The Veggie-Full Kitchen

Wonder Woman's?  Let me explain...  I made this salad last night for 17 people... after getting my 5 year old off to school, babysitting my sister's 2 year old which included: taking him to two different grocery stores along with my 3 year old and my 5 month old in tow.  Have you ever chased a toddler through the produce section?  How about two?  YIKES!  After the shopping, I got the two older boys fed and down for naps and with my sous chef on my hip I managed to prep everything .  I found a spare minute to post some updates on my family blog and to check my email.  Then, I made a dozen cupcakes, custom cupcake wrappers, and frosted them to boot!  Before I knew it, it was time to pick up my 5 year old and drop my nephew off.  I was homeward bound after that to begin making my dinner for 17.  I know this may not seem like a busy day to some, but to me, it was BONKERS!  The mess in the kitchen said it all.  It looked the wa...

I love Native Foods .  When I was a teenager I would ditch class, take a good book and go eat there.  One of my favorite things to order was the 'Chinese Save The Chicken Salad' with seitan.  I loved this salad so much and I could literally drink the salad dressing!  Which is why I have created a handful of recipes that incorporate Tanya's(Native Food's founder and chef extraordinaire) incredible dressing.  This is my pot luck pasta salad.  I've made it quite a few times and it's always a big hit.  I usually serve it up family style in a big bowl, but I felt a little fancy the other night and hollowed out some bell peppers to put it in. Sweet and Spicy Asian Dressing Ingredients 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 3 tablespoons grated ginger 1/4 cup sunflower oil 1/4 cup sesame oil 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper Directions Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Pas...

Recently, Dr. J and I went to a local Moroccan restaurant for date night.  Ever since, I have been daydreaming about the Couscous Salad that I had.  I decided to try to recreate it the other day for my dad when I was over at his house.  My mom had been out of town for a week and the poor guy was left to fend for himself in the kitchen.  So, I whipped this up for us to eat for lunch.  He loved it!  I even left him a container full of leftovers to get him by until my mom returned home.  It is so easy to make and it tastes light and fresh and down right delicious! Ingredients 8 fresh mint leaves, minced 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 5 cups couscous, cooked according to box and cooled 3/4 cup red onion, diced 20 oz. grape tomatoes, halved 2 zucchini squash, chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper salt to taste Directions 1.  In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and black ...

One of my favorite places to eat, back when I was a young college student, was Cafe Rio.  I would wait in Disneyland-long lines just to get my hands on one of their tostadas.  Dr. J thought I was crazy.  Well, for some reason, I've had them on my mind lately... so, for dinner last night, I made my own vegan version... and there were no lines to wait in, which Dr. J much appreciated.  I could seriously eat the dressing with a spoon.  It was sooooo good! Cilantro Lime Brown Rice Ingredients 2 cups brown rice 4 cups vegetable broth 1 cup water 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1 lime 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 1 teaspoon sugar Directions 1.  In a large pot, bring vegetable broth, olive oil, water, garlic and juice from 1/2 a lime to a boil. 2.  Add brown rice, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. 3.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, sugar and juice from the other 1/2 lime. Black Beans Ingredients ...

This recipe was the result of a disaster.  I started out making Baba Ganoush  for my spread.  I had roasted eggplant with red onions and garlic, mixed a few other things in the food processor.  Well, the end result was not good.  I hate to waste things, but this could not be salvaged and rather than make Dr. J and the kids choke it down, I decided to scratch it altogether.  Seeing how dinner was fast approaching, I searched my cupboard for something that could replace the Baba Ganoush.  I saw some black olives, and then glanced behind them to find some green olives with pimento.  I'd never attempted a tapenade, but thought I'd give it a whirl, as I was in a bit of a pinch.  It turned out really great.  Dr. J loved it as a light dinner, and it would work great for an appetizer.  All I can say is, what a serendipitous recipe! Olive Tapenade Ingredients 2/3 cup black pitted olives 1/3 cup green olives with pimento 1 1/2 teaspoon fres...

There was a restaurant where I grew up that served a salad similar to this.  Unfortunately, it closed a few years ago. Luckily, my mom had the recipe!  This is my version, with a few changes of course... And just to give you an idea of how yummy this is... My friends and family are usually more than willing taste testers.  I do have a 'meat & potatoes' brother-in-law who was over at our house the other day, who tends to shy away from trying my meatless recipes.  I did however, get him to try this... and... HE LOVED IT! Ingredients 8 oz. of your choice of vegan 'chik'n', prepared according to package, roughly chopped into bite sized pieces and cooled (I used the Morningstar Farms Mealstarters Chik'n Strips) 1 cup celery, diced 1/3 cup red onion, diced 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 1/2 cup red grapes 1 cup cashews, roughly chopped or left whole depending on your preference 2/3 cup Follow Your Heart Vegenaise 3/4 teaspoon curry powder 1/4 teaspoon white p...

You read it right... it's another mango inspired recipe.  I tend to use an ingredient once, and then I get a ton of ideas of how I could create other recipes with it.  Mango's are a perfect example of that!  So bear with me, on the mango front.  This salad just sounded so good to me, with all the fresh veggies and the sweet spice of the mango dressing.  I promise, after this i will give mangos a break. Spicy Mango Dressing Ingredients 10 oz mangos, cubed 3/4 teaspoon red curry paste 1/4 cup coconut oil 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons blue agave nectar 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper juice from 1/2 lime Directions Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  It is a thicker dressing, and I like it that way, but if you want it to be thinner you could add more almond milk at this point and blend it again.  You want to make it just before you eat becau...

Ten years ago, the thought of mixing fresh mint with fruit would not have appealed to me.  Today, this minty fruit salad is one of my favorites.  It is such a refreshing treat on a summer day, and I love that it isn't a fruit salad that anyone would expect. Ingredients 1 pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes 3 mangos, cut into 1 inch cubes 1/2 cup Flaked coconut (I like to use the sweetened coconut.  It is just the right amount of sweetness to go with the tartness of the pineapple and mango) 1 6 oz container PLAIN So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk (If you get another type of Plain 'Yogurt', you may want to add some pure maple syrup or honey to sweeten it.  The cultured coconut milk is already a little sweet) 4 mint leaves Directions 1.  In a large bowl, mix pineapple and mango. 2.  Mince the mint leaves. 3.  Top the fruit with coconut flakes and mint. 4.  Drizzle the Cultured Coconut Milk over the top.

One of my dearest friends, Sandy inspired this now vegetarian dish when she made it for my family while our husbands were both attending professional school. Because we were both on a tight budget, we would cook for each other in place of going out to eat. We did it with two other friends who loved to cook, so three nights a week my family had gourmet meals that I didn't have to make, and the other night I would cook for their families. Quite a few of my favorite recipes came from doing our meal swap. "Chick'n", Spinach and Radicchio Salad Ingredients 8 ounces fresh spinach 4 gardein chick'n scallopini's 3 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced 2-3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted 4 sun-dried tomatoes, diced 2-3 tablespoons capers 1/2 cup sliced black olives 1/2 cup julienne-cut radicchio 2 cups orzo pasta, cooked and chilled fresh cracked pepper to taste Directions 1. Heat about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan on medium high. Add the ...