I have taken on the position of Volunteer Coordinator for ECM's Veggie Lunch. I am so excited and honored that Kim Brooks has given me this opportunity and agreed that Veggie Lunch will be entirely vegan while I am coordinator. I got my feet wet with the first veggie lunch -- where I believe we set a record for the largest quantity of chick pea (faux) tuna salad ever made in the state of Kansas. At one point, we had four different people with potato mashers attempting to flatten chicken peas at one time in an industrial sized pan.
While in general I prefer to make and eat cuisine that is free of oil, and sugar, and low in salt, that will probably not be the case for the food that I will be preparing for Veggie Lunch. This is for several reasons -- the first being that when scaling up food to serve a large number of people -- using oil does make the food prep a bit easier. Secondly I am aiming to serve a population that is use to high levels of sugar, salt and oil, and I expect cares more about taste, then reducing their future risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes. In addition, the food budget is very limited. The tricks I typically use to make vegan food taste good to those who typically eat the standard American diet (like using dates and nuts for the sweeteneing and the fat) are far more expensive than sugar and oil. So for those reasons, I am going to be a bit more flexible in my menus for Veggie Lunch. That said, the food I prepare will be made using only naturally gluten free ingredients -- although a separate table will continue to provide bread generously donated by Wheatfield's Bakery, and I will do my best to prevent it from cross-contaminating the food on the main table.
However, I will not be the one preparing veggie lunch every single Thursday. As before my arrival here -- student groups will be invited to prepare the weekly meals intermittently too -- and while they will be required to make the food 100% vegan -- they will not be required to make it gluten free, that will be up to those cooking.
While in general I prefer to make and eat cuisine that is free of oil, and sugar, and low in salt, that will probably not be the case for the food that I will be preparing for Veggie Lunch. This is for several reasons -- the first being that when scaling up food to serve a large number of people -- using oil does make the food prep a bit easier. Secondly I am aiming to serve a population that is use to high levels of sugar, salt and oil, and I expect cares more about taste, then reducing their future risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes. In addition, the food budget is very limited. The tricks I typically use to make vegan food taste good to those who typically eat the standard American diet (like using dates and nuts for the sweeteneing and the fat) are far more expensive than sugar and oil. So for those reasons, I am going to be a bit more flexible in my menus for Veggie Lunch. That said, the food I prepare will be made using only naturally gluten free ingredients -- although a separate table will continue to provide bread generously donated by Wheatfield's Bakery, and I will do my best to prevent it from cross-contaminating the food on the main table.
However, I will not be the one preparing veggie lunch every single Thursday. As before my arrival here -- student groups will be invited to prepare the weekly meals intermittently too -- and while they will be required to make the food 100% vegan -- they will not be required to make it gluten free, that will be up to those cooking.
The Fall 2016 ECM Veggie Lunch program opened on August 25th. Here was what was served (pictured to the left along with some of the volunteers who helped make the food).
Tossed Salad with Goddess Dressing
Baked Potato with choice of Sauteed broccoli and onions and cheesy sauce
Chick Pea "Faux" Tuna Salad
Wheatfield's Bread (on a different table)
The food was very well received and loved by everyone that I talked to. I promised that I would post the recipes on my blog....so here they are:
Goddess Dressing:
Ingredients
1 cup of sunflower seeds (rinsed)
2 cups water
2 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground yellow mustard seed
Directions:
Place the sunflower seeds into a powerful blender with half of the water (one cup) and blend on high until thick and creamy. Then add the second cup of water and all remaining ingredients and process on high until completely blended and creamy. Stores well refrigerated for about 5-7 days -- shake well before using.
Sauteed Onions and Broccoli
Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli -- chopped
1 onion diced
Olive Oil
San-J Wheat Free Tamari (organic)
Directions:
Saute the onion in the oil until it starts to brown, add the chopped broccoli and continue stirring until it turns bright green. Sprinkle with tamari, remove from heat and cover and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.
The Cheesy Sauce Recipe was posted to my blog Previously
Find it HERE.
Chick Pea Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked (or canned) chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
1 TBS Kelp Powder
1-2 TBS Wheat Free Tamari
1 TBS Lemon Juice
2 stalks celery finely chopped
3 TBS finely diced onion
1/2 cup vegan Mayo (We used Just Mayo purchased at Walmart)
Directions:
1) Drain the chickpeas and place them into a flat-bottomed container. Using a potato masher, partially smash the chickpeas - but leave them in chunks.
2) Sprinkle the kelp powder, tamari and lemon juice over the chickpeas and stir well to evenly distribute.
3) Add in the celery and onion
4) Stir in the vegan Mayo
Tossed Salad with Goddess Dressing
Baked Potato with choice of Sauteed broccoli and onions and cheesy sauce
Chick Pea "Faux" Tuna Salad
Wheatfield's Bread (on a different table)
The food was very well received and loved by everyone that I talked to. I promised that I would post the recipes on my blog....so here they are:
Goddess Dressing:
Ingredients
1 cup of sunflower seeds (rinsed)
2 cups water
2 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground yellow mustard seed
Directions:
Place the sunflower seeds into a powerful blender with half of the water (one cup) and blend on high until thick and creamy. Then add the second cup of water and all remaining ingredients and process on high until completely blended and creamy. Stores well refrigerated for about 5-7 days -- shake well before using.
Sauteed Onions and Broccoli
Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli -- chopped
1 onion diced
Olive Oil
San-J Wheat Free Tamari (organic)
Directions:
Saute the onion in the oil until it starts to brown, add the chopped broccoli and continue stirring until it turns bright green. Sprinkle with tamari, remove from heat and cover and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.
The Cheesy Sauce Recipe was posted to my blog Previously
Find it HERE.
Chick Pea Tuna Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked (or canned) chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
1 TBS Kelp Powder
1-2 TBS Wheat Free Tamari
1 TBS Lemon Juice
2 stalks celery finely chopped
3 TBS finely diced onion
1/2 cup vegan Mayo (We used Just Mayo purchased at Walmart)
Directions:
1) Drain the chickpeas and place them into a flat-bottomed container. Using a potato masher, partially smash the chickpeas - but leave them in chunks.
2) Sprinkle the kelp powder, tamari and lemon juice over the chickpeas and stir well to evenly distribute.
3) Add in the celery and onion
4) Stir in the vegan Mayo
