Recipes to Survive Quarantine
- ktsveggielife
- Mar 29, 2020
- 15 min read
Day 15?
I think...
I honestly don't even know what day of the week it is anymore. Because it doesn't matter. No school. No church. Who needs days of the week. I am just jiving with the rise and set of the sun because that seems to be the only thing consistent in my life anymore.
So. How are you doing?
Do you have kids at home?
Have you become a mom/home school mess?
Are you working from home too?
Is it madness?
Do you have toilet paper left?
I found the center tube from a toilet paper roll in my freezer today...don't ask me how it got there. I just looked at it and shut the freezer, I didn't even take it out.
Anyway. I have two kids. My oldest goes to preschool three days a week for 3 hours.
And I am still dying.
His sweet preschool teacher dropped off a packet of activities for him to do and all these online resources I can use. But guys, my oldest is so bright. He needs constant stimulation and....his love language is quality time. So he is DYING without friends. I am trying so hard to have lots of things for him to do but man, at the end of every day I AM EXHAUSTED. I think the worst part is I can't go anywhere. We can't escape the monotony. Which is kind of a lie. I do my best to get my kids outside in the mountains every day. But it has been raining/snowing the past two days so we played in the snow this morning but the trails are a big muddy mess so we are stuck here.
No library.
No park.
No school.
No planetarium.
No zoo.
No museums.
No friends houses.
No friends here (that makes my life easier)
No grocery store (with kids) - which is a blessing and a curse because it is HARD to get to the store now.
I am so grateful to all the authors and local bookstores like King's English who are doing live story times on Instagram Live.
I am so grateful I went to the library the day before quarantine started.
I am so grateful I live close to the mountains where we can go find secret spots and not see anybody.
I am so grateful for Busy Toddler. If you have little kids and don't follow her, follow her.
I am so grateful for Waterford Upstart. It is a 15 minute pre-K program my son has been doing since August. 15 minutes, 5 days a week on the computer. It is one sense of normalcy.
I am so grateful my produce co-op hasn't shut down. I would DIE.
So. Do you find yourself snacking more? Sick of everything in your cupboards but not wanting to go out to the store? Me too.
This was not the month for my food processor to give up the ghost. I have been using my tiny hand held one that came with my immersion blender and it sucks. Oh man, my hummus and refried beans are so grainy. But, we will make it through this. That is what I tell myself every day. We will get through this. That is the only option on the table. To have a positive attitude and keep going forward.
Anyway, I have compiled a list of a few favorite recipes that are easy to make with every day staples with have in our cupboards during quarantine.
QUARANTINE RECIPES
Breakfast
- Power Wraps
My kids LOVE these. We do them for breakfast and lunch. They are super simple. I always have the ingredients. And, they keep my kids full. They are a great balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. (I love to pre-make them and take them backpacking too.)
Ingredients
Flour or Whole Wheat Tortillas
Peanut Butter or Nut Butter of Choice
Honey or Agave, optional
Granola
Nuts
Fruit (bananas, berries, raisins, etc.)
Directions
1. Spread nut butter and sweetener on the tortilla and cover with all other ingredients.
2. Wrap it up and eat it.
- Oatmeal Cups ( I will give a few options)
Ingredients
2 c Oats
1 tsp Baking Powder
⅛ tsp Salt
½ tsp Cinnamon
1 c Non-dairy Milk
1 Flax-egg
½ c Mashed Bananas (1 ½ medium bananas)
1 Large Apple, peeled, cored, and diced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F (or put in fridge overnight once mixed)
2. In large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add flax-egg, milk, and banana and mix until combined. Stir in the apple
3. Grease muffin tin and fill each cup with oatmeal mixture just about to the top. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until cups are set. Store in fridge or freeze.
Ingredients
2 c Rolled Oats
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 c Non-dairy Milk
1 Flax-egg
2 Medium Bananas, on mashed and one sliced
2 T Natural PB - or handful or 2 of nuts
2 T Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
**raisins, optional
**If going for berry bake
-omit PB/nuts, add berries, 1 T lemon juice, sprinkle crushed walnuts on top
-Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin tins and set aside.
-In large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add milk, flax-egg, 1 mashed banana, peanut butter, syrup, and vanilla. Mix well.
-Pour mixture into greased tins. Top with sliced bananas. Bake 20-30 minutes until cups are set.
