Summer Vegan Cranberry Bean Salad!

I saw these gorgeous red, marbled beans across the produce section of our new local produce store, and was immediately drawn to them.  I have never seen these beans before and new I had to buy them.  I actually had no idea what I was going to do with them, but that should never stop someone from being curious and creative.

As pretty as the shells look, you do not eat them.  So, you do have to do some shelling here.  The beans themselves are quite unique as well.  Speckled almost that of a quail egg, where some are white with red speckles and others vice-versa.

Cranberry beans are no joke either!  One cup of these are less than 250 calories, almost 18 g of fiber and almost 17 g of protein.

I am sure a hearty soup would be great using the beans.  To me, they are similar to northern beans or kidney beans.  But, since it is summer, I wanted to go with a bright, tasty bean salad.  Great for picnics and parties!

Summer Vegan Cranberry Bean Salad

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1 c dry cranberry beans

3 c vegetable broth or water

1/2 c  green beans

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp evoo

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 lemon juiced

Directions:

Add your vegetable broth or water and shelled cranberry beans to a boil.  Cover and simmer for roughly 35-45 minutes or until soft. 
In the meantime, another boil another pot of water and steam your green beans.  I like my green beans slightly crunchy and a vibrant green color, so I usually steam them for just a few minutes.
Once your cranberry beans are done, toss all your vegetables in a bowl.  Whisk together your dressing ingredients and add to the bowl.  Viola!  A new fun and easy bean salad!

Grilled Blackened Tofu with a Raspberry-Kale Quinoa Salad

Summer summer summer time = break out the grill, homies!  Brand new apartment and a huge deck means we finally get to buy our own very grill.  We even have a separate dining room, which is also very exciting.  I foresee dinner parties in the near future.  Yay!  Now this is exciting people! 

The raspberry-kale quinoa salad would be perfect for a picnic or any sort of get together this summer.  It is light and packed with protein.  And, who wouldn’t love the sweetness of the raspberries?

Add the blackened tofu, and this meal is blasted with protein!  With the combination, there are 34 grams of protein for one serving!  Lean, mean vegan machine right here!

Grilled Blackened Tofu with a Raspberry-Kale Quinoa Salad

 

For the Blackened Tofu (yields 4 servings):

1 package extra firm tofu sliced into 4-6 pieces

1 tbsp sesame oil or evoo

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

Preheat your grill.

Once you slice your tofu, press your tofu with paper towels and remove water.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and tamari.  In a separate bowl, combine all the seasonings.  Brush on the wet ingredients, smothering the tofu, then place the tofu in the seasoning mix, coating each side.  Grill each side of the tofu for about 1-2 minutes and serve immediately.

For the Raspberry-Kale Quinoa Salad (yields 4-6 servings):

1 c dry quinoa

2 c vegetable broth or water

1/2 c fresh raspberries

1 c baby kale

1/4 c sliced red onion

1 tbsp evoo

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

In a pot, add in the quinoa and broth and bring to a boil.  Cover, turn to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Once done, transfer to a bowl, fluff and add in the remaining ingredients.  Season to taste.  Allow the salad to cool for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator or serve warm.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Vegan Wheat berry and Kohlrabi-Apple Salad

This is a perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover.  This thing looks like it came from outer space or something from WWII.  If you are not familiar with this veggie, google it, I ain’t lying over here!  Granted, yes, it is not the prettiest thing while whole.  Though once you cut the outer part, you have a beautiful crunchy and mild vegetable.  Technically it is a German turnip.  If I were to explain this, I would compare the texture to jicama and a very mild/sweet radish or a bland apple.  You can steam it, roast it, make it into a fritter, etc.  Though, for this recipe we are keeping it as is and using it raw.

 Wheat berries are a great grain for vegans.  I think they give quinoa a run for it’s money.  They are unprocessed wheat kernals that are hearty with tons of protein and dietary fiber.  If you have not cooked with them, note that you should soak them for at least 4 hours because they are quite tough in texture.  If you are questioning if you have cooked them correctly, they should be soft yet pretty chewy.  I would think this is due to the large amount of fiber.

To make a delicious and complete meal, I stuffed a gorgeous roasted sweet potato with this salad.  Everything compliments each other perfectly!

