Welcome to the Great American Meatout!  Glad you’ve stopped by for a visit – and I hope you’ll stay!

You’ve seen the films, you’ve heard the news headlines, you’ve read about factory farming - so you know WHY vegan.  But, maybe you’re wondering HOW vegan?  Maybe you’re wondering what you’ll grab for dinner when you don’t have time to cook.  Maybe you’re wondering what you’ll eat at a party.  Maybe you’re wondering how on earth you’ll make those killer brownies without eggs.  Well, don’t worry.  We’ve got ya covered!

Dinner on the run is something we all do, and sometimes we do it a lot.  I’m a farmer and I like to cook and I’ve threatened to write recipes that start with:  Start your spinach seedlings indoors at the end of February.   Joke!  (Sort of…)

But, I do get really busy and often in the summer I just don’t have the time or energy to cook.  That’s when heat and serve items come in really handy.  Of course, items you can eat straight out of the fridge are even handier.  Fortunately, there are lots of ready to serve or heat and eat vegan products on the shelves these days.  Check out the links but use your browser back button to come back here! 

Gardein brand ‘meats’(http://www.gardein.com/index.php),

Tofurkey deli slices (http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/deli_slices.html),

Daiya (http://www.daiyafoods.com/) and Follow Your Heart cheeses and Vegenaise (http://www.followyourheart.com/), and

veggie burgers among the many many available options. (http://www.amys.com/products/product-detail/veggie-burgers/000281).

Plus there are oodles of naturally vegan products out there.  Canned beans, lentils, pasta, rice, quinoa, prewashed salad greens and precut veggies, fruit (fresh, frozen, or canned), and even Oreos.  A walk through your local grocery will reveal carts full of quick cooking or ready to eat items.

A quick any night dinner might include a few Tofurkey peppered deli slices on a bun spread with Vegenaise and stuffed with a handful of prewashed salad mix and a few slices of onion and tomato.  Have a piece of your favorite fruit, a glass of your favorite plant based milk (soy, rice, and almond are readily available in most grocery stores), and some Oreos for dessert!

One of my very favorite meals is a simple salad.  Load up a plate with some prewashed salad greens, sprinkle on walnuts, pecans, and/or almonds and the fresh or dried fruit of your choice (right now I am hooked on dried Mission figs though orange slices, raisins, apples, strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries are excellent choices as well).  Dress with just a drizzle of your favorite salad oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar.  A salad like this is just bursting with great taste and great nutrition!  Add a hearty deli style roll and dinner is ready in a flash!

If you don’t mind spending a few minutes cooking you can whip up a batch of lentils.  They are quick cooking and chock full of flavor and nutrition.  A really fun way to eat lentils is to mix them with your  favorite BBQ sauce and serve on a bun!  Sloppy Joes in minutes!

But what about those parties?  A variety of strategies exist.  Eating beforehand and nibbling on the veggies, nuts and chips is a time honored way of enjoying the company and being sociable without being hungry the whole time.  No need to stop there though.  Whip up something fun and take it with!  In fact, how about taking along your killer brownies!  Yes, vegan brownies to exist, you can make them, and everyone (including you) will love them.

Try out the recipe below and let me know how you like it!  Thanks again for checking out the Great American Meatout!  Don’t be a stranger!

Don't forget to checkout the new Reverence Gardens feature – Vegan In 1-2-3! – because vegan doesn’t have to be hard! http://www.reverencegardens.com/content/10659

And if you're on Facebook - join the group Going Veg for great recipes and helpful tips on Going Veg!https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=243082119274&ref=ts

Killer Chocolate Brownies

(adapted from a recipe by Lois Dieterly in Sinfully Vegan)

Preheat oven to 350

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 tsp flax ground flaxseed (see Note below)

1 1/3 cups flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup plant milk of your choice

1/3 cup cooking oil (I like to use walnut oil for this – a nice source of omega-3’s)

2 tsp vanilla

½ cup chopped walnuts (optional) 

Variation – substitute ¼ cup of Irish whiskey or other spirit for ¼ cup of the plant milk.  This will result in a decidedly fudgey brownie with a grown up flavor!

METHOD:

Mix dry ingredients (and nuts if using) then add wet ingredients and mix well.  Batter will be stiff.  Spoon batter into a parchment paper lined (or lightly oiled) 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.  Bake 40 minutes for chewy brownies  and 45-47 minutes for cakey brownies.

Note:  Ground flaxseed may sound a tad exotic but do buy some.  It’s a fantastic source of fiber, a premier source of inflammation fighting and brain boosting omega-3’s, and the best source of cancer fighting lignins.  You should be eating some ground flaxseed every day.  You can add it to baked goods, sprinkle on hot cereals, or add it salads.  You can buy it ground or grind your own in a coffee grinder.  Just make sure to store it in the fridge.