Avocado Kale Salad

Fresh herbs and a tangy Asian flavor

The Shout out:

Here's another great recipe that I can't take credit for: a crunchy avocado kale salad with a delightful twist of lime and rice wine vinegar. Or, as the authoress over at Cookie + Kate calls it, a Chopped Kale Salad with Edamame, Carrot and Avocado.

What a fabulous salad, folks. Super easy and adaptable, it's a big old bowl of veggies that's perfect for a side dish or entree alike. Truth be told, I had originally whipped it up with the intention of serving it alongside a veggie burger. But as I was in the "testing" phase of the recipe - you know, when you're checking for juuust the right amount of salt, citrus or spice - I just stood there and ate..and ate...and ate.

Dinner without any dishes! Fine by me.

I deviated from the recipe ever so slightly by steaming my kale for about 3 minutes instead of sticking to the 100% raw recipe. I also omitted the edamame altogether because I didn't have any on hand. Go ahead and experiment - I'm even thinking of throwing some sesame tofu into the mix next time around. 

Garlicky kale with sesame tofu

Tofu + greens = power team 

The protein:

My highly versatile, hugely yummy sesame tofu

Tofu – it’s pretty polarizing. Meat-eaters mock it and even among vegetarians, there’s not a clear consensus. While some are worried about the alleged health risks associated with soy consumption, other are worried about, well, making it taste good. 

It’s not the easiest to prepare, after all. Making the most of your tofu involves pressing it to remove excess water and then developing a recipe chock-full of flavor for the tofu to absorb. The quality* (i.e. price) of your tofu is also a factor in where your meal registers on the deliciousness continuum.  

Then, of course, there’s your preparation method – baking, frying, stir-frying, steaming. Where to begin? What on earth to do?

You bake it up sesame garlic style, as I did for this epic salad, and then you move on with your life. 

The power:
  
Yet you’ll surely run up against some follow-up questions, namely: now what? What do I do with a pan of perfectly browned sesame tofu?

When in doubt, my friends, go for garlic + greens. Sautéed kale, spinach, or collards work wonderfully here. Sliced mushrooms bring a mild meaty flavor, where your yellow peppers bring crunch and color.

You’ll need:

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 large bunch kale, roughly chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• ¾ cup mushrooms, sliced (white or Crimini variety)
• 1 small onion, sliced into half moons
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1.5 TBSP toasted sesame oil
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

If you're tofu-ambivalent, try it sesame style over garlic greens!

Heat the EVOO on medium and add the onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, adding garlic and red pepper flakes once the onion softens. Cook for 1 minute before adding the yellow pepper and mushroom. Stirring often, cook the peppers and mushrooms for about 4 minutes. 

Finally, toss in the kale and stir to incorporate. You may want to add a drizzle of EVOO or a few splashes of water or veggie stock to create some stream. As your kale turns bright green, after about 4-5 minutes, add a generous hit of sea salt and pepper. Finish up by turning off the heat and adding a light drizzle of toasted sesame oil. 

Prepare your bowl with couple heaping spoonfuls of rice, a generous layer of steaming kale, and as many pieces of tofu as you deem reasonable. Yes, it’s fantastic, but you don’t have to eat it all in one sitting – it holds up in the fridge just fine. 

* As a Connecticut native, I’m hugely fond of The BridgeTofu, out of Middletown, CT. Living in Boston, I’m lucky to still have access to The Bridge’s handmade tofu, even if it retails at about 2x the price of store-brand varieties.

Peanut Butter Banana Panini

Five minutes of prep, a lifetime of pleasure

The night:

Returning from an evening with Taylor Swift, my little sis and I were in a state of bliss.

Inspired by Tay’s unending set list of hits, Carly Simon’s surprise on-stage appearance, and the thousands of super-fan tweens we spent the evening screaming alongside, we were in the mood for a seriously celebratory sammy.

The peanut butter banana panini - you'll want seconds!

Trekking back to Boston from Gillette Stadium, which (obvi) offers positively zero vegan fare, I secretly assembled my fantasy sammy: peanut butter, banana, and strawberry jam panini-pressed between thick slices of When Pig’s Fly cinnamon raisin bread.

And when we got home, I laid it on my unsuspecting sis: the hot, the gooey, the sweet, the chewy peanut butter banana panini.

The morning:

More than twelve hours later, we still haven’t recovered from the splendor that is this sandwich. In fact, I think I need to take a moment of silence. It’s all so overwhelming.

Ok.

You’re gonna want to get on this ASAP. Go get:

• 2 slices cinnamon raisin bread – crusty, thick bread works best
• 2-3 TBSP honey-roasted peanut butter, all natural
• ½ tsp strawberry jam, no HFCS
• 1 ripe banana
• ½ tsp Earth Balance vegan butter

Spread a thin coat of Earth Balance over one side of each piece of bread. Add the peanut butter, jam and banana to one piece. On the other piece, spread the remaining peanut butter and then press your sandwich together. Carefully place it on a panini-press and cook for 5-6 minutes on medium.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking: any vegan Nutella-like spread will push this epic sandwich experience over the edge of insanity. Do it if you dare. Try out this homemade chocolate hazelnut recipe by A House in the Hills and let me know how it goes!

Hot Jalapeno Refried Beans

When canned won't cut it

The Game:

I like to play a game called “Has Anyone Ever…”

All you do is come up with a crazy scenario and ask a friend if anyone ever – just once in the history of the world – has experienced the scenario you’re describing. It’s a fun and often outrageous conversation starter.

And so I ask you: has anyone ever gotten giddy over canned refried beans?

I’d bet not.

Canned refried beans, aka meh, hardly get the heart pumping. But here’s what will: my homemade vegan Hot Jalapeno Refried Beans.