Pancakes
Ingredients
2 c Multigrain Flour, I usually grind some whole wheat, oats, and quinoa but it is find with plain flour too
1.5 T Baking Powder
1/4 t Salt, optional
1/4 t cinnamon, optional
1.5 c Plant-Based Milk or Water
1 t Vanilla
2 T Agave
1/2 Banana, mashed
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar, optional to make like buttermilk pancakes
Directions
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined.
3. Let sit 5 minutes while the griddle warms up. (The longer they sit, the fluffier they will be).
4. Pour batter onto griddle and let cook until bubbles form on the top. Flip and cook on the other side.
5. Eat hot with nut butter, syrup, apple sauce, jam, fruit, nuts, get creative and have fun.
***I like to make shapes with my pancakes. If you have metal cookie cutters, spray them with oil and make the pancakes fun. Or free hand it. Or do circles and cut them into the shapes you want and give the small pieces to a younger child or eat them yourself.***
Granola
Ingredients
5 c Rolled Oats
1 c nuts or pumpkin seeds, optional
¼ - ½ c coconut, optional
1 T c Chia Seed + 3-4 T water
¼ c Ground Flax Seed Meal
Cinnamon, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
Ginger, just a pinch
2-4 T Coconut Oil
½ c Pure Maple Syrup, Honey, or Agave
**¼ c Molasses, optional for a gingerbread flavor**
1 tsp Vanilla
Dried fruit of choice
1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Combine chia and water in small jar and shake to combine. Let sit 5 minutes until seeds are plump.
3. Combine oats, nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut, flax seed, and spices in a large bowl and stir to combine.
4. Combine wet ingredients (except for vanilla) in small saucepan over med. heat and stir until combined and melted.
5. Remove from heat and add Vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in chia and bake 10 minutes and stir. Bake 10 minutes and stir. Bake 5-7 minutes and remove from oven.
6. Let cool and add dried fruit of choice
Lunch
Power Wraps
See recipe above.
Hummus Plate
My kids love hummus. They will just eat it with a spoon, as will I, which is why I make my own hummus. Sometimes we will just get out a ton of veggies, crackers, olives, etc and just have a smorgasbord of hummus goodness.
Ingredients
Hummus
Crackers
Pita Bread, optional
Toast, optional
Avocado
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Carrots
Cucumbers
Olives
Celery
Directions
1. Chop up the veggies. Put everything out in little bowls and go to town. I just let my kids choose what they want and just go for it.
Hummus Wraps
This hummus plate but in a wrap.
Ingredients
Hummus
Tortillas
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Bell Peppers
Avocados
Greens
Directions
1. Spread hummus and avocado on the tortilla. Cover in veggies, roll, eat.
**I use a toothpick to hold my kid's wrap together. It makes it easier for them to eat.**
Bean Wraps
This was a recipe I learned from my years as a river guide on the Colorado River when I was in college. I loved them then, it is one of the only meals I made regularly that I still love now.
Ingredients
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can corn
Cilantro
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1 Jar of Mild Salsa
Tortillas
Directions
1. Drain and rinse the beans and chop bell pepper and cilantro.
2. Dump everything in a bowl and mix to combine. Go slowly with the salsa.
3. Eat with tortilla chips or wrapped up in a burrito.
Smoothies
We eat a green smoothie almost every day. A smoothie or a smoothie bowl.
Pretty much I do greens, at least one other vegetable (carrots, celery, cucumber), and some fruit. I usually do at least 1 orange for the juice.
If I need more liquid, I do water. Rarely do I do plant-milk or juice. Sometimes if it is too bitter, think kale and celery, I will add additional orange juice.
I add flax seed meal, chia seeds, or hemp hearts
Sometimes I add nut butter or protein powder.
Just get creative and have fun.
"Mac 'n Cheese"
I adapted this recipe from Plant-based Juniors. They are the best for tips on raising plant-based kids. My kids and husband LOVE it. And they know it is all vegetables. I don't try to pull the wool over their eyes.
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ tsp dried thyme
Oil
⅛ tsp paprika
2 c sweet potatoes or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 c non-dairy milk
Pinch salt
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1 tsp yellow mustard
¾ tsp lemon juice
12 oz noodles (I like to do veggie noodles or whole wheat)
1. Cook noodles, strain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine oil, garlic, and thyme in a skillet. Cook 30 seconds and add paprika, sweet potatoes or squash, milk, and salt. Simmer 15 minutes until soft.
