Happy Friday everyone! It’s an absolutely beautiful spring day here, and I hope all of you are getting a chance to enjoy some sunshine and warm weather as well. I’m really looking forward to Mother’s Day this weekend, and spending as much time outside with the gang as possible. Somehow, it’s time again for the next installment of Friday FAQs! (You can check out previous weeks’ posts here: Week 1, week 2, week 3.)
Q1: My husband is allergic to sunflower seeds (and nuts). Is there anything I could add to replace them in your Perfect Veggie Burger?
A: Hey Jennifer, I would try toasted pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds). They are so delish! I love eating them as a snack too.
Q2: This is a little off-topic, but I’m looking for some good sauce recipes to combine with other things in delicious vegan bowl recipes. Thanks so much! PS – And congrats on your new baby. My first 2 were 23 months apart, and the best advice I have is to remember that the older one is still a baby too! She looked so much bigger than the new one, I think I expected too much of her…..(but she did turn out great anyway!)
A: Hi Carrie, For veggie bowl sauces, I’d recommend my teriyaki sauce from the Speedy Veggie Noodle Bowl, Lemon-Tahini Dressing, and the nutty almond butter sauce from the Rad Rainbow Raw Pad Thai. Each of the three sauces will transform veggie bowls in exciting, unique ways! Thanks for your congrats and words of wisdom, too. :)
Q3: I was wondering if you would have any ideas or suggestions about a meal plan for a 4-day vegan camping trip. All I’ve got is a cooler, and fires are prohibited on the grounds. My boyfriend and I are going to a rock festival (not the most vegan-friendly environment) and I’d love some ideas that don’t require much refrigeration or reheating. We don’t mind eating room temp food for a few days, as long as we can avoid food poisoning and get enough energy to brave the mosh pit, we’re golden.
A: Hi Melodie, That’s a tough challenge, indeed! Of course, your safety is my first priority and food poisoning is no joke, so a little disclaimer: I’m not a camper by any stretch of the imagination, so my suggestions should be taken with a grain of salt. ;) (Side note: I’d love if some experienced campers chimed in on this one!) Anyway, I suggest bringing some of your favourite fruits and veggies that tend to travel well and do fairly well at room temperatures (to save space in your cooler for other meals where refrigeration is a must), like apples, oranges, bell peppers, and avocados. Dried fruit, either store-bought or homemade, is another great option as it’s energy dense. I’d also suggest bringing granola or muesli—again, either store-bought (which likely has a lesser need to be refrigerated) or homemade recipes, like my Ultimate Nutty Granola Clusters (p. 31 of The Oh She Glows Cookbook). For something more savoury, you could also bring crackers (try my Endurance Crackers or Homemade Wheat Thins). Protein bars or energy bites, like my Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites, Classic and Present Glo Bars (pp. 215 and 217 of The Oh She Glows Cookbook), or Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars, will give you a great boost for that mosh pit! hah. Keep those chilled. If you have a really good cooler situation going, you could also consider making a salad that travels well (like my Chickpea Salad), or perhaps a gazpacho that can be eaten cold, but both of those would have to be kept cold at all times. You could also bring single-serve, non-refrigerated plant-based milks available at some grocery stores, and little baggies of pre-portioned vegan overnight oats (chia, oats, dried fruit, cinnamon, a bit of granulated sweetener) and mix them up just before breakfast. It wouldn’t be cold necessarily, but it works in a pinch. Or you could simply serve granola with milk! Cans of baked beans always work in a pinch too (just don’t forget the can opener). I recommend eating the most perishable items first, and this may be a situation where it’s worth stocking up on some store-bought, less perishable options because most foods won’t last in a cooler for that long. I hope this helps get the wheels turning, and that you have a fantastic weekend!
Q4: Hi Angela! I have a question hopefully for one of your upcoming Friday FAQs! (loving this series so far BTW!). I’m currently 8 months preggers with my first child, and I’m starting to get into nesting mode! I’m wondering if you could suggest a handful of dinner/lunch recipes for cooking & freezing ahead of time—ones that maintain their taste & texture after de-thawing. Thanks in advance & congrats on cooking up bun #2! :)
A: Congrats on your pregnancy, Amy! I love this question because it’s one that I’m going to be thinking about once again this September. Below are some of my favourite recipes that freeze well. I hope this helps you stock your freezer with some tasty options! In addition to these, I’d also recommend taking advantage of spring/summer produce and whipping up big batches of gazpacho! I’m not sure if it’s freezer-friendly, but it takes just 5 minutes to make.
- Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup
- Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup
- Our Favourite Vegan Chili
- Our Perfect Veggie Burgers
- Peanut Better Balls (who doesn’t want a little sweet treat on hand?)
- 10-Spice Vegetable Soup
- Classic Glo Bar (The Oh She Glows Cookbook p. 215)
- Present Glo Bar (The Oh She Glows Cookbook p. 217)
- Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Chia Seed Pudding (did you know it freezes and thaws beautifully!? I like to freeze individual servings)
Q5: Will you be starting up your pregnancy updates again? I really enjoyed reading them! (This question has been asked by a lot of you!)
A: I just posted my first pregnancy update last night! You can find it here. Or simply click the “baby” section on the main menu at the top of the page.
Comments of the week:
Mac D writes, “I saw on snap that you had uploaded the No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Cookies to the app… I wanted to make them so badly last night so I kept refreshing and refreshing hoping it would load…and finally it did!! Hoorah!!! These are so delicious. SUPER fudgy and chewy. My husband and I had two last night and I’m enjoying another one (or three) at my desk today. Thanks for the awesome recipe! Also, I am LOVING the frequency of newly uploaded recipes to the app.”
This put a big smile on my face! :) I’m so glad you love the cookies as much as we do. They don’t last long in this house!
Bina writes, “I found your Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup when googling red lentil soup recipe. I have to say, this is the first time I have ever written a recipe review but I could not, not comment on how amazing this soup is. I am a really good healthy cook, although we are not vegetarians, we eat mostly vegetarian dishes and this soup is one of the best soups I have ever had. I made it exactly as written and would not recommend changing a single thing. Upon finding this recipe I decided to navigate your website and found the Chickpea salad which I just finished eating…omg, another winner. I also made that exactly as written and it was perfect. I finally found a recipe website that I can feel good about and I know I will be trying a lot more of your recipes. Thank you.”
Bina, I’m so flattered by your kind words! Nothing makes me happier than hearing how much a recipe is enjoyed. It’s definitely one of my favourite soups too. Happy cooking!
See you guys next week!
Oooh, loving the camping food discussions!!
We do quite a bit of camping in the summer!!
I find snacks to be easy, but meals less so. My suggestions would be very similar to most of the above, but I’ll add (of course, a camp stove is needed for most):
– Indian curry: Buy a pre-made indian curry sauce (make sure it’s vegan, first!), a can of chickpeas, and some minute rice (the kind that you pour boiling water on and cover for a few minutes…so you don’t waste your gas!). Fresh veggies on the side!
– 3 Can meal: 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt. Heat it up and serve! (over more minute rice, if you’d like).
– Sandwiches/wraps- hummus, greens, veggies
-Like Angela said, pre-making hearty salads and eating them is always good.
– veggie dogs :) But that’s hard without a fire!
Now I want to go camping….
I love this discussion so much! I emailed Angela for advice when I was pregnant with my first daughter and heading off for a summer of camping and road-tripping four years ago! :-) Of course, it’s making me feel like a big wimp because we now camp in a trailer with a refrigerator (don’t laugh at me!) I seriously love not having to fight the melting-ice/throw-food-away battle. But I’m still going to take all of this great advice to heart for cooler-use situations. And I will throw in that we have brought Angela’s Detox Tabbouleh (with cauliflower) camping, and it was very sturdy–lasted very well. (Though I second the person above who pointed out that if part of your salad goes bad, the whole thing is bad.)
Great series! I have a question as well: over the years you have often successfully recreated food items from a store or restaurant. Do you have any tips on how to do this? I tried this amazing fake tuna in a vegetarian restaurant (it was wrapped in an avocado topped sushi roll) and I’d love to recreate it! The ingrdients were sunflower seeds, celery, leeks, organic soy sauce and seaweed. How would you start?
Oh wow, fake tuna in an avocado sushi roll sounds absolutely divine! The ingredients sound pretty simple, so it might not be too hard. I would probably saute the celery and leek in some olive oil, and then add the soy sauce to taste, followed by some soaked and processed sunflower seeds. I have no idea if this is similar to what you were served, but you could always experiment! Sometimes I will use Google to search for ideas if I’m stuck. Also, I’d be inclined to try my chickpea or almond “tuna” salad recipes for a fun twist.
