Andrew's Cupboard

As a vegetarian, poor student and food lover, I've often had friends ask me for recipes and advice. What do I eat on a regular basis? What are my favourite things to eat? What's really quick, what's cheap?


So let's take a look at my cupboard and fridge. What do I always have on hand, or pick up when it's available?

TOFU: It's easy, cheap and healthy. When opening a package of it, cut up what you're going to use, wrap it in some paper towel and squeeze it to drain the water out of it. Take the leftovers, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer: it changes the texture, making it more like chicken. Use it in stir-fries, soups, wraps, salads. Of course, there are different textures of tofu, but I more often than not go for the extra-firm. I'll only go for the medium variety to use in miso soup.
One of my favourite ways to prepare tofu is to slice it into cubes, drizzle with a neutral oil, a bit of sesame oil, (light) soy sauce and sometimes a dash of either cayenne or pimento paste. I then bake it at around 350 for anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how dry I want it. This is great especially for my packed salads.

QUINOA: Quinoa is an inexpensive, quick-cooking grain that's also a complete protein. You can get it at any Bulk Barn. I sometimes just cook a big batch of plain quinoa and keep it in the fridge for breakfasts, topped with yogurt and fruit. [My favourite is chopped apples cooked on high for 10 minutes with a splash of water, spoonful of (brown) sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg.]

GREENS: I always, always have at least one variety of leafy green in my fridge, be it spinach, baby spinach, your standard spring mix, bok choy, Chinese lettuce, pea shoots, or...

KALE: You can get a huge head for around $2. This stuff is plentiful starting in the late fall and all throughout the winter. You can find it the rest of the year, but it's often more expensive and smaller. When preparing, make sure you cut out the tough rib. Kale takes a bit longer to cook than something like spinach: if your pan starts to get dry and the kale begins to burn, add a splash of water. It also doesn't shrink as much as the softer greens, so you'll probably want to cut it up into smaller shreds.

FROZEN PEAS: This seems like a no-brainer, but it's invaluable: a way for me to boost my veggie intake in virtually any meal. I simply rinse with hot water straight from the tap to defrost, and then throw it in to my soup, noodles, stir-fry or sauce. It also happens to be one of my favourite vegetables.

WHOLE GRAIN COUSCOUS: Boil some water. Add the couscous. Five minutes later, it's done. Keep it in the fridge to make salads for work.

TVP: Short for "textured vegetable protein", it's the stuff that they make fake ground beef or bacon bits out of. It's also stupidly cheap and easy to prepare. Making a tomato sauce? Throw in a handful of this near the end and you've got a 'meat' sauce that's basically indistinguishable from the real thing. I've freaked people out with this when serving it, convinced that I've served dead cow.

CANNED TOMATOES: I always have this in the cupboard, ready for a quick tomato sauce or to use in a variety of other recipes.

CANNED BEANS AND LENTILS: Yes, I could always go the dried route... but that means planning well ahead, having a big bowl taking up valuable refrigerator real estate, and then cooking it. No, thank you. Take a can of legumes, rinse it off, and toss it in. So much simpler! Just watch out for the sodium content, if you happened to be concerned about that.

NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER: After switching to the natural stuff, I can't eat your regular Kraft brand PB anymore: it's just so oily and reminiscent of icing sugar. Natural peanut butter needs to stay in the fridge and be stirred each time, but I think it's totally worth it: a standard breakfast or bedtime snack for me is toasted bread or English muffin (whole wheat, of course!) with some peanut butter and a small dab of jam, honey or even berries.

RICE: I love my rice maker. Throw in some rinsed brown, black or even white (the nutritional horror!) rice, add your water and a dash of salt, and walk away. This becomes the base for my stir-fries, stews and chilis, or becomes rejuvenated into some super-easy and quick fried rice.

NUTS AND SEEDS: I love the Bulk Barn. I always have at least one bag of nuts and/or seeds in my fridge, ready to be added to my salads and stir-fries. Sunflower seeds are one of my favourites, but I also tend to pick up almonds (super high in calcium!) quite a bit, too.

MISO: This is one of my absolute must-have ingredients, especially in the winter when it becomes my 10-minute miso noodle soup.

And of course, your basic MILK, EGGS, YOGURT and tonnes of FRUITS and VEGETABLES.



So how about a quick recipe? This is great the next day for lunch, too.

QUINOA, BEANS AND GREENS
In this very forgiving recipe, you can make an endless combination of variations: leave something out, replace some things, change the seasonings... doesn't matter! I don't always include the onion or garlic, especially if I'm feeling lazy.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water/broth
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped finely (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (any kind: I like black beans for this)
few handfuls of greens, chopped (if using kale or collard greens, make sure to remove the rib)
salt, to taste
seasoning: chili powder; paprika and garlic; basil, oregano and Romano cheese
diced carrot, celery or other vegetables (optional)

Sauté the onion in olive oil until golden yellow, around 4-5 minutes; add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until aromatic. If using paprika, stir in now to quickly cook.
Add in the quinoa and stir until well coated. If adding carrot, celery or other hard vegetable, add this in. Pour in the water or broth, salt and seasonings. Stir until everything is incorporated.
Bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
If using a softer green like spinach, you can stir it in at this point. Let the quinoa sit for 5 minutes. If using a heartier green like kale or collards, you may either want to: a) incorporate it half-way through cooking, or b) sauté it in a separate pan with a tiny bit of olive oil and add it at the very end.
Super-simple and stupidly healthy!