2023 Vegan Storecupboard Challenge

leftatthetrafficlights

Hi @Knockans - I cook my chickpeas from scratch in my instant pot (any pressure cooker is fine! 😉). I have two different methods of cooking either orange or lemon ones depending on the time I have; if I am soaking the chickpeas before cooking (if I want softer chickpeas I tend to do this) I will soak them overnight in a mixture of water and either lemon or orange juice.

Regardless of presoaking or not, when I cook the chickpeas, I chop whole oranges or lemons and add them to the instant pot with the required amount of water - the chickpeas take on the flavour from the cooking and I tend to use the leftover 'aquafaba' following the cooking in any sauce that I make for the chickpeas so that intensifies the taste 😉 

I'm glad you're enjoying the thread - it's been a bit quiet lately due to my lack of motivation to cook but I should be back on form after the weekend 😁

KajiKita

“I'm glad you're enjoying the thread - it's been a bit quiet lately due to my lack of motivation to cook …”

The thing is we don’t see that, we see the months and months of interesting ideas, combinations and techniques which means we don’t notice (as much) 😊
Hope your weekend restores you 😊

KK

RHemmings

Oh, I hadn't noticed that there is a vegan storecupboard challenge. I've effectively been doing one of the past month or two, and as I mentioned in another thread, it all goes on and on and on. I can't believe how much food of various types there is or partially was in this house.

I don't think I can bring myself to make a bit list of it all, but I'm going to be reading up on this thread to see how others are getting on. 

leftatthetrafficlights

KajiKita said:

“I'm glad you're enjoying the thread - it's been a bit quiet lately due to my lack of motivation to cook …”

The thing is we don’t see that, we see the months and months of interesting ideas, combinations and techniques which means we don’t notice (as much) 😊
Hope your weekend restores you 😊

KK

Thanks @KajiKita - that's really kind of you! 😁 

I'm still really struggling with this cold - it's been over a month now and every time I start to feel a bit better, it comes back with a vengeance the following day 🤦‍♀️ unfortunately it's meant having little interest in food so I've eaten total rubbish for the majority of the time which is probably one of the reasons I'm finding it difficult to shift!! 

I've decided that from tomorrow, regardless of how I feel, I need to get back in the kitchen and cooking healthy stuff again. I'm going to start with a smoothie in the morning with plenty of cavolo nero in it,  make a batch of soup for lunch and have dark speckled lentil 'bolognese' served with mixed grains and a massive salad for dinner. I'm determined to shift this cold in the next couple of weeks!! 😉

KajiKita

That all sounds like a good idea but some more sources of vitamin C might help too?

KK

leftatthetrafficlights

KajiKita said:

That all sounds like a good idea but some more sources of vitamin C might help too?

KK

Don't worry @KajiKita - I've probably overdosed on vitamin C every day recently!! 😳 (good job your body rids itself of the excess!! 😂) 

Unfortunately, I didn't stick to the plan yesterday - I coughed so much in the night I pulled something in my back so spent the day laying flat! 🤦‍♀️

Today, I have more movement again thankfully so I'll do the lentils, grains and salad tonight and I'll get dh to harvest some cavolo nero when he gets home ready for a smoothie tomorrow and some soup which I'll make in the slow cooker overnight. 

Knockans

leftatthetrafficlights said:

Hi @Knockans - I cook my chickpeas from scratch in my instant pot (any pressure cooker is fine! 😉). I have two different methods of cooking either orange or lemon ones depending on the time I have; if I am soaking the chickpeas before cooking (if I want softer chickpeas I tend to do this) I will soak them overnight in a mixture of water and either lemon or orange juice.

