Potato Chickpea Curry (Great for Meal Prep: Instant Pot Recipe + Stovetop Instructions)

I’m one of those kinds of people who always has to think thoroughly through every decision I make about larger purchases. I spend months, sometimes years, researching things before I invest. The Instant Pot (Get one on Amazon here) was no exception to this. I was hesitant at first, and took years looking up the pros and cons and finally took the plunge. Now I’m wondering how I ever lived without this magical pot! Meal prep is a dream come true now. I think my favorite part of the InstantPot is the cleanup - which is virtually zero!

It took a little while to get used to all the buttons and beeps, but once I did, I started getting more creative with the things I made in it. I now use my Instant Pot several times a week!

I took a poll in Instagram a few weeks ago, and you all wanted some more Instant Pot recipes and now I can finally share one with you - a simple potato chickpea curry that will keep you fed all week!

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This potato curry is so great for a quick meal prep. I love putting it over wild rice and it lasts a week in the fridge. A week of lunch with little effort (and money!) sounds great to me. 

What’s in the curry:

Potatoes, carrots, onion, ginger, spices, tomatoes (canned for convenience) and...chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)! Everything is quickly chopped up, put in the pressure cooker, and cooked up! Set it and forget it (who remembers that commercial?)!

Note on the garbanzo beans: you can use canned, but I use dried beans that I’ve cooked previously. The Instant Pot is great for that. Find a tutorial here. You can freeze them to use whenever you like (I freeze them in 3 cup increments; a can is about 1 and a half cups).

I love curries because they are so easy to put together, nutritious, and versatile!

Potato Chickpea Curry

What You Need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 4 potatoes, chopped

• 2 small carrots, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• Ginger, 1 inch minced

• 1 tsp each: Salt, Cumin, garam masala, curry, turmeric, chili powder, 

• 1 cup water (or plant based milk - I like coconut)

• Can of crushed tomatoes (Or stewed or diced, blended)

• 3 cups garbanzo beans (two cans if using canned)

• 1 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)

What to Do (Instant Pot):

1. Turn on your pot to Sauté setting.

2. Add olive oil and wait to heat.

3. Add onions and cook 3 minutes.

4. Add garlic and ginger and cook another minute.

5. Add carrots and potatoes and spices and mix together.

6. Turn off pot and add the water, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.

7. Manually set the pot on high for 7 minutes, making sure to seal.

8. Once timer goes off, manually release the pressure

9. Adjust to taste and serve. You can serve this with rice or even naan.

What to Do (Stovetop):

1. Add olive oil to skillet and sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.

2. Add carrots, potatoes and spices and cook until the vegetables are a little soft.

3. Pour in the water (or milk), tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.

4. Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked.

5. Top with fresh parsley and serve with rice

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What are some of your favorite meal prep meals?

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Fav Ever Vegan Lasagna

I have had this post in my draft folder for two years now. TWO WHOLE YEARS (ahem, and a few months)! I am so excited to FINALLY be able to share this vegan lasagna with you. I’m leaving the text below as it was because, well, it’s more or less relevant to my life, and the instructions are the same anyway.

School is back in session, and sometimes I'm out of my house for about twelve hours each day. The commute each way is about 45 minutes, I get there an hour early, and depending on the day, I stay pretty long afterward as well to grade and prep so that I can "sleep in" the next morning. My poor husband, though extremely supportive of me, has started missing my homemade food. It was a whirlwind summer with a lot of traveling and guests that left literally zero extra time to prepare my home for the school year. Those first few weeks, I was just waiting for the long weekend so I could get some meal prep done (but hey, at least my classroom stayed organized!). I decided to take some time early one Sunday morning to get some stuff baked for the week, and I defaulted to one of our favourites: vegan lasagna. 

It doesn't take too long to make - the baking part takes the longest. It just requires four main elements: tofu ricotta (which I mix with spinach), cashew cream sauce, tomato sauce and lasagna noodles, of course. 

If you, like me, have had bad experiences with the dairy-free version of this classic comfort food, rest assured that this one is actually pretty darn delicious. The first time I made it, my husband didn't even miss the cheese!

This lasagna freezes well, and you can even assemble and keep it in the fridge for a few days before baking if you need to plan ahead!

