Category: Low Spoon Recipes

Veganuary 2021 // Meal Ideas

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, What I Ate TodayLeave a comment

It’s a New Year! If your resolution is to try veganism, then continue reading. Here are some easy recipes to make if you are using this new year to jumpstart your vegan journey:

Tofu Scramble Burritos

I could eat tofu scramble every single day for every meal.

For those that have not had tofu scramble before, you can scramble tofu to replace scrambled eggs. I have made many posts regarding tofu scramble since it’s become such a staple in my diet. Here are a few:

I used So Delicious’ cheddar shreds to make cheesy burritos. I also topped them with the best hot sauce for breakfast burritos, Texas Pete.

This is easily one of my favorite things to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Green Smoothie

I had more fruits and veggies in this drink than the last few weeks combined..

This is what I used:

  • 1 cup plant-based milk (lately we’ve been buying Ripple Unsweetened Vanilla milk)
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach
  • 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
  • cinnamon

First, blend together the spinach and milk so that the spinach blends thoroughly. Once that is blended add in all the other ingredients, blend again, and that’s it!

Black Bean Burger

I have made a lot of these over the past few days. This is super easy to make but is so delicious. You only need 3 ingredients.

  • 1/2 cup black beans
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp salsa (we had Pace salsa in the house)

First, I drained and mashed the black beans. Don’t mash it until it’s a paste, but leave it a little bit chunky. Then I added the other ingredients and mixed until it was all combined. Next, I sprayed a pan with coconut oil and grilled each side over medium high heat.

Top it with your favorite burger toppings! I used pickles, ketchup, and mustard. Vegenaise (or any other vegan mayo) and grilled onions would also be delicious.

Pizza Muffins

For dinner I made one of my favorite meals, pizza muffins. Dave’s Killer Bread makes vegan English muffins, so we used those and So Delicious’ mozzarella shreds.

First, I mixed the cheese with dried basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Next, I cut an english muffin in half and added marinara sauce and the cheese to eah half. I baked it in the oven at 350° for about 10 minutes, just enough to toast the english muffin and melt the cheese. Once it was out of the oven I topped it with crushed red pepper.

This is what a day of easy vegan meals looks like. Are you participating in veganuary? Let me know if you try out any of these recipes in the comments! I hope everyone has a wonderful year. 2020 set the bar pretty low, but here’s to 2021!

3 Vegan Meal Ideas | What I’ve Been Eating Lately

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, TofuLeave a comment

For awhile I was really unmotivated to cook. All I wanted was something quick to heat up in the microwave, or to order something from Doordash. Anything quick and easy that took no effort.

I think a lot of my lack of motivation was due to constantly being home and not leaving the house for the last 6 months. I lost a lot of interest in my own hobbies, too. 10lbs later, now I’m trying to eat healthier and get back in shape (while still rarely leaving the house). Here’s what I’ve been eating lately.

Fruit Salad

I know this doesn’t sound exciting, but I’ve been eating this for breakfast or lunch every day lately. This is one apple and one banana with a peanut butter “dressing”. I like to add granola and cinnamon on top too. Here’s how I make it:

  • 1 apple
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • granola
  • cinnamon

This is the granola we’ve been using. We found it at Target:

First, I dice up the banana and apple, and add it to a bowl. Then, I mix together the tablespoon of peanut butter and a splash of water to thin it out. I also add some cinnamon to the “dressing”. Then I just mix that in with the fruit, top it with the granola or whatever else you would like to add, and add some more cinnamon on top! This has been such a treat to have, especially for breakfast before work.

Air Fried Tofu Wraps

I air fry a lot of tofu when I’m trying to eat healthier. For lunch a few days ago I had some leftover tofu that I wrapped in tortillas with spinach, carrots, and dried cranberries. For a sauce I mixed together 2 tbsp of Sabra’s classic hummus and a packet of Taco Bell’s Diablo hot sauce (very fancy, I know).

To cook the tofu, cut it into cubes and mix it with cumin, paprika, black pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make sure the tofu is evenly coated with the spices. I cook it in the air fryer at 400° for 20 minutes, flipping it halfway through.

