Winter Kale Salad

I feel whole again. This was a stressful week of tons of work (and more to come), of no time for cooking exciting meals, and it left me feeling less than. But after an awesome Saturday yoga flow class, a run with my dog, (and ok a little shopping), and a giant bowl of this hearty, healthy kale salad, I felt renewed, revived, and energized. Easy to make but so, so delicious, this salad just makes you feel good. It would also make a great addition to a Thanksgiving spread.

Sweet Potato & Roasted Carrot Soup

I love soups, especially this time of year, because they are so easy to make, and so warm and hearty. This soup is thick, creamy, full of flavor, and could be easily adapted to keep mixing things up.

Tropical Black Bean Sliders

Trust me when I say this is a recipe everyone should have. Notice how I didn't say every vegan. Or every vegetarian. Nope, everyone. I made the massive mistake of just making one batch of these suckers for our housewarming party this weekend, and if I wasn't a few drinks in, I would have been seriously concerned about an uprising. They are good, and they go in a flash. And they are MINI! Which means, not only are they tasty, they are CUTE. I love all things mini almost as much as I love all things mango. Speaking of which...

Vegan Caprese

I was on family vacation last week, and made this easy appetizer/salad twice. The first time, I whipped it up so I would have something to eat while my family and friends were snacking on cheese and crackers. But it ended up nearly disappearing before I even got to it. Poor cheese- you've been replaced by something healthier and fresher-tasting ;-) But in all honesty, I was really pleased to share this yummy dish, and have my family love it, especially since none of them are vegan or even vegetarian. It's a dish for everyone!

Beet and Avocado Salad with Beet Greens and Goji Berries

This dish is fresh, summery, light, and delicious, and jam-packed with healthy ingredients. AND, I used basil growing in my NEW and very own herb garden! I can't tell you how awesome it is to just open my door and pick a few leaves of fresh basil to use in my dishes. Well, ok, I can tell you. I just did. I love it. I'm going basil-crazy. I'm also ready to go golden beet crazy after making this meal.

Vegan Dinner Party: Mango, Avocado, and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

We all know by now how much I love mango, so I will refrain from going on about it yet again. But needless to say, when I saw Kathy Patalsky's recipe for mango quinoa salad, it was pinned in seconds. We recently had a bunch of friends over for dinner, and since I didn't have much time, I whipped up this yummy dish (along with some new cookies) in no time. Uncomplicated, delicious dinner parties can be done! And yes, carnivores, vegans, and vegetarians alike were satistified (and went back for seconds).

Dill Guacamole

More dill! Here's a new twist to your traditional guacamole, and an easy way to elevate your sandwiches (such as my above Chick'n patty).

Avocado & Pinto Bean Salad

Nothing fancy or complicated here. Think: open a can 'o beans and have easy yummy dinner/lunch/snack/salad ready in 5. Sound good?! Good!

Lima Bean & Cantaloupe Salad

 This recipe brought to you by: the colors green and orange!

It started with a bag of lima beans, a can of mandarin oranges in my cupboard, a bottle of orange champagne vinegar from Trader Joe's, and some hot weather.

Usually the only recipe I use lima beans in is succotash. So I thought I'd make use of that bag of lima beans in my freezer in a new way...

Chocolate Dessert Cups with Avocado-Mint Ice Cream

This dessert is like the frozen version of a thin mint. I was completely curious when I saw this post for avocado mint icecream- avocado and mint?! - and then thought, what with all the thin-mint recipes going around, and after making my vegan mini creme cakes, how good it would taste in a chocolate crust. And these little chocolate mint cups were born!

Chocolate Puddin'!

Happy Leap Day!

My first try at vegan chocolate pudding didn't work out so well. But, actually, it's not that hard to make a tasty vegan chocolate pudding or mousse. This is a good base recipe that can easily be altered to include different fruit mix-ins, and it's quick too!

