The Collegiate Vegan

Alright, happy June y’all! I ate in Boston’s North End this weekend, and it’s set me off on an Italian cooking bender. It’s also ridiculously hot in Boston this week, and the heat has made me lazy. The combination of those two things resulted in this super easy, single-serving, 15 minute pesto pasta- still from scratch!

• One serving pasta
• 1/3C loosely packed basil
• 1-2T olive oil
• 2t garlic powder
• salt
• 2-3T water
• 5-8 cherry tomatoes
• A few artichoke hearts

1) Boil water and cook your pasta
2) While the pasta is cooking, combine basil, olive oil, salt and garlic. Add only one tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture blends easily. Note: This will vary depending on what kind of blender you’re using.
3) When the pasta has 3-5 minutes left, toss in your tomatoes and artichoke hearts with it so that they cook.
4) Drain pasta, tomatoes, and artichokes. Pour into a bowl, and combine with pesto sauce. Enjoy!

Now that it’s finally getting warmer out, I want to “cook” less and less. The good news is, I’ve got a ton of really great raw/mostly raw recipes up my sleeves. This is one of my favorites.

• 3C shredded carrots2
• 2C shelled edamame
• 1/4C sliced almonds
• 2T olive oil
• 2T soy sauce
• 2T rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
• 1T toasted sesame oil
• salt & pepper

Mix together liquid ingredients in a small bowl. Toss carrots and edamame in a large bowl, slowly pouring in the sauce. Top with salt and pepper, let chill at least one hour. Enjoy!

I’ve been planning to give y’all a personal update for a while now, but I was hoping it would include updates more akin to farmer’s markets and vintage thrift stores I’ve found, what’s going on at my job, and maybe even the weather. I never imagined that my next post would be about attacks, bombs, and lives lost…

Boston is my lifeblood. It’s been my home for the last three years, and has enveloped me in loving arms so tightly, that I can hardly remember living anywhere else. I feel a sense of belonging here that I can’t imagine recreating anywhere else. And until yesterday, it was my safe haven.

I decided to walk by the finish line of the marathon after having lunch with a friend further downtown. I had been at the marathon earlier that morning, but the weather was nice and I knew the next wave of runners was supposed to be coming in. There are few things more inspiring than seeing someone finish a marathon, so I decided to head back to the finish line. But the crowds were too much for me, and I decided to walk the long way home- away from the marathon.

When I got home I heard the news, turned on the TV and saw the terror unfolding that I narrowly avoided. I live close to the finish line, and heard the sirens, helicopters, and noise for the rest of the day and into the night. I am extremely blessed to have made it home safely, and everyone I knew involved in the race (volunteering, spectating, and running) went uninjured. But my heart breaks and pours out to all of those affected by this tragedy.

The streets that I knew so well will never look quite the same to me. Today also marks the anniversary of the tragic events at Virginia Tech, which still sting all too much, even six years later (I am originally from Virginia.) But the courageous acts, the compassion I’ve received, and just the good in humanity I’ve seen, are all so inspiring. Thank you to everyone who reached out to me to make sure I was safe, your love means the world to me. Today, and from now on, everyone’s a Hokie, everyone’s a Bostonian, and united we stand. 

I love you, Boston. You’re my home.

Edamame: Young soy beans, usually still in the pod but sometimes sold shelled. Available fresh or frozen in most grocery stores. Edamame is soft, unlike the hard, mature soybeans used to make soy milk and tofu.

1) It’s packed with complete protein: Soy has all of the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. 1/2C is 120 calories with 13g protein, and of course, cholesterol free.

2) It’s easy to cook: For fresh or frozen edamame, with shells or shelled, boil in water until thawed or microwave in a dish with a few tablespoons for a few minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

3) It’s versatile: You can eat edamame by itself for an appetizer or side dish, use it to top your salad or stir fry, make a high protein hummus, or make a yummy quinoa or barley salad with it.

4) It’s high in fiber, vitamins and minerals: That 1/2C serving has 4g of fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease. It’s also rich in vitamins C, B, and E, as well as calcium and iron.

5) It’s good for you: Recent studies show that women who are more soy survive certain types of cancer better.

My roommates and I decided to make this spontaneously this weekend, and the whole process took us 15 minutes from start to delicious.