And… more air fried tofu

I just really like air frying tofu…

This is 1/4 of a block of tofu, cubed and air fried like in the last meal. I had it with spinach, white rice, and sriracha. For the spinach, we had frozen spinach that I sautéed in a pan with garlic and crushed red pepper. Really simple, but healthy, filling, and easy to make.

What have you been eating lately? Have your eating habits changed at all lately due to quarantine? Let me know in the comments!

what I ate and did today // some easy vegan meals

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, What I Ate TodayLeave a comment

Here is a look at what I realistically eat in a day as a vegan, plus what I enjoyed doing today. Nothing too fancy, just a few simple meals.

tea I’ve been drinking today:

Nutty Almond Cream Apple Cinnamon Herbal Tea from Tiesta Tea.

We bought a bunch of bulk tea the last time we shopped at Winco, and this one has been one of my favorites. It tastes really creamy and rich, and has a nice apple cinnamon flavor. If you want to try it out you can buy it online here: Nutty Almond Tea.

breakfast:

I ate breakfast a lot later than usual, so I had some leftover avocado sushi and rice noodles with sriracha sauce. Avocado rolls are my go-to sushi roll to order when we go out to eat. Honestly, I would eat this everyday if I could.

lunch:

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For lunch I had white rice, baked beans (the same ones from my last post), and spinach mixed with some salsa.

dinner:

I got lazy when it was time to eat dinner and made some nachos. I used Follow Your Heart’s vegan American cheese with Julio’s home style mild salsa and tortilla chips. Like I said in the beginning of this post, nothing too fancy.

snack:

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Some vegan m&m’s we found at Natural Grocers. These were so good and so nostalgic for me, since I haven’t had m&m’s in years.

what I played today:

World of Final Fantasy MAXIMA on Nintendo Switch. I’ve only had it for a few days but I’m hooked. It’s like Final Fantasy meets Pokémon and it’s just a ton of fun. 

what I listened to today:

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Thom Yorke // ANIMA

This is the third time I’ve listened to ANIMA since it released, and it just gets better every time.

This is Thom Yorke’s third solo album, and may slowly be becoming one of my favorites (nothing will beat The Eraser for me, though).

That’s everything I ate today. Nothing too extravagant or healthy, but a sustainable vegan diet.

a really simple pasta dish

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes5 Comments

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This is another simple low-spoon meal. It’s also an, “I needed to clean out the fridge but it turned out really good so I’ll make it again” meal. It’s a really easy recipe to make without much effort, but it is filling and extremely tasty.

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup medium shell pasta (or any pasta you like)
  • olive oil
  • diced onions (I used some diced red onion we had leftover)
  • 1/2 can of baked beans (I really like the Cracked Pepper baked beans from Serious Bean Co we found at Winco)
  • 2 tbsp hummus (I had Sabra’s roasted pine nut hummus and it turned out really good, I’d recommend picking this up but any hummus will do)
  • Boca veggie crumbles (or any vegan protein you’d like to add, Gardein’s meatless meatballs are really good in this too)
  • 1/2 – 1 cup spinach (however much spinach you’d like to add)
I don’t usually use exact measurements for low spoon recipes because it’s more of a throw everything together with as few dishes as possible meal, so add however much or as little of the ingredients as you’d like. This is just how I make it. 

1. First, I boiled a cup of pasta. I only made one serving since it’s easier to drain. After I drained it I left it in the colander and left the empty pot on the stove over medium heat.

2. Next, I drizzled about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in the pot. I added about 1/4 cup of red onions and cooked them until they were caramelized. Once they were I mixed in about 3/4 cup of the Boca veggie crumbles. I added just enough water so it wouldn’t stick, covered it, and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.

3. After the veggie meat cooked thoroughly I added half of the can of baked beans and covered the pot again to let the beans heat up.