Great tips, thank you! I realise now I should have taken some pictures to remember the texture but I was to busy eating :) ok, I will go and experiment..!
I love reading all the camping suggestions and thought I’d add a few of my own. I agree with the comment about pre-freezing food, but wouldn’t limit it to smoothies. When I’m car camping in hot weather I try to freeze everything that’s going in the cooler so it all stays cold longer. Dips like baba ganoush freeze and defrost extremely well, but I’ve also frozen dishes like veggie curry. In addition to the cracker recipes Angela mentioned, I’ve found these buckwheat quinoa crackers keep well and ensure I get my whole grain fix: http://christensenka.squarespace.com/imported-20100106014405/2010/10/11/wholegrain-crackerbread-with-sesame-gluten-free-vegan-acd-my.html
I like to pack avocados in varying stages of ripeness. That way, they ripen perfectly as the trip goes on. If they’re not ripening fast enough, a day or two in a paper bag will do the trick.
If you have some time and a dehydrator (a cheap round one, which you can often find secondhand, and some parchment paper will suffice), I recommend purchasing “Another Fork in the Trail: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for the Backcountry” by Laurie Ann March. Some of the recipes require re-hydration with hot water, but many work well with cold water. This was a lifesaver when planning for a backpacking trip after discovering a multitude of food sensitivities.
Finally, for the last couple of days, I agree that you will need to rely on more shelf-stable foods. I second the suggestion of the Indian food pouches – they are great hot, but I have often eaten these cold while camping! In addition to the suggestions already made, I recommend canned dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), small jars of roasted red pepers, and dips or pestos. If you live stateside and near a Trader Joe’s, they have a great selection at reasonable prices, but you can also often find these at food co-ops, natural groceries, and sometimes even at the regular supermarket. Sun-dried tomatoes add a nice flavor kick to anything. In some natural grocery stores you can find powdered hummus, as a last resort; bring along some spices to improve the flavor, because it’s not great on it’s own.
I love your blog, but I’ve been meaning to ask this for awhile- is there a separate rss feed for your baby posts? I use feedly to follow your blog to get updates when you have a new post, but the baby posts never make it on there. I figured it is a different rss feed, but I can’t figure it out!
Hi Angela!
What do you do when you get in a food rut?! Most of the time I’m content to spend hours perusing your blog, and preparing delicious vegan food. However, lately I’m just feeling blah about all food, menu planning, grocery shopping, meal prep, etc…maybe it’s the change of seasons, who know’s? I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last two years being a stay at home mom, but that also means I’m the main chef in the house, and makes me feel completely responsible for what my husband and two year old are eating as well. I know this will pass and I will once again be whipping up delicious Oh She Glows recipes, but do you have any suggestions for getting back the inspiration to cook? Or, some ‘in the meantime’ very quick, but healthy and delicious recipes/meal suggestions?
One other question, which you may or may not have experienced yet :) I have a toddler who, no joke, has days where every 5 minutes she is running to the kitchen for a snack….this is in addition to her regular meals!! Some days I’m at a complete loss what to give her and it’s only 10am!! Do you have any suggestions for healthy toddler friendly snacks, that store and travel well, and aren’t super messy?
Thanks!
This one is for the camping question. I’m currently on a multi-year bike tour and cook A LOT! So much so that I have a camp recipes section on my blog. http://longhaultrekkers.com/category/recipe/
I swear by my Klean Kanteen insulated food canister, as it keeps things hot or cool for about a day. Also, and this is the best part, you can cook right in it! Quick cooking grains like couscous or bulgur cook in a matter of minutes with some hot water or in a few hours soaked in cold water. Bring a grater and some cooked lentils and you can easily make my Curried Couscous Salad. http://longhaultrekkers.com/curried-couscous-salad/
Good luck and have fun!
