Delectables with Dan: Vegan Lunchables 4: Fresh & Filling

Welcome back to another Lunchables special of Delectables with Dan! The last few I've done have been rather popular, so I figured, why not continue with it? The best part about these dishes is that you can have them for lunch or dinner, shit, even breakfast! Don't let time define when you eat!
I'm really wanting to use more fresh fruits and vegetables so they will be featured in the plates/meal boxes that I post below!

Most of the meals featured are very easy to make, fresh and affordable!

Pen Seared Vegetables, Cucumber, Olives & Quinoa

It's a really simple and flavour-packed dish that fills you up but doesn't slow you down. I made this after a long day of hikes and zoo adventures and really just enjoyed it. It's also great for on-the-go or re-heat and eat meals in the office/workplace. It takes a little bit of time to make, but it's really worth it. If you're short on time you can use a ready to eat quinoa (careful, many of these are not vegan so be sure to read the labels, some contain milk and that threw me through a loop.)

1-2c. quinoa of choice
3-4 tablespoons tinned tomatoes (or 2-3 diced grape tomatoes)
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4c. shredded spinach
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
salt to taste
While the quinoa cooks, slice up your cucumbers. It will give you something to do. I like to keep my hands busy. You can use pre-sliced vegetables or if you are slicing yourself, make sure that the yellow squash wheels are around the same thickness and almost completely de-stem the broccoli. Once you've put the broccoli and yellow squash into the pan drizzled with olive oil, sprinkle the garlic salt over the top of the vegetables and heat over low-medium heat until vegetables soften and stream nicely. Add the chopped spinach, basil, thyme, tomatoes and nutritional yeast to the quinoa and mix well. The spinach will soften and so will the tomatoes. Once everything is cooked, usually takes about 10 minutes after adding the other ingredients

You can use any olives that you want, I just like the green ones most of all. I wanted another splash of colour in there, it's totally optional.

Cauliflower Steaks with Oven Roasted Potato, Grape Tomatoes, Broccoli & Green Beans


Sometimes I get bored with just the same old veggies, without variety so I decided to tackle making a cauliflower steak! I never have had it before but I'd heard good things, so wanting an adventure I set out to make the recipe my own. I may not be Guy Fieri, but I certainly took people to Flavourtown with this twist on a classic, paired with a baked potato, pan-seared green beans and broccoli.

You Will Need:
1 medium to large-sized head of cauliflower
2 c. panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2c. water
1/4 flax seed
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp dried basil leaves
3-4 grape tomatoes
I don't know how to measure green beans in cups since I'm used to using grams, I'm just going to say a handful of green beans.
1-2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt OR garlic salt (personal preference)
1 medium-sized potato
1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (for the potato, separate from the oil for the green beans)
small bunch of broccoli

It's important to ensure that the head of cauliflower stays intact and doesn't crumble when you're cutting the steaks out of it. Otherwise, you'll have more of a kind of breaded cauliflower dish. Trim the stem of the cauliflower, but not too close, that's the key to holding this together while you cut your steaks. Using a bread knife, I find this knife works the best with this) cut your cauliflower into roughly an inch thick "steak" any thicker, it will be difficult to cook and any thinner, it might not hold up when you coat it with your breadcrumbs. Depending on how you want to work this, you might want to add your flaxseed to water before cutting your steaks; give them time to get over. The flaxseed will work as an egg coating would before you roll the cauliflower in breadcrumbs. Make sure that the flaxseed is gelled over. It may be difficult working with this, just to let you know. You will have to do 2 or 3 coats before the cauliflower is well coated in the breadcrumbs. Depending on the size of the head of cauliflower you've used, you may need more breadcrumbs and more flaxseed than the original recipe calls for.

To make this flavour-packed dish you will need the following:
Vegan Steak Tips w/ Cauliflower Rice, Cucumber, Zucchini & Salad


The vegan steak tips are from Gardein. And honestly? Gardein is like my favourite meat-free brand out there. I love Quorn's vegan like but having to read all the labels to see if they're vegan? Sometimes just not feeling it. Never have to with Gardein. That's where it's at.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
5-6 Gardein steak tips
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

In a small frypan or mini convection oven, pour oil into a pan and over steak tips. Make sure the frying pan or the small baking tray is well greased before putting them on to cook. If using a frying pan cook under medium heat for 1-15 minutes or until steak tips are browned. If using the mini convection oven heat to 170F and cook for 15 minutes.

Sides of Choice
I went with home spiralled zucchini topped with 2 tablespoons of grill mate seasoning. I boiled it just like I would if I'd sliced it.
1 cup brown rice cooked in 1/2-1 cup vegetable stock
Mini Gherkins
Cucumbers
1 cup fresh broccoli
1 cup spinach and 1/4c. fresh raspberries

Pop it all together and there you have a healthy meal that's filling, fresh and flavourful. You can really pair it with any fresh veg that you like really. You don't even need the salad, I was just starved so...

Let's move onto the last dish I'm going to feature on today's blog

Couscous Stuffed Peppers with Sauteed Mushrooms, Cauliflower & Spinach



Sometimes I'm in the mood for something different and this is what I was filling that night. You can use any pepper you like, but I really like the orange ones. I filled it with a mixture of couscous and Gardein beefless crumbles for a little something extra and threw some sauteed mushrooms with fresh veg and there. Cheap and filling.

What You Need:
1 large orange pepper
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 cup couscous**when cooking this follow the instructions on the box since there are different ways for different products. I used a garlic-herb one.
1/2 c Gardein beefless crumbles
1 cob of fresh corn
1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon regular salt
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup fresh cauliflower
1 tablespoon of Montreal chicken grill mates seasoning

You don't have to use the Gardein ones, you can use any ones of your choosing. I like to give people options when they cook ya know? I had some left over vegan cheese so I just threw that on top of the cauliflower. `
Prepare the couscous to instructions on the box and prepare your gardein beefless crumbles with 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the salt. Cook under low-medium heat until crumbles are browned. You want to be careful not to overcook them. Once they're done mix them in the saucepan that you prepared your couscous in. Once you have evenly mixed it, you're going to cut the centre of the pepper out, being mindful to remove all of the seeds. Clean that bitch out nice. Once you've finished eatin-I mean, cleaning her out, stuff the couscous "meat" mixture in there. Fill it right up to the rim of the pepper. Give a drizzle of olive oil if you want and pop into the oven to bake at 350 for roughly 30 minutes. You may need less time depending on how you like your pepper.
While that bad bitch is cooling up, put your cauliflower on to boil and do up your mushrooms. Pour a little bit of olive oil into the pan and over the mushrooms and heat under medium heat, being sure to stir them. You don't to stir them per se, but I'm too tired to think of another word to use here. Be mindful not to overwork the mushrooms. Serve on a fresh bed of spinach. Once your cauliflower is cooked, plate and top with the grill mates seasoning.
This recipe is for ONE pepper. To make multiple portions, simply multiply the recipe.