Waldorf Salad Pockets with Baked Tofu

I’ve always rather liked Waldorf Salad and have made different vegan versions over the years. This time I decided to try more of a main-dish take on it. It turned out nicely—quite refreshing and rather summery, even though the non-seasonal ingredients make it easy to make year-round.

I rather like recipes like this that can be made ahead in volume and served cold. They can come in handy during busy times. Whether it’s the joyful chaos of a family wedding or new baby, or the less pleasant stress of a loved one in the hospital, it’s nice know there’s a big bowl in your fridge waiting for anyone passing through who needs a meal on the go. When it’s something wholesome and well rounded with protein, fruits and veggies that will really nourish people and keep them going when they need it the most, that’s even better. Other recipes I’ve used for this purpose include Quinoa Salad, Mashed Garbanzo and Artichoke Spread, and Tofu Salad Sandwich Filling.

Vegan Waldorf Salad Pockets

 

Waldorf Salad Pockets with Baked Tofu

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs tofu, baked according to this recipe (or store-bought baked tofu)

3 large apples, diced into ½ inch pieces (not peeled)

1 12 oz package of broccoli slaw

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup chopped walnuts

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegan mayonaisse

3 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp sugar or sweetener (more or less to taste)

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

Pita pockets or other flatbread

Directions:

Dicing the baked tofu

Dice the baked tofu into bite-sized pieces; set aside.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients until completely smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu, apples, broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, and walnuts. Add dressing and stir until well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning and sweetness.

Baked Tofu Waldorf Salad

Warm your pitas if you wish, then stuff your Waldorf salad inside. Enjoy!

Makes quite a bit—at least 8-10 large servings.

Variations:

Waldorf salads sometimes contain diced celery or onions; those would both be welcome additions. The dried cranberries can be replaced with other dried fruits, such as cherries or raisins.

The walnuts could be substituted with almonds or pecans. The proportions of various ingredients can be adjusted to your taste as well (e.g. double the amount of nuts and halve the craisins).

The amount or composition of the dressing may be tweaked as well.

It would be quite authentic to serve the salad on a lettuce leaf instead of the pita, too.

Vegan Options for Dressing Fruit Salads:  

I like to make fruit salads, and since the dressing is usually the only non-vegan component, I’ve tried a number of different things over the years. Here are the basic options:

Fruit Salad, dressed with vegan yogurt

            Vegan yogurt is an excellent choice for dessert style fruit salads because of its sweetness. Its high sugar content may be undesirable in more savory recipes though (such as the one above) as well as nutritionally problematic for some people. The best flavors of vegan yogurt for fruit salads are vanilla, plain and lemon, although you could get more adventurous if you wanted to.

            Vegan sour cream is nice and creamy, richer and less sweet than yogurt, so it can be used in savory recipes. It may be less nutritious due to higher fat content and some even contain trans fat, however.

            Vegan mayo is arguably the best of both worlds nutritionally, much lower in sugar than vegan yogurt and lower in fat than vegan sour cream. Also one of very few specialty vegan staples that actually comes in reduced fat and even fat-free varieties (although availability varies by locale). It’s a very effective dressing base not just for fruit salads but also green/veggie salads. It benefits from being jazzed up a little with extra flavors like lemon juice, onion powder and sweetener. 

            Vegan “buttermilk” is not something you buy, it’s something you make by combining non-dairy milk with lemon juice or vinegar. For baking, the ratio is one tablespoon lemon juice to a scant cup of non-dairy milk, but for dressings I like it tangier. I use about one tablespoon of lemon juice per quarter-cup non-dairy milk, then sweeten and flavor to taste. Vegan buttermilk is not as thick as the other sauce options, so a smaller amount (1/2 to 2/3) should be used to prevent runniness. The advantages to using the “buttermilk” over the other sauce options are that it’s very economical and uses widely available ingredients—depending on where you live, soymilk and lemon juice may be much easier to get a hold of than specialty vegan yogurts, sour creams and mayos. It tastes pretty good too, especially if sweetened, and the lemon juice makes it effective at preventing oxidation in the fruit.

            Non creamy sauces for fruit salads are often vegan already with no modification. They can be based off of fruit juices, sugar syrups or vinaigrettes.

