BBQ Season ~ Vegan Style {Overload Alert!}

Oh me, oh my. It's been far too long! Have you been enjoying this summer holiday? It's been a bit cooler than I'd like, but weather can be very unpredictable. I was looking forward to cookouts with neighbors, picnics at the beach, and all the other joys that warm weather brings, but alas, it has been wet, cold (60's) and windy. I guess I'll just have to content myself with INDOOR outdoor fare. 

Earlier this month, I was invited to share some plant-based recipes for our local Living Healthy Supper Club. It was right after the 4th of July, and being rather in the mood, I chose to go with a BBQ themed dinner. Our menu was:

Appetizer ~ 

Garlicky Spinach Artichoke Dip with Toasted Pita Chips

Sides ~

Israeli Cous Cous Salad

Herbed Red Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted Brussels and Asparagus

Baked Mac and Cheese 

Main Course ~

BBQ "Chicken" Sliders with 

Coleslaw Condiment

Dessert ~

Very Berry Shortcake

Soy Whipped Topping

I thoroughly enjoy this food. Seriously. I want you to be able to enjoy it as well. I don't have photos of all of the recipes, but if you'll click on the links provided, you'll get a sneak peak of some of the dishes. 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

(adapted from Chef Chloe Coscarelli)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 onion, finely chopped 

3 cloves garlic, minced  

a few pinches crushed red pepper (optional) 

2 cups chopped spinach 

1 (14-ounce) package soft tofu, drained 

½ cup nutritional yeast flakes 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1 Tb. fresh basil, torn or coarsely chopped 

½ - 1 teaspoons sea salt 

1 Tb. Good Seasons Garlic Herb Dry Salad Dressing Mix

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained (can also use marinated or frozen) and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup water chestnuts, drained and chopped 

Pita or tortilla chips and fresh crudites for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1-quart baking dish. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions until soft. Add garlic and red pepper and let cook a few more minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add spinach. Let cook, stirring gently, until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and add chopped artichokes and water chestnuts.  In a food processor, blend tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, basil, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add artichokes and spinach mixture, and pulse about 15 times. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Let cool slightly, then serve with pita or tortilla chips and vegetables. Can also be served cold. 

Herbed Red Potato Salad 

(adapted from Taste of Home)

3 lbs. Red potatoes, washed well

1/3 cup olive oil

3 Tb. fresh squeezed lemon juice (about one lemon)

2 Tb. fresh dill, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 Tb. whole grain mustard (opt.)

1 1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

1/3 of a large red onion, finely chopped

Instructions:

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork tender but still firm and skins split slightly. Drain and set aside. 

In a small bowl whisk together oil, lemon juice, herbs, lemon peel, salt and whole grain mustard (if using). 

Dice slightly cooled potatoes and place in a medium bowl; add red onion. Drizzle dressing over potatoes and onion and toss to coat. This salad is best if served the next day to allow the flavors to deepen.

Israeli Cous Cous Salad

2 cups dry Israeli Cous Cous

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 English cucumber, peeled, quartered, and chopped

1 large red tomato, diced

2 Tb. diced or thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup, fresh basil, cut into ribbons (julienned)

Juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

Instructions:

Pour water into medium sized pot, salt generously, and bring to a boil. Add cous cous and once again bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 8-10 minutes. (Check to make sure cous cous has not absorbed all liquid and is sticking.) Remove from heat, pour into a colander, and rinse with cold water. 

Peel, quarter and dice cucumber. Wash and dice tomato and onion. Wash and slice basil into ribbons. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk freshly squeezed lemon juice with 1/4 cup olive oil. 

In a large serving bowl, combine cooled cous cous, vegetables, and dressing. Stir well to break up any clumps of cous cous and incorporate all of the zesty, fresh dressing. Season to taste with salt. Serve!

Optional add-ins: 

Kalamata olives

Tofu feta (You’ll want to reduce the amount of dressing in the salad if using)

BBQ “Chicken”

4 cups Butler soy curls

1 Tb. chicken style seasoning

1 Tb. dehydrated onion

Olive oil

salt, to taste

2/3 cup prepared barbecue sauce of choice

Instructions:

Place dry soy curls in a medium bowl. Add chicken seasoning and dried onion to soy curls and stir to combine. Boil enough water to completely cover soy curls, and rehydrate for about 5 minutes. 

Heat about 1 Tb. olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain and squeeze excess water from soy curls and transfer to pan. Season with a little salt, to taste. Sauté curls for a minute or two until they begin to dry slightly and turn light golden brown. Add 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce and stir to incorporate. Turn down heat and continue to sauté, adding the last 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce when it looks a bit dry. 

Remove from heat, toast some burger buns, heap some BBQ Chicken on your bun, layer some fresh coleslaw on top and you’ve got a delicious main course for your vegetarian outdoor cookout. 

Kale Salad with Toasted Pepitas

Yet another delicious variation on a kale theme. Kale is one of the powerhouses of nutrition; a dark, green, fiber-rich bunch of health. I am somewhat new to the juicing/green smoothie scene, and kale is a staple in most green juices and smoothies for its nutrient dense properties. See my previous post on White Bean Kale Soup {click here} for more detailed information on what kale provides. 

