Throw together leftovers from different meals to create this quick, vegan lunch in a bowl!
quick meals
Quick Coconut Curry from Leftovers
Here is another easy way to make a delicious, creamy curry! Say it's lunchtime, and your refrigerator isn't offering you a full portion of anything, but you have a bunch of odd bits of vegetables and some coconut milk, all of which really need to be used before they go bad. In less than 10 … Continue reading Quick Coconut Curry from Leftovers
Simple Soy-Ginger Salmon Bowl
Wild Alaskan salmon is one of the healthiest types of fish, with lots of omega-3 fatty acids to nourish your circulatory system and much less brain-damaging mercury than other seafood. Unlike farmed salmon, it's not a source of ocean pollution. Wild Alaskan salmon is widely available in convenient cans that provide 4 hearty servings for … Continue reading Simple Soy-Ginger Salmon Bowl
14-minute Homemade Lunch!
This is what I made for lunch today for myself--and there was a small portion left over from this meal made of leftovers, and my 15-year-old ate that and liked it! I'll explain how I made this particular meal, but the larger point is that it's often possible to make something delicious out of the … Continue reading 14-minute Homemade Lunch!
Simply Balanced curry sauce review (2 flavors)
One of my most popular articles in 2019 was a review of a curry simmer sauce in a bottle--and that sauce was not very good, so we wanted to try some other convenient, ready-to-use curry sauces in search of a better one. We've found two that are quite tasty, and they're not an obscure brand … Continue reading Simply Balanced curry sauce review (2 flavors)
Crispy Garlic Kale
This is a quick, easy, tasty way to get a lot of vegetable into your meal! With the right cooking technique, kale becomes very crisp, almost like potato chips but a bit chewier. Garlic makes it taste great! (You might want to chew some xylitol gum to freshen your breath after eating....) We cook this … Continue reading Crispy Garlic Kale
Trader Joe’s Thai Yellow Curry Sauce review
Executive Summary: This is a C+ sauce. If you don't have time to make your own, this is better than no curry sauce at all. The flavor is not fabulous, probably because it's made with a lot of the wrong ingredients. My 14-year-old asked me to buy this sauce as a quick meal option, now that … Continue reading Trader Joe’s Thai Yellow Curry Sauce review
Magic Breakfast Burrito + 70 Things to Cook in Cast Iron
We've had two cast iron skillets in our home for years, and we use at least one of them almost every day. This year, we inherited three more! That's what inspired me to collect a whole bunch of recipes for foods that cook well in cast iron. My friend Alison Frane (of Chickicheesinara Sauce fame) offered … Continue reading Magic Breakfast Burrito + 70 Things to Cook in Cast Iron
Hummus and Vegetable Flatbread Sandwich: You deserve this lunch!
Whoever you are, reading this, you deserve a tasty, healthy, homemade lunch! This one is easy, inexpensive, and low in environmental impact, so there's no need to feel guilty about it. Perhaps you're not struggling with that and would like me to get on with telling you the recipe. Well, first I'm going to show … Continue reading Hummus and Vegetable Flatbread Sandwich: You deserve this lunch!
How to make it from scratch instead of a package: Chipotle Simmer Sauce
My son Nicholas is 12 years old and often tells us about meals and snacks he enjoyed in his friends' homes. Last month, when we were shopping at Target, he pointed out a package of sauce that was the exact type his friend's mother had used on the delicious fajitas. I told him I wasn't … Continue reading How to make it from scratch instead of a package: Chipotle Simmer Sauce
Vegetarian Yuletide Stew
Food styling and photography by Nicholas Efran. My brother Ben Stallings invented this meal last night, and all 8 assembled relatives liked it! The red and green colors are appropriate to the season. It's healthy, inexpensive, and quick to make. To make about 10 main-dish servings, you will need 1 small onion 2 Tbsp. olive … Continue reading Vegetarian Yuletide Stew
Turnips Armored in Self-Defense
For my latest article at Kitchen Stewardship, Kitchen Shortcuts for Busy Times, I needed photographs of at least one of the shortcuts, and the one I chose was cooking rice at the beginning of the week to use in three different meals. Naturally, I found myself doing this at a busy time...which got busier...so that … Continue reading Turnips Armored in Self-Defense
4 Easy Homemade Sauces for Instinctive Cooking
Are you good at following recipes but wish you had the knack for just throwing together a meal from ingredients you happen to have? The way I got started on developing that knack was to learn to make a basic sauce from scratch. Over at Kitchen Stewardship, I explain how to learn 4 sauces and … Continue reading 4 Easy Homemade Sauces for Instinctive Cooking
Homemade Halvah: A sweet, nutritious, energy snack! (GF) (vegan)
Halvah is a Middle Eastern snack/dessert made mostly of sesame paste and sugar with various flavorings. I've usually had the chocolate flavor and liked it, but I never felt a craving for halvah until about six weeks ago. Suddenly, late one night, I found myself wishing I had halvah and wondering if I could make … Continue reading Homemade Halvah: A sweet, nutritious, energy snack! (GF) (vegan)
Peek Into My Pantry!
This rare glimpse into an actual Earthling habitat shows you what foods we keep on hand and how we organize them! Get all the details in my article at Kitchen Stewardship! Exclusively in The Earthling's Handbook, play "Find the differences between these two photos!" The one on the left was taken first, but then I … Continue reading Peek Into My Pantry!
Yogurt Sundaes: A healthy treat!
I've been eating Yogurt Sundaes since I was a teenager. This versatile bowlful of food can be a yummy breakfast, a light lunch, a late-night snack that keeps you full until morning (crucial for fighting pregnancy nausea!), or a satisfying treat when you want the fun of eating a sundae without the calories and sugar … Continue reading Yogurt Sundaes: A healthy treat!
Kale Marinara Sauce
This is a very easy way to add nutrition to a convenient, inexpensive, real-food meal anyone can cook! Other dark-green leafy vegetables, such as Swiss chard, can be substituted for kale. To make 2 servings, you will need: a big handful of spaghetti noodles (For more protein, fiber, and B vitamins, use whole-wheat spaghetti. We … Continue reading Kale Marinara Sauce
Coffee Hour at Midnight (how to host on short notice)
I've written before about hosting church coffee hour. The people in my church are willing to eat packaged coffee-cakes and things of that ilk, but most of them prefer healthier snacks, and so do I--our coffee hour begins just before noon, so my stomach is ready for lunch, not just simple carbs! I try hard … Continue reading Coffee Hour at Midnight (how to host on short notice)
Two Healthy Breakfasts for Late Summer
Tomato season is in full swing and apple season has begun here in Pennsylvania, so I'm alternating between these two delicious breakfasts! Both are quick to prepare, with minimal dirty dishes. They make good snacks, too. You get plenty of vitamins and fiber from the fruit, plus protein and fat to keep you feeling full. … Continue reading Two Healthy Breakfasts for Late Summer
All-Natural Vegetarian Non-Refrigerated Convenience Foods
This is not a sponsored post. This is a recommendation of products I tried and liked. Daniel and I try to make enough real, from-scratch, healthy food that I (working in an office) can take leftovers for my lunch every day and he (working at home) can get something ready to eat within a few … Continue reading All-Natural Vegetarian Non-Refrigerated Convenience Foods
The Earthling's Handbook 