Tabbouleh... or is it Tabouli

Many different spellings for this word.  Either way, a traditional Middle Eastern salad that packs tremendous flavor.  The trick is to chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.  This allows all the flavors to blend.  The lemon and mint give Tabbouleh a fresh, clean taste, and I add garlic for a little kick.  This salad is so simple to make and very inexpensive.   Good in a pita with Falafel or chick peas, over a bed of lettuce, or plain as a side dish.  Really, you can't go wrong,   Give it a try, you'll love it!   (contains gluten)

Lemon and Mint give this a light, refreshing taste

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of water
3/4 cup fine cracked wheat (bulghur)
1 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 lg cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T good olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, pour the water, lemon juice and salt over the cracked wheat, stir and let soak about 20-30 minutes until water is absorbed.  Meanwhile, chop all the herbs and veggies and add to the cracked wheat mixture.  Stir in olive oil.  Add cracked pepper, salt and more lemon juice to taste.  Chill 2 to 4 hours before serving.  Serves 6.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Avocado Quinoa Salad

Since I am relatively new at preparing vegetarian and vegan dishes, I get some of my recipes from other vegan blogs and websites.  I love finding new foods to try and sharing them here.  I can't tell you how yummy quinoa is.  It's not just for vegetarians or vegans!  My feeling is, if you like rice, then you will like quinoa.  Don't be afraid to try it.  There are several recipe ideas on my blog for preparing quinoa.  It is very versatile.  Why should  you eat quinoa, you ask?   Click here for more information on health benefits. 

Chili and lime give this a nice Mexican flare!

This recipe adapted from mightyvegan.com.

Ingredients:
2 cups prepared quinoa (1 cup of rinsed quinoa, 2 cups of water or veggie stock. Boil until liquid is absorbed)
2 avocados, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 can of organic black beans, drained and rinsed
juice from one lime
1 T olive oil
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
dash of Cayenne
(add onions, red bell peppers, or jalapenos to make it your own!)

Directions:
Mix everything together in a large bowl and let chill for an hour before serving so flavors can combine. Chow down!

This recipe shared on Amee's Savory Dish

Vegan Ranch Dressing

We love our Ranch, don't we?  We put it on salads, veggies, fried foods, even our pizza crust.  I've tried several Ranch dressing recipes, never to be satisfied.  I wanted it to taste like "I-can't-stop-dipping-so-I-might-as-well-drink-it" good.   Here is the recipe I came up with.  It has no buttermilk, egg yolks or MSG (thank goodness)!

Makes a little over 1/2 cup of dressing:

1/2 cup vegan mayo;  Follow Your Heart has the best tasting one, like mayonnaise
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk; or you could use sweetened, whatever your preference
handful of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, rinsed
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. sea salt
pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, except soy milk.  Slowly add the soy milk last to get desired consistency.  Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Salad

Cold salads are in order for the summer.  I'm always looking for new ways to prepare Quinoa.  This is a sweet version that will knock you out, baby!  I used sweet apples and dried cranberries, as well as celery and walnuts for crunch.   Celery does not provide much nutritional value, but it adds the perfect amount of crisp with the apples and chewy craisins.  To read more about Quinoa, look here.

**I garnished with Chia seeds.  Nutty-tasting, whole-grain Chia seeds are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, and they have among the highest antioxidant activity of any whole food -- even more than fresh blueberries.  They are an excellent source of dietary fiber and help keep blood pressure and blood sugar under control.   Unlike flax seeds (which you should grind to get full nutrition), Chia seeds can be left whole.

Click to enlarge

Ingredients:

1 cup of water
1 cup of apple juice (a good brand with no HFCS, please)
1 cup of quinoa, *rinse well
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped celery, about two stalks
1 apple, coarsely chopped
Pinch of sea salt
Chia seeds for garnish (optional)

In a pot, boil rinsed quinoa, water, apple juice, cinnamon and salt for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.  Cool in fridge for 1 hour.   Take out of fridge and fluff with a fork.  Add apples, walnuts, cranberries and celery.  Mix and eat!  Good alone or on a bed of lettuce.

*Why should you rinse quinoa? Quinoa produces a natural coating called saponin. This protective coating makes the seeds taste bad and may cause indigestion.  Fortunately, you can easily rinse the saponin off your quinoa before cooking.

This recipe is shared on Amee's Savory Dish Fit & Fabulous Fridays:

"Chicken" Salad

Okay, so, Morning Star makes these packages of Meal Starters "meat."  They have steak and chicken strips (made from soy protein), and are located in the frozen aisle of most supermarkets.  Check near the veggie burgers and frozen pizzas.  Not all Morning Star frozen products are vegan, though.  Some items may contain dairy.  If you use bread, this recipe makes 3 or 4 sandwiches; or try it on a bed of salad.  *You don't have to eat meat ALL the time.  Take a break from it and try out some new foods.  Your body will love you.

Simple and Delicious!

Ingredients:

2 cups of Morning Star Chik'n Strips, thawed and chopped
1/2 cup vegan mayo (Vegenaise)
1/4 cup red or white onion, diced fine
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries (Oh boy, does this make the dish!)
2 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 T Agave nectar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve on whole grain bread or on a bed of lettuce.  Yum yum.

