Salad

Cauliflower Garbanzo Taco Salad
AKA Blackout Taco Salad

What are your thoughts on coleslaw? My husband thinks it is perfect. Perfect for the trashcan. I sort of agree with him. Same goes for potato salad. I’m just kinda… eh for it.

As the summer starts, it’s high time for coleslaw– lots of picnics. Lots of coleslaw. This past weekend, it made a few appearances. I didn’t mind when it was served with this recipe, and neither did my hubby. He actually asked for seconds.

On paper this recipe seems challenging. I promise it’s not. Doing it in a blackout with an electric stove is challenging. I actually had to finish it on the grill. Luckily it worked out well. We were all pretty dramatic when the blackout occurred. Even though they’re a pain, when they only last an hour there’s something exciting about them!

Here are a few pics from the blackout… I wish I could describe how much planning went into getting the beer out of the refrigerator. No Bud Lights were left behind. And also some veggies and garbanzos left plain for a certain spice sensitive toddler. And me, doing my best to improvise.

A few notes:

• Full disclosure – the cashew crema needs a little work. It’s fine, I’m just not totally satisfied. Maybe an aioli would be better. If anyone has suggestions, send them my way!
• This recipe is great as a salad or in a corn tortilla. If you’re making them into tacos, I would cut the coleslaw recipe in half.
• This recipe is very adaptable. Feel free to add more spice, less spice, cumin would be a good addition.
• I made some garbanzos from scratch. Gotta say – so much better than the can. It was worth the extra effort. Only downside is you have to do some serious planning ahead, as they need to be soaked over night and placed on the stove for a good two hours.

Cauliflower Garbanzo Taco Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• ½ cup of your choice of flour – I used rice flour
• 1 can of garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and dried
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Optional corn tortillas

Coleslaw

• 1 head of purple cabbage, cored and chiffonade
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 carrots, julienne
• ½-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• ¼ cup Veganaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1 lime

Spice Mix

• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Cashew Crema

• 1 cup cashew, soaked
• 1 ripe avocado
• ½ cup cilantro, packed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Garnishes

• Cilantro
• Avocado

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine spices together.
2. Mix flour and ½ a cup of water together. Add about ½ the spice combination to the batter. Toss cauliflower in the batter so that it is lightly covered. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, toss and rotate, and bake for another 15 minutes.
3. Combine garbanzos with oil and the remaining spice mixture. Bake in the same oven as the cauliflower for 10 minutes, toss and rotate, bake for another 10 minutes until they become crispy.
4. Place the prepared cabbage in a large mixing bowl and combine with salt. Allow it to wilt for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, Veganaise, mustard, and lime juice and mix until it is well combined.
5. Place drained cashews, avocado, cilantro (stems are good!), lime juice, and apple cider vinegar in the blender. Mix until smooth.
6. Plate coleslaw, cauliflower, garbanzos. Drizzle with cashew crema.

Question:

Source: https://memegenerator.net/instance/55425872

Wild Rice Arugula Salad
AKA – A vegan is coming to dinner

A dear friend of mine called me last week in a panic – a vegan was coming to dinner. Gasp! What should she feed her? Is pasta vegan? What IS vegan? After I stopped laughing (with her, not at – I thought it was refreshing for her to be so concerned about someone’s diet), I told her that feeding a vegan is not as overwhelming as you may think. While I don’t consider myself a vegan, I do cook mostly vegan or food that can easily be made vegan.

Okay the word vegan has officially been used too many times in this post and it’s weirding me out.

I said I had the perfect recipe for her. It was fresh, easy, and great for any type of eater. This can be a side dish or an entrée if you add a simple protein to it. I served it with tempeh that I dredged in flour and pan-fried.

Most people who eat v… a plant based diet and visiting for dinner are thrilled that their food choices are even being taken into consideration. There are plenty of times that I have shamelessly brought box of veggie burgers to a cookout. (Side note: Anyone know how much folic acid is in a veggie burger?)

Wild Rice Arugula Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup of wild blend rice – I used Lundberg
¼ cup of raw sunflower seeds
1 cup of shelled edamame, thawed
4 scallions, sliced thinly
2 ½ – 3 ounces of baby arugula – I used half a package of Olivia’s Organics
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2/3 cup olive oil
Juice of a lemon – about 1/3 cup
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon of salt, plus more to season
¼ teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Make rice: Boil 2 cups of water, add rice and simmer on low with the cover on for about 20-25 minutes, or until rice is tender. Strain off any water and fluff with a fork. Spread the rice out on a cookie sheet to allow it to come to room temperature.
2. In a small pan over low heat, toast sunflower seeds for about 5-7 minutes until they become fragrant and browned.
3. In a large bowl add cooked rice, toasted sunflower seeds, edamame, scallions, arugula, and cilantro.
4. Make dressing: Combine olive oil, lemon, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix until it is becomes emulsified. I recommend making the dressing in a jar so you can shake it until it is blended.
5. Add dressing to bowl and toss salad. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro.

Question: Have you ever had a guest come for dinner and were stumped on what to serve?