3. Pour mixture into blender with nutritional yeast, mustard, and lemon juice and puree.
4. Pour over noodles and serve.
Dinner
Chili
We eat a lot of chili. I have a lot of chili recipes. This one is my favorite. I do it with dry beans so I just throw it all in the Instantpot and walk away. It is wonderful.
Ingredients
1 Yellow Onion, finely diced
4-5 Cloves (large ones) of Garlic, minced
1/2-1 T Olive Oil
1 c Pinto Beans, dry (2 c cooked)
1/2 c Garbanzo Beans, dry (1 c cooked)
1.5 c Black Beans, dry (3 c cooked)
1 can of Chilis in Adobo Sauce
Cumin, to taste
Chipotle Chili Powder, to taste
1 Green Bell Pepper
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, bite size bites
1/2 can Pumpkin Puree, optional
1 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
Tortilla Chips, optional
Avocado, optional
Corn Bread, optional
Directions
1. Chop onions, saute in oil until soft. Add garlic and bell pepper until soft.
2. Combine beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and onion mix with 9 c water in pressure cooker. Seal pressure cooker and cook 25 minutes. Let pressure release the regular way. DO NOT use the quick release method. Your beans will be crunchy).
**If you use bouillon cubes or the better than bouillon paste, throw a little in the water for added flavor.
3. If you are using the chilis in adobo sauce, strain the sauce and set aside. If you want spicy chili, chop up one or two chilis.
4. Once the beans are done, strain excess water if you need to. Stir in pumpkin, crushed tomatoes, and optional adobo sauce/chili and stir.
5. Season with cumin and chipotle chili powder to taste.
6. Eat immediately or keep warm until time to eat.
-Garnish with avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips. (It also goes well with corn bread)
Stir Fry
We always have rice and frozen vegetables. So if I am out of stuff, this is my go to. We eat it all the time.
Ingredients
2 c rice or a few Raman Packets (trust me)
Frozen Vegetables
Soy Sauce, to taste
Agave, to taste
Ginger
Garlic
**I often throw some chickpeas or tofu in for protein**
**If you want it to be like a peanut sauce, this recipe from Cookie and Kate is the best**
Directions
1. Cook rice according to package instructions. OR bring water to boil in a medium saucepan and cook raman noodles until soft. Discard the msg packet. Strain and set aside.
2. In a wok or large skillet, pour frozen veggies and let thaw over medium high heat. Cook them in water until the water is mostly gone.
3. Add soy sauce, agave, ginger, and garlic to taste or serve with peanut sauce.
4. Pour veggies over rice or noodles and enjoy.
Tacos
Tacos are our number one go to meal when we seem to be out of food, I haven't prepped anything, or it is late and we need something quick. We always have beans, dry and canned, corn tortillas, and salsa. The 'Bear Necessities.'
Ingredients
Corn Tortillas
Black or Pinto Beans, dry or canned
Lettuce, shredded
Salsa
Avocado, optional
Grilled Vegetables, optional
Directions
1. If you are using dry beans, prep them by washing them and cooking them in a pressure cooker.
2. If you are grilling vegetables to go for a fajita, chop vegetables like onions, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, shredded carrots, etc. Saute them in oil with salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and lime juice.
3. Assemble your tacos and enjoy.
Pizza
You do not need a pizza oven in order to have great pizza. We only use ours when we are making pizza for a lot of people. If it is just us, we cook it inside because it isn't worth the 3 hours it takes to bring the oven to temperature for pizza for our small family.
Pizza is great because we always have flour on hand and keep a Costco sized box of tomato paste on hand for making sauce. Cheese is the clencher. If I do not have almonds or cashews, we're donzo for cheese. I can handle pizza without cheese, but my family cannot. So, if I have what I need for cheese. Pizza is easy. Toppings can be anything. I love to roast sweet potatoes or butternut squash with kale and balsamic glaze. No sauce needed. Also good with apricots or peaches in the the summer. You can put all sorts of veggies, cook up jackfruit in BBQ sauce for a BBQ pizza, do fruit pizzas, Thai pizzas, Mexican pizzas, peanut butter pizzas, get creative and have fun.
