First we have a taste of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Everyone should get in on this pastelillos shit.
Linked right there is a vegan cooking blog that I happened to stumble into when I was googling "pastelillos" for the proper spelling. But clicking thru is optional-- I can explain it myself:
Basically, you buy something like these (Goya empanadas shells), and leave them out of the freezer for a solid half hour or so to defrost so you can fold them.
And then you fill them with whatever you want. Fold it and secure the edges, and then fry it. (Don't be afraid to pour a lot of oil and fry it rather deeply.)
Pictured here, mine are filled with Gardein beefless tips, which of course I cook all the way before going inside the pouch, and grilled peppers and a non-dairy cheese.
The self-explanatory items are white rice, corn, cranberry sauce (because I'm next-level), and a few olives.
And then the mound of mashed yumminess is mofongo.
Which is basically green plantains, fried, and then mashed with garlic and olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
(If you remember the 'mortar and pestle' from the WHAT'S IN MY CART? competition, it's all come full circle and this is basically why I was buying it.)
"Easy"
This food is really easy in the sense of like it doesn't take any Michelin stars to execute it. To be fair tho, it's plenty of steps and busy work. Between the mofongo and the pastelillos, you're doing a lot before it's on your plate.
You should be in the mood for it and ready for the process, or have some loving help.
The efficient way to do pastelillos is probably to make a bunch at once and have them in the fridge or freezer ready for frying.
And now let's have a taste of Buffalo NY 🇺🇸
This meal truly is easy. I made it yesterday as I was watching football.
It's two chickenless patties (Whole Foods store brand), fried up and then roughly forked into pieces while it was still in the pan. And then I poured Frank's Red Hot on them, when they were on my plate.
Big salad. Just lettuce and tomato.
A non-dairy ranch or blue cheese would be nice, but I only had a French dressing, which is fine.
Often I like to make Buffalo chicken sandwiches, but sandwiches are a pain to assemble. So if I was on Top Chef I'd market this as a deconstructed french fries and Buffalo chicken sandwich.
The potato thing is just frozen "hash brown" potatoes that I cook in non-dairy butter, and season.
The photo is forgiving in terms of it not looking like an abnormally large amount of food, but it kinda was. I felt gluttonous and American. But it costs maybe like $3-4, so there's nothing really to feel bad about.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Vegan eating is actually really conducive to convenience.
It sometimes isn't only because the world in general isn't vegan so it isn't setup that way. (So you can pop into McDonald's for a beef burger, but vegans don't have the same array of options.)
But these frozen patties that I can take out of the freezer and have ready to eat within moments can be deliberately made to freeze and package effectively. Whereas actual chicken meat is bound by whatever chicken meat is, and so to have it packaged, frozen, and ready to go takes a lot more effort and tradeoff by way of artificial additive and preservative.
Inherently, vegan food has the high ceiling as far as convenience goes.