Vegan in 7 Giveaway!

I love a simple recipe with few ingredients. I spend so much on groceries every week, mostly because I refuse to deny myself any meal that I want — no matter how many ingredients, no matter how much those cost. That works for me since I don't spend extravagantly in any other area of life. I rarely buy clothes or shoes. I don't travel often (and when I do, it's usually a paid-for work trip). But I realize that saving money would be wise, so I appreciate recipes that call for only a few things. Especially when those things are fresh fruits and veggies.

Enter Vegan in 7: Delicious Plant-Based Recipes in 7 Ingredients or Fewer by Rita Serano. I was sent a copy of this to review, but it was mailed to my old office, so when I didn't receive the copy after several weeks, the marketing person for the book then sent me another copy to my our new work address. That copy arrived, and then just a few days later, the other copy was forwarded to my new address too. So I ended up with two copies, and I'll share one with a lucky reader. Details for the giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Anyway, about the book! As I mentioned, each recipe has seven (or less!) ingredients. And they're primarily fresh, easy to find items. The chapters are organized not by meal type but by adjectives that describe the meals. There's Start (breakfast), Fresh (salads), Fast (easy meals), Nourish (entrees), Gather (made with lots of fresh, seasonal produce), Sweet (desserts), and Basics (sauces, snacks).

I started with the Start chapter since I'm all about breakfast. I made the Tofu Scramble and the Blackberry, Plum, & Black Pepper Chia Jam.

The scramble was seriously the easiest scram I've ever made, yet it was so full of flavor. It was made with tofu, onion, spinach, turmeric, chili powder, and black salt. That's it! But the onion and black salt made it taste so good! I feel like I always add way too much seasoning and veggies to a scramble. It's nice to have one that's so simple.

The jam is an easy stovetop chia jam made with blackberries, plums, lemon, maple, chia seeds, and dash of pepper. I love chia jams because they're such a breeze to make at home. I've been enjoying this on whole wheat toast with vegan butter at breakfast and also on PB&Js for snacks.

From the Fast chapter, I made the Portobello Satay with Peanut Sauce.

These skewered 'bella mushrooms are grilled (I used my indoor grill) and served with toasted coconut and a tasty peanut sauce. I made these because Paul grew up in Holland, where they eat tons of satay, and portabellas are his favorite veggies. He liked this meal! We served it with steamed kale and quinoa cooked with a little garlic.

Other meals on my list: Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Guacamole, Zucchini Frittata, Green Quinoa Bowls (with kale, avocado, quinoa, and peas!), Noodles with Carrot Miso Sauce, Salt-Baked Beets & Potatoes with Saffron Aioli, Carob Cake with Strawberries and Black Pepper, and Sunflower Butter Fudge.

Want your own copy of Vegan in 7? Just leave a comment here with your favorite few-ingredient meal idea. Be sure to leave your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you win! I'll randomly select a winner on Monday night.