Change to Vegan

I live in Costa Rica, so I do not buy pre-made vegan foods.  Everything I eat is prepared fresh and it is all super easy!  I am glad there are no other options because it is much cheaper, fresher and satisfying to prepare my own food rather than buying frozen or prepared/processed meals.  I buy many items at the farmer’s market, on Saturdays.  I decide on menus based on what is available.

 For example, one Saturday I arrived at the market quite late.  One organic seller was ready to go home, so I got all the rest of his beautiful organic spinach – 5 big bags, for 1,000 colones or about $1.75.   I picked up some mushrooms, and shallots and made a huge pot of spinach soup.  It was super delicious and so nutritious!  My kids loved it.  I loved it.  I cannot wait to make more.

When there is fresh tempeh (made by a European neighbor) available at the farmer’s market, I do pick some up and use that to create a meal that week.  When there are fresh, stone ground corn tortillas, I buy those to make bean tostadas with guacamole.  When there is fresh tofu (made by a Japanese neighbor), I buy that and make vegan eggless benedict and other things.

I keep on hand: quinoa, spinach pasta, brown rice, nuts, seeds and a variety of beans.  I buy fresh all fruits and vegetables, whatever looks best.  I create sauces, soups, raw meals, stir frys, curries, salads and foods from many cultures – Italian, Indian, Thai, Mexican, etc. based on fresh ingredients.  No expensive Whole Paycheck convenience foods for me.  (They are not available here if I wanted them.)  I keep it simple and delicious!  I also always prepare enough to have leftovers.

Tags: vegan meals from scratch

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 9:07 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.