This recipe shared on Amee's Savory Dish:

Chick Pea Salad w/ Lemon Balsamic Dressing

When I think of this salad, I think: simple, fresh, healthy, crunch, sweet, savory.  With protein and veggies mixed in, you can't go wrong.   The marinated artichoke hearts give it an extra yummy flavor, and the flat leaf parsley and lemon freshen it up!  The dressing is the sweet/savory part with a garlic kick.  In a pinch, you can use a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and squeeze lemon over the top.  Just be careful to buy a dressing without high fructose corn syrup HFCS.  Read your labels!

click photo to enlarge

Ingredients:
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 can organic chick peas (garbanzo beans)
handful of flat leaf parsley, washed and diced
1/2 cup organic shelled edemame
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1-6.5 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts

Dressing:
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp.  organic balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Agave nectar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 lemon, squeezed (2-3 tablespoons)
pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk up dressing and set aside.  Drain and dice artichoke hearts.   Drain and rinse chick peas.  Add all salad ingredients to a medium bowl and toss with dressing.  Chill for 1 hour.  I don't know how many servings this is because I almost ate the whole thing in one sitting.  You can share; I'm just really really selfish.

Roasted Red Pepper & Potato Salad

I learned a few years ago how to roast my own red peppers and now I'm addicted to it.  The store-bought ones are expensive and floating in so much oil.   The sweet, roasted red peppers combined with garlic, scallions, lemon, and fresh parsley, make this dish to-die-for!  You have your complex carbs and veggies in one side-dish.  It travels well because it can be eaten warm or cold.  Yipee!

If you've never tried it, here's how to roast a red bell pepper:
Preheat oven broiler.  Wash, clean out, and cut up bell pepper.  Place on baking sheet or stone.
Place under the broiler, turning every 3 minutes until the skin is blistered, about 10 minutes total.
Place blistered peppers in a brown paper lunch bag and seal, for 10 minutes, allowing to steam and cool.
Remove peppers, peal off skin, and dice up.

Salad Ingredients:
1 roasted red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 pounds of white baby new potatoes (boil for 10 minutes, then cut in half)
3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cooked (steam or micro, however you do it)
5 or so scallions, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 Tablespoon of dried parsley flakes, or 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf, washed and chopped

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing:
In a small bowl and whisk together
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Squeeze in half lemon
Pepper

Toss salad and dressing together and Eat It Up! Makes 6-8 servings.

What to do with Kale

You probably thought Kale was just a garnish chefs use, but no!  You should eat it.  Kale is a wonderful source of antioxidants such as vitamins A and C, health-promoting phytonutrients, and calcium (yay!).  Kale is more dense than other lettuce, but it is wonderful raw in salad (remove the stalk and stems, chop). I like to mix it with Romaine leaves.  You can also sauté or steam and use in pastas, soups and stews.  Amazingly, you can bake it, and it turns into delicate little "chips" that melt in your mouth, similar to the way cotton-candy does. 

Basic Crispy Kale Chip recipe:

Rip apart 4 or 5 stalks of Kale into bit-size pieces, discard center stalk
Rinse and pat dry, or use a salad spinner to get moisture off
Put Kale into a bowl and drizzle in about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and
Pinch of sea salt, massage olive oil and salt into Kale
Spread out on baking sheet so pieces are not touching or overlapped
Bake at 350° for 18 minutes
**Now, here's where you can get your grove on. Other spices can be sprinkled on before baking such as, garlic powder chili powder, paprika, cayenne, pepper etc. Experiment!  I used a little garlic powder and nutmeg.  So good!  Makes about 1-2 servings.

Sesame-Orange Asian Salad

I hijacked this recipe from Little House of Veggies, but of course, I made it my own way, as we all tend to do with recipes.  The dressing is the 'sesame-orange' part and the joie de vivre of an otherwise boring cabbage salad.  It is light and refreshing, without that feeling of too much sodium and sugar.  I could munch on this all day.  Now, here's the thing:  I added 6 oz. of cubed, fried, extra-firm tofu for a healthy protein.  You could leave that out all together and just eat this as a lovely side-dish.  But for me, it's a main dish.
Bon Appétit!

Cold Bean Salad

Yes another salad!  This salad is so easy to make, I whip it up all the time.  I've even brought it to potlucks. This is actually meant as a side-dish but I eat is as a main dish.  It's got your protein, green veggie, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  There's a secret ingredient that makes it hard to stop eating!  Check it out.

Adapted from Vegan Heartland:
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed, I leave them long cuz it looks prettier
1 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small red onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup organic olive oil or organic expeller pressed canola oil
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup, surprise!
Salt and pepper to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon

Steam or blanch green beans (or get the microwave in a bag kind), and cool
Mix dressing and toss with beans
Eat and feel good!

Yams on my Salad

Why are we only eating Yams in November?  You can buy them year-round.  Sweet potatoes are good too, but I'm referring to the orange ones.  Yams are a superfood, and I'll tell you why.  Aside from containing Vitamin C, potassium, iron, folate, fiber and calcium, they contain B vitamins; particularly B6, which helps in the breakdown of a chemical substance in your blood called homocysteine (an amino acid) Google it.  We need lots of B6 to break down this amino acid which can increase the risk of heart disease.  B6 can also improve the symptoms of PMS.  Way cool.  Did I forget to mention Yams are very low in saturated fat, salt, cholesterol? Sorry.  Recipe below.

**Did you know your brain and palate love hot and cold together?  Just the same as we love sweet and salty together.  It's a match made in heaven.  Next time you are at the supermarket, pick up a few yams and serve them warm on a green salad.  Ditch the boxed mac & cheese and try this delightful salad as your side dish. Yum yum!

In my salad:
Chopped green leaf lettuce or romaine
Chopped kale (yes kale, for calcium, yay!)
Dried cranberries
Slivered almonds
Warm, cubed yam
Throw in some Edamame for protein, you bet! 
Any other veggies you want to add, go for it!
Light balsamic vinagrette