It’s time for another post detailing what vegans eat. In this monthly series, I share my vegan food diary for one day, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Now that winter is here in earnest, I find myself especially drawn to warming foods. In the summer, I eat a lot of fresh, raw foods, but when the temperatures dip, my body can use some help staying warm. On frigid days, I lean towards soup over salads and hot breakfasts over smoothies.
Breakfast:
On this day, I started my morning with a chickpea scramble. I’m a big fan of tofu scrambles, but sometimes I give bean curd a break and opt for garbanzos instead.
I simply sautéed some minced garlic and diced onions in oil. Then I dumped in chickpeas, mashed them a little, and added salt, pepper, a pinch of turmeric, and a squeeze of lemon. At the very end of the cooking time, I stirred in a few handfuls of baby spinach until it wilted. (I don’t like to add it too early, because spinach has a way of getting gluggy and overdone quickly.)
If you prefer hard and fast measurements, here’s my chickpea scramble recipe.
On the side, I had a slice of toast with a light slathering of Ethiopian infused oil. I usually use vegan butter, but I was out, and the infused oil added enticing layers of flavor.
Lunch:
For lunch I had a refried bean burrito in a wheat tortilla. On the side – a quick salsa that I threw together with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
There’s something so cozy about mushy refried pinto beans all folded together with onions and dashes of hot sauce.
By the way, the refried beans also freeze well, which makes for a quick anytime lunch or dinner.
Dinner:
That night I was in a soup mood. I made a batch of Chickpea and Rice Soup with a Little Kale. (In addition to being posted on Post Punk Kitchen, the recipe is in the 10th anniversary edition of Vegan with a Vengeance. You can see from the notes in my personal copy of the cookbook that I rate it pretty highly.)
The soup is loaded with chickpeas, rice, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and kale. It gets its creamy base by way of cashews. I love this thick and filling meal in a bowl. With the flavors of rosemary and thyme, it is the quintessential winter soup.
(This soup also makes for excellent leftovers. Although, you may need to add a little more liquid since it thickens as it sets.)
I served it with garlic sourdough along with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic reduction, and freshly ground pepper for dipping.
Linda @ Veganosity
I’m officially hungry. I could eat all three meals in one sitting-haha! Thanks for sharing your healthy day, Cadry.
Cadry
Ha! Thanks, Linda! 😀
Becky Striepe
I love this series!
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! I’m glad to hear it. 🙂
Hannah
Your daily eats are so much more put together than mine! I have breakfast, lunch and dinner, but between those I also eat like half a cookie, 4 tortilla chips, an apple, a handful of cereal, more fruit, a spoonful of peanut butter, something like 7 almonds, the other half of that cookie, etc. There’s very little order 😀
Cadry
I have days like that too, in which breakfast is a few bites of yesterday’s lunch leftovers + a smoothie, or for a snack I have a handful of peanuts and a banana.
Susan
I love seeing what you eat in a day.
I haven’t got a copy of the new VWAV yet, I love my old copy so much that I kind of feel conflicted!
Cadry
Oh, I totally know the feeling! I am always trying to pare down my belongings, and one area that can easily overflow is my cookbook collection (since I’m often getting new additions for reviews). I keep looking at my old VWAV and thinking I should donate it since I have the updated version with new and improved recipes and photographs. However, I just can’t do it! VWAV was one of my first vegan cookbooks, and I learned so much from it in terms of everyday vegan meals. I have turned through those soft brown pages many times. So even though I actually use the new version a lot more often now, for sentimental reasons, I don’t think I can part with my old copy just yet.
Caitlin
you are so right- mushy bean burritos are so yummy and comforting.
Cadry
Absolutely!
Mandy
That chickpea scramble looked wonderful!! And Ethiopian infused oil….mmmm! We’ve been so hooked on Ethiopian spices (and oil). I love that you take notes in your cookbooks! We do that, too 🙂 I’m super excited to give that soup a try – our favorite soup is Oh She Glows 10-Spice Soup and this one looks just as amazing and comforting. <3
Cadry
Thanks, Mandy! I used to never write in my cookbooks, and then several years ago a friend mentioned how useful it was for remembering changes, adjustments, trials, errors, and failures. I figured there was no reason to keep my books pristine. They don’t need to be in mint condition for someone else when I donate them someday! Cookbooks are like adult activity books. They’re meant to be used! Nowadays I think the books with the most notes and splatters are the most loved. Plus, when you’re cooking for more than yourself, it’s handy to remember what your partner didn’t like, so that you don’t bother making it the same way all over again.
Thanks for the heads up on the 10-Spice Soup! I will check that out!
Jojo
That soup looks so good and I love seeing what other people eat in a day!
Cadry
Me too! I’m always curious about what people are buying ahead of me in the grocery store line too. It must be the same impulse! 🙂
Kristina
always so fun to get a peek into daily eats – yours look SO good. I need to dig out that book and make the soup!
Cadry
Thanks, Kristina! Yes, while the weather is on the chilly side, now is the time to give that soup a whirl. I think you’ll love it!
Wendy
Everything looks yummy!
I love bread so I am curious what kind of bread you ate with your breakfast?
Thank you:)
Cadry
Thanks, Wendy! Our local co-op has a wonderful bakery, and they make this bread fresh daily. It’s a wheat bread that has little pieces of carrot in it, that was pulp from juicing. It’s a nice light bread that’s perfect for toast.
Shell
The chickpea scramble looks so yummy! That would be a quick, easy way to have a warm and healthy meal.
Cadry
Thanks, Shell! I could see you enjoying a chickpea scramble for breakfast since you’re such a garbanzo fan. By the way, did you recognize the bowl that I used in the soup picture? 🙂
Caitlin
Wow, all of those look delicious! This is probably going to sound ridiculous but I’ve never had (or even thought of!) a chickpea scramble but that sounds amazing. I love chickpea anything! Thanks for that idea 🙂
Cadry
Oh, yes. If you love chickpeas, you’d be all over a scramble. As much as I enjoy tofu scrambles, sometimes it’s fun to switch things up.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
I’ve never had a chickpea scramble before – that’s a cool idea!
Cadry
You’ll have to give it a go sometime, Mary Ellen. It’s a delicious change of pace to a tofu scramble. 😀