Have you ever felt like cooking a plant-based dish, but in the end decided to go with your reliable meat recipe? Here’s your chance to experiment with quality plant-based food and to bring your friends and family with you!
Have you ever felt like cooking a plant-based dish, but in the end decided to go with your reliable meat recipe? Here’s your chance to experiment with quality plant-based food and to bring your friends and family with you!
On August 27, the Lansdowne Environmental Advisory Council is hosting a Plant-Based Food event for the whole community at Hays Park! From 4 to 6 p.m., there will be delicious, free, plant-based food for all who come. With plenty of games and activities for kids, it’s also the perfect space to bring your family and have some fun.
Lansdowne’s Environmental Advisory Council is offering this free food-tasting to make the point that there are things that all of us can do to benefit the environment and slow down climate change. Lansdowne recently adopted a “Meatless Monday'' resolution to communicate that residents can make a difference just by shifting from meat to plant-based food on one day of the week. If enough people in the US and other countries do this, we can also slow the trend of cutting down tropical rainforests in order to establish cattle ranches.
Set the date on your calendar and spread the word! This is a wonderful opportunity to try food you’ve never had before, exchange recipes with neighbors, and show off your favorite plant-based dish if you’d like to bring one to share.
Kyle Robinson, proprietor of Kayway Juice in the Utility Works co-working space at 32 East Baltimore Avenue, will be offering samples of four vegan entrees. For dessert: samples of vegan cheese cake from Kia’s Cakes (16 S. Lansdowne Avenue) and vegan donuts from Tay’s Donuts on South Lansdowne Avenue (taysdonuts.com).
Why vegan food, which is made from 100% plant-based ingredients? Producing meat (especially beef) releases more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than producing plant-based food with an equal amount of protein. Moreover, cows take up more acreage than the cropland needed to grow equivalent amounts of protein.
Not sure how you feel about plant-based eating? Come sample the offerings, and decide for yourself!
Hays Park is located on Nyack Avenue, down the street from the Lansdowne Library. In case of rain, the event will be moved to August 28.
Read below for two easy meatless recipes from Allrecipes that require 15 minutes or less to make. Our test-kitchen chef (and Borough Councilperson) Carol Martsolf has tested both. She liked both of them, and particular recommends the taco meal pictured below:
Vegan Bean Taco Filling
Taco filling using fried beans as its base. Great with taco shells, tortillas, or chips. Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins 
Total: 30 mins
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
● 1 tablespoon olive oil
● 1 onion, diced
● 2 cloves garlic, minced
● 1 bell pepper, chopped
● 2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed ● 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
● 1 ½ tablespoons cumin
● 1 teaspoon paprika
● 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
● 1 teaspoon chili powder
● 1 cup salsa
Directions: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, and bell pepper; cook until tender. Stir in mashed beans. Add the cornmeal. Mix in cumin, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, and salsa. Cover, and cook 5 minutes.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 142 calories; protein 7.5g; carbohydrates 24g; fat 2.5g; sodium 596.3mg.
Easy Vegan Chili
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 43 mins
Total: 53 mins
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
● 3 tablespoons olive oil
● 1 onion, chopped
● 2 cloves garlic, minced
● 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
● 1 cup dry red lentils
● 4 cups vegetable broth
● 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
● 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
● 4 cups tomato puree
● 1 tablespoon ground sweet paprika
● 1 teaspoon spicy chili powder
● salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
● 1 pinch white sugar
● 1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
Directions
● Step 1
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add potato and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in lentils. Pour in vegetable broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Add kidney beans, corn, and tomato puree. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until flavors combine, about 10 minutes. Season with paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and sugar.
● Step 2
Divide chili among 4 bowls and sprinkle with chives.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: 512 calories; protein 24g; carbohydrates 89.7g; fat 9.4g; sodium 905.7mg.