My best friend from high school sent me a recipe for one of her new favorite addictions, Massaged Kale Salad from Aarti Sequeira of the Food Network. The original salad contains diced mango and toasted pepitas with a lemon-honey vinaigrette. I didn't have mango, so substituted the next best thing...sweet bell peppers. I know, I know... no where near mango. 

You really have to massage the kale to work the fibrousness (is that a word?) out. It might seem like a little work, but it's really so much better that way. 

Ingredients:

1/2 large bunch kale, washed and deveined

1/2 fresh lemon

8 black olives, sliced

1/3 cup diced red and yellow sweet peppers

2 handfuls toasted pepitas (try sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts, too!)

Salt, to taste

Dressing:

1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed

2 tsp. honey

pepper (opt.)

scant 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions:

Roll kale leaves into small bundles and thinly slice into ribbons (this is called chiffonade). Place into a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the greens, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over, and sprinkle with salt. With your hands, massage kale for perhaps one minute, until the fibers have broken down and greens are slightly wilted. 

Add black olives, sweet peppers and pepitas (or other seeds) to green mixture and stir to combine. 

In a small bowl, combine juice from the other half of the lemon, 2 tsp. honey, and black pepper (opt.) and whisk. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, until a emulsion forms. Pour dressing over kale greens and toss to mix well. 

Taste salad and adjust for seasonings.

Yield: 2 1-cup servings, or 4 1/2-cup servings

100 calories per 1/2 cup (slightly less if you don't use all the dressing.)

Orzo with Wilted Spinach

I love orzo. It cooks quickly, is versatile, and has such a cute little shape! One of my first experiences with orzo pasta was with my (then) fiancé on Valentines Day 2004. He took me to J. Alexanders, a fantastic restaurant in Denver. A steak house, there was not much on the menu to suit our vegetarian dietary preferences, but they did offer a delectable variety of vegetarian side dishes such as a mountain of smashed red potatoes, haricot vert with almonds, steamed broccoli, braised red cabbage, heirloom carrots, and this amazing orzo salad. It was a mouthwatering blend of dried fruit, pasta, wild rice, sweet peppers, etc...You'd really have to try it to believe me. ;0) We finished off our meal with a gigantic piece of warm carrot cake too big for the two of us to finish. I've attempted to replicate that salad many times, but just can't seem to get it right. That's ok. I'll save the experience for the next time I visit J. Alexanders. 

This recipe is a respectable nod to orzo as a side dish. I made this dish this afternoon for dinner with a vegetarian chicken cacciatore and toasted whole grain baguette. It's lemony fragrance really enhanced the cacciatore. 

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 cup orzo pasta, dry

15 oz. vegetarian chicken broth (I used 1 Tb. chicken seasoning to 15 ozs. water)

1/2 medium onion, roughly diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh spinach, washed and cut into strips

2 tsp. fresh basil, julienned

1 tsp. fresh lemon zest

Juice of half a lemon

Salt

Pepper (opt)

Instructions:

Drizzle about 2 tsps. olive oil in bottom of medium saucepan. Add dry orzo. Warm over medium high heat until orzo begins slightly brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Allow to cook until tender, approximately 18 minutes. 

Meanwhile, start your spinach. Saute onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until fragrant and beginning to clarify. Add spinach and basil. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted. Add lemon zest and juice and season well with salt and pepper, if using. Cook a moment longer to allow the flavors to combine. Remove from heat and seat aside. 

When orzo is tender, add spinach mixture, stir and fluff combination. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Eggplant Medallions

My dad never enjoyed eggplant. It was just one of the vegetables he wouldn't eat...along with zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, etc. (I love you, Dad!) One day my mom made eggplant parmesan, and he declared that he might be able to like eggplant if he couldn't taste it. :0) I think Dad might approve of this eggplant, too. It's thin, crispy, and delicious--not tough or bitter at all. 

I remember the first time I tasted eggplant prepared this way (five years ago!). Our friends, Mark and Jyothi, invited us to their daughter's birthday party. I arrived early to help Jyothi get things ready, and she asked me to make the eggplant. I spread a thin layer of Vegenaise on each side of the eggplant round, then dipped it in a breading mixture of nutritional yeast flakes and some other seasonings. It was then baked until crispy and golden. I was a little suspicious. After I tried one piece though, I was hooked. It was sooooo good. 

Recently, I found a recipe in one of my favorite new vegan cookbooks "Give Them Something Better" by Sarah Frain and Stephanie Howard, that is very similar. If you have their cookbook, you should give it a try. It is very good.  I think the only thing different here is my breading mix. Their ratio of water to mayo alternative is slightly different, too. 

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced in 1/4-in. thick rounds

(For my family I only used 10 slices and froze the rest of the eggplant pieces)

For batter, whisk together:

1/4 cup Vegenaise 

1/4 water

For breading, combine:

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes

Salt, to taste

Granulated garlic, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Dip each slice of eggplant into the batter, then coat completely with breading. Place medallions on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet until sheet is full. Spray the tops of the eggplant rounds with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy. (Mine only took 13 minutes).