Green Bean Salad

This crisp green bean salad is easy, delicious, and healthy. That's my triple threat for recipe favorites ;-)

Ingredients:

• ~1 lb fresh string green beans, ends trimmed 
• ~1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 avocado, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• Sea salt to taste

Steps:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the green beans and ~ 1 Tbsp of water and cover. Steam for about 2-3 minutes. You want the beans to still be a little crisp.
2. Allow green beans to cool. Add the walnuts, cranberries, and sea salt. Chill in fridge and just prior to serving add the avocado.

Variations/additions:
For a warm version, you could sub the avocado for sauteed apple pieces. Or try adding pomegranete seeds or golden raisins instead of the cranberries. Easy-peasy!

Corn Salad Mix-up

Another quick, easy, delicious recipe favorite here! This is a variation/combination of two corn salads I've posted before- the corn & avocado salad and the fresh corn salad. Very easy!

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 3 large ears sweet corn
• 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium avocado, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup black beans
• ~1 Tbsp lime juice, fresh
• Sea salt to taste

Steps:

1. Shuck & steam the corn until just tender- let boil for about 3 minutes. Remove & rinse with cold water. Let further cool.
2. Remove the corn from the cob by slicing off in strips using a large knife. 
3. Combine corn, tomatoes, beans in large bowl and add oil, salt, and lime juice; toss lightly. 
4. Add fresh herbs just before serving.

I actually did not have black beans, but think they would go nicely with this dish; instead, for protein, I added in about a cup of chic peas when we ate this. It's a versatile base dish that you can do a lot with!

Vegan post-run brunch: tofu scramble breakfast burrito

Along with my husband and a few friends, I ran the San Francisco half marathon this Sunday (the first half, which goes across the Golden Gate bridge). Aside from waking up at 4:30 AM, it was great! Very hilly, though. After 13.1 miles of running up and down and all around San Francisco, I was craving a nice big breakfast! I have to admit, I was reaaaaaaaally jealous watching my husband eat his egg & cheese bagel, but I'd made a commitment to go vegan for the month of July, and it was July 31! I couldn't give up on the last day!

So instead, I waited until we got home and whipped up this vegan tofu scramble. It's sooooo easy to make, and, I was pleasantly surprised, made me just as happy as an egg & cheese bagel would have.

Vegan tofu scramble (my take):
Ingredients (for 1 burrito):

• 1 serving firm tofu, drained and cut into pieces
• 1-2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes in oil & herbs, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 small avocado
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
  
• olive oil
  
• 1 flour or wheat tortilla, burrito sized
  

Steps:

1. In a small pan, saute the shiitake mushrooms in some olive oil, and then set them aside.
2. Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil and add tofu.
   
3. Once the tofu is beginning to brown, add the sundried tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Add the rosemary and mix.
   
4. Heat the tortilla for about 10-15 seconds, and add the scramble, mushrooms, and sliced avocado. Enjoy!

(I just might have added ketchup to this too!)

I also enjoyed a vegan mini muffin with my post-race brunch!

Vegan Summer "Pasta"

I found this recipe for vegan raw spring pasta through Finding Vegan (my new favorite site! the pics are awesome and always inspire me to try new dishes). The picture made my mouth water - it just looked so deliciously creamy! But, surprise, that's not pasta- it's spiralized zucchini!

I had never used - or for that matter heard of- a spiralizer before, but I have to say, I got pretty excited about using it for the first time. I can make noodles out of vegetables??!! No way!!!

The epic virgin spiralizer experience:

I can't wait to try out other things, too - like sweet potato fries and homemade veggie chips. But back to the "pasta" dish. The recipe comes from Vegan Culinary Crusade, so I can't take any credit. But I'm glad I found it! Here are the ingredients and steps, copied from VCC:

Pasta ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini, peeled or spiralized into noodles
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup asparagus
  

Sauce

• 1 avocado
• 6 TBSP water
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 TBSP fresh thyme

Steps:

1. Wash & cut fresh asparagus into bite-sized pieces and place in the freezer. Keep the peas in the freezer as well until you are ready to use them.
   