Regardless of presoaking or not, when I cook the chickpeas, I chop whole oranges or lemons and add them to the instant pot with the required amount of water - the chickpeas take on the flavour from the cooking and I tend to use the leftover 'aquafaba' following the cooking in any sauce that I make for the chickpeas so that intensifies the taste 😉 

I'm glad you're enjoying the thread - it's been a bit quiet lately due to my lack of motivation to cook but I should be back on form after the weekend 😁

Ah, a pressure cooker.  I use a slow cooker/ordinary pan so I'm going to try your method but adapted to my stuff.  I only log on sporadically so if I'm going to go wrong - apologies!! I probably won't see the warning in time!

I am really sorry to hear of your cold; there is a nasty one going round.  Plenty of sleep and lots of water helps we well as (in my case) drugs!! A nightly cough syrup and Night Nurse got rid of 75% of it within 5 days and I'm 99% better now cos I'm, quite frankly, ignoring it.  I AM WELL.  I AM WELL. (Said she hacking gently to herself.)

Thank you for responding to my query. x

Regards

CR

RHemmings

Knockans said:

leftatthetrafficlights said:

Hi @Knockans - I cook my chickpeas from scratch in my instant pot (any pressure cooker is fine! 😉). I have two different methods of cooking either orange or lemon ones depending on the time I have; if I am soaking the chickpeas before cooking (if I want softer chickpeas I tend to do this) I will soak them overnight in a mixture of water and either lemon or orange juice.

Regardless of presoaking or not, when I cook the chickpeas, I chop whole oranges or lemons and add them to the instant pot with the required amount of water - the chickpeas take on the flavour from the cooking and I tend to use the leftover 'aquafaba' following the cooking in any sauce that I make for the chickpeas so that intensifies the taste 😉 

I'm glad you're enjoying the thread - it's been a bit quiet lately due to my lack of motivation to cook but I should be back on form after the weekend 😁

Ah, a pressure cooker.  I use a slow cooker/ordinary pan so I'm going to try your method but adapted to my stuff.  I only log on sporadically so if I'm going to go wrong - apologies!! I probably won't see the warning in time!

I really like having a pressure cooker. It's just so much faster to cook various beans in it. I should probably use it for other things as well. 

Please stay safe and well everyone. 

I'm presently reducing food before I go to Indonesia for a while. I've been using the general store cupboard thread because I wasn't aware of this one at first. I'm wondering if I should jump to this one after I get there, as I will have a suitcase full of food ingredients ready to go, and maybe I can document using that and things I buy. (BTW: The vitamins are not for me.) 

leftatthetrafficlights

@Knockans - I'm certain that cooking without a pressure cooker will produce similar/same results  - the only difference is speed in my opinion! I only bought my instant pot last year and haven't dramatically changed what I do so know that the flavour infusion definitely works 😉 

@RHemmings - feel free to jump in as you wish! I hope you have a fab time in Indonesia - the fruit and veg in that part of the world is spectacular and it's so easy to eat vegan there - rice, beans, fruit and veg are their staples; I spent some time in Malaysia and it was really the best culinary experience I think I've ever had!!! 😋 ( I made several 'friends/acquaintance's there who were from Indonesia and they told me that the food availability was very similar ) I

I won't be continuing this thread beyond the end of 2023 - I'm going to be starting a new thread which incorporates the way I'm living and how I'm doing it 'old style' as it's tedious to keep several threads running at once! 🤦‍♀️ however, if anyone wants to continue this/produce a new one for 2024, I  will be happy to occasionally contribute 😉 

Tonight, dinner is three grain pilaf (rye berries, oat groats, barley groats cooked in stock) mixed with chickpeas, preserved lemons, golden raisins, pomegranate molasses, thyme, chestnuts, onions,  garlic, cavolo nero and oregano; rocket and balsamic; hommous and roasted peppers  - I'll put a piccie up once I serve it 😉

Brie

leftatthetrafficlights said:

I won't be continuing this thread beyond the end of 2023 - I'm going to be starting a new thread which incorporates the way I'm living and how I'm doing it 'old style' as it's tedious to keep several threads running at once!

Please do put a link to your new thread in here so we don't have to send out a search party!!!