This recipe is super versatile! You could serve it with pasta or layer it on a sandwich with grilled onions and bell peppers. At the birthday party, we ate it as an appetizer with dipping sauce.

Roasted...Anything!

It's my personal opinion that nearly any vegetable tastes better roasted. I've never been a fan of steamed cauliflower, brussel sprouts, or asparagus...but roast them? Amazing. Roasting deepens the flavors, and in some cases, releases a certain sweetness that isn't normally found when boiling or steaming.

I try not to roast vegetables too often, for I have to practice self-control when I do. :0) I could seriously eat an entire head of cauliflower, an entire pound of asparagus, an entire....cup...of brussel sprouts (I think you get the idea) prepared this way. The only veggies I haven't really enjoyed roasted were beets and sweet potatoes mixed. It was an interesting recipe I found that sounded good, but was terrible. I chalked it up to experience and moved on. 

Here is my preparation for roasted cauliflower, but you could apply the same principle to brussel sprouts or asparagus. 

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets and washed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper (optional)


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread cauliflower out on a medium cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over florets. Toss to combine. Sprinkle minced garlic over cauliflower and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then place cookie sheet in oven. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until cauliflower is softened and pieces are slightly browned. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed.

Serve with lentils, rice, and tossed green salad. Delicious! ;0)

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Summer = salads. No labor intensive cooking to heat up your kitchen -- just easy, satisfying, and cool salads. This salad does involve some cooking, but it's pretty simple to throw together. Plus, with the pairing of quinoa and black beans, it yields a perfect balance of carbohydrate and protein. 

According to Wikipedia, "Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids likelysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Nutritional evaluations of quinoa indicate that it is a source of complete protein. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest." 


Ingredients:

2 tsp. oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed
1 1/2 cups vege chicken broth (1 1/2 T. vege chicken seas. to 1 1/2 cups water)
1 tsp. cumin
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 15-oz. cans black beans with jalapeños, drained
2/3 cup cilantro, washed and coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
salt


Instructions:
Saute onion and garlic in oil until wilted and fragrant. Mix quinoa into saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin and salt. Bring to a boil; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Stir in frozen corn, black beans, cilantro, and bell pepper. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed.


Enjoy! 

Wild Rice Pilaf

As young newlyweds, my husband and I began looking for ways to establish our own family traditions, including adding non-traditional foods that we both loved into our holiday meals. The first Thanksgiving we shared after we were married was bittersweet. It was the first time we stayed home for a holiday.We had family coming to our house for the afternoon. We weren't alone, but it was just...different. It signified the fact that we were adults now, with a home of our own. It was a little sad....until the cooking began. 

I made my first pumpkin pies. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. Seitan. Green bean casserole. Stuffing. And my mother-in-law brought this amazing wild rice pilaf. The nuttiness of the rice paired with the sweetness of the dried fruit made it an instant holiday tradition. That, and fresh cranberry salad. Over the years we have enjoyed many additions to our holiday meals, but the wild rice pilaf is always present---except the year we enjoyed a traditional mexican meal for Thanksgiving. 

Ingredients:

3 cups mixture of half short grain brown rice and wild rice, cooked

1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds (or you could use pecans, but I like almonds better)

2/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, sliced (wash and remove leaves, of course)

Olive oil

Salt

Instructions:

Sauté onion and celery in a small amount of olive oil until soft; add garlic. Add cranberries and continue to sauté a moment longer. Add salt to taste. Add rices to pan and stir to combine. Allow to warm completely through, check for seasonings, then add roasted almonds.

Serve and enjoy! This really tastes best made a day ahead and reheated. 

Serves 4-6

Creamy Nacho Cheese Sauce

I love cheese. I'm ashamed to admit how much I like cheese...especially on a vegan blog. When our family decided that we'd like to attempt a vegan lifestyle, my heart sank a little bit at the thought of certain recipes that would be left behind because they just wouldn't be the same without cheese. One biggie? Our family favorite: homemade layered cheese enchiladas (New Mexican Style).  I tried various alternatives, but they just weren't IT. One day, I asked my friend, Marion, if she had any good recipes for a vegan cheese sauce. She sent me two, but this one was amazing. It's originally for mac 'n' cheese, but I've altered it by cutting down the salt, adding a bit more water, and spicing it up. I made a pan of enchiladas to beta test....It totally passed. It was so good. 

So, here is my version of nacho cheese sauce: perfect for dunking chips, dolloping (is that a word?) on haystacks, pouring over enchilada casserole...

In a blender combine:

1 cup canned coconut milk

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup pimientos

1 T lemon juice

Scant 1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp dried or granulated onion

2 1/4 cups water

1 Tb. Chipotle in Adobo

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp red chile powder

Sm. pinch red pepper flakes

1 7-oz. can green chiles (opt.)

Blend cashews and coconut milk with 1 cup water until very smooth and creamy (no cashew grit remains). Add all other ingredients, except green chiles, and continue blending until incorporated. 

Pour into a medium pan and bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent scorching, until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in green chiles, if using. 

Enjoy!

I have modified an original recipe found in the cookbook "7 Secrets" by Jim and Neva Brackett.