Today, I was hungry.
My body was cool with the veganism yesterday, but today, it was not so accommodating.
Breakfast was leftover carrot cake pancakes and almond milk.
Morning snacks were graham crackers and a Larabar (on sale for 50 cents at Targ!).
Lunch was leftover pasta from last night and a pear.
Afternoon snack was half of a whole wheat bagel with jam, and then more grahams.
Dinner was asparagus tart with white bean pesto, green salad and some wine.
It seemed like I just couldn't stay full today.
Maybe my body is just adjusting.
The leftovers reheated better than I expected and I still liked them the second time. The graham crackers aren't exactly the way I'd like them, but they are a saving grace when hunger strikes. Dinner was surprisingly quick to pull together and was something I would have made anyway. Husband was feeling much better about things after today's meal, thank goodness!
Oh, and my baby boy is loving all of the vegan food. Hubs is calling him "The Littlest Vegan."
Today I learned:
I'm eating a lot of carbs. I really need my protein. I can't seem to stay full without it.
This experiment is taking up a lot of mental energy.
I'm still hungry..
Until tomorrow!
Vegan Graham Crackers
Makes at least 24 3×3″ Crackers
2 1/2 Cups Graham Flour or Stoneground Flour or Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar (or a little more sugar mixed with water)
3/4 Cup Water
Mix the all the dry ingredients together. Cream together Earth Balance and sugar. Add vanilla and agave and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add a little of the flour and a little of the water to the earth balance/sugar mixture and combine. Continue adding in flour and water, a little at a time, until all flour and water is added. Work the dough with your hands until everything is evenly combined.
Divide dough in half and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325º F. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that measures approximately 11″x15″. Trim edges. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares or rectangles (I cut mine into 3′x3′ squares). Prick the squares with a fork.
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 325 F or until the crackers are turning golden brown around the edges. You can sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the crackers during the last 10 minutes of baking if you like.
Asparagus Tart with White Bean Pesto
Vegan Yum Yum
Serves 6-8
1 15 oz Can Navy Beans
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Heaping Cup Raw Cashews
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbs Amore Pesto Paste
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbs Soy or Rice Milk, or water **I did not include this, my mixture was already smooth enough**
1 lb Fresh Asparagus
1 Puff Pastry Sheet (Pepperidge Farm is surprisingly vegan!)
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil
Remove 1 puff pastry sheet from the freezer and let it defrost on the counter for 40 minutes on top of parchment paper. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400º F and make the filling.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them to the work bowl of a food processor. Add of the remaining ingredients except the soymilk (salt through lemon juice). Pulse the food processor, stopping ever few pulses to scrape down the sides and pulse again. You want to break up the beans and the cashews. Once it’s as smooth as you can get it, dribble in the soymilk while the machine is running, as this should help further smooth the mixture.
After 40 minutes of defrosting, carefully unwrap the puff pastry on top of your parchment paper:
Roll the puff pastry out slightly into a rectangle. Then add the white bean pesto mixture, leaving a 1 to 1 1/2 inch border on all sides:
Trim your asparagus so that it fits the tart width-wise. Press the spears into the white bean pesto, alternating their direction so that there are tips and bases next to each other; this one everyone is guaranteed every part of the asparagus after cutting:
Brush the spears with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper:
Using the parchment paper, slide the tart onto a baking sheet (don’t remove the tart from the paper). Bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes until the tart is puffed and golden brown and the spears are tender. Serve while just warm.
You can reheat this tart in the oven for a few minutes if you have leftovers, but it’s also good at room temperature. Fresh basil is a nice garnish.
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"The Littlest Vegan"...that's super cute!
ReplyDeleteBeans are a good source of protein. Also peanut butter. You need to eat A LOT of veggies that are high in protein to make up for the protein you're not getting from meat. But Good luck!
ReplyDelete