A Guacamole Recipe

Everyone's got one. This is mine. It's a pretty basic shell that I occasionally add some extras to & rarely actually do any measuring. You'll want to double the recipe for big parties. This is a good size for a couple people to snack on or for a meal add-on. Just a tip... I like to keep red onions and tomatoes on hand for guacamole and sandwich toppings. You don't use the entire vegetable here, so put them in a salad or sandwich instead of throwing them away.

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados (reserve one pit)
1/2 small tomato
1/3 medium red onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

Optional add-ins: dried cumin, chopped fresh cilantro, and/or chopped jalapeno

Mash all the ingredients together until the avocado is mostly smooth with a few chunks. Taste test and adjust ingredients as necessary. If you don't plan to eat all of it right away, put the pit back in to keep it from browning rapidly. And if it lasts long enough to make it to the fridge, press some plastic wrap down on top of the guacamole, instead of just covering the bowl. It'll stay green much longer that way.

Mock Tuna Salad

I was wracking my brain for something easy and vegan to take to the beach while friends were visiting, and I ended up finding this on someone's blog, who had found it on someone else's blog. It was freakin' goooooooooooood. We made wraps, but you could totally use it on a sandwich or salad. A double batch made 4 pretty large wraps, and would probably make double that many sandwiches. Sorry for the lack of pictures. We were in a hurry.

Ingredients:
1(15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained (or 1.5 c. cooked)
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/3 cup minced celery
2.5 tbsp minced dill pickle (about 1 small whole pickle, or a big pickle slice)
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp kelp powder
pepper, to taste

Mash up the chickpeas with a fork, then mix all the ingredients together. Voila!

Curry Cashew Casserole

When I found this recipe in The Urban Vegan, I was under the assumption that it would be something quick and easy, since I'll be doing some heavy cooking for friends later this week. It was pretty quick and easy, but what I did not anticipate was how amazingly good it would be. It's filling, creamy, & flavorful. This casserole is the shit. That annoying thing omnivores say, "I don't even miss the meat!" They'll say it about this.

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp cashew butter
1/2 cup rice milk (I used soy)
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely
2 tbsp red curry paste (The recipe actually calls for 1-2 tsp, but I liked it this way.)
1 head broccoli, chopped into 1-inch pieces
15 oz can diced tomatoes, including juice
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

Optional:
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced thinly
1 yellow squash, sliced thinly

I used the mushrooms and red pepper, not the squash. Do what works for you though.

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, rice milk, and basil. The recipe says to add curry paste in small increments until you reach the desired heat, but I used more than the recipe called for and it wasn't hot. So I'm going to say use 2 tablespoons. Do it. You wanna. Mix all that together until there aren't any clumps left.

3. Toss the rest of the ingredients in and mix until combined and well coated.

4. Put it in a big casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for another 15 or so until the sauce is thick.

Serve with rice or some other grain.

Picnic Pasta Salad

This tangy pasta salad is great for picnics and potlucks. I made it today (the Fourth of July) to go with our veggie burgers & grilled asparagus later this evening. Originally, my mom made this with tons of cheese, so I've basically cut out the cheese and added more veggies, plus made the dish a little smaller. It'll still easily serve four to six people, but double the recipe if you have lots of people to feed.

Ingredients

2 cups bite-sized pasta, your choice
2 oz chopped olives (half of one of those little cans... or just use the whole thing if you really like olives)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
a pinch of sugar
salt & pepper

Cook the pasta until al dente, drain & rinse with cold water to keep it from cooking longer. Whisk the dressing together, then pour over pasta, enough to coat. Season with salt & pepper. Chill in the fridge for a while, then enjoy!

Whatever-You've-Got Paninis

You know that thing your mom or grandmother used to do, where they'd take a bunch of random stuff out of the fridge, throw it in a pot, and call it soup? This is sort of the same idea. Use whatever veggies and bread you have on hand. I happened to have a loaf of rye that needed to be used, so I bought a couple other things and used some stuff I already had. This isn't so much a recipe as it is an idea for you to check out and make your own.

My ingredients:

Rye bread, sliced for sandwiches
Portobello mushrooms, cut into long slices
Red bell pepper, cut into long slices
Red onion, sliced thinly
Lightlife "Pepperoni"
Daiya soy mozzarella
Basil, dry
Oregano, dry
Light Italian dressing
Olive oil


I prefer to pre-cook my vegetables before putting them on the sandwich. I cooked the onion in olive oil until almost caramelized, then added the red pepper, and seasoned all of that with basil, oregano, and Italian dressing. I cooked the mushroom separately until all the water from the mushroom was released, then seasoned it with the same stuff.

Next, I coated the outside of the bread with olive oil, packed on all the veggies, plus pepperoni and daiya, and smashed it in a pre-heated panini press until dark golden brown.

Substitute whatever vegetables, spices, bread, or various other toppings you happen to have on hand, and you're set!