Empower yourself! Free yourself from meat dependency by switching to a diverse, plant-based diet. I propose here a delicious recipe based on tomatoes. This recipe is quick and perfect for a lunch and requires only a few ingredients.
Sustainability tips:
Using organic tomatoes and bell peppers helps sustain agriculture that doesn’t use pesticides. However regular tomatoes also work as we peel them before cooking.
Useful things to have ready
1 Peeled carrot
To peel the tomatoes place them for about 1 minute in a pot of boiling water. Remove them from the water and check that the skin is cracking. Let them cool off for a few minutes before peeling off the skin.
I usually leave the seeds. If you want to remove the seeds you can split the tomatoes after peeling and easily remove them.
Easy to peel-off tomatoes skin
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients (3-4 people)
6-7 Roma tomatoes or a can of peeled tomatoes
Half of a small onion
1 carrot
3-4 garlic cloves
Half red bell pepper
Red crushed chili pepper (optional)
3-4 leaves of fresh sage
A pinch of dry oregano
Salt
Two tablespoons of olive oil or other vegetable oil
Procedure
Slice the onion, bell pepper, and carrots
Warm up a table spoon of olive oil in a pot, add the sliced bell pepper and garlic and let them cook for 5-7 minutes (this step can also be done in the oven)
Roast red pepper and garlic on the stove or in the oven
Add sliced carrots and sage- cook for a few minute
Add sliced carrots and sage
Remove from pot and set aside
In the same pot warm up a tablespoon of oil, add finely sliced onions and cook until they become translucent
Add red chili (optional)
Add sliced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes
Add cooked carrots, bell pepper, and garlic
Join all ingredients
After a few minutes add enough water to cover and bring to a boil
Add salt and oregano-If tomatoes are too acidic you can add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
When the tomatoes are well cooked (10 minutes) blend everything with a hand-held blender
Empower yourself! Free yourself from meat dependency by switching to a diverse, plant-based diet. This soup is one of my favorites, super easy to make, creamy and delicious it works as lunch or dinner. Only few ingredients are necessary.
Sustainability tips:
Green split peas, the main ingredient for this recipe, are a sustainable crop that is also low in calories, healthy and nutritious. Split peas are easily available in all grocery stores and can also be bought in bulk for a convenient price.
Useful things to have ready
I suggest to rinse and soak the green peas for about 6-8 hours before boiling, however is not required. Once soaked, green peas can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two before cooking. As with all legumes, a pressure cooker greatly reduces the cooking time. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can use a regular pot, nothing changes, it just takes longer.
You may peel the tomatoes especially if they are not organic.
Green peas rinsed and soaked, ready to be cooked
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients (3-4 people)
2-3 fistful of dry green split peas per person
Half onion
1 carrot
1 tomato peeled and chopped (you can substitute this with 1 or 2 peeled tomatoes from a can or 2 spoons of tomato sauce)
1 small potato (optional)
Red crushed chili pepper (optional)
Black pepper
Salt
One table spoon of olive oil or other vegetable oil
Procedure
Drain and rinse the soaked green peas
In the pressure cooker add the oil. When the oil is hot add onions
Sautee the onions for a few minutes until golden
Add red chili pepper
Add carrots and potatoes (optional) and sautee for a few minutes on medium heat
Add tomatoes and a spoon of tomato sauce (optional)
Sautee onions until goldenAdd all other ingredients and cook for a few minutes
Add split peas
Add split peas
Add enough water to cover
Pressure cook for about 10-15 minutes depending on cooker
Once cooked make sure the soup has a creamy consistency, add salt and black pepper
Empower yourself! Free yourself from meat dependency by switching to a diverse, plant-based diet. This delicious recipe is based on beans, a legume full of nutrients and a non-destructive crop that is good for the earth. Black and pinto beans used in this recipe are good for us and for the environment. With this recipe you can enjoy a delicious bean burger without resorting to highly processed food.
Sustainability tips:
Remember that supporting organic and sustainable produce goes a long way to reduce harmful pesticide use. I also suggest to avoid produce in plastic bags and to bring your own reusable bags to help reduce the amount of plastic dispersed in the environment. I can send you free cotton grocery and produce bags entirely upcycled from old fabric. Just contact me if you need any.
Useful things to have ready
Legumes are an important component of plant-based diets. You can purchase them canned or dry. Canned legumes are more practical because you can get away with soaking them however the variety is limited and I noticed that they have lately become expensive. I usually keep canned legumes but mostly buy them dry in bulk. If legumes become part of your regular diet you may want to purchase a pressure cooker. A good pressure cooker lasts a lifetime and is useful for many purposes.
For this recipe, rinse and soak the beans overnight (or about 7 hours). This step is NECESSARY. After soaking, discard the water and rinse. Beans in general need to be fully cooked in boiling water, possibly in a pressure cooker. This step is not necessary if using canned beans, however it is good to rinse canned beans before use.
Preparation time: about 30 minutes.
Ingredients (3-4 people)
One fistful of black beans per person
1 fistful of pinto beans
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 scallion or 1-2 spinach leaves (optional) chopped in small pieces
1-2 cloves of garlic mashed or chopped in small pieces
1-2 fistful of corn kernels
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
red chili pepper (optional)
Salt
Procedure
After soaking the beans for for at least 7 hours, drain, rinse and boil them until soft (about 13 minutes total time in a pressure cooker). This step is not necessary if you use canned beans.
Black and pinto beans, soaked and rinsed, ready to be cooked in pressure cooker
Place the cooked beans in an oven-safe plate, sprinkle them with salt and keep them in the oven at 375 degree F (190 C) for at least 15 minutes. This step removes the excess water so that they stick together once blended.
Boiled beans going into the ovenDried beans out of the oven
While the beans are in the oven sautee onion and garlic in a little oil until golden
Add chopped scallions (or spinach leaves) and cook until tender, if using spinach make sure to use only a few dry leaves to avoid adding moisture
Cook onion, garlic, and scallions until tender
Add corn, cook until tender and then add the beans
Cook for a few minutes without adding any water
Add salt and red chilies (optional)
Place the ingredients in a cup and coarsely blend with an immersion blender, add one spoon of olive oil
Coarsely blend ingredients
Prepare the burgers; they should stick without the need for a binder
Heat a skillet with a few drops of oil. Cook the burgers for a few minutes on each side.
Burgers ready to cookCook for a few minutes in a pan with very little oil
Enjoy your bean burger with any addition of your choice!
Enjoy!
Help reduce meat consumption! If you have a vegetarian recipe you would like to share please email me at info@choosesustainable.org and I’ll post it on this blog.
Still undecided? Read here about the destructive impact of the meat industry on forests.
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