Ingredients
Crust (from Forno Bravo)
4 cups
1 ½ cups, plus 2 TBL warm water
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry active yeast
Sauce (adapted from our best bites)
16-ounce can tomato paste
6 ounces water (just use the empty tomato paste can)
3 tablespoons garlic bread seasoning (vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast, salt, garlic, and Italian herbs)
1/2–1 Tablespoon Agave (start with1 1/2 teaspoons and adjust sweetness from there)
3/4 tsp onion powder
1. Combine water and yeast and let it activate.
2. Add salt and 1 c flour and whisk. Stir in rest of flour with a wooden spoon or a stand mixer (I don't have one) until combined. The dough should clean from the bowl.
3. Knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth.
4. Cover in a bowl and let rise 1.5 hours.
5. Punch down and dived into three parts. To make your pizza balls, shape each piece of dough into a ball. Gently roll your dough into a ball, then stretch the top of the ball down and around the rest of the ball, until the outer layer wraps around the other side. Pinch the two ends together to make a smooth ball with a tight outer “skin.” Set your ball seam-side down where it can rest. Dust your pizza balls with flour, and store them under a damp towel, in a proofing tray, or under plastic wrap. This will prevent the outside of the ball from drying out and creating a crust, and becoming difficult to work with. The top of the pizza ball should be soft and silky
6. Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and allow to stand until ready to use.
7. Stretch balls into Pizza rounds. Crimp the edges for a crust, top with sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Tortilla Soup
Just like tacos. I always have everything for this, with the exception of cilantro. If you are really in a bind, you can use canned tomatoes from your pantry. This goes really well with cornbread and tortilla chips, which you can make by broiling cut up corn tortillas for a few minutes.
Ingredients
Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 T Ground Cumin
½ -1 T Chili Powder
6 c Vegetable Broth
1 c Corn
1 tomato, chopped
1 Avocado, chopped
1 can Black Beans, drained
1 can Pinto Beans, drained
½ c Cilantro
2 Limes, juiced
Directions
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over med heat, add onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder - cook until soft, 5 minutes
2. Add corn and saute a few minutes
3. Add broth, and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes
4. Add beans, and lime juice and cook 5 more minutes
5. Remove from heat and add tomatoes and cilantro
6. Garnish with avocados
Curry
Curry is always a go to in our house, as long as we have coconut milk. I try to buy it in bulk, aka I buy a ton of cans every once in a while when I go to the store because the kind at Costco is wicked expensive and not the kind I like. Anyway, it is super easy, I throw all the potatoes I never want to eat in plus whatever veggies I have laying around, fresh or frozen, and some spices...walah, curry. I usually throw some garbanzo beans, lentils, or tofu (if we have it) in for some protein as well.
I have been hesitant to share this curry recipe. It is from my e-book, 12 Recipes for a Plant-based Life, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Ingredients
Pumpkin or butternut squash, halved seeded, peeled, and cut into bite-sized cubes
2 Shallots, or 1 Onion, diced
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 T Thai Red Curry Paste
2 T Soy Sauce
1 Lime, juiced
1 can Coconut Milk
Oil
1 Block Firm Tofu, cubed
**You can use garbanzo beans or lentils if you need to.**
2 T fresh Basil
Directions
-Cook pumpkin/squash: skin and chop and steam until barely tender, or roast in oven at 400 F until tender. Set aside.
**Optional. Press and cube tofu. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stir after 10 minutes. This makes the tofu not get soggy in the curry.**
-Prepare curry base: in blender, combine onion/shallots, garlic, curry paste, 2 T water, soy sauce, lime, and coconut milk. Process until smooth.
-Add pumpkin and tofu and cook until hot.
Snacks
Power Balls
I have about a trillion recipes for these. I make them all the time. Usually, I just start throwing things in my food processor, which broke I am a hot mess without it, and adjust flavor and consistency until it it right. I will share one recipe, plus give links to more. The one I will share is my family's favorite. It is also in my ebook (#shameless plug).
Oatmeal Craisin Cookie Bites
Ingredients 1 orange, zested
1 c walnuts 2 T flax seed mill 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder 1/2 c dried apricots 1 t vanilla 1 c oats 1/4 c agave Dash water Craisins
Directions
1. Combine everything in a food processor except craisins and water until combined. If too dry, add water.
2. Transfer to a bowl. Fold in craisins and roll into balls.
Here are a few links to some favorite recipes
Lemon Blueberry Power Balls
Protein Power Balls
Gingerbread Power Balls
Here is another favorite from my friend, Nira, she is amazing.