4. While that was warming up I microwaved 1 cup of frozen spinach to defrost it. I’d also recommend adding it to the bean mixture to cook it, but someone doesn’t love spinach as much as I do and I made leftovers of the mixture for us to share. (• ◡•)

5. Then, in a separate cup, I mixed 2 tbsp of hummus and enough water to thin it out into a sauce.

6. I combined everything into a bowl (but only about 1/4 cup of the bean mixture, I saved the rest for leftovers), and this is what it looked like:

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This is a really savory meal that doesn’t take a lot of time to make. The sweetness of the baked beans mixes really well with the other ingredients and creates a flavorful pasta dish without much effort!

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tofu, veggies, + rice // how I make tofu

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, Tofu2 Comments

This is how I’ve been making tofu for the past month. I usually put it in rice bowls, burritos, or pasta dishes when I get home from work, but today I made it with rice and a big bowl of veggies. It’s just a really quick and easy meal and I wanted to share it with you all.

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for the tofu:

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  • 1/4 block extra firm or medium firm tofu
  • paprika
  • cayenne pepper
  • black pepper
  • cumin
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder

First I cubed 1/4 of a block of tofu. Then I threw it into a bowl and mixed the tofu with the spices. I placed the pieces in my air fryer and baked them for 350º for about 15-20 minutes, flipping the cubes every 5-10 minutes.

the veggies:

  • carrots
  • red, green, and yellow peppers
  • white onion
  • frozen spinach

I steamed the carrots in a pan until they were soft, then added the frozen veggies. I used a frozen pepper stir fry mix that had all the peppers and onions in it to make it easier. I also added garlic powder and onion powder to season it. I just cooked everything over medium heat with the lid on for 10-15 minutes, at least until everything was soft.

and the rice:

I make the perfect white rice by boiling 1 3/4 cup of water for every 1 cup of rice I make. Once the water is boiling I add the rice, mix it once, then let it simmer for 18 minutes. Once that’s done I take it off the burner and let it sit for another 5minutes. After the 5 minutes I finally fluff it with a fork.

I plated everything once it was done, added a little bit of low sodium soy sauce, and topped everything with sriracha.

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It’s nothing fancy, but delicious low spoon meals are always a treat for me. Let me know how you guys like to make tofu in the comments!

Avocado Pasta

On By VictoriaIn Creamy, cheesy, pasta recipes, Low Spoon Recipes, RecipesLeave a comment

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This low spoon recipe is really easy, but makes a delicious and creamy pasta dish. For this, all you will need is:

  • 1 cup pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
  • 1/2 avocado
  • lemon or lime juice
  • black pepper
  • salt
  • basil (I only had dried basil in our pantry so I just used that, but fresh would be even better)
  • oregano
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • optional: a boca chik’n patty or any other meat substitute

First, I boiled the pasta. While it was boiling I made the sauce by blending the avocado, a few drops of lime juice, and the spices. I also added about 1/4 of a cup to 1/2 cup of water to help it blend. It’s a low spoon meal so there aren’t any measurements, I just threw everything in the blender to taste.

After the sauce was blended I microwaved a Boca chik’n patty for 1 minute and 10 seconds and cut it into squares.

Finally, I drained the pasta, added the sauce to the pasta, and mixed in the chik’n. I sprinkled some red pepper flakes on top and that’s it! A creamy pasta dish that’s super easy to make.

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Let me know if you try this out in the comments! Also, how do you feel about avocado with pasta? I thought it would be a weird combination at first, but it’s a great flavor combo, especially with the chik’n and red pepper flakes.

Easy Rice Noodles + Peanut Sauce

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, TofuLeave a comment

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Today was another low spoon day for me. I wanted something easy but hearty, so this is what I made for lunch. It turned out really delicious so I wanted to share!

This is what you’ll need:

  • 1 cup rice noodles
  • 1-2 cups frozen cauliflower
  • 1/4 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • a few drops of low sodium soy sauce (this is all I had on hand, but liquid aminos would work too)
  • black pepper
  • cumin
  • nutritional yeast
  • garlic powder (I used garlic salt because that was all we had but I’d recommend garlic powder)
  • cayenne pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes

First, I cut the tofu into cubes and measured out 2 cups of frozen cauliflower. I coated the cauliflower and tofu in the spices (nutritional yeast, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper) and popped them in the air fryer for about 15 minutes at about 360ºF, mixed them around so they would cook evenly, then put them in for another 10 minutes.

