put some of it in a little tupperware container) of granola and a spoon. Voila. Lunch.

 

I should really start making my own granola, but that would go against the “laziness” part. I will do it, though. I should also throw in a piece of fruit to be extra healthful, especially since I feel like all I’ve eaten in the past week has been unhealthy stuff with fake cheese on it. Pizza. Quesadillas. Cheezsteaks. Mac n cheeze.

I feel like I’m always giving you ideas of what to do, so here’s an idea of what NOT to do: make some ramen in the morning to pack and take with you. This is probably common sense to most folks, but by the time you’re ready to eat your lunch the noodles will have absorbed all the broth and just be really soggy. Save your ramen for when you’re at home and feeling lazy.

What’s your favorite lazy food?

Have you checked out The Laziest Vegans in the World blog?

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Lunchbox Tuesday: Beans, Rice. Beans, Beans, ‘n’ Rice.

Every time I make beans and rice, I can’t help but think of this. (Surprised?)

Whipping up a batch of beans ‘n’ rice is so easy and make awesome leftovers to take in your packed lunch. Today, I opened up my thermos and all my friends started exclaiming how good it smelled!

Today’s lunchbox consisted of the aforementioned beans ‘n’ rice, a tasty salad, and of course my wonderful $2 reusable water bottle plastered with Herbivore stickers (okay, you can only see one in this picture but there’s one on the other side too).

I almost never pack salads, but I don’t know why because they’re so easy and healthy! Seriously, I whipped this up last minute before leaving the house just for you, MoFo. It took about 4 minutes. This is my favorite salad to make (when I actually do so). It consists of baby spinach, bell pepper, tomato, avocado, black olives, and salsa. I had 2 lonesome pieces of smoked tofu leftover from last week so I threw those right on top.

I love this Thermos! I started off the school year without it, and kept complaining that I didn’t have a proper container for soups or other warm foods so my dad bought me one. Unfortunately it doesn’t make for very photogenic food porn, but you get the idea!

I also love this recipe for beans ‘n’ rice. I threw it together on a whim a few weeks ago, and it was so amazing I couldn’t stop eating it! The secret is really in the liquid smoke which adds a nice depth of flavor. The wine does too, but if you don’t have any it’s ok to leave it out.

Funny story about the wine in this recipe, actually. I was talking to my mom (who is omni and not big on cooking, but has been trying out a LOT more vegan recipes lately–go Mom!!) about wishing I had vegan sausage because upon taking a quick glance of recipes online I saw a lot of Louisiana-style beans ‘n’ rice recipes calling for sausage and that sounded good to me. Turns out, right before I walked in she had been reading (I forget in which book) that suggested adding wine to recipes that called for sausage, in place of the sausage. Weird, but it sounded good and we had wine so voila!

So So Vegan Beans ‘n’ Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 (15-oz) can tomatoes (crushed, diced, it doesn’t matter)
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 cup wine *or* 2 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or tamari sauce
1 cup cooked rice (I use long grain brown)

In a cast iron pan over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute. Add spices and tomatoes and stir. Mix in the beans. Add liquid smoke and wine or Bragg’s and stir. Cook on medium-low until much of the liquid is evaporated (about 5 more minutes). Mix in the rice.

Optional: If you happen to have some faux meat (sausages, pepperoni, etc) you’re trying to use up, chop it up and throw it in! The beans ‘n’ rice pictured has some chopped up vegan pepperoni leftover from my pizzas mixed in.

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Lunchbox Tuesdays: Burritos & Cupcakes to Go

For MoFo, I’m going to be posting different tips every Tuesday about packing a vegan lunch, complete with recipes. And it shall be Lunchbox Tuesday.

My lunch today was a burrito, a cupcake made by my lovely friend Letecia, and coffee. Bonus: VEG secretary Julie in the background chompin’ on a cupcake!

I was so excited to finally be able to use the cupcake holder I found at a cooking store in the Vanity Fair Outlets in Reading! The cupcake recipe was from the new book Are You Sure That’s Vegan? and had a very light, airy texture with a nice, not-too-sweet chocolate taste. Recipe here.

Now onto the burritos: Every vegan I know loves burritos. They can be stuffed with so many things. They can also be conveniently wrapped in foil and thrown in your lunch box! Then, after you’re finished you can fold the foil up, take it back home, and use it again for your next burrito!

You can make all the fillings for your burrito the weekend before, then just put each one together whenever you make up your lunch for the day (I do mine the night before) or make them all up at once, throw them in the freezer and take them out one at a time whenever yer fixin’ for a burrito.

My go-to burrito fillings are brown rice, spinach, guacamole, salsa, and a protein. I usually use refried beans, but I’ve got three fillings for you today: refried beans, smoked tofu, and grilled veggies with black beans.

 

Refried Beans
I’m not claiming this to be the best recipe, since I’ve never tried any others, but it’s my go-to recipe for refried beans and I’ve adapted it a lot from the original.

2 cans black, pinto, or kidney beans (or any combo thereof), drained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Hot sauce to taste (optional)
veggie broth or water, as needed (about 1/2-1 cup)

Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and pepper and saute for about a minute.

Stir in the spices, adding a few splashes of water if sticking to the pan. Add the beans and then enough water to almost (but not quite) cover them. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and continue to simmer until the liquid is almost all gone.

Mash with a potato masher or fork. Add hot sauce if using. Enjoy!

 

Marinated Smoked Tofu

My favorite burrito joint ever, Cali Burrito in Allentown, has a really good smoked tofu burrito. I decided to try making my own smoked tofu the cheating way, with liquid smoke, and this is what I threw together. It turned out quite well. You can also purchase smoked baked tofu from Soyboy, which I must admit ain’t bad either… just more expensive.

2 cups veggie broth or cooking wine
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos, tamari sauce, or soy sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked, if you have it, which I didn’t)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed

Mix all marinade ingredients in a shallow pan and whisk together with a fork. Cut pressed tofu into about 1” cubes. Marinade for at least an hour and up to overnight, flipping about halfway through.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place the tofu on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 more minutes. Place under the broiler for 3 minutes for extra chewiness.

 

Veggies & Beans

You don’t really need a recipe for this. I just sauteed up some onions, red bell pepper, green pepper, black beans, and spices. You can also add hot peppers, zucchini, mushrooms… you name it.

 

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