Post Punk Kitchen Forum

An almost-vegan friend of mine was wanting to cook more at home, but she often works late and doesn't want to spend a whole lot of time cooking when she's tired. So I gave her a couple tips on some quick and easy things that she can prepare. I thought it might be a good new poster contribution to start a new thread where we share our meals that are quick and easy to make, and I can also refer her to this thread. It would be nice if she could borrow some ideas from some of the greatest vegan culinary minds in the world. I guess she will just have to settle for you yahoos though. :P

Anyway, I will start off with my contribution: Boca patty chkn salad wraps.

I like to use the spicy chik patties, and cook them in a toaster oven. One patty will make two wraps. When it's cooked, dice half of one patty. Then you take some mixed spring greens, and put a big handful on a heated tortilla. (One great thing about a gas stove is that I can just use the flames to heat a tortilla.) Add some diced red onion, and whatever other veggies you want. Sprinkle on the diced chkn, and you favorite salad dressing. Wrap it up and eat it.

This is a staple for me. I usually have this once a week or so, and look forward to it. It's really good, and pretty healthy, though the sodium content might be a bit high (at least with the dressing I use). It's also cheap, and easy to make.

So anyway, I would love to read other quick and easy meal ideas. Fire away.

a PPK favorite is greasy nooch noodles... cook up some pasta, slather it with Earth Balance, and cover it in nutritional yeast. Add some sriracha and Bragg's. Add whatever other random shiitake you got lying around (lots of people add some green veggies, I like to add beans, some garlic powder...) BAM.

I also keep a case of ramen around for when I'm really strapped for time/energy-less.

taco night is my favorite quick and easy meal. i just saute some beans with jarred salsa and any veggies i have lying around from my week or frozen veggies that i always keep stocked, we usually have left over rice that i can throw in to warm up-- throw it all in tortilla and you've got a meal made in like five minutes.

Baked potatoes! They're really quick when you cook them in the microwave, and you can top them with whatever you have on hand. I like regular baked potatoes with leftover chili, salsa, avocado chunks, and/or Tofutti sour cream if I have it. Baked sweet potatoes are good with nut butter, coconut flakes, and/or chopped nuts.

My go to easy meal is a 1- pound bag of frozen mixed veggies plus a half- or whole aseptic carton of tomato or mushroom soup. Maybe add in some diced tofu for extra protein.

Tomato paste + non-dairy milk/soy creamer/water + spices + small amount of sugar + rice (optional but makes it more filling; is quick and easy with a rice cooker!)

SUPER cheap and delicious on a cold day.

my go-to quick meal is a can of chick peas, whatever greens i have in the house (or frozen peas, if i have none), curry paste, plus diced potatoes and/or chik'n. if i'm using potatoes it takes a little longer for them to be edible, but otherwise the whole thing comes together pretty instantly. & tastily!

Boil pasta dumping in some broccoli halfway through the cooking time. Drain. Mix up some esme's sauce and combine with noodles and veg
http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=544

Best thing to put on a baked potato: italian dressing. Just try it. It's phenomenal.

We do baked potatoes and tacos a lot, too.

Soup is pretty easy and adaptable. Saute onions and garlic and whatever fresh or frozen vegetables that are around the house. Add broth and/or tomatoes and beans and/or pasta.

We also do nachos fairly often. Canned refried beans mixed with salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Dot on chips and bake until warm. Sometimes we'll add sauteed seitan crumbles before we bake. I eat mine with avocado and more salsa.

Roasted vegetables and a grain are pretty easy.

Another vote for baked potatoes! I top mine with baked beans, leftover split pea soup, creamed corn, and marinara sauce. Leftover chili is great, too.

I think my two go to easy meals are soup (easy to throw together with whatever veggies you have in your fridge) and brown rice pasta with marinara sauce and any leftover vegetables you have.

noodles with esme sauce
rice and beans
rice and steamed veggies thrown on top during the last few minutes of cooking
quick curries over grains/with noodles thrown in

I usually have tempeh or tofu marinating in something, or baked, that I can thrown on pasta/sandwiches/random dinners, etc.

I was just going to suggest kittee's cheezie pasta! I had that tonight so good.

Other easy options include the Bechemel sauce from YRR over pasta, rice, steamed veggies etc.
Marinara (opt: tvp, lentils, beans, veggies, faux meat) over pasta
Pasta salad, chopped veggies and dressing.

BLT's are pretty quick, nachos, salads, mashed potatoes with punk rock chickpea gravy (VWAV).

Almost anything can be made quickly, also helpful is to cook on the weekends and freeze single servings

-Cereal
-Oatmeal
-Toast with nut butter
-Green smoothies
-Stir fry

Quick and simple pasta bake on theblog
As any good post-modern lasagna this challenges traditional lasagna views and standards, and is a little bit twisted.