• 2C rolled oats
• 1-2T agave syrup
• 1-2T olive oil
• 1.5T cinnamon
• 2t nutmeg
• handful of almonds, chopped (or any nuts)
• 5 dates, chopped (or any dried fruit)

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until crispy. Shake pan every five minutes to make sure granola doesn’t burn. Allow a few minutes to cool, and enjoy!

Mexican doesn’t get much easier than this-

• 6 corn tortillas
• 1 can refried beans (I like the kind with chiles)
• salsa
• guacamole

Spoon refried beans on the tortilla, and roll up using the beans as glue to keep them shut. Lay taquitos in a casserole dish and bake at 350, flipping every 5 minutes until crispy. Usually takes 15-20 minutes. Top with salsa and guac, and enjoy!

For the tempeh-
Mix together 1T soy sauce, 1T agave syrup, 1T rice vinegar, and a crushed garlic clove. Slice tempeh into 10-12 slices, place in Tupperware or a shallow dish and cover in marinade mixture. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, or overnight, in the fridge.
Fry the marinated tempeh slices in a skillet with a little olive oil, until browned on both sides. About 4-5 minutes on each side.

For the rest-
Steam or boil 2 cups of kale, and top with 1/2 an avocado and cooked tempeh. Drizzle with soy sauce. Enjoy!

So my calendar says spring, but my street says winter. But as a wise person once said, Boston has 5 seasons- pre-winter, winter, post-winter, summer, and that one week in the fall when everyone goes on college tours. So right now I’m stuck in post-winter (pictured below.)
 

Living in this winter wonderland (re: ice box of a city) has not inspired me to create many new recipes. In fact, it’s a miracle if I leave my cozy apartment at all except to find my center in a soothing (stifling) 90 degree yoga studio, to go to work across the river in Cambridge, or to the Thinking Cup after work with the gals (pictured below) to enjoy the most incredible hazeulnut almond milk latte I’ve ever had. I’m not exaggerating, there’s actual crushed hazelnuts IN the latte.

But the 20th has come and passed, and I’m getting hopeful that the snow will soon finally melt, the farmers markets will pop up downtown, and I can flood this blog with recipes the way the melting snow will flood the streets (whenever the sun decides to grace us with her presence.) So stay tuned y’all, I’ve got big plans for spring!

Love and veggies,

Madde

This salad takes very minimal effort, but is delicious and so healthy!

• 3 medium/large cucumbers (or lots of smaller ones, I suppose)
• 1/4C rice vinegar
• 1T sesame oil (optional)
• 2T low sodium soy sauce
• salt & pepper

1) Cut the cucumbers in half, length wise, and scoop the seeds out with a spoon. Then slice the cucumbers, they’ll make a ‘U’ shape.
2) Mix together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Pour over the cucumbers. This works best if you place the cucumbers in Tupperware, so that you can secure the lid and shake them to coat. But using a mixing bowl works fine too.
3) Let marinate in the fridge for at least one hour (I suggest overnight) then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1T olive oil
• 1/4C and 1T buffalo sauce, separated

1) Toss the chickpeas in olive oil and either roast in the over at 425 for 15 minutes, or heat in a skillet for 15 minutes stirring constantly. We want them to get a little crispy.
2) Stir the chickpeas in a hot skillet with 2T of the buffalo sauce. Once it’s been absorbed, stir in the other two and heat for 5 more minutes.
3) Divide into two servings and drizzle remaining buffalo sauce over the chickpeas.

Enjoy!

Makes 12 Truffles

• 10 pitted dates
• 1C almonds
• 1T peanut butter
• 1T agave or maple syrup
• 1/4C sugar
• 1T cinnamon

1) Heat the dates up in a warm skillet, shaking the pan constantly to make sure they don’t burn. We’re not cooking them, just getting them warm.
2) Moving the warmed dates into a bowl and mash with a fork (or your hands!)
3) Grind the almonds in a food processor or blender, and combine with the dates.
4) Add the agave and peanut butter, continuing mixing with your hands or fork.
5) Roll the mixture into 12 individual balls, and then roll the balls in the sugar/cinnamon mixture in a bowl or on a plate.
6) Let refrigerate for one hour so the truffles can firm up, and enjoy!

**if you’d like to keep this recipe raw, instead of heating the dates, blend in a food processor. It’s just a bit messier**