Day one: 7 day Vegan/Eco-Atkins Challenge

I am very excited for this challenge.  I love to cook and this will take me out of my element and force me to be more creative.  The kids are excited, too.  I went shopping and bought tempeh, tofu (which I do use as a pasta substitute on
Atkins, so I am not so unfamiliar with this), seitan.  I have some vegan/vegetarian items from Dixie Diner that we use anyway in the cabinet, but needed to by vegan cheese, Italian sausage, cold cuts, mayo, sour cream, cream cheese.  The grocery bill was very steep even though there was no meat!  I did most of my shopping at Wegmans.  They have a good selection of natural/vegan foods, but was disappointed with the selection at Feel-Rite.    I usually get my staples (produce, cereal, milk, eggs) at Aldi.  Their prices are great and quality is good too.  The milk is hormone free.  Meat I buy at Tops or a small market called Sloan Super Market, which has super prices and everything is fresh with a quick turnover.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Soy protein shake w/ chocolate & peanut butter – vegan strawberry chocolate pancakes for the kids

Lunch: Chicken (not) salad with Veganaise

Dinner: Vegan chili with ground beef (not), vegan cheese/sour cream, corn muffins with corn for the rest of the family (too many carbs for me), lettuce/tossed salad with Italian dressing

I definitely like the whey protein shakes I use for Atkins better than this vegan kind (Wegmans soy protein powder unsweetened natural vanilla).  They have a smoother taste.  I get my shake mix at WalMart & it is 25g of protein per scoop.

We have had the Chicken(not) salad from Dixie Diner before and it is good.  A switch-up from meat occasionally or on Fridays during lent.  The Veganaise was VERY good and I was raised on Hellmans.  If it wasn’t so expensive, I would use it all the time. Dixie Diner often has 25% off coupon codes which usually end up being a better deal than free shipping.  We have been customers for years.

The chili was a big hit.  I wanted something easy to make since I had to work this day.   The texture of the meat substitute was good, so the hearty flavor of the chili really stood out, and everyone’s plate was clean!

Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Multigrain Pancakes

1 cup  whole wheat flour

1 cup quick oats

1 cup frozen strawberries pulsed/chopped in food processor

¼ cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cup almond or soymilk

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat (preferably cast iron) griddle on medium to medium/low.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Let rest a few minutes so oatmeal can soak in liquid.  Take 1/3 cup measure of batter and place on oiled griddle until bubbled/set.  Flip once.

I usually double the recipe so that leftovers are in the fridge and we can just pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast.  I switch up ingredients each week. Eg: banana peanut butter, apple raisin, blueberry.

Soy Protein shake

1 heaping scoop Vanilla or unflavored soy, hemp or other vegan protein powder (sugar free or unsweetened)  - for vegan it cannot be whey protein (a milk derivative)
2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 pkt Truvia or sweetener of choice

14 oz water, almond or soy milk

Ice

Put all ingredients into blender or personal size shake mixer.  Grind until ice is pulverized (ice makes the shake taste better.)

Chicken (not) salad

Follow directions on package.

Vegan Chili (crockpot recipe)

½ pkg beef (not) or TVP (textured vegetable) protein- enough to make around 2 lbs prepared with vegetable bouillon for flavor

2 onions, chopped

1 cup green pepper (sometimes I omit this)

2 cloves garlic

3 tblsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 large (28 oz) can pureed tomatoes, sauce, or cut tomatoes

1 tsp basil or 1 bay leaf

2 cans black soybeans (they are high in protein and fiber, but low in carbohydrates)

Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of olive oil (since I thought there wasn’t enough fat from any meat)

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and simmer on low for 8-10 hours (high for 5 hours).  Discard bay leaf if used.  Serve with vegan cheddar cheese, and vegan sour cream.  Serves 8-10

Corn muffins

I made with a package mix without eggs/milk ingredients.  I just used baking powder.  I added frozen corn for texture.