            No sauce at all: there’s nothing to say that a fruit salad has to be dressed with a sauce in the first place. If the fruit is on the juicy side, it’ll sauce itself. : )

Vegan Waldorf Salad with Baked Tofu and Broccoli Slaw

Tofu Salad Sandwich Filling (Mock Egg)

The basic idea of using tofu to make a mock egg salad is a vegan classic. If you hang around vegans long enough, you will definitely be served a version of this. This is my take on it.

I’m a little picky about texture when it comes to the tofu in this recipe—I want it firm enough to not be super mushy but not so much that it’s hard or crunchy. That’s why I have the employed slightly unusual microwave-pressing technique. It drives out just enough moisture without browning or crisping the way other cooking methods would. The tofu also absorbs more flavor when it’s warm. If this technique doesn’t appeal to you, you can try one of the alternative methods listed in the variations.

The other unusual thing about this recipe is the use of the bean-based sauce. Most recipes of this type use vegan mayonnaise, which is fine. I think that the texture of the pureed beans better approximates that of egg yolks, however. And nutritionally, there’s more protein and less fat in the bean sauce. Actually, there’s no added fat in this recipe at all. (There is a little bit of natural fat in the tofu.)

 

Tofu Salad Sandwich Filling (Mock Egg)

Sauce:

1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice (more or less to taste)

¼ cup unsweetened soymilk (other nondairy milks okay too)

¼ cup nutritional yeast

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp lemon pepper

¼ tsp mustard powder

¼ tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp dill weed

1/8 tsp dried tarragon

dash of paprika

1 lb extra-firm tofu

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

¼ of a medium onion, diced finely

salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

Puree all sauce ingredients until smooth in a blender or food processor; set aside.

Dice the tofu into ¼ inch cubes. Spread the cubes onto a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for 2 minutes. Being careful not to burn yourself, place a second plate on top of the tofu and lightly press the two plates together as you tilt them over a sink and pour off excess liquid. Repeat the microwaving, pressing and draining process 1 or 2 times if you wish for extra firmness. Let cool for a couple minutes while you chop your veggies.

 

 Place chopped celery, onion, and tofu in a mixing bowl and stir in the sauce. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve either chilled or at room temperature on nice hearty whole grain bread. Good on crackers or bagels, too.

 

Variations:

If you’d like a softer-texured (and faster) version of this recipe, you could skip the microwaving and pressing process altogether and merely dice firm tofu and add it directly to the sauce and veggies.

If you prefer a very firm and chewy tofu salad, you could dice baked tofu (such as this recipe) and stir it in with the celery, onion, and sauce instead of the microwave-pressed tofu.

If you don’t want to whip out your blender to make the sauce, a potato masher would work okay in a pinch. Just thoroughly mash the beans alone before adding the rest of the sauce ingredients. You might end up needing a little extra liquid.

You could jazz up your sandwich with various mix-ins, including: pickle relish, scallions, green or black olives, red onions, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, shredded carrot, cucumbers, fresh herbs such as parsley, chives or cilantro, diced avocado, radishes, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, pimentos or roasted red peppers, horseradish, or even diced cooked potato.

The seasonings can be varied as well—curry powder is a pretty common addition. Cayenne can be added for heat.

The herbs and spices can also be simplified by just using 1-1 ½ tsp of your favorite seasoning mix instead of the long-ish list in this recipe.

You could also change the assembly and stuff this filling into little croustade shells or similar so that you could eat it finger-food style, like deviled eggs. It could could also be served in hollowed out fresh tomatoes.

Looking for sandwich spreads? Try my Mashed Garbanzo and Artichoke Spread or Cheaper Hummus.

Fancy Vegan Caesar Salad

My family is very patient when it comes to all the exotic cuisines, strange flavor combinations, ingredients they’ve never heard of and just plain excessive, gratuitous unconventionality I bring to the dinner table. A reasonable amount of the time they even like the results. But nothing quite brings out their enthusiasm like familiar, long-loved favorites that have been successfully re-imagined—going from rare comfort food indulgences into healthy foods you can eat on a regular basis.

And this particular salad received a level of raves that is normally reserved for dishes involving copious amounts of gravy.

It would certainly be more creative to invent a new salad with all kinds of unusual ingredients and methods (and I often do). But some combos are classics for a reason, and this made for one of the nicest, most  restaurant-quality salads that I’ve had in some time.

This dressing was quite a satisfying facsimile—the capers, which I have seen in some other recipes, do indeed make a very good substitute for the traditional anchovies. The tofu lends creaminess and a neutral enough background for the traditional lemon and garlic flavors to shine through, and the other seasonings round out the flavors without requiring too much salt or fat. Which means you don’t have to be too stingy with the dressing—always a good thing.
 

