I was polishing off the last bits of my dinner, scrolling on my phone, when I noticed that today was November 1st, World Vegan Day. I thought back to what I’d had today, and decided to write a quick post about it to show an easy day of vegan eating.
This morning was off to a not-so-healthful start. I had a hike planned with friends, and woke up not long before we were to meet at the bus. It’s also the day after Halloween (excuses), and I wasn’t very hungry, so I had a couple mint Oreos and some instant coffee before rushing off.
By the time we arrived at our destination, it was 2pm. Time for lunch before the hike. Despite my rush that morning, I’d remembered to pack something that would travel well and make up for my lack of nutrition that morning. I’ve been trying Huel, a powdered “complete food” as a convenience meal lately. It’s made of mainly oats, pea protein, and ground flaxseed, with a bunch of other ingredients to supply vitamins and minerals. So I brought my free shaker bottle with water, some ice in a small Thermos, and a container of Huel powder.
I shook this up while my friends bought food. This lot is chocolate flavored and easy to get down, although less appetizing than “real food.” My bottle of Huel definitely did the job though, for just $2, which is satisfying as well.
After the hike and transit home, it was time for dinner. I’d cooked a big batch of lentil vegetable soup the night before, so I heated up some of that.
Pictured above is my other container of soup, as I’d already finished mine when I started this post. It’s not the most elegant, but I didn’t have anyone to impress. I used a bunch of vegetables I’d gotten from my weekly CSA (community-supported agriculture) share, and lentils and wheat gluten from a food co-op downtown. Pressure cooked maybe 20 minutes and served with a splotch of jarred salsa to supply some more salt, acid, and heat. If you’re curious, here are the ingredients of this batch:
- Red lentils
- Beet and beet greens
- Carrots and carrot tops
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Parsley
- Zucchini
- Green beans
- Bell pepper
- Red onion
- Seitan bits (homemade, from wheat gluten, water, and soy sauce)
- Mushroom bouillon
- Avocado oil
- Nutritional yeast
- Cumin
- Turmeric
The nice thing about the CSA share that I share with 3 other people is that I get a large variety of vegetables, but in quantities small enough to actually finish in a week.
I’ve been making a similar soup for a while, but I got a couple good ideas for additions from Joshua Spodek: nutritional yeast for a savory boost, easy homemade seitan for yet more protein, and cumin to replace the curry paste I used to use.
I’m not vegan myself, but today, like most of my days, turned out to be a vegan day of eating. And it was quick, cheap, fairly nutritious (except for “breakfast”), and enjoyable.
With my previous blog post still fresh in my mind, I’m entertained by the idea that my hike could be considered a “experiential strategy” (nature exposure) that helped motivate a “pro-environmental behavior” (vegan eating). Of course, that’s not how I planned my day. It was just a nice day.
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