Vegan camp recipes are my new specialty! We’re on a multi-year bicycle tour, so I’ve been making a ton of camp food on the road. So much so that I added a Camp Recipes section to our blog. http://longhaultrekkers.com/category/recipe/
I swear by my Klean Kanteen insulated food canisters. Not only to they buy me a bit of refrigeration time, they also keep soups warm for several hours. But my favorite part is that I can cook in them! Quick cooking grains like couscous or bulgur cook in minutes if you can find hot water, or if you use cold water, just soak for at least four hours and they’re ready! My Curried Couscous Salad would be perfect for your festival. Just bring s grater.
http://longhaultrekkers.com/curried-couscous-salad/
Bean salads are always simple and easy, and you can flavor them so many different ways depending on the slices you use. Bring a big bowl to make salads and pre-make the dressing before you leave to save space and time.
Finally, there’s always avocado bread! Or we eat a lot of canned items for lunches like basil paste, olive paste, artichoke hearts, hummus, dolmas – things that are a bit heavy, but will keep long term.
Have fun and good luck!
Literally had to tell you this. I purchased your cookbook last week. Last night I made the tex-mex caserole. Let me tell you, it’s AMAZING!
Thanks so much for providing wonderful and delicious vegan recipes!!
I am so happy to hear the casserole was a hit, April!! I hope you love whatever recipe from the cookbook you decide to try next. Thanks for your support, and happy cooking!
Hi Angela,
I’m loving the new OSG app, specifically the photography. It has such a nice, cohesive design. The pictures are just amazing. Would you consider giving some pointers to us chefs who are interested in photographing our creations? What are your top tips/tricks for food photography?
Hi Annalise, Wow, thank you so much! That means a lot to me for you to say that. A few of my tips would be to develop your unique personal style (which I think comes from good old fashioned practice!), use a tripod (for crisp/non-blurry photos), style the food the way you’d want to see it presented to you on a plate (your own personal style really comes into play here too), get comfortable with post-processing (Lightroom which is quite user friendly) and invest in a good camera and lens (if you think you will be pursuing it long term). One of my friends, Ashley, who blogs at Edible Perspective has a great photography series that you might want to check out! http://www.edibleperspective.com/photography/
Great blog! Holidays are such a hard time to keep up a healthy diet – there is always so much temptation from interesting and tasty local cuisines. Always best to try them out to get a sense of the culture and support local businesses I think, but it’s also so important to stick to your healthy diet as not to imbalance or confuse your body. Thanks for the advice!
You’ve been holding out on us!! (Or did I MISS the announcement?!) I was just at Amazon and there was the cover of the new cookbook!! Will there be a Canada/US cover choice for this one, too?
Hey there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting
to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually
code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get
advice from someone with experience. Any help would be
enormously appreciated!
When my husband and I go camping we freeze gallon jugs of drinking water. We stick two in our cooler and it keeps our food cool for several days. It doesn’t leak water everywhere like ice does and we have extra drinking water once it melts. If we are on the road longer, we replace it with blocks of ice from a gas station, they last longer then small cubes of ice.
Wanting to begin eating healthier so I saw your website and hoping to try some of your recipes. Our Perfect Veggie Burger recipe is intriguing. I think I just might try that one when camping this holiday Memorial weekend.
Also copied your Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte with Salted Pumpkin Spice Syrup.
Lots of good ideas as I ‘begin’ my journey to switch over to vegetarian/vegan. My daughter is Vegan so I think she’d be happy to know that I can provide meals that will cater to her lifestyle when we all get together.
Love the recipes.
Camping
I’m a terrible camper, I hate it. But we do lots of long days in the mountains and camping is either free or cheap.
-We’ll usually make one big salad beforehand, this will last two days in or out of fridge and usually two meals for two: onion, garlic, tomatoes, cucumber, Quinoa, chic peas, we go shirtless but just adding olive oil and salt and pepper is good.
-hummus is usually good 1-2 days out of fridge if you leave it until your last two days when the cooler isn’t cool anymore. I just use one can chic peas + 2-3 garlic, sun dried tomatoes plus a half cup of the oil the sun dried tomatoes come in, food processor everything.
-you can pre make chilli and freeze it in a ziplock, use on day 3, 4.
– cous cous is so easy for a grain when camping, add boiling water, add Indian curry pack, not the most healthy but OK
– we also have oats in the morning but all you need is hot water, 5 minute oats + coconut milk powder + chic seeds+ sugar, we keep premeasured oats with everything needed in a ziplock.
Good luck. I’m loving everyone’s comments, getting lots of good ideas
Thanks for sharing those great suggestions, Hayley! :)