2. Peel & spiralize the zucchini (it's easy!) and mix in the salt & pepper. Set aside.
   
3. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or processor and blend until creamy.
   
4. Boil a pot of water. Remove the asparagus & peas from the freezer and place in a large bowl. Once the water has reached a boil, pour it over the asparagus & peas so that they are completely covered. Let stand for ~ 2 minutes.
   
5. Drain the water from the asparagus & peas and mix in with the zucchini noodles.
6. Add the sauce & toss!
   

Notes:
Just a little bit of a warning: raw veggies can be a little harder on the digestive system (sometimes they make you... bloated), so moderate your portion sizes.

This dish looks creamy and rich, just like an alfredo pasta. But looks can be deceiving! The avocado does give the sauce a nice creaminess, but obviously it doesn't taste like a cream sauce. But, the dish is summery and refreshing with the lemon and thyme. This would be a good accompaniment to a summer meal, but I'm not sure I'm sold on raw zucchini.

Bon appetite!

Big Salads!

Often, I actually prefer my salads to those I can get at restaurants. It's not because I make any kind of amazing dressings or extra-special ingredients. It's because I like "salads with lots of stuff in them!"

My ideas of the anti-salad: soggy salads (ie- salads so overdressed you might as well be sipping dressing), "the wedge" (really! Who had the awful idea of chopping a head of iceberg in half and slathering some creamy dressing all over it and calling that a salad?!), or even worse- those iceberg lettuce salads from steakhouses of the 80s with 3 wedges of boring tomatoes and a few thickly sliced cucumbers. Yawn. What a waste of a vegiportunity! I like my salads to SING with vegetables.

What I love about salads is they can be made QUICKLY. And, when done properly, they are healthy, filling, and delicious. Here are my tips for making a good salad:

• Variety- Not just in the 'toppings' but in the lettuces. My favorite salads usually have at least 2 different kinds of lettuce (although a good kale or spinach salad doesn't have to- but if you're using something basic like romaine, or -God forbid- iceberg- definitely mix it up a bit. There are some good baby lettuce mixes you can buy pre-packaged, but make sure they are fresh). Adding some fresh herbs, like dill or basil, can also be a nice flavor addition.
  
• Color- this is another way to test the above- if you have a colorful, beautiful salad, chances are you've got some good variety in there (as well as different nutrients you need!)
  
• More veggies! I often like having chopped fresh steamed asparagus, zucchini or squash, sauteed mushrooms, beets, chic peas, jicama (for a nice crunch!), or sprouts in my salads.
• Nuts, fruits, & seeds- (what my husband calls twigs & berries) -Adding some dried or fresh fruit, healthy nuts, or seeds can go a long way to spicing up your salad. My new favorite is pomegranate seeds, which also pack a high punch of antioxidants. Trader Joes has some really good dried fruit options. Here are some ideas: raisins, cranberries, apricots, chopped figs or dates; mandarin oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, apples, avocado; walnuts, almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds.
  
• Proteins(s) - Since I'm veggie, I like using beans, edamame, tofu, or tempeh. Adding some protein to your salad ensures it will keep you full, and takes it from a side to a meal. Items with healthy fats also go a long way towards keeping you full (like avocados and nuts), in addition to just making the salad really yummy!
  
• Freshness- Using fresh ingredients should always be a rule of thumb! The only real exception to this is some frozen veggies *can* be acceptable in a salad - corn is often ok, or peas, and sometimes artichoke hearts.
• Keep the dressing light! Don't drown your salads!!! Dressing shouldn't be the highlight of the salad, or the only thing you taste when you take a bite.
  

Some "Big Salad" meal ideas:

• Mandarin oranges, fresh dill, avocado, green apple, atop baby greens with a light dressing
  
• Middle-Eastern: hummus or chic peas, olives, feta, cannellini beans, sauteed zucchini, asparagus, atop fresh baby spinach with a balsamic dressing
  
• "Salsa salad": Black beans, sour cream, shredded cheese, tomatoes, avocado, jicama, atop shredded mixed iceberg and romaine lettuces, with salsa as the dressing
• Summer salad: strawberries, blueberries, edamame, sprouts, orange grape tomatoes, sunflower seeds, atop baby arugula with a citrus or honey-mustard dressing

The salad pictured above has avocado, tempeh, pomegranate seeds, carrots, tomatoes, snow peas, edamame, and baby arugula blend. I used Brianna's dijon honey mustard dressing, which is awesome!!

