Cauliflower and Pea Salad

Holidays are the perfect time for potlucks and picnics. And salad dishes are well suited to hot weather get togethers. This one was a big hit with my family recently.

Cauliflower and Pea Salad

One head of cauliflower
One package of frozen green peas
Onion, to taste (I took a red onion and chopped it up, then divided into thirds)
1 t. dill
1 c. vegan mayonnaise
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Cook the peas in boiling water, briefly (about one minute), drain, and rinse in cold water, drain again. Mix the cauliflower, onion, dill, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. Gently stir in the peas until well coated. Chill several hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Carrots with Dill

My family is not a fan of cooked carrots. They'll eat the heck out of raw carrots, but cooked? They'll pass. I like them, though, so will find numerous ways to cook them that just might appeal. This got half to say they liked them, the other half still said no. But I liked them!

Carrots with Dill

One bag of frozen, sliced carrots (you can use fresh, but I went for quick here)
1/4 c. vegan butter
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. fresh dill (or sprinkle on dried dill)

Cook the carrots according to package instructions. Drain. Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the cooked carrots. Stir in the salt and cook until everything is coated with the butter. Sprinkle on the dill. Serve. Enjoy!

Dilled Chick'n Salad

Since we've been eating salads the traditional way, in a bowl with a fork, I decided to change it up a bit and make one you can eat on lettuce or in a sandwich.

Dilled Chick'n Salad

Vegan chick'n - I used Trader Joes chick'n strips - sautéed and diced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
4 oz. vegan cream cheese
1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/4 c. vegan sour cream
1 T. dill
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. coarse ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix well. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serve. Enjoy!

We ate ours on bread topped with lettuce. Everyone wanted at least two sandwiches each!

National Picnic Month

One of the designations for July is National Picnic Month. Pretty much any month that isn't cold is well suited for a picnic. I mean, do you really need an excuse to go on one?

The hubby took a week off for some vacation down time, and decided we would all go as a family to a water park. He and I had never been to this one, so barring rain, we were going. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Despite the delay in getting our food, due to someone (I won't mention any names...) shutting the keys to the car in the trunk and having to have someone come out to unlock the car for us, it was a great day and the food turned out fantastic!

I like to shop the food section at Marshall's because I always find the coolest pasta. I was originally only going to make one pasta salad dish, but the recipe on one of the packages just sounded too good, so I decided to make both.

Walnut Chick'n Salad

1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
One container plain soy yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
3 green onions, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 c. cooked vegan chicken, your choice
One apple, cored and diced
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Add some vegan mayonnaise if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto your favorite slice of bread and enjoy!

Sesame Pasta Salad

1-1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/3 c. water
3 T. soy sauce
1-1/2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. white vinegar
One package of pasta, your choice (mine looked like margarita glasses), cooked and cooled
1 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. radishes, chopped

Mix everything together in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fishy Pasta Salad

One package of pasta, your choice (this one was shaped like lobsters), cooked and cooled
3/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. hot sauce

Again, mix everything in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fruit Salad with Mint

2 nectarines, pitted and cut into small pieces
3 kiwi, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces
One pint of strawberries, hulled and quartered
One pint of blueberries
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
3 T. lime juice
1/4 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, lime juice and mint leaves in a food processor until well blended. Add all of the fruit together in one large bowl, pour the sugar sauce over it and mix well. Refrigerate.

Add some iced tea and you've got a great picnic meal!

Patriotic Pasta Salad

Guitars. Drums. Sparklers. Laughter. Beer. My cats hiding under my bed. It must be July 4th.

This year we attended the second annual July 4th celebration at the home of a friend. What a great time we had! Plenty of food and lots of great conversation. I finally got to watch a young woman we know hoop. I tried a whiskey that tasted like cinnamon candy. Got rave reviews on my pasta salad.

Yep, it was a good day.

Patriotic Pasta Salad

One package of pasta (mine was shaped like flags and stars)
1/4 c. white white vinegar
1 T. water
1-1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. stevia
1/2 t. dried tarragon (I had some dried dill I tossed in, too)
1/8 t. black pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
Grape tomatoes, halved
3 carrots, shredded
3/4 c. vegan cheese, cubed

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and rinse. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, water, salt, stevia, tarragon and black pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to whisk.

Add the pasta to a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and carrots and pour in the vinegar and oil mixture. Mix well, but gently and chill. Add the cheese and mix in well before serving at room temperature.

Enjoy!

The only vegans at this shindig were my daughter and me. The hostess' mom made a special corn dish for us that was very good. Others brought fruit and vegetable trays, so we had plenty to eat. The non-vegans, who didn't know my pasta salad was vegan, all commented on how much they really liked the pasta. Always what a cook wants to hear!

Late Night Snacking

It never fails. I'm up late, as usual, and I get the munchies. Typically something salty rather than sweet. I came across this recipe and I think it is now my favorite.

Cauliflower Poppers

1 large head cauliflower
1 T. lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1 t. dried dill
1/2 t. black pepper
2 T. nutritional yeast

Wash and separate the cauliflower into florets. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and toss with the cauliflower. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, stirring once about halfway through the cooking time. When they are nicely browned, they are ready to eat.

They were immediately devoured by my family. Next time I think I will double the recipe!

Nothing Medi-Okra About This!

I've been a bit on an okra binge. Fortunately, my family likes okra, so all is well in my household. I saw a quote today about how so few people like okra that it doesn't even make it into the top ten most hated foods list! I think they are missing out!

Creole Peas

One c. diced celery
One c. diced green pepper
One c. diced onion
2 hot peppers, diced
Olive oil
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black eyed peas
One bag frozen sliced okra
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the celery, green pepper, onion and hot peppers in the olive oil until softened. Add tomatoes, black eyed peas with liquid, okra and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer for about 20 minutes.

This is a really flavorful dish. My family will sometimes season their food individually, but none of us found a need to do so with this. I served it over a lemony-dill rice.

Lemon-Dill Rice

Make your choice of rice according to your preferred method. Once done, melt butter with some fresh dill (dried if you can't get your hands on any fresh) and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Pour this over and mix into the rice.

Butter Stewed Carrots

I had some carrots sitting in the crisper drawer, so I pulled them out, peeled and sliced them, then sauteed them in butter and maple syrup. They looked quite lovely next to the peas and rice.

Round it all off with some fresh strawberries and some pineapple slices and enjoy!