Food Demos Recipes, Cooking without Oil, small kitchen appliances

Cooking Demo's Techniques and Appliances

So many of us have busy lifestyles trying to balance work, family, school and friendships. As we rush about our daily activities, it becomes all too easy to eat out, order in, and buy fast food. Shopping and prepping meals for cooking seems too time consuming. Yet our improved health depends on taking the time to change our eating habits.

We are responsible for our choices. Planning is key.

When I started to change my eating habits, I found it crucial to plan the evening before to determine what I was going to eat the following day. This habit was essential to curb my impulsive and unhealthy food behaviour. It made meal preparation easy and kept me on track. Also, I quickly learned that it was best to not bring treats home as they always became an irresistible temptation.

If it’s in your house, it’s in your mouth. - Chef AJ

My transition to whole food plant based eating became easier when I found ways to convert our family favourites to healthier versions. My first changes were to make meat free chilli and spaghetti sauce. I found these to be easy changes to transition to meat free meals.

I quickly discovered, whole grains and beans to be very satiating. I often would add a scoop of these to soups and salads to transform them into hearty complete meals. I also learned how to cook without oil.

Eventually I discovered how to make meat substitutes for Taco’s and Shepherd’s Pie.

Author: Chuck Underwood (link)

Ingredients

1 small Head Cauliflower (about 1 1/2 cups)

4 oz Fresh Mushrooms

1/2 cup Walnuts (use less or omit if watching fat intake)

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

2 Tbs Chili Powder

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp Ground Pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Lightly pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until you have a rice like consistency

Now pulse (or chop) the walnuts to the same consistency and mix in a large bowl

Remove the core and leaves of your cauliflower and cut into small pieces

Pulse the cauliflower to the same consistency and add to bowl

Stir in soy sauce and mix

Stir in spices and mix well, making sure everything is mixed thoroughly

Spread mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes

Stir lightly and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes

The “meat” flavor and texture in these Cauliflower Taco’s” are amazing. Don’t let the name taco limit you to just Mexican fare. I have also used this meat as a cooked ground meat substitute in Sheppard’s Pie.

Print Recipe

Burger Delight – This recipe can be found on page 40 of a recipe collection put together by Fort Myers CHIP, now known as Pivio: The Complete Health Improvement Program. For a copy of more inspiring recipes click here for their PDF Download.

I found this to be a tasty convenient meat free replacement that can be used in chili, spaghetti sauce, taco's, burritos, or as is with your favorite vegetables. This also freezes well.

Ingredients

*2 cups Bulgur Wheat (Bob Mills or bulk section, but do not use fine ground)

4 cups tomatoes, canned with juice

½ medium onion, cut in pieces

2-3 cloves garlic

1 cups walnuts (may substitute pecans or sunflower seeds)

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp molasses

Instructions:

Place the bulgur wheat in a saucepan.

In a blender, add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.

Add the blended ingredients to the bulgur. Bring mixture to slow boil. Cover and turn down heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Check and stir occasionally. You want the bulgur to be soft and completely hydrated.

Spread the mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 250-275F for 45-60 minutes or until the mixture turns into a cooked loose burger-like texture.

Stir occasionally. Be careful to not over dry as it will not go crispy it will go hard.

Remove from oven while it is still moist.

* Bulgur is available in most stores. It is often in the bulk bins as well as being a Bob Mills product. Be careful to not get fine ground. Another option to source harder to find products is to shop in an ethnic grocery store.

Print Recipe

As I was transitioning to whole food plant based eating, grocery shopping and meal planning was time consuming. As I became familiar with my new foods choices, grocery shopping and meal preparation became a quick routine.

Though optional, I have discovered a few small kitchen appliances that have proven to be worthwhile investments as they put fun and simplicity into my food transition.

Air Fryer

Instant Pot

VitaMix Blender
Worth the Splurge Consumer Report