I actually pursued this lasagna hard. I remember having a terrible vegan lasagna experience and I never wanted something like that to be recreated in my kitchen. The kicker is that this bad experience was almost 15 years ago and I still remember it vividly. So I am very excited about this one and that it tastes great!

You can use your favorite tomato sauce and noodles for this! I like the kind of noodle that you cook first before baking. The texture is just nicer to me. Plus, your sauce goes a bit further I find and you’ll have a saucier lasagna - which I prefer!

The recipe for the lasagna is for a pan that is smaller than 9x13, but I’ve included some changes for that size in the notes.

Best Ever Vegan Lasagna

What you need:

• 1 recipe of Vegan Tofu Ricotta (possibly 2 for 9x13 pan) 

• 2 cups spinach (4 cups for 9x13 pan if double the ricotta)

• 1 recipe of Cashew Cream Sauce

• 1 package lasagna noodles of your choice

• Your favourite tomato sauce (more for 9x13 pan)

What to do:

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF

2) Prepare the ricotta and cashew cream sauce. 

3) In a large bowl, mix spinach and ricotta well.

4) Begin layering by adding about 1 cup of the tomato sauce to the bottom of your baking dish. Top with noodles.

5) Add layer of ricotta and top with more sauce.

6) Drizzle cashew cream sauce 

7) Repeat layers (steps 4-6) until finished. Add a final layer of noodles and sauce

8) Bake covered for about 30 minutes. Add the rest of your cashew cream sauce to the top and bake, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Then broil, watching carefully, until top is a beautiful brown (Make sure you can broil with the pan you use)!

9) Let the lasagna cool for 15-20 minutes (very important so it doesn't fall apart!)

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Don't you just love a good lasagna? 

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8 Things I've Learned as a Vegetarian

I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time now. Over the years, I’ve had many people ask me about it and just the other day, I sat down and wrote out a few things I’ve learned from my experience. It’s so natural for me as I view it as a lifestyle rather than a dietary restriction. It has become second nature to me, and I feel better and more intentional with my food choices. Vegetarian is the only title I exclusively “subscribe” to when asked about my diet, though we mostly eat completely plant based at home.

There are a few things I’ve learned over the years, and I’m going to share 7 of them with you today!

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Cravings Change, and so do taste bud preferences. This has definitely been true for me. Tastes and even certain smells (like meat cooking) that used to be so good to me now make me feel ill. I remember a time when I thought I could never go completely vegetarian, and I was totally wrong. Now, I can’t imagine going back.

One can still be an unhealthy vegetarian! I know a lot of people who are vegetarian who are unhealthy. I also know a lot of people who don’t understand that it really is possible to be healthy as a vegetarian. Crazy, right? Even as a vegetarian, it’s important to eat your daily servings of vegetables, fruits, and grains! Getting the nutrition one needs is important. Substitute meat products are oftentimes even less healthy than the actual stuff, so I’m careful about them and limit the amount of processed foods I consume. I’ve caught myself from time to time not eating as healthy as I could be, even as a vegetarian! Making sure I plan meals ahead helps reduce the amount of processed and unhealthy food we consume!

B12 is important. There are a few supplements to consider when going vegetarian. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia that makes people tired and weak. Vitamin B12 is necessary for us to function properly, and yet it is hard to get on a vegetarian diet (and especially on a vegan diet).  Finding vegetarian supplements (I use this B12 from Amazon) and buying fortified nutritional yeast flakes to add to food help with B12 levels. A few other supplements I’ve needed as a vegetarian have been iron and vitamin D.

Protein is actually pretty easy to get enough of. Besides finding out that protein is easy to get, I found out that so many people became concerned with my protein levels once becoming vegetarian. It turns out, however, that protein is not the main concern when going vegetarian after all! I mean, of course cows get protein somewhere, right? It is indeed possible to get plenty of protein on a vegetarian diet. Some examples of some high protein foods are edamame, beans, dark leafy greens, and my favourite, tofu. By the way, my doctor of many years has never once asked me if I get enough protein and she knows I’m a vegetarian. She doesn’t seem too concerned.

Reading Food Labels is Key! It’s interesting what foods we may assume are vegetarian are indeed not! Reading food labels ensures food really is animal-product free or vegetarian-friendly. Barbeque chips, marshmallows, and even some vitamin capsules are just three examples of snacks that are not usually vegetarian-friendly. Ideally, one should be eating foods with no labels at all (fresh produce, bulk grains, etc.).

