The (Truly) Starving Artists’ Vegan Cookbook – Pt. 6 – Rain Willow

This past month has been a tough one for my feline friend, Joe, and myself. Having a sick (but on the mend) kitty is stressful and when your body is under stress it need proper nutrients to cope. However, I am currently not just a starving artist; I am a starving artist with pricy medical bills to cover (we are grateful to our Vet who has been awesome about reducing some of the fees for us).

Most of the cash these days has been going towards feeding and healing Joe, and while he is well worth it I, too, need to survive (otherwise, who will buy the kitty kibble?). Here’s where being creative comes in handy. A few simple ingredients, 10 minutes at the stove and – WHOOSH!

Noodle Bowl a lá Joe

Small Handful of Dry Pasta (buckwheat soba, whole wheat udon, and rice vermicelli are my favourite varieties)
½ to ¾ vegetable buillon cube
1 to 1½ cup water\1/4 to 1/3 block firm or extra-firm regular tofu
Half large carrot, sliced
6 individual stalks of Kale, ripped

Cook pasta as per usual in saucepan. When al dente, drain and return to covered pot. Set aside.
In separate saucepan, boil water, reduce to simmer and add vegetables to cook. Cover pot.
After 4 or 5 minutes, crumble in buillon cube and stir until dissolved.
Add crumbled tofu and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in pasta and simmer for 30 seconds to a minute.
Pour contents of pot into large bowl and enjoy with chopsticks (or, if preferred, some sort of Western utensil).

HINTS: Buy pasta in bulk at health food stores. Most will also carry boxes of six (6) buillon cubes for approximately $2.50.

Produce is cheaper at local, independently owned-and-run markets. Vegetables can be varied based on taste, availability, and your budget. I used tri-coloured, heirloom carrots grown in Ontario (high in vitamins A and C to start with, but the dark purple carrots have decent iron levels, too) and Kale (high in calcium and iron), both of which added amazing flavours to the broth.

HIGH FIVES: Lots of love to Dr. Kent, Dr. Stuart, and the staff at King West Vets.

The (Truly) Starving Artists’ Vegan Cookbook – Pt. 4

Simple Sandwiches are a staple in the Starving Artists’ diet. As an artist, I enjoy food that looks good as well as tastes good. Healthy food is a bigger bonus, however, and I encourage you to keep your protein intake as the main consideration. Without protein you can’t keep your energy levels up. Without energy you can’t keep creating in the pace you’d like. Never let a small grocery budget detract from your overall health. Keep a modicum of respect for your well being.

Simple White Bean Spread is tasty but cheap. This is a meal that can be prepared in only a few minutes and requires few ingredients. In our last installment, I instructed you how to soak and prepare legumes for consumption (cheaper than eating the canned type), so refer to TSAVC Part 3 if you need a rehash.

Simple White Bean Spread on Toast

1 cup white (Northern) beans, soaked and softened
A few Tablespoons of water, enough to blend beans
1 T minced garlic, or garlic powder
Salt to taste
Southwestern or Cajun seasoning to taste (optional)
Several strips roasted red pepper
Several slices of bread, any kind

In blender or food processor, mix beans, water, garlic, salt and seasonings (opt.)
Cut bread into quarters and toast.
Spread bean mixture over toast and top with strip of roasted red pepper.

HINTS: Buy beans and seasonings in bulk at health food stores. Keep heels from your loaves in the freezer and use for toast. (Keep Reading)

The (Truly) Starving Artists’ Vegan Cookbook – Pt. 3

Lentils are one of the simplest and healthiest staples in a vegan’s diet, but sadly they are often eschewed for the pricier tofu and/or “fake-meat” on the market. Fellow Veg-Heads, it is time to relearn how to love the lentil.

Most types of lentils (this includes peas and beans of all varieties) can be purchased dried or in the can. Do yourself a favour and buy dry in bulk. It will mean you’ll have to plan a bit ahead and soak them overnight in anticipation of a meal, but it’ll be well-worth it both wallet-wise and taste-wise.