What you will need:
2 1/2 cups WW spiral (or bow tie) pasta
1 firm block of tofu (frozen then defrosted)
1/2 cups plain or unsweetened soymilk
1 T lemon juice
1 T dried basil
2 t oregano
1 t sea salt
1/2 white onion chopped
5 garlic cloves chopped
3 cups chopped spinach
1 green onion stalk
3 medium sized green garlic shoots
1 jar or recipe for you favorite tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

To begin: Preheat oven to 355
Boil your noodles in salted water until almost done or al dente.While the noodle cook, blend your remaining ingredients (except your tomato sauce and greens!) until nearly smooth (if you like a chunkier texture, I won't tell). Dice your greens up and put them aside. Take a small amount of Olive oil to grease your baking dish (The deeper the better!). Once the dish is greased, add in your tofu mixture form the blender and add your chopped greens, stir until combined. Once your noodles are done, drain and rinse in cold running water, shake dry and add to baking dish. Toss to combine/coat with tofu mixture, then poor jar of tomato sauce over top. Shake a few times so the sauce drips on down and add your salt and pepper to the top.

Even faster, hummus pasta, use hummus in the place of the tofu mixture add from fried mushrooms and proceed.

The old threads also had lots of great threads on the topic.. maybe google cache still has them?

We usually have a tube of prepared polenta on hand for a quick meal. Cut into thick slices, pan fry in olive oil and black pepper. Top with favorite sauce and fresh tomatoes or other veggies.

Another vote for nachos!

Yes, this is awesome!

In the summer I like to get an eggplant, slice it up into maybe 1/2 inch thick slices, brush lightly with oil, pop it under the broiler for like 5 minutes. While it's broiling, chop up a tomato and whatever herbs you have around. Flip the eggplant, and plop some of your tomato stuff on top of every slice. It's good with some vegan cheeze on there too. Broil for another 5 minutes and eat.

I was sick this week and invented the best sickness soup ever. Here's what you do. Put 2 tbsps powdered broth (or however much powdered broth would make 2 cups reconstituted) and 1 tsp miso in a big asparagus mug. Like a travel mug or bigger. Put in a 1/2 c of dry soy curls, then put in arugula til your cup is pretty much full. Boil some water in an electric kettle (or on the stove, if you MUST), then pour in hot water to fill. Mix with a long spoon or a spatula. Let it stand for two or three minutes, then eat the hell out of it.

I like this for sickness soup: get a can of Campbell's tomato soup. Saute some diced onion in some EVOO until slightly caramelized, add a LOT of chopped garlic -- like most of a head, throw in as much crushed red pepper as you can handle, and cook for a couple of minutes or so. Add the soup and half a can of water -- not a whole can as I think that makes it too watery. This will give you a tangy and garlicky and hot soup that will kick the living shiitake out of whatever bad stuff is in your head.

beans on toast.
and the famous macnooch/amy deluxe - for me, pasta with dragonfly's bulk uncheese mix (my go-to) on top of a mixture of frank's red hot + melted earth balance.

Ooooo! One of my favorite types of threads!!!

Reconstitute tvp w/ veggie broth (or some Better Than Bullion - No Beef), refried beans, guac (I love the single serve packets they come in now from Wholly Guacamole, they are PERFECT for this), sprinkle with nooch and scarf!

My easy peasy meals:
-taco salad. Sautee onion and trader joes chorizo (or tvp with spicy spices) and add some frozen corn kernals. Shred some cabbage, squeeze lime juice, salt pepper, garlic, cayenne and a bit of veganaise. Chop some lettuce, add to bowl. Add slaw, chorizo, crushed tortilla chips, salsa, etc.

-tofu veggie stirfry is usually quick for me.

-anything I can throw in the crockpot in the am and is ready when I get home. In fact tonight I will prepare chilli and throw it all together in the morning. Eat with a baked potatoe.

Pasta is my go-to quick and easy meal. Pesto in particular is super quick and easy, just throw it all in the food processor, toss with pasta and you're done.

I also make a lemon basil cream pasta that can be prepared in the time it takes to boil the pasta itself. The recipe is on my blog, it's seriously super easy and doesn't taste like a half-arsed effort of a dinner at all.

I usually make stir-fried vegetables with peanut sauce cos it's likely I have all the ingredients on hand anyway.

I like making potato wedges too.. not exactly quick, but it's easy! I season mine with cajun spice and serve with hummus.

And Miso soup with noodles, veges and tofu

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-d ... ecipe=5113

^^^ that is one of my favorite under 20 minute meals, with cous cous and a steamed or quick roasted veg. (hope u can view without logging in)

Also Tacos take about 10 minutes.

When i have zero time before a class or work, i love a whole wheat tortilla filled with Hummus, chopped fresh spinach, some baked pre-packaged tofu, tomatos, and some thick Miso-Tahini dressing. I actually look forward to this 5 minute meal!

Rice noodles with peanut sauce, definitely. Broccoli and tofu too, if I have it. But for the noodles+tofu, you just have to boil a kettle of water and then use some of it to soak the noodles and some of it to make the sauce. I base mine off the recipe in moosewood, but basically peanut butter, boiling water, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar. I love it in the summer because the only heat you have to use is boiling some water, which doesn't heat up the kitchen that much if you have an electric kettle.

Other quick favorites - I like having frozen vegetable+tofu dumplings on hand, and edamame. You can even steam them together if you are in a hurry.