It is not that weird after all. When I first went vegetarian years ago, there were so many people who thought it was the strangest thing. Nowadays, there are a lot of people who choose to go vegetarian, either for health or ethical reasons. It is much easier to live and eat out and enjoy lots of different foods now. I enjoy food more because experimenting with foods is enthralling and fun! I’ve met so many new people who have taught me how to enjoy life as a vegetarian.

Being a vegetarian has made me more mindful. Instead of just being okay with everything I eat, once I decided to be vegetarian, I became more mindful of what I was putting in my body. I want to make sure that my food nourishes me, not just fills my stomach. Of course, you don’t need to be vegetarian to be mindful of your consumption habits, but it has helped me on the course of healthier living.

Vegetables are tasty AND pretty! I love experimenting with different vegetable combinations to make delicious meals! And I love the color that is added to my plate. because of them! If I have a meal that has too many brown tones, I immediately start to miss my fresh veggies - I can’t go without them!

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Are you a vegetarian? What have you learned about it?

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How To Cook [Garbanzo] Beans - Using a Pot, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker

I love the versatility of garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas)! You can put them in a salad, roast them in the oven to make a quick snack, have them in a bowl or even crush them to make a spread or burgers. Beans of any sort are great to keep in the pantry, and if you are trying to save money on groceries, a fantastic way to do that is to buy beans dry! They keep a long time, and they are easy to prepare and freeze if you want to keep them on hand. Plus, if you have concerns about the sodium content in canned beans, dried is the way to go! Canned or not, you definitely need beans in your diet, so I decided to do a quick "how to" post to help you out. 

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This how-to really applies to any bean and there are several ways to cook them. 

Step One: Sort
Check your beans for any broken fellows or other debris or stones you may find in a dry bag of beans. You will want to get all of that out.

Step Two: Rinse
Pretty self-explanatory.

Step Three: Soak
Now, soaking is optional actually! The thing about soaking is that it will cut your actual cooking time down (Saving you on gas/electricity - whatever your stove runs on), and it will also make beans less of a "musical fruit," as it allegedly helps break down some of the indigestible sugars that cause flatulence. I honestly don’t notice any difference between soaking or not. The easiest way to soak beans is overnight. Just make sure water is about 2-3 inches above them and sleep the night away. Waiting is easier then. You can also do a quick soak by putting them in a pot with water, bringing it to a boil, and then taking them off the heat and let them soak for an hour.

Step Four: Cook

Cooking Garbanzo Beans on the Stovetop

Again, make sure there is 2-3 inches of water covering your beans and bring the pot to a boil - slowly though. Bring the pot to a simmer, and stir occasionally, scraping off any foam that on the surface (you won't get too much with garbanzos). You will know your beans are done when they are tender (you can mash or poke them with a fork - or eat one like I tend to do....hehe)

Cooking Garbanzo Beans in the Slow Cooker

• 3 cups garbanzo beans

• 7 cups water

Cover and cook on high in your slow cooker for 4 hours, or on low for 8 to 9 hours - or until tender.

Cooking Garbanzo Beans in the Instant Pot (My favourite method):

• 3 cups garbanzo beans

• 7 cups water

If you are doing them from dry garbanzo beans, add the beans and water to your inner pot and set your pot to high pressure for 45 minutes. If your beans are soaked, set your pot to high pressure for 12 minutes.

Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and move steam release to venting to release the remaining pressure.

Step Five: Store
Beans will stay good in the refrigerator for several days, but I like to keep them in the freezer for easy and quick access. You can put them in little bags or freezer-friendly containers and they will stay several months in the freezer. I suppose you could can them as well, but I personally like the freedom with how many I want to use with the freezing method. I don't always use an entire cans worth.

Tip: If you want, portion them out into portions of 1.5 cups - about the amount in a can.

Yay! You are now ready to save time (with some planning, of course) and money!

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How do you cook your beans? What do you cook with them?

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Healthy Vegan Snacks for the Road: 3 Easy Recipes

Eating healthy on the road is a feat. Whether you’re on a road trip, on a hike or you’ve decided to get out of town for a few days, you still need to take care of what you’re going to eat while travelling. Sure, you can always go for some greasy junk food in diners along the way, but you better believe that those calories will stay right where you are and they’re not that good for you to begin with. This is why we come to you with healthy vegan snacks suggestions that are perfect when you’re hitting the road and you need to eat right.