For the recipe below, soak the lentils overnight, rinse well, then proceed with recipe as described. For the “varied grain”, I encourage you to alter your selection based on personal taste and budget. I also encourage you to change, omit or add the vegetable content of this recipe. It’s fairly flexible but always tasty.

Best of all, you can double or triple this recipe and freeze it for later.

Vegetable & Lentils with Varied Grain

½ cup dried lentils, red or brown
1 cup grain, your choice (couscous, quinoa, bulgur wheat, brown/white/wild rice)
1 cup to 2-and-a-half cups vegetable broth OR 1 to 2-and-a-half cups water, half an onion (diced), clove of garlic (minced, or garlic powder), salt and pepper
1 large carrot, diced
½ potato (any kind), diced
Handful baby bok choy, diced

Boil the vegetable broth OR boil the water with the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. When liquid is bubbling briskly, add the diced vegetables and reduce heat to simmer. Cover.

When a fork pokes easily through carrot pieces, stir in lentils of choice and then add the grain and cook as per regularly prescribed (Couscous:Water is 1:1 ; Quinoa:Water is 1:2 ; Rice:Water is generally 2:3, or 1-and-a-half cups water per 1 cup rice ; Bulgur:Water is 2:5 or 2-and-a-half cups water per 1 cup bulgur wheat, etc.).

In case you are a lousy cook (and, really, aren’t we all at times), I recommend you start this recipe using couscous as it is tasty, healthy, and hard to fuck up. If the couscous still seems uncooked while the liquid has dwindled to nothingness, you can often add another few tablespoons of water and it will still turn out alright. Alternatively, too much liquid can still be cooked away (ie. Steam) while the couscous remains delicious and unharmed.

HINTS: Buy lentils and grain in bulk at health food stores. Sprouted onions (it happens occasionally) can still be used in a recipe like this and flavour the cooking broth nicely.

The (Truly) Starving Artists’ Vegetarian Cookbook

Miso is like the ketchup of the East: Goes on everything and it is very tasty! The difference is that miso contains nutritional value that ketchup (surprise, surprise) does not. Miso can also be used to create fantastic gravy (we will include a vegan poutine recipe in a later installment of TSAVC).

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups water
1/3 cup miso
3 green onions
Handful of dried mushrooms
1/2 cup silken tofu, cut into blocks
Dash soy sauce (opt.)
Dash sesame oil (opt.)

1) Bring water to boil. Reduce heat to gentle simmer and add all ingredients. Stir until miso is well disolved (DON’T boil after you have added the miso or you will end up destroying a lot of the nutrients in it).

2) Serve with toast (if you have bread).

HINTS: Find miso and dried mushrooms cheap in Chinatown or your Asian Grocer. Dried mushrooms can be used in multiple recipes and will keep for ages. Keep the heels of your bread loafs to turn into toast for soup nights. Find affordable onions (and other produce) at local farmers markets or neighbourhood produce stands.

I’ve seen some rough times as a vegan. Actually, oddly enough, the decision to go vegetarian and then vegan was made during one of the dirt-poorest times of my life. Pasta, rice, beans, repeat. Enter Rain Willow, writer, THC fan and starving vegetarian artist. Rain is going to going to pull you through those days of peanut butter and crackers; providing balanced meals that will still save you time and MONEY!

The (Truly) Starving Artists’ Vegetarian Cookbook

I am a slave to my passions.

My brain said, Self, you should go into Veterinary Medicine. Veterinarians will always be able to pay their bills on time and live safe, comfortable lives. But my heart said, Bitch, what the hell? You are going to spend your life in the arts, and you know it.

Being the practical person that I am, I listened to the voice of the latter and have been paying for it (ie. enjoying it) ever since. However, it does mean there are some days/weeks/months/always that I spend time in grocery stores staring at the oranges and wondering, do I really need Vitamin C today? Or can I do without it? (Keep Reading)