Speaking of salad dressing, I usually look for low-fat dressings that will complement my salads rather than over-power them. Some of my favorite store-bought dressings:

• Brianna's Honey Mustard
• Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
  

While I do like making my own salads, these places have some of my favorite salads in the Bay Area (which, I might add, is a pretty darn good area to be in if you're a vegetarian or vegan who loves big salads with fresh ingredients!):

• Blue Barn Gourmet in San Francisco's Marina/Cow Hollow (Yelp)
• The Plant Cafe Organic in San Francisco - Embarcadero and Marina/Cow Hollow (Yelp)
• Paisan in Berkeley (Yelp)
• Crepevine - multiple locations in the Bay Area (Yelp)

Wrapping: Hummus, toppings, and kale salad

I was so inspired by this summer vegan kale wrap that I found the recipe for on Friday that I had to make it immediately. I spent nearly half my day on Saturday gathering all the ingredients and making all of the items that went into it, but the result was the best wrap I've ever had; also the most expensive (when you count buying all the ingredients), time consuming wrap I've ever made. But worth it for all the new recipes I know now!

Here is the original recipe, (complete with videos!) from Gena at ChoosingRaw.com and Kathy at Healthy Happy Life.

I started with the hemp hummus for the wrap.


It was my first ever batch of hummus!Good flavor & consistency. And not that hard or time consuming to make, either (once I figured out what tahini was, and where to find it and shelled hemp seeds). Here's the recipe (from Gena @ Choosing Raw):

High Protein Hemp Seed Hummus:
Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
• 1 can chickpeas, drained, or 2 cups freshly cooked (heat before blending for ideal consistency)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tahini (optional)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Water

Steps:

1. Place the hemp seeds in the bowl of a food processor and grind till powdery.
2. Add the chickpeas, salt, lemon, garlic, tahini, and cumin, and begin to process. Add water in a thin stream (stopping to scrape the bowl a few times) until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Garnish with hemp seeds and serve.

Next came the trio of bruschetta toppings that go into the wrap (or, not surprisingly, onto bread to make bruscetta) (from Kathy @ Healthy Happy Life):

Avocado Jalapeno Lemon topping:

• Mix 1 avocado cup into small cubes, 1 Tbsp diced jalapeno, 1 lemon juiced, lemon zest, and salt & pepper.

Balsamic Shiitake Mushroom topping:

• Saute sliced shiitake mushrooms in olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Cool and add chopped fresh thyme, and a few pinches of truffle salt & pepper.

Mango Basil Lime topping:

• Peel & cut 1 ripe mango into cubes. Add 2 Tbsp chopped basil, 1-2 limes juiced, and lime zest.
  

And then the kale salad and dressing (again from Gena):

Miso Sesame Dressing:
Makes nearly 2 cups. Half everything if you don't need that much- it is a pretty rich dressing.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mellow white miso
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 3-4 tbsp tamari
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, or 1/2 tsp dry
• 1 and 1/4 cup water

Blend all ingredients together on high.

Kale Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch curly kale
• 1 large vine ripe or beefsteak tomato
• 1 large bell pepper (or if you're like me and don't like peppers, just omit it- still tastes great without it!)

Steps:

1. De-stem the kale by holding them stem and simply pulling the leaves off by sliding your other hand from the stem to the tip. (You want the leaves and not the hard stem part). Wash & chop the kale.
2. Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the miso dressing to the kale. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the salad- it will help break down the kale so it's a bit softer when you eat it.
3. Add the tomatoes (and pepper if preferred) and serve.

Watch Gena's video for the de-stemming and 'massaging' techniques if you aren't sure!

