I am a self-declared foodista. You may know that food is one of my first passion. I started cooking school before discovering we were pregnant with our first daughter and had to withdraw from it before graduating, but it all happens for a reason.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am sharing pictures of my lunches on a regular basis. I know it is weird to some. I do it because it sometimes forces me to actually eat some lunch.
Last Summer, I discovered Trader Joe’s vegetarian chorizo. It is made out of tofu and spices. I had no clue what to expect but I try to find vegetarian options of meat things I like when I can so decided to try (come on, it is less than 2 bucks !). Oh my… this is good stuff ! and makes two to three different meals out of it, so it’s very nice. (and yes, we do cross the border to do most of our grocery shopping in the US. we live closer to Bellingham, WA than to Downtown Vancouver *to give you an idea*. So we can enjoy TJ’s).
I’ve always loved lentils but find them quite challenging to cook (I am known for me either hard lentils or mushy lentils).
When you are vegetarian, you need to find other food that will give you the proteins you need. Lentils and legumes in general fall into this category (which makes me very happy).
I rarely measure anything so I apologize for those of you who do, this is more of a general guideline than a real recipe.
Ingredients*:
- One package of steamed lentils
- About half a soy chorizo
- Mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Spinach
- Bell pepper, diced
- Red or green cabbage, finely sliced
- Vegenaise to taste
Reheat the lentils according to the package (you may simply have left over you cooked yourself, it is totally fine).
Remove the casing from the chorizo, be careful the paprika stains so protect your cooking aread 😉 Scramble it in a heated pan, just to get it warm.
Blend the lentils and the chorizo, add your veggies, a bit of vegenaise (or mayo). It is just there to bring everything together so don’t go overboard with it. It is always easier to start with a little and adjust than the contrary.
Enjoy !
* I vary my veggies so it does not get boring (even if, to be honest, I sometimes eat the same lunch after lunch and I’m okay with it). You can switch the spinach for lettuce (my fav. is butter lettuce). Add sliced avocado. And really get creative with what you like and go from there.