I suppose I would concede that it takes more than a little ego to even write a blog. As if people are going to read what I write about food. Just some regular woman leaning in to the healthiest lifestyle and food choices that she can make and then just writing about it, and sharing photos and ideas...
And yet?
Every so often I amaze even myself with a recipe. A string of thoughts, combined with substitutions that are actually better than the original... these are the things that remind me why I blog.
This souvlaki is absolutely up there with one of the best things I have ever made (vegan or not!).
As per usual, it's Friday and I am wiped . The calm of the holiday break has broken, and real life crowds in.
Bill is up for dinner "out" because he doesn't want me to have to do "too much work". I, however, am not wanting the budget-buster Friday dinner AND have sworn off wine and booze for a while as I train for my first triathlon. I decide that a restaurant is just too tempting and laden with obstacles, and start thinking about what I can pull together at home.
So - what's a body to do? On my drive home, I am ruminating. What would we eat even if we were going to go out? Italian, Indian and Thai all showed up on the menu this week.
I'm tired. I want an easy and cheap dinner which will fuel us, yet enough to be comfortable for a date night.
There is a gorgeous Greek restaurant we love that makes great souvlaki, Greek salads and delectable fries (what is that seasoned salt, anyway??). But I don't need fries, I don't want grilled animals, and I don't want feta.
IF you get used to listening to your body, you can usually isolate what it is you're craving. And for me it was that garlicky tzaziki and the salty seasoning of Greece - lemon, garlic, salt and oregano. If I could get these things on the plate (all vegan, I might add) I could recreate that Greek Diner dinner, without the thousands of calories, nutritional voids and empty carbs and fats.
I have cukes, garlic, lemon, Earth Balance mayo, coconut yogurt at home!
I could get veg "chicken strips" except that Bill doesn't like them. He prefers the unprocessed foods. We differ on this point, as sometimes I JUST WANT TO FEEL LIKE THE OLD "NORMAL' and veggie ground beef, beef tips, turkey and chicken help me do that. But it is date night - which by definition should satisfy both of us. I decide on a chunky mashed chickpea instead. Turns out this is the real genius behind this dish, because it drastically ups the fibre and protein, and drastically reduces the cost. ( We are a great team!)
Given "beets" is also my new year's resolution, I wanted to see what snack-y beet chips might be lurking in the natural food section. Lots of lovely choices were there, and I settled on TERRA : Exotic Mediterranean Flavour Root Vegetable Chips ($5.29) to stand in the place of the fries. They are spectacular, and added beautiful colour and crunch to the plate.
For a final dash of inspiration, I also picked up a small box of baklava ($2.29)(butter, I know...) but "progress, not perfection" is my new mantra.
I whizzed through the kitchen and in about 10 minutes we were eating the most delicious souvlaki I have ever had. And the healthiest.
I threw the whole wheat greek pitas ($2.19) on the (George Foreman) grill to lightly warm them and crisp up the outside. That thing heats up so quickly and makes the bread soft and easy to fold.
I put some beautiful purple and green baby romaine leaves down, in place of the nutritionally void iceburg lettuce.
In my Vita-mix blender I scooped a quarter cup or so vegan mayo, a quarter cup or so vegan coconut yogurt, two baby cucumbers and a clove of garlic, with some sea salt. 10 seconds later I had a light, delicious and fresh vegan tzaziki.
The mashed chickpeas, plus some fresh oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, a dash of salt and some olive oil rounded out the rest, and provided the filling.
A final presentation item lurks in the tiny ice-cream scoop I use for cookies. It created even, perfect little balls so the plate looked like skewered souvlaki. We eat with our eyes first, after all!
This dish was so delicious, that writing about it doesn't do it justice. And the reason is all the stuff I usually write about in this blog:
1. Have good ingredients on hand - a well stocked pantry and fridge allows for more freestyling, especially when time is tight.
2. Try a non-animal version of your favourite dishes - most flavours and sauces are plant-based already.
3. Use fresh ingredients - zing and crisp are great additions (onomatopoeia is the word you're looking for!!)
4. Combine textures and colours - they elevate your cooking.
5. Have the right tools in your kitchen - they are well worth the investment.
6. Keep an eye on the hidden cost of having others cook for you. Eating out would have run us around $42 bucks, between souvlaki dinners, baklava and whatever other temptations may have lurked on a menu.
Eating in was $9.77, and was enough for both dinner last night, and lunch today, with an average cost?
$2.44
Common cents.
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