Vegan Wheat berries and Kohlrabi-Apple Salad

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

1 c dried wheat berries

1 kohlrabi, outer skin sliced off

1 large apple

1 c red kale (or regular kale) roughly chopped

3 green onions chopped (I used both the green and white parts)

2 tbsp evoo

1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp agave nectar

s+p to taste

Directions:

Soak wheat berries in water for at least 4 hours.  Drain and rinse.  Take your soaked wheat berries and put in a pot with about 3 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, with a mandolin slicer, slice into thin matchstick strips.  Clean and chop your apple into small pieces.  In a bowl, add in the sliced kohlrabi, apple, green onion and kale.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients and salt and pepper.  Once the wheat berries are done, strain and rinse with cold water.  Add in to the bowl with the vegetables and apple and pour in your dressing.  If you prefer more dressing, add in additional vinegar and evoo.  Season to taste.  Either serve at room temp or refrigerate.

Vegan Banana Flower Salad (Goi Bap Chuoi Chay)

Slow week at work means busy time in the plantry for this little lady.  After all, my energy has to be exerted in one way or another.  And, I thought that I should stop at two workouts today.  So that means I have been cooking/fermenting for hmmmm, lets see……about 7 hours.  Of course there was a bit of downtown, which I actually spent researching some of the odd items I picked up at the International market.

I picked up a banana flower a few days ago and was really looking forward to working with this little guy.  Usually if I have never worked with something before I will get a pretty small quantity, just in case it is not my cup of tea.  I hate for things to go to waste!  But, next time I will definitely grab more than one banana flower!

So, yes, banana flowers are really the flowers of the banana and used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine.  I wouldn’t recommend eating them raw due to the bitter taste and strange chalky texture.  But, after lightly boiling them, they become soft and have a subtle flavor somewhere in between an artichoke and boiled shitake mushroom.  Keep in mind you do NOT eat or cook with the leaves, you peel them and that is where you find the “flower” (as shown in the picture).  Although, the leaves are a nice vessel to serve the salad in!!

 So, this is my vegan version of what is known as “Goi Bap Chuoi Chay”, which literally translates to banana flower salad.  Traditionally it contains prawns, fish sauce, thai bird chili, amongst a few other ingredients.  Either I did not have them, or clearly cannot eat them.  So this is my wonderful version of this bright and tasty Vietnamese salad.

Vegan Banana Flower Salad

Ingredients/Directions: (serves 2)

for the salad:

 1 banana flower, flower removed

1/2 c sliced shitake mushrooms

1 lime juiced

salt

1/4 c mixed red & green bell pepper, thinly sliced (i used mandolin)

1/4 c peanuts, lightly smashed

1 tbsp thai basil chopped (sub regular basil if cannot find)

1 cloved pickled garlic minced

1/2 tbsp ginger minced 

1 tbsp cilantro chopped

1 sliced shallot (optional)

oil for pan frying (optional)

While removing the banana flowers from each pulled back leave, toss into cold water immediately.  This prevents them from browning.  Once all the flowers are removed, boil a pot of water with lime juice and salt.  Toss in drained banana flowers and your sliced shitake mushrooms.  Cover and turn on low and cook for roughtly 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes, strain and rinse with cool water.

 In meantime, prepare the rest of the salad.  In a bowl, mix together sliced peppers, thai bail, pickled garlic, ginger, cilantro and half the peanuts. Do NOT add in shallots yet (you will pan fry shallots at the end…note this is optional)  Add in mushrooms and banana flower once boiled and rinsed.

  

Now work on your dressing…

for the dressing:

1 tbsp sambal (or something similar to chili sauce)

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp coconut milk

1/2 tbsp agave nectar

1-2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Simply whisk all ingredients together and toss over salad. 

If you choose to do crispy shallots, heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a small frying pan and fry.  Top your salad with the remainder of crushed peanuts and crispy shallots.  Enjoy!

Chi-Chi-Chi….Chimichurri!…..Vegan Chimichurri Spiked Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is one of my favorite Mediterranean salads.  It is great for a side and/or for a light lunch.  And don’t forget, it is a great accompaniment to a delicious falafel recipe.

I wanted to take a traditional tabbouleh recipe and have some fun with it.  Lets face it, most people know how to make a traditional Mediterranean salad.  And then, a little light bulb went off in my brain as I was making a hearty cauliflower steak tonight…..why not blend Mediterranean with Argentinian flavors….duh???

 Okay, okay…..if you couldn’t guess what the secret sauce in the newly inspired tabbouleh dish is….drum roll please…..it’s chimichurri sauce!!!