Pumpkin Energy Bites
Ingredients
1 c canned pumpkin
2 c oats
1 c peanut butter
1.5 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
2/3 c maple syrup
2 T ground flax seed
1/2 c chocolate chips or craisins
Directions 1. Mix together pumpkin, oats, peanut butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, maple syrup, 2 T ground flax seed, and chocolate chips/craisins.
2. Form into balls and let harden on parchment or silicone sheets.
3. Store in sealed container in freezer or fridge.
Popcorn
I love popcorn. It is my favorite treat. I can easily eat a HUGE bowl of it by myself. My mouth is watering thinking about popcorn right now. For the most part, I think people know how to make popcorn, like really make popcorn, not the microwave garbage. But I will walk you through a few different ways we eat popcorn: salted, kettle corn, peanut butter popcorn.
Salted
Ingredients
Coconut Oil, I just do a spoonful, my husband does 1/4 c
Popcorn Kernels
Salt
Directions
1. Over medium high heat, warm a pot until oil melts. Add kernels and cover with a lid.
2. Watch it like a hawk, shaking the pot often to prevent burning (even when it is popping).
3. Once the pops are no longer consistent, remove from heat and pour into a bowl and cover in salt.
Kettle Corn
Ingredients
Coconut Oil, I just do a spoonful
1-2 T Maple Syrup
Popcorn Kernels
Salt
Directions
1. Over medium high heat, warm a pot until oil melts. Add kernels and cover with a lid.
2. Watch it like a hawk, shaking the pot often to prevent burning (even when it is popping).
3. Once the pops are no longer consistent, remove from heat and pour into a bowl and add a little salt.
Peanut Butter Popcorn
Ingredients
Coconut Oil, I just do a spoonful, my husband does 1/4 c
Popcorn Kernels
Salt
Peanut Butter
Directions
1. Over medium high heat, warm a pot until oil melts. Add kernels and cover with a lid.
2. Watch it like a hawk, shaking the pot often to prevent burning (even when it is popping).
3. Once the pops are no longer consistent, remove from heat and pour into a bowl.
4. Put a big scoop of peanut butter in a microwavable bowl and melt it. Pour over cooked popcorn and stir it in. Add salt if desired.
Peanut Butter Cookies
These are our go-to cookie. They are so easy. We always have the ingredients. We all love them. It is bad news that I figured out how to make them plant-based and refined sugar-free. I used to not eat them and not I do. Ah! And I am not the type of person who can eat one cookie and be satisfied. No, I eat the entire plate. Especially during quarantine. I find myself wanting nothing but sweets and treats. Yikes.
Ingredients
1 c Peanut Butter
1 T Flax Seed Meal
1 c Brown Sugar, Coconut Sugar or 1/2 c Maple Syrup
1 t Vanilla
**1/2 - 1 c Oats, Optional
**If using syrup, 1/2 - 1 c Flour**
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, combine flax see with 2 T water and stir. Set aside until thick.
3. large bowl, combine peanut butter, flax-egg, sugar choice, and vanilla and stir. These are really gooey cookies so if you want them to be more the consistency of cookie dough, add some oats. If you are using syrup, slowly add flour until a cookie dough consistency is reached.
4. Spoon onto a cookie sheet with a tablespoon. Bake for 8 minutes and press down with a fork. Bake 1-2 more minutes.
5. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack. Or just eat them as soon as they come out of the oven if you are my family but they will be crumbly.
Soft Pretzels
These are an absolute favorite. ANd they are so easy to make. I got the recipe from the Children's Friend, a children's magazine through my church and we are so grateful.
Ingredients
-Start with your favorite bread dough recipe. Mine is from The Mama's Girls (I did a half recipe.)
1/4 c baking soda
spray oil
salt
Directions
1. Once your dough is ready, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bring 3 c water to a boil. Turn off heat and dissolve 1/4 c baking soda in the water.
3. divide dough into parts (I did 8) and roll into long snakes and fold into pretzels.
4. SUBMERGE entire pretzel in the hot water and place on a well greased baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle with salt and bake 15 minutes.
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