Biti čovjek biljojed u modernom društvu, gdje je konzumacija životinjskih proizvoda duboko ukorijenjena navika, naizgled nije lako. Hraniti se, k tome, gotovo isključivo cjelovitim namirnicama u svijetu pizze, bureka i pekare nekome možda zvuči kao nemoguća misija. Kada se nađem u situaciji da trebam nekome objasniti kako se hranim, često čujem nešto slično ovim izjavama:
"I ja bih se rado hranio veganski, ali ne znam što da jedem."
"Voljela bih jesti kao ti, ali sigurno je jako komplicirano."
"Već dugo razmišljam o prelasku na zdraviju/biljnu prehranu, ali radim od 9 do 5 i ručam u pekari jer ne stignem drugačije."
"Ne bih ja to mogao/la, zvuči preteško."
(Istina je da ne nailazim na puno neodobravanja jer se naprosto ne krećem u takvim krugovima niti imam golemu obitelj koja "vrti janjca" na selu.)
Već sam pisala razne recepte za jednostavna i zasitna jela koja je moguće napraviti u manje od 15 minuta, ali mi je jasno da ponekad "nemaš" ni tih 15 minuta u danu već ti je potrebno nešto brzinski, bez nereda od sjeckanja povrća, bez čestih odlazaka na plac, ili jednostavno nešto za ponijeti na posao. Zato ću napisati seriju postova s receptima za jela koja je moguće napraviti unaprijed (npr. u nedjelju navečer) u količini dovoljnoj za više dana, spremiti u hladnjak i svaki dan izvaditi potrebnu količinu i uzeti na posao uz malo zelene salate ili nekog drugog svježeg povrća (jednom tjedno valjda stignete na plac...).
Prvo u nizu brzinskih jela za spremiti unaprijed - neodoljivo jednostavno, a toliko ukusno da će vam možda biti žao što niste nakuhali za cijeli tjedan: palenta s bolonjezom od leće.
/količine prilagodite svojoj potrebi/
[palenta]
1 šalica integralne kukuruzne krupice*
~4 šalice vode
prstohvat soli
U kipuću vodu, uz miješanje, dodajte kukuruznu krupicu i malo soli. Dobro promiješajte kako se ne bi stvorile grudice i nastavite kuhati sat vremena na laganoj vatri uz povremeno miješanje. Nakon sat vremena, izlijte palentu u drugu posudu i ostavite da se ohladi i stvrdne. Ovako pripremljena palenta može stajati oko tjedan dana u hladnjaku.
*ne koristim modernu instant palentu, već krupno kukuruzno brašno dobiveno mljevenjem cijelog zrna na kameni mlin. Ako živite u gradu, sigurno ćete naći tako nešto na placu ili u nekom dućanu "zdrave hrane".
[bolonjez od leće]
1,5 šalica sušene smeđe leće
1,5-2 šalice vode
3 velike rajčice
3 velike mrkve
3 srednje glavice luka
4 režnja češnjaka
5 polovica sušene rajčice
2 prstohvata mljevenog crnog papra**
2 prstohvata sušene ljute paprike
1 prstohvat mljevenog kima
2 prstohvat origana
nekoliko prstohvata soli
4 jušne žlice soja sosa***
Smeđu leću namočite 6 sati u vodi s malo soli ili octa. Ocijedite i isperite leću, stavite je u lonac i dodajte vodu, sitno nasjeckane svježe i sušene rajčice i sve začine osim soja sosa. Nakon što zavrije, ostavite da se kuha 10-15 minuta na laganoj vatri uz povremeno miješanje (ukoliko bude potrebno, dodajte još malo vode), a zatim dodajte sitno narezanu mrkvu, luk i češnjak. Ostavite da se kuha još 10 minuta uz povremeno miješanje. Pred sam kraj kuhanja dodajte soja sos, dobro promiješajte i maknite lonac s vatre. Ovako pripremljena leća također može stajati tjedan dana u hladnjaku, a možete i razbiti monotoniju srijede navečer pa ju, recimo, zapeći u pećnici s krumpirima, ili podgrijati s malo vode i izblendati u juhu od leće. Samo divlje.
**količinu začina prilagodite vlastitom ukusu; ja volim slabije začinjeno jer su mi dovoljni okusi povrća, pa možda ovo što sam napisala nekome ne bude dovoljno.
***birajte prirodno fermentirani proizvod
[ENGLISH]
meal prep [1]: polenta and brown lentil bolognese
It may sometimes seem that it is not an easy thing to be a plant-eating human in the modern society, where consumption of animal products is a deep-rooted habit. Eating, on the top of that, almost only whole foods in the world of pizza, pasta and french fries might sound like science fiction to some. But trust me, it is not a big deal at all. On some occasions when I had to explain the way I eat, I heard reactions similar to these:
"I would also like to go vegan, but I don't know what to eat."
"I would love to eat the way you do, but it must be complicated."
"I've been thinking about eating cleaner/healthier/plant-based for a long time, but I work from 9 till 5 and have lunch at a nearby fast food or bakery because I don't have time for anything else."
"I simply couldn't do it, sounds too hard."
(It is true that I don't face a lot of disapproval or mockery as many other vegans do, simply because I don't surround myself with such people, or have a big meat-eating family in the countryside.)
I had already written various recipes for simple and fulfilling meals that can be prepared in less than 15 minutes, but I can understand that people sometimes "don't have" even those 15 minutes in the day and really need something super-quick that doesn't include the mess from chopping vegetables or frequent visits to the farmers' market. Or simply something they will just grab and pack for lunch at work. That's why I will write a series of posts with recipes for easy vegan dishes that are perfect for cooking in advance (for example on Sunday evening) in bigger quantities and storing in the fridge.
First in a row of quick meals to prepare in advance - so simple and so delicious that you might feel sorry for not cooking enough for the whole week: polenta with brown lentil bolognese.
If you don't have polenta flour where you live, I'm sorry, you can cook some millet, quinoa or brown rice instead.
/adapt the quantities to your own need/
[polenta]
1 cup coarse whole grain corn flour*
~4 cups water
a pinch of salt
Add the corn flour into boiling water and stir well to avoid creating lumps. Add the salt. Cook the polenta at a low heat for an hour with occasional stirring. After and hour, pour it into another dish and let it cool down and thicken. Now it can be kept in the fridge for about a week.
*not instant-polenta, but real coarse whole grain corn flour. I use the one that was milled on stone mill, I guess you can find it at a farmers' market or even in some small bio-shop.
[brown lentil bolognese]
1,5 cup dried brown lentils
1,5-2 cups water
3 large tomatoes
3 large carrots
3 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
5 dried tomato halves
2 pinches ground black pepper**
2 pinches dried hot pepper
1 pinch ground cumin seeds
2 pinches oregano
a few pinches of himalayan salt
4 tbsp soy sauce***
Soak the brown lentils in water with some salt or vinegar for 6 hours. Drain and rinse the lentils, put them into a cooking pot and add water, finely sliced fresh and dried tomatoes and all the spices except soy sauce. When it boils, turn the heat down and let it simmer at a low heat for 10-15 minutes with occasional stirring (if needed, add some more water). Then add finely chopped carrots and onions and let it cook for another 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce in the end, stir it well and turn the heat off.
This dish can also be kept in the fridge for about a week. If you get bored with it, you can improvise in so many ways - bake it in the oven with potatoes, heat it up with some water and blend it into a creamy lentil soup, anything, just go wild.
**adapt the quantities of all the spices to your own taste. I like my food less spicy because I like the taste of vegetables, but these quantities might not be enough for some people.
***choose a naturally fermented product