 If you are not familiar with a chimichurri, it is an Argentinian  sauce that is typically used as an accompaniment for grilled meat.  Usually it is made of fresh herbs and spices and has a gorgeous, vibrant green color. 

Why wouldn’t this be great with Tabbouleh?  Both main ingredients are parsley and herbs…it only makes sense to combine the two….at least in my head it does (don’t judge- I promise this will not disappoint!) 

I also played around a bit and added some tomatillos to my chimichurri sauce, which is not traditionally how it is made.  But keep in mind, if you find that you have certain items in your plantry that may go bad, use them if you think they will do justice to your dish

Vegan Chimichurri Spiked Tabouli

 Ingredients/Directions:
for the tabouli:
1 c water
2/3 couscous
1 large vine ripe tomato chopped
2 handful parsley chopped
1/4 red onion choppped
1 tbsp evoo
s+p

Boil water and add in couscous.  Cover and remove from heat.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with fork.  Add in remaining ingredients and set aside.

for the chimichurri:

2 cups packed fresh Italian parsley leave

3 tomatillos (peeled and scrubbed and halved)

4 medium garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, seeded

1/4 cup packed fresh oregano leaves (or 4 teaspoons dried oregano)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tbsp evoo

1-2 tbsp water

s+p

 

Take all the chimichurri ingredients and blend in a food processor.  Add more liquid if needed.  Season to taste.

Spoon in the chimichurri sauce to your tabouli….enough to coat all the tabbouleh salad.  Let sit at room temperature to absorb all necessary flavors!

Yummy!!!

Simple and Sexy Sesame Vegetable Salad

This is such a simple, yet delicious salad and is a great accompaniment to any Asian entree.  This recipe is raw and gluten free if you use tamari instead of soy sauce.  Of course, if you do not have tamari or do not necesarily need raw or GF, then go ahead and use soy sauce.

The main difference between the two is the use of wheat in soy sauce.   Tamari is made with 100% soybeans, whereas soy sauce uses 40-60% wheat, and the remaining soybeans.

Sesame Vegetable Salad

 Ingredients:
1 cucumber
2 carrots peeled
1/4 red onion
1/4 c raw peanuts

Dressing:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tsp chili oil (optional)
2 tsp sesame seeds

With a mandolin, slice cucumber and then halve each piece.  Slice the red onion with the mandolin as well.  With a food processor or vegetable peeler, cut carrots into small shreds.  Toss all the vegetables and peanuts in a bowl.
In small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and toss over the salad.  Bam!  Delicious and fast! 

Curried Israeli Couscous with Apples and Raisins!

Lets be honest, just the smell of walking through the automatic doors of Whole Foods brings a wave fresh produce, flowers, herbs and cooked goods that consumes my senses.  But walking by multiple rows of the salad bar is downright shocking.  Shocking because clearly there are some remarkable salads and toppings to run through, but also because they charge at least $10.99/lb.  I mean come on!  Yeah, there specialty salads are good, but we can all make them equally, if not better AND for much cheaper!  

I flipping love Israeli couscous, so when I saw a curried Isreali Couscous I their store, I knew I wanted to do a play on that.  So, there is so simple to make!  All you need is pearled couscous, apples, raisins and possibly a few different fresh herbs if so desired! 

Curried Isreali Couscous with Apples and Raisins

Ingredients/Directions: (yields 3-4 servings)

2 c israeli couscous

2.5 c water

1-2 apples roughly chopped

1 c raisins

1 c water (to boil raisins)

handful of chopped parsley (optional)

1-2 tbsp curry powder (or combo of cumin, coriander, tumeric, dry mustard, cayanne)

2 tsp garlic powder

s+p

1 tbsp evoo

Directions:

In a pot, combine couscous and water and bring to boil.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

While cooking couscous, plump your raisins by boiling them for just a few minutes.  Strain and set aside.

Once couscous has finished cooking, transfer to bowl, mix with evoo, and add seasonings.  Toss in the apples, raisins and parsley.  Season additionally to taste and let cool.  

This is perfect for any season!

 

Chinese Style Brussel Sprouts and Exotic Mushrooms

Love love love me some brussel sprouts!  I actually can’t remember disliking any preparation of sprouts.  You can steam them, saute them,roast them…all are delicious!

 I have never had brussel sprouts in a Chinese dish, so I thought, why not?  We made a trip to Chinatown over the weekend and purchased some exotic woodland and enoki mushrooms and some vegan oyster sauce.  I thought that’s it!  A great little mushroom/sprout saute!

