Adventures in Cooking: Lazy Vegan Protein Bowl

I never realized how much restaurant dining was part of my life until it stopped being part of my life.

A year ago, I thought I was dining out less often, but just look at me now! In my geographic region, all restaurants have been closed since the middle of March, so I haven't had table service since at least that long ago. It's still possible to order carry-out, but, as I quickly came to realize, about half the fun of dining out was the company, and half was the ambience. Without either of those things, the remaining draw of the restaurant – the food – doesn't really seem worth the price any more. So I mostly stopped buying it.

As it turns out, once you your continuous influx of restaurant leftovers dries up, you have to be a lot more proactive in providing yourself with nourishment. For me, that meant actually cooking, something I've never been good at. Since I was embarking on a learning experience, I thought it would be beneficial for me to document my progress, so I kept a list of every recipe I prepared from March 16 to April 10. In that three-week period, I tried 16 new recipes, most of which I disliked (for the record, my favorite so far has been Old Fashioned Potato Salad, which I modified heavily with my usual adventurous flair!). I continued the cooking spree after that, but I stopped keeping track, because, well, no one cares.

With so many Adventures in Cooking! occurring at an unprecedented rate, they had lost their novelty factor. I decided not to blog about each and every (or even) one of them, but the one type of cooking adventure I decided was still worth recording is the type in which I invent the recipe myself!

So here is a new one for your perusal! It's an ingenious 2-minute meal that might even rival my world-famous Nearly Nachos. Sans spiciness, devoid of dairy, and absent of alliums, yet somehow still enjoyable to eat, it's a picky vegetarian's protein-packed dream dinner (at least, if said vegetarian has low standards)! It's...

The Lazy Vegan Protein Bowl!

Ingredients

• Frozen shelled edamame beans (only a masochist buys edamame beans still in the pod)
• Dijon mustard
• Quinoa

Steps

1. Measure out about as many edamame beans as you think will make a satisfying meal for you (I used about 1/3 cup. It was not quite enough!)
2. Microwave the beans until they are hot (66 seconds worked for me!)
3. Add a spoonful of dijon mustard and stir.
4. Sprinkle with a topping of uncooked quinoa* (I used approximately 1Tbsp)

Eat and enjoy!

*At last! I've discovered the secret to making quinoa somewhat palatable! Rather than cooking it into a gritty porridge of bland homogeneity, simply sprinkle it on top of other foods while still raw. The same nondescript grain that's unbearably boring when cooked becomes the very texture to complete the meal when used uncooked. Quinoa—the spice of life! Will wonders never cease?

What's Good

Since I made the decision to start social distancing just a few days before it became compulsory, I haven't blogged about anything. You'd think I'd have a lot to talk about, since, if the news and social media are any indicators, the world has gone topsy turvy. But, to be honest, up until last week, the coronavirus hadn't impacted my own life in any significant way. I'm extremely fortunate to be able to say that, but still, when I was finally ready to address the topic, my angle was all set to be my sole, very minor, very first-world problem—I'm not allowed within 6 feet of my boyfriend* any more!

But then I got hold of myself and realized that would be unproductive. If a moratorium on cuddling is the worst thing that's happened to me since this pandemic struck, then I'm doing all right. A more positive attitude is in order.

There are many things in my life and the world that are pleasant, enjoyable, even - dare I say? - great right now. There are many ways in which I've learned, grown, or felt uplifted over the past few weeks. Every cloud has a silver lining, and a multitude of clouds have a multitude of silver linings! Here are mine. What are yours?

The ability to work from home is something I've been awaiting patiently for years, and I'm overjoyed that I've finally got it! Some people have apparently struggled with this transition (mostly people who are forced to share their workspace with hordes of family members, and those who are easily distracted), but I was a remote worker for 6 years before taking my current office job, so to me, it feels like, literally, coming home!

I've been watching a lot of webinars that are designed to help us cope with our new situations and new technology needs. In more normal times, I typically watch about one webinar a week, but I've never before been able to sew while watching! My multitasking possibilities have gone through the roof—again, thanks to working from home.

Something that's probably not related to coronavirus, but still something that has been part of my world lately, is a newfound sense of inner peace. I've always been a high-stress kind of person, and sometimes I would find myself getting spontaneously sad for reasons that I usually couldn't pin down. But more recently, just the opposite has been occurring—surprise bouts of good spirits that seem to come from nowhere. I can't explain them, but I'm happy they're here!

I realized something interesting since I've been in quarantine. I always liked to go to restaurants and have a good sit-down meal with friends. But since that hasn't been possible, I haven't had any interest in restaurant food. I have probably been saving lots of money on dining, and as an additional bonus, like most everyone who's been cooped up in quarantine, I've been doing a lot more home cooking. As you know, cooking is usually an Adventure for me, but since I've gotten so used to it, I might even continue doing it even when restaurant meals are once again on the table (see what I did there?). Being able to customize the ingredient list to my heart's content has been a huge boon to this picky eater. One new trick I learned to satisfy my sensitive tongue? When a recipe calls for anything spicy (chile powder, sriracha, you name it!), just replace it with paprika! It's the pepper without the pain!

 

Since I've been spending so much time at home, I've been spending lots of time appreciating my yard. There is a veritable wilderness out there. I have a back-to-nature approach to lawn maintenance, which I'm sure does not impress my neighbors, but it brings me joy. 

 

My so-called lawn

Look at all the biodiversity! I even have a never-ending supply of green onions when I need them. Best of all, there's a groundhog that lives in my backyard. Since I have a great view of his den (my shed) from my desk, I always get to watch his antics, which never fail to brighten my day. Today, I saw him scaling the fence in a feat of acrobatics that I never knew was possible for such a chubby creature.

 

Hey, neighbor!

Since I no longer have to show my face in public, I've been taking this opportunity to cease washing my hair. They say that shampoo is harsh on your hair, and the more you wash it, the more oil your head produces to try to make up for it, so the more you need to wash it. The theory goes, if you wash your hair less often, it will eventually reach an equilibrium that means healthier hair and fewer shampoo expenses! I've been wanting to try this for years, but I could never see it through the inevitable greasy mess that it would become after 3 days. I'm now on Day 10. I'll let you know if the experiment was a success when I've hit 2 weeks.

I guess that's enough good stuff for me. If there's anything you're feeling chipper about today, why not leave a comment and keep the positive vibes going? Cheerio!

*Most readers who are familiar with my life will be aware that I have a different boyfriend now than the one I last spoke of in this blog. But since I've never actually mentioned him here, let me state for the record that I have been with my current boyfriend since June of 2019.