The Players:

If this is your first foray into homemade refried beans, fear not. More than easy, it’s intuitive. You’ll want:

• 1 can beans, kidney or pinto, rinsed and drained
• ½ jalapeno, minced, seeds intact
• 1 lime
• 1 TBSP garlic, minced
• ½ sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp EVOO
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Onion, garlic and jalapeno pack
a lot of punch in these beans

Begin by heating the EVOO in a skillet on medium-low. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onion softens and becomes translucent. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next, stir in your beans and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the lime juice and cook for 1 more minute. 

Lastly, turn off the heat and smash up your bean mixture with a potato masher. How smooth or chunky you make it is up to you! Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the lime juice and mash em' up

The win:

So now: has anyone ever gotten giddy over a hot bowl of Hot Jalapeno Refried Beans?

Absolutely – and here’s why. Hot off the skillet, these babies are a perfect accompaniment to a chips and salsa snack. They’re a hot and spicy add-on to any burrito, taco or Mexican bowl. And, I dare say, if you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan meal, whip these up and throw a heaping spoonful over a bowl of brown rice – add your avocado, salsa and cilantro, and you’re done.  

Spicy Summer Corn Salad

Heatwave Eats: Spicy Summer Corn Salad

The mindset: 

This summer in Boston seems to vacillate between periods of pouring rain (i.e. Memorial Day weekend) and even longer waves of scorching heat. We’re now entering day three of 90+ temps, and if you’re anything like me, you’re a sweaty mess and not in the mood to turn on the lights, let alone the oven or stovetop.

Yes, my kitchen has been a detoxifying 87 degrees, so it’s time to pull out the raw recipe reserves. With mid-summer corn piled high at every turn, I need little more convincing. Spicy Summer Corn Salad, here we go.

The method:

What greater joy is there than cutting sheets of corn fresh from the cob? The cool, crisp kernels are the perfect template for an endless variety of raw salads. But let’s start simple.  

For a 2-serving salad, you’ll need:

                3 ears fresh corn, shucked & de-kernelled

                10 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

                1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced and then quartered

                ½ jalapeno, with seeds intact if you like it hottt

                ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

                ¼ cup EVOO

                2 limes for juicing

                2 dashes hot sauce

                Sea salt & pepper

Combine the corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, jalapeno and cilantro and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the EVOO, lime juice, hot sauce and 2-3 generous dashes of salt and pepper. Drizzle the EVOO mixture over your veggies and combine. Chill in the fridge or serve immediately.

The madness: 

Now, if you (like me) insist on eating at least one serving of avocado per day, here’s your opportunity.  Dice it up and mix it in. It’ll be amazing. Or, if you want to pack in some protein, toss in a can of black beans. In the mood for more herbs? Chiffonade some fresh basil for a garnish. If you’re not up for a spicy ride, simply skip the jalapenos and hot sauce.

Pair this salad with a veggie burger or a crusty, whole grain bread topped with hummus, sprouts and avocado for a simple summer dinner. And as always, digging in on your porch (lawn, driveway, roof…) will really make the flavors sing.

Review: Sauces n' Love Vegan Pesto

Pesto Pasta Party, Vegan Style

Sauces n' Love Pesto, available at Boston-area Whole Foods Markets, $7

The craving:

For us vegans, years can pass between our opportunities to indulge in an authentic pesto-drenched pasta dish. Years, that is, of sorrow and privation. Cheese-free pesto is hardly a staple at most grocers, and for some (unjust, insane) reason, this summer staple seems relegated to second class status at many veggie-centric eateries.

Recipe options abound with Sauces n' Love
versatile vegan pesto.

With traditional pesto recipes calling for Parmesan or Romano cheese, we’re often left standing over our food processors, basil bush in hand. And while there’s nothing better than a homemade batch of pulverized basil, pine nuts, garlic and EVOO, sometimes you just don’t have it in you. On a lazy Sunday night, pesto making just isn't in the cards.

Enter Sauces n’ Love vegan pesto, 4.5 jarred ounces of garden-fresh flavor.

The solution:

Versatility is part of pesto’s many appeals. Toss it over capellini, fettuccine, fusilli – whatever you have on hand – and raid the fridge for forgotten produce. My asparagus and cherry tomatoes were a few days shy of giving up on life, so before I cracked open my inaugural jar of Sauces n’ Love pesto, I set a handful of asparagus spears into salted, boiling water. As the asparagus cooked, I pan-fried some Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips. Quick, healthy and novice-proof. Anyone with two pots and a frying pan can cook this meal.

Before tossing it all together, I mixed a heaping spoonful of pesto with 3 tablespoons water and a small slice of softened Earth Balance. This concoction covered about three large servings of fettuccine, which is a huge plus for those of us who live and die by leftovers. To top it off, I incorporated the chicken and asparagus, saving the halved cherry tomatoes (or quartered, go crazy) to complete each individual serving.

This simple fettuccine dish is highly adaptable. Dig into your
produce bin - it's hard to go wrong!

Damn, that was easy.

The verdict:

The verdict, the verdict…not necessarily the place to say “it depends.” But here’s the deal: if you want your meal infused with unobtrusive basil-y notes, Sauces n’ Love pesto is your jam. Fresh and aromatic, this product yields a delightful bowlful of quintessentially summer flavor.

And yet.

If you’re looking for a more extreme pesto experience – a mouthful so commanding you couldn't care less about the itty-bitty basil flecks bespeckling your smile – Sauces n’ Love may fall short. Deferential where it ought to be aggressive, this is a pesto built for those falling center-right on the flavor-seeker continuum. If this isn't you, here’s what to do: simply mix a supplementary scoop (or two…) into your dish.