As many of you know, I’m not one for New Year’s goal-setting or themes or programs, or even resolutions. I know that they can all be motivating and inspiring and great, depending on the context. But I spend enough time vying with unrealistic expectations from day to day; I like to enter a new year gently, and in some ways it takes more for me to accept things as they are than to contemplate what I’ll be changing.
All of that said, I don’t like to discourage the positive energy that can emerge at this time of year, especially when it takes the form of folks resolving to take good care of themselves, whatever that means. I’m a big fan of Veganuary, which inspires a lot of people to give veganism a dedicated try. And here on the blog, I do sometimes give fresh thought to new content, ideas, initiatives.
This year, in the spirit of that gentle entrance I just mentioned, it feels appropriate to use the first few weeks of the month (which I have off from the DI!) to reflect on some of the strategies that allowed me to make it through my 15 weeks of clinicals fed entirely by home-cooked meals. Until September, I’d been working from home, which gave me the good fortune to cook often and when I liked. I wasn’t really sure that I’d be able to sustain a meal plan once the DI started, but—for economic reasons as much as the fact that I like to cook/eat homemade food—I’m glad I did.
Cooking my way through my first two rotations often meant knowing when not to cook (i.e., rely on some of my go-to vegan store-bought products). Sometimes it meant throwing together meals in 20-minutes or less, which has never entirely been my cooking style, mostly because I haven’t needed it to be. And sometimes it meant cooking and meal prepping when I could have been doing other, fun things. It was all a balancing act, a question of knowing when to cut corners and when not to.
Between now and mid-January, I’ll be sharing some of the practically-not-recipe-recipes that I relied on when the going got tough, meals so simple that I’d normally not consider them as contenders for the blog. They’ll be a little basic, but they’ll also be an honest reflection of how/what I’ve been eating.
I’ll also be doing a big post on my batch cooking/meal prep process, since I get so many questions about it on Instagram! I’ll talk about how I plan, store, freeze/defrost, balance the things I choose to make each week. If you have any particular questions about my weekly process, please feel free to comment or email or DM me on the ‘gram—I’d love to address the topics that people want to hear about.
For today, here’s one of those quickie meals I mentioned. If you batch cook the baked potatoes over a weekend and make the cheese sauce at that time, it’s a 5-minute dinner. Even if you prepare it all at once, it demands only about 15 minutes of active work (the rest of the time is spent waiting for the potatoes to bake, and you could absolutely microwave them if you wanted to—I often do).
I’ve made a lot of vegan cheese sauces and mac n’ cheese sauces in my day. I’d venture to say that this is my all-time favorite: the most cheesy, the most creamy while also being relatively low in fat and not overly rich (I’ve made some very cashew-heavy sauces—this one’s got potato to help balance things out). It’s based on the sauce for my carrot mac, with some adaptations.
Since I bake potatoes for the recipe anyway, I use one of them for the sauce. I do think that red peppers add a special combination of tartness and sweetness that enhances the sauce, and I always have a jar of roasted red peppers in my pantry. But you can substitute a handful of steamed carrots or cauliflower or zucchini, too—you’d be surprised at how adaptable the sauce is.
To make the dish, you start by baking the potatoes. You split them, mash the flesh lightly with some non-dairy milk (or Earth Balance, or broth, or vegan parm), and top them with white beans (or chickpeas, or navy beans) and broccoli florets (or brussels sprouts, or green beans, or kale, or whatever you’ve got). The cheese sauce gets piled on top.
That’s it. This is the very definition of a “throw together” meal, but it’s hearty and tasty and good, and in spite of how little it takes to make it, it’s got plenty of nutrient density. It works well with sweet potatoes and Japanese potatoes, too. Here’s the recipe—perhaps you’ll tuck it away for a day when you need something real comforting, real fast.
If your potatoes are generously sized, each half is a decent meal on its own. If you have small potatoes, you can use a whole potato for each portion. I had this very meal for lunch today, seeking something easy because I’ve definitely got a cold. It was so good, and I added Brussels sprouts this time! The cheese sauce will yield a full 2 cups, so once you’ve made it, you can use it throughout the week on vegan mac n’ cheese, on top of grains, in quesadillas or tacos or burritos, or whatever.
Wishing you all an easy end to this inter-holiday week. Look forward to a lot more low-stress recipes in January, and I’ll be back this weekend with some recipes and reads.
xo
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Sadly, I didn’t find this that easy to “throw together.” My husband enjoyed the final product a lot, but he didn’t do any of the work! I did put the potatoes all dressed and topped back into the oven for a few minutes because the idea of cold beans and cold sauce on top was unappealing to me. The end product, absolutely, was great! And we both liked it. I just felt it was a lot of work for a stuffed spud. Maybe adding the beans to the broccoli while it’s steaming would warm them a bit. Also, just cut the cheese recipe in half. I didn’t have another use for the leftover within the 5 day recommendation for storing. Sorry, this one missed the mark for me, by a little at least.
Sorry to hear that, Suzy! Good feedback on heating the beans with the broccoli—I’ll definitely consider adding that to the instructions.
The cheese sauce is really delicious! My day had a change in plans so I didn’t have a chance to try the entire potato, broccoli, bean, and cheese sauce components all together. I have tried several vegan cheese sauce recipes and this has a depth of flavor others miss. Thank you for this recipe, will be a regular for me!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Thank you! I need recipes like this. I feel like I am making something homemade but it’s easy to assemble. I look forward to my recipes like this
I’m so glad you like this kind of recipe. Excited to share more of them 🙂
Hi Gena,
I am beginning to venture into the area of veganism, but I’ve had lots of difficulties with cooking fun and new foods because I am allergic to tree nuts and soy (though for some weird and unknown reason I can still eat tofu). Do you have any recommendations for nut substitutes in recipes like this one? Also, do you know any good milks that aren’t nut or soy based?
Thanks so much,
Nicki
Hi Nicki!
If you can do hemp milk, that’s a good, nutritious alternative to soy milk. Rice and oat work, too, but the protein content is lower.
If you can do tofu, I’d recommend silken tofu in a recipe like this—it works well in place of nuts 🙂 If not, hemp or sunflower seeds are often a good replacement for cashews.
I wish you fun and tasty meals as you keep experimenting with vegan food! 🙂
G
Gena,
I will absolutely be tucking this away for a rainy day! The cheese sauce alone is a really great idea.
I am looking forward too to reading about your meal prep, etc. Maybe it will help me to streamline my own process so I can spend some time doing other things.
And lastly, I hope the start to your new year is as gentle and lovely as you would want it to be. I think we can all be thankful for making it this far and for being able to keep on going:)
Thanks,
Libby
Could I roast my own red peppers.? How many? Thanks
Absolutely! 2 whole roasted peppers.
Thank you for this lovely, simple meal, Gena! I’m looking forward to your practically-not-recipe-recipes (since that’s what I always rely on and currently feel a bit stuck).