Even the crumbly remains of Garden of Eatin’ Pico de Gallo chips can end up as a topping for an impromptu Taco Pizza with black beans, onions, garlic, and red bell peppers sautéed with a dash of cumin and paprika, baked, and then topped with spinach, fresh onions, cilantro, and chips.
We all have those nights. Home late from work, on the feet all day, exhausted, and ready to grab a meal quick and relax for a while. The cookbooks can linger on the shelf for another day when I’m motivated, not motionless. Sure, I could order in, but making it myself is cheaper, quicker, and tastier too (if I do say so myself). So when I’m looking to make something that will be ready in 20 minutes or less (take that, Dominoes!), I look no further than my own refrigerator.
Red onions, pineapple, seitan, and tomatoes make a tasty Hawaiian pizza. For a sweet touch, add barbecue sauce to the mix.
1. Pizza. No matter what is left in the refrigerator, there’s almost always something left that’s good for pizza. Red bell peppers, roasted potatoes or squash, onions, garlic, pineapple, steamed kale, chard, or collard greens, tomatoes, baked tofu, seitan or Field Roast sausage slices, sauerkraut, any variety of beans, spinach, artichoke hearts, olives, jalapenos… The options are limitless.
Any vegetables will do. Just chop (and sauté if so inclined), add some marinara sauce to a Vicolo cornmeal crust residing in the freezer and bake for fifteen minutes at 425 degrees. In no time at all I’m relaxing on the couch with an avocado-topped pizza, adding generous amounts of hot sauce. (And if the cats in your house are anything like the cats in mine, you may want to add some extra toppings for them.)
2. A salad in a big bowl with warm bread. Salad is another one of those meals for which I have all of the ingredients almost any time. Spinach, romaine, or massaged kale make an excellent base, and then I can add whatever fresh vegetables are lurking in the crisper. Broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, onions, carrots, celery, raisins, peanuts, pine nuts, chickpeas… If I’m up to it, I love roasting garlic while I’m chopping salad ingredients, and then a simple meal of salad and bread feels like decadence when I’m smearing hot and buttery cloves of garlic onto crusty bread. Otherwise, hummus or flax oil and balsamic vinegar with fresh ground pepper make solid dipping choices.
3. Frijadillas (a.k.a. No Queso Quesadillas). In case you haven’t been acquainted with the made-up word “frijadillas,” it takes frijoles or beans in Spanish and pairs it with the end of quesadillas. It simply means that I take whatever beans I have on hand, ideally in the form of homemade refried beans or hummus, and spread it on whole wheat tortillas. I smash the two tortillas together (like a refried bean sandwich) and lay them on a hot, dry pan, flipping once, until brown and crispy on each side. If I don’t have refried beans or hummus in the fridge, a quick trip through the food processor with any type of beans, garlic, and lemon juice does the trick quickly. (For a written version of this recipe, here’s Colleen Patrick Goudreau’s No Queso Quesadillas.) Serve with avocado slices, salsa, jalapenos, and hot sauce for a quick, easy, and delicious meal.
4. Vegetable Stir-fry. If I have leftover cooked barley or brown rice, then I’m halfway there. If not, I start the water boiling for rice noodles (which cook in only eight minutes) while I sauté any of the following: bok choy, mushrooms, onions, garlic, ginger, kale, collard greens, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, pineapple, peanuts, and/or cashews. I lightly sauté them in a bit of oil or a tablespoon of water, and add splashes of tamari and brown rice vinegar until I find my perfect balance. Then I add in the rice, barley, or drained noodles, and serve with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and sriracha.
5. Breakfast for dinner! Similar to the above stir-fry, a tofu scramble can be made in a jiffy with a sauté of any combination of vegetables and then add in firm or super firm tofu (not silken) that has been drained from its package and given a quick squeeze. I crumble it into the pan with the vegetables and add in lemon juice and whatever spices move me that day – thyme, cumin, paprika, rosemary, turmeric, oregano, basil, nutritional yeast flakes… Pop a slice or two of bread into the toaster and serve with slices of avocado. As seems to be the case for all of my quick, weeknight meals, I serve it with hot sauce.
So tell me, what are your quick weeknight meals? When you want a tasty, vegan meal in 20 minutes or less, what do you whip up?
Tags: meals, no-queso quesadillas, pizza, quick, recipe, stir-fry, tofu scramble, vegan, vegetarian
LOVE the cat in the background of the photos! Your 20-minute meals look WAY tastier than my 20 minute (lazy) meals: It’s either noochy popcorn or a grilled cheese (Daiya) sandwich with sliced red onion and sliced tomatoes. Yawn.
GREAT quick meals!! i usually go for a big bowl of roasted veggies topped wiht hummus and a sandwich thin with pb on the side!
Roasted vegetables are a good idea too! When they’re hot and deliciously caramelized like that, it makes them feel more like a meal, especially with a nice dollop of humus!
What a fun post! I love your lil’ kitty sneaking in on the photos, too!
Quicky meals at my house usually involve things I have made and frozen. My go-to lately has been a bacon avocado wrap with steamed veggies. Ready in 15 minutes or less! The bacon is homemade and fabulous, and I always keep some in the freezer. If I could recommend only 1 recipe on blog it would be that one
. I also often eat steamed veggies with a baked sweet potato (baked in the microwave to keep things quick) topped with coconut oil and cinnamon.
Yes, my kitty loves treats. She makes it a point to be around when food is present.
I checked out your soy-free and gluten-free bean and buckwheat bacon, and I’m intrigued! That’s so great that you can just keep it in the freezer and use it as you need it – no thawing necessary. I’ll have to pick up some adzuki beans!
I think your cat friend definitely wants some of that pizza, both pizzas actually! I love the look on her face! I wish my kitties enjoyed pizza.
Great ideas! Especially sauerkraut as a pizza topping; that’s something I always have in the fridge. And, I wish I could take a bite of that veggie stir fry right now.
one of my favorite quick meals is the cream of broccoli soup from the conscious cook. yum!
love the pics of your sweet, patient kitty.
Breakfast for dinner! One of my favorites. Is there ever a bad time for tofu scramble?
RYC: Wow, synchronicity. I just had Vegan Table in my hands last night at the library and thought, “No, I’ve already got so much to cook from other books, I’ll wait.” Thanks for letting me know about that. Both my omnis are so open to eating whatever I make, so I bet that would go over well. At least it’s not a fight, you know?
Great post. It pays to have some staples on hand, because yes, it is so expensive to go to a restaurant and hope the vegan food is decent. Love Jezebel kitty in the pics!!!
Once I was really tired, so I heated a can of black beans and a lot of salsa in a pan, and used it as quickie burrito filling.
Isn’t she cute? She’s become quite the vegetable-eater and begs for asparagus, sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms, seitan…
I know your quickie burrito pain. I’ve definitely been in similar predicaments!