As far as the oyster sauce, make sure you read the ingredients.  Surprising many oyster sauces actually do not have oyster extract in them

For this dish, I wanted to break down the brussel sprouts into leaves, instead of just halving them or keeping them whole.  This took away a bit of the bitterness to the sprout, but also reduced the cooking time as well!

Just cut in half, and peel apart! 

Chinese Style Brussel Sprouts and Exotic Mushrooms

 Ingredients/Directions

1 lb brussel sprouts

1 c exotic mushrooms (I used woodland and enoki)

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 c chopped leeks

 3 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp evoo

First start with cleaning your brussel sprouts.  After washing, pat dry with paper towel and trim off each end.  Cut in half and peel into leaves.  

In a saute pan, heat evoo on medium heat and saute garlic and leeks for about 3 minutes.  Toss in sprouts and mushrooms and saute until soft, about 3-5 more minutes.  Stir in oyster sauce.  

If you would like them a bit more crispy,  place your mixture in a baking dish and broil for about 10 minutes (optional).

Vegan French Lentil Salad

Light, sexy, simple and tasty.  I think this is a great year round salad recipe that is great for pot luck dinners and picnics (sigh….oh the thought of a picnic in the middle of a Chicago winter…).

I have been doing so many Italian dishes lately, I thought I would lighten things up with a great lentil salad.  I feel like lentils are overlooked.  Of course, a great lentil soup is, well, great.  But come on!  There are many other things that you can do with this legume!

As for a plant based diet, lentils should never be overlooked!!  30% of their calories are protein!  Hello!  They are also rich in fiber, folate, vitamin B, minerals and iron.  Really, there is no reason not to cook with them!

With this salad, add some fresh dill and thyme, some diced veggies and dressing and you are good to go!

 Vegan French Lentil Salad

 

Ingredients/Directions: (yields 4 servings)

1 c french lentils

2 c water or vegetable broth

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk chopped

1/2 cucumber chopped

3 tsp fresh thyme chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill chopped

dressing

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp evoo

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 garlic clove minced

s+p

In a small pot, bring water and lentils to a boil, turn to simmer, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  

In meantime, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together, adjusting seasoning and the amount of vinegar/evoo to taste.

Once lentils are cooked, transfer to bowl and let stand for about 10-15 minutes to cool down (optional).  Toss in vegetables, thyme and dill and mix with your dressing.  Transfer to refrigerator or serve warm/room temp. 

That’s it!  Easy, healthy and tasty!

 

 

 

Detoxifying Roasted Blueberry-Kale Quinoa Salad!

This is one super healthy and tasty recipe!  We have fruit, veggies, grains, nuts and protein.  This is all plant based-vegan and low in fat as well.

I am sure everyone is tired of hearing about all these “super foods” and why you should eat them.  While yes, kale and quinoa are incredibly good for you, they actually taste good too!  Well, at least they do when making my recipes 😉

One thing I like to remember is to “eat the rainbow”.  And no, we are not talking about skittles all you candy freaks!  Not only does your food look vibrant and fresh, but this mantra will also get you tons of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs!

So, what I believe really makes this salad so great is roasting both the blueberries and tomatoes, along with roasting the cashews in a mix of salty, sweet and spice.  Throw in a few more veggies and toss with a lemon vinaigerette and you have a heavenly detoxifying meal!

Detoxifying Roasted Blueberry-Kale Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: (yields 4 servings)

1.5 c quinoa

3 c water

1 c blueberries

1 c cherry tomatoes halved

2 c kale stems removed

1/4 c sweet/spicy roasted cashews

1-2 lemons juiced 

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1-2 tbsp evoo

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

s+p

Directions:

Preheat oven 400.

In a pot, combine quinoa and water bring to a boil, turn to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. 

In a bowl, drizzle 2 tsp lemon juice over the blueberries and transfer to a baking dish.  In another bowl, toss halved cherry tomatoes in evoo and transfer to either same baking dish as blueberries, or a separate on.  Cook for about 10 minutes and remove and let cool.  

Once quinoa is cooked, transfer to a large bowl, add in about 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, red wine vinegar and evoo.  Toss in cashews, kale, nutritional yeast and seasoning.  Once cherry tomatoes and blueberries have cooled, toss into quinoa as well.  Season to taste and let cool to room temperature or place in the refrigerator for about an hour and serve cool.  Either way you it it, it is great!