Yummy Vegan Granola Bars

There are many recipes for granola bars that taste great and are really filling, but we decided for this chocolate chip one that is very easy to make and can last for a few days. With these, you don’t have to buy chocolate bars or any other sweet; they’re scrumptious enough.

what you'll need:

• 1½ cup of oats

• 1 cup of pitted dates

• ¼ cup of maple syrup

• ¼ cup of almond butter

• ¼ cup of vegan chocolate chips

• ½ cup of raw cashews

• ½ cup of raw almonds.

what to do:

Bake the oats for up to 15 minutes in the oven, the temperature should be 350 degrees F. While they’re toasting, pulse out cashews and almonds in your food processor just until they’re in chunks and then mix them with roasted oats in a bowl.

After that, take your dates and use your food processor to make them pasty and finely chopped, and then add them into the bowl as well.

Take a saucepan where you can warm up the maple syrup and peanut butter (on a low heat) and then pour it over the oats, nuts and dates mixture. It’s mixing time, so don’t give up until you get a well-combined sticky mess. Line a tray with parchment paper, pour the mixture into it and press it down firmly, after which it’s time for the chocolate chips. When you’ve pressed them into the mixture too, you should put it all into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. After the granola is hardened, you can cut it into even pieces, put it in a plastic container and take it on the road with you.

Fresh Veggies and Hummus

Though it might be a bit rough to preserve fresh veggies for a longer period of time, you can always restock on the go and it’s actually more affordable than buying chips and snacks. Carrot sticks and celery are always a good way to go, because they don’t have to be refrigerated to stay nice and crunchy, but you can also go for some sliced bell pepper, cauliflower and even cucumber. You can add some spices into the combination and we always suggest taking some hummus along with you because let’s face it, hummus goes well with everything. If you want to go all out and make your own hummus, there are some excellent recipes out there, but we’re giving you our favorite and simplest one. Anybody like garlic?

what you'll need:

what to do:

Take your garlic bulb and cut off the top, so that you can clearly see the cloves. Generously drizzle olive oil over it, add a bit of salt and wrap it in aluminum foil. Roast it in the oven at 375 degrees F for an hour.

When the garlic is done, make sure to gently squeeze it out of the peel and put all the creamy garlicky goodness into the food processor. Add the rest of the listed ingredients into the processor and then mix it until it gets smooth and hummus-like. Get it into a container and you’ve got yourself a healthy and delicious vegan dip.

• 1 large garlic bulb

• 2 cans of chickpeas (don’t forget to rinse them)

• juice of 1 lemon

• 3 tbsp. tahini

• ¼ cup water

• 3 tablespoons EVOO

• ¼ teaspoon of sea salt

Energy Bite

These little balls of joy and taste are a great way to go when you’re craving something sweet, and there’s no vegan treat in sight. Besides, nothing beats eating healthy food you’ve made yourself. Here’s one recipe that can be taken anywhere you go, it won’t get bad easily and it’s filling. When you’re on the road and filling a bit hungry, reach for these ginger-fueled energy bites and enjoy.

what you'll need:

what to do:

Put the walnuts into the food processor and pulse until they’re chopped well. Add the dates and pulse continually so that you get a mixture that resembles a dough. Chuck in the rest of the ingredients and mix until you’re satisfied with what you have, after which you can roll the dough into balls and have them on the go. Portion yield: 15+ gingerbread bites.

• 1 cup of quick oats

• 2 tbsp. of maple syrup

• 1¼ cup of walnut pieces

• 3 tsp. of ground ginger

• 2 tbsp. of blackstrap molasses

• 1 cup of dates

• ½ tsp. of sea salt

• 2 tbsp. of cinnamon

As you can see, preparing vegan snacks for the road doesn’t have to be complicated nor expensive. These munches are simple to make, they will help you stay full longer and what’s most important, they will allow you to eat healthy even when the conditions for it are not ideal. 

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Monica Nichols is a 32-year-old fashion designer and freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. She's been writing for www.diet.st since 2014, and in her free time, she likes making pottery and playing with her pet cat.

Connect with Monica: Blog // Twitter

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