I cooked the rice noodles when the tofu and cauliflower were almost done, then made the sauce.

For the sauce I mixed together 1 tbsp of peanut butter, a few drops of soy sauce, and enough water to thin it out. We also had some red pepper flakes from Papa John’s so I added in a bit of that too.

That was all it took to make this super savory, peanut-y noodle dish!

Savory Pasta with Veggies // easy vegan recipe

On By VictoriaIn Creamy, cheesy, pasta recipes, Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, rheumatoid arthritis, Vegan ProductsLeave a comment

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Here’s the perfect meal for a low spoon kind of day.

I’ve been bringing this meal to work for lunch for the past few days because it is so easy and only takes a few minutes to put together.

You will need:

  • 1 cup rice noodles
  • 2 cups sautéed cauliflower
  • 1 cup collard greens, or whatever frozen greens you want to add
  • 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup vegan protein broth
  • black pepper
  • nutritional yeast
  • garlic powder

First, I steamed then sautéed the frozen cauliflower in a pan. I didn’t add any oil, just a bit of water so the veggies wouldn’t stick (but try not to burn the cauliflower and set off the smoke alarm like I did, hah). I defrosted the collard greens the laziest way by microwaving it for 1 minute in the microwave, then taking it out to mix it and add in some nutritional yeast and garlic powder, then heating it for another minute in the microwave. While the veggies are cooking boil the pasta. I make a lot of pasta at a time for easy leftovers.

After I drained the pasta I put it back in the pot and added the veggies, tomatoes, the protein broth, then the spices. I heated it over medium heat for a few minutes to warm up everything together.

The second meal pictured above is just with leftover penne instead of rice noodles and minus the cauliflower so it was much faster and easier to make.

And voilà! A really easy meal that’s really tasty. You can also serve it with more nutritional yeast on top or add some hot sauce, and use whatever veggies you like.

What I Eat in a Day // easy vegan meals

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, What I Ate TodayLeave a comment

Getting back on track and trying to be healthy.

Breakfast

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I started the day with two mini bagels with Go Veggie vegan cream cheese and nutritional yeast. Then I airfried a small slab of tofu that I coated with nutritional yeast, turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. I airfried it at 400º for 20 minutes, flipping it after 10 minutes.

 

 Lunch

A sweet potato with peanut butter and a side of spinach that I defrosted in the microwave with nutritional yeast and garlic powder. Peanut butter and sweet potato is one of the best flavor combinations in my opinion.

Snack

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A Clif bar and sparkling water that exploded.

Dinner

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After I got home from work I made white rice, air fried then steamed some dumplings (instead of frying them in oil), and made another cup of spinach (that I also mixed with nutritional yeast and garlic powder). For the sauce I used 2tbsp of classic hummus, sriracha, and a splash of water to thin it out.

And that’s everything I ate today! Simple and easy vegan meals during a busy day. ♡

Vegan English Muffin Pizzas

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, Vegan pizza2 Comments

Another veganized recipe.

Here’s a super easy recipe that’s especially great for lazy days or days with flare ups.

We used to make English Muffin Pizzas all the time when I was a kid. It was always a treat to make, but I haven’t made them in years. We were having trouble finding vegan english muffins, but on one of our rare trips to Walmart we saw that the Great Value english muffins are vegan and we had to make them.

We had some leftover homemade marinara sauce that we made by blending tomatoes and adding garlic powder, onion powder, and basil. It’s definitely not the way my mom makes it, but it was good for something fast.

For the cheese we used Daiya mozzarella style shreds and mixed it with garlic powder, oregano, basil, and black pepper.

Finally we topped them with Yves veggie pepperoni, baked them in the air fryer until the daiya melted and the muffins toasted, and served them with a small side of Annie’s Vegan Mac (the cheddar flavor is my favorite, but we added in some nutritional yeast, black pepper, and paprika).

This was so easy to make and so delicious. Have you ever made english muffin pizzas before? Let me know in the comments! ♡