Here are the finished products:


And finally, the wrap with everything in it!


It was YUM.

Some tips:
-Don't forget to warm the wrap for a few seconds first before putting things in, so it doesn't crack when you wrap it.
-I made the mistake of buying small rather than extra large wraps. Go big instead: there's a lot to put in this filling, delicious, healthy wrap!
-Tamari is very similar to soy sauce, and tahini is similar to peanut butter (I'd never used either one so didn't know!)
-The ingredients are all just as good (if not better?) the next day!
-The miso dressing recipe makes a TON of dressing, so unless you're looking to store about 2 bottles worth, I'd halve it.
-Check out Gena and Kathy's blogs for more useful information.

Corn and Avocado Salad

From: Whole Foods recipes

Another corn salad! This is a slight variation on last week's corn salad recipe, but different enough that it warrants it's own post. My friend Paula introduced it to me, and it was love at first bite. The addition of the avocado gives it a nice hearty but healthy creaminess, while the dressing and cilantro add a fresh bright flavor.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed from cob
• 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes
• 1/2 ripe avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  

Steps:

1. Steam the corn in a large pot until just tender but still crisp, about 3 min. Cut from cob with large knife.
2. Whisk together the oil & vinegars, adding the onion.
3. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss to mix well.
   

Notes: As with the other corn salad, it's all about fresh sweet corn here. Substituting frozen corn won't cut it. The recipe on Whole Foods suggests pairing this with a salmon dish, but since I don't eat salmon, you don't get that recipe here! We paired it with artichoke griddle cakes and it made for a nice meal. Something Mexican-inspired would also work well with this side dish.

Here's another variation: Corn Salad with Beans & Avocado.

Sweet Potato Salad with Apple and Avocado

From Vegetarian Times

Last year I subscribed to Vegetarian Times and was inspired to try lots of new dishes. While I can't say that all (or even most) of the recipes I tried I liked, this was a keeper. (To be fair, I did make a few mistakes, such as using barley when I should have used bulgar, and barley has about twice the cooking time... making for an unpleasantly crunchy dish...)

In any case, here it is, the yummy, filling "salad" that could be used as a side but I've considered more of a main course. It is good the next day as well as lunch!

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1lb sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup unsalted hulled pumpkin seeds or pepitas
• 1 medium red apple, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 avocado, finely diced (note: the Veg Times recipe calls for 1/2 an avocado, but hey, you might as well use the whole thing, right? I always did and it balances well, especially if you are using it as a main. Plus, avocados are rich in the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids- one of the good kinds of fat!)

Steps:

1. Put sweet potatoes in large pan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes.
   
2. Add corn to the pan w/ the potatoes and cook 1-2 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water to cool (and make sure the veggies don't overcook); drain well. Set aside.
   
3. Toast pumpkin seeds or pepitas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, about 3-4min or until they start to pop. Transfer to a plate to cool.
4. Combine chopped apple, onion, cilantro, and lime juice in a large bowl. Stir in sweet potatoes, corn, and oil, and season with some salt & pepper.
   
5. Just before serving, gently stir in the avocado and pumpkin seeds.

Tips: I may have liked this dish more than my husband, who thought it got too "mushy" - this is a good reminder to make sure you don't overcook the sweet potatoes, and you don't add the avocado too soon (ie, let the potatoes cool first, and don't mix too much!) More than a few times, I've just been lazy and stirred in the last 2 ingredients right after cooking everything, and then stored it in the fridge until dinner (hence the "mushy"). If you want to prep early, just leave the seeds out and store the avocado in a separate container in the fridge until you're ready to mix in, or better yet, cut the avocado just before serving (since it can discolor with time- one way to combat this is to use some lime juice though).

Nutrition information: (per 3/4 cup serving- note that adding the full avocado will increase this slightly): 179 calories, 3g protein, 9g fat (1g saturated fat), 23g carbs, 0mg cholesterol, 4g fiber, 8g sugar.
Here is the link to this recipe on Vegetarian Times.