The homemade croutons were easier than I though they would be. And with whole grain bread, they’re not too bad for you either.

Vegan Caesar Salad with faux chicken and homemade croutons

Fancy Vegan Caesar Salad

Dressing:

1 12 oz package soft silken tofu

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp capers, drained

2 tsp minced garlic

¼-½  tsp soy sauce

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp mustard powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1/8 tsp salt

2-3 tsp olive oil (optional)

1-2 tsp sugar or sweetener

Croutons:

3-4 thick slices of whole grain bread

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning (or salt & pep)

Vegan parmesan substitute (can use store bought if you want):

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

3 tbsp sesame seed, slivered almonds or cashews

¼ tsp lemon pepper

Vegan faux chicken strips OR baked tofu or seitan, 4 servings worth

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

Enough greens for 4 salads (8-12 cups), romaine would be traditional but iceberg, spinach, kale, mixed greens, etc would work too

Directions:

Tossing bread cubes with spices

First make the croutons: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice bread slices into 1 inch squares, and toss with oil and seasonings. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread bread out in a single layer. Bake about 12 minutes, stirring and flipping halfway through. Let cool.

Croutons, hot out of the oven

Vegan parmesan sub

Next, make the faux parmesan: place nutritional yeast in blender with lemon pepper and sesame seeds or nuts. Grind until powdery. Scrape out into a bowl.

To make dressing: Without washing the blender after making the faux parmesan, puree all dressing ingredients together until completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lemon and sweetener to your taste. Can be thinned with water or soymilk if desired.

To assemble: Place a pile of greens on each plate. Drizzle with a little dressing. Arrange

artichokes, faux chicken or tofu and croutons on top. Drizzle with a little more dressing,

then sprinkle with vegan parmesan sub. Enjoy!

Serves four (with leftover dressing & parmesan sub)

Vegan Caesar Salad

Variations:

Any fresh vegetable that you like on similar salads could be added, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, onions, peppers, radishes, sprouts etc. Fruits such as pears might be interesting as well.

Olives, wholes capers, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and sautéed mushrooms would all make highly flavorful add-ins as well.

Cooked sliced potatoes might create an interesting, nicoise-like effect, particularly if combined with green beans and olives.

Toasted or spiced nuts could be sprinkled on top for flavor and crunch. So could toasted nori.

Making the croutons with homemade bread, as I did using this recipe, is a nice touch. And the leftover bread can be served at the table with the salad.

Piled onto a whole wheat tortilla

This recipe is also very nice in wrap form. Just arrange all the components, sans croutons, on your favorite flatbread and roll up.

Caesar Salad in wrap form

Mashed Garbanzo and Artichoke Sandwich Spread

There are a number of similar recipes out there; most tend to go by the name of "mock tuna." It's a fair comparison, texture-wise, although I would generally rather go my own direction in terms of flavor rather than try too hard to emulate fishy flavors with seaweed, etc. The artichoke hearts are what really make this version special. I try to get one in each bite when I assemble the sandwich. : )

I like to make up a big batch of this during busy times, so that I can grab quick meals on the go. It's also nice for picnics.

Garbanzo spread

Mashed Garbanzo and Artichoke Sandwich Spread

(big batch--makes 10 or more sandwiches)

3 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 14-oz can artichoke hearts

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp beau monde seasoning (can sub celery seed + more onion and garlic powder)

½ to 1 tsp dill weed

½ cup vegan mayonnaise (see note* for subs)

salt, pepper, and/or lemon pepper salt free seasoning to taste

Optional add-ins (use 1 or 2): Chopped celery, finely minced red or sweet onion, fresh or roasted bell peppers, cucumbers, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs such as chives or parsley, pickles or relish, olives or capers, any spices that sound compatible

 Directions:

Mashing the beans

Mash the garbanzos with a potato masher. Cook the garlic in the oil (microwave or stovetop) for about 1 minute, until softened. Add the mashed beans along with the lemon juice and seasonings. Cook the mixture 30 seconds to a minute, until warm, and then set aside to marinate a few minutes [FYI, beans almost always marinate faster and more thoroughly when warmed first].

Meanwhile, drain the artichokes and chop them into ½ inch pieces. Prepare any of your optional add-ins as well.

Add the artichokes and mayo to the bean mixture and stir. Add any of the optional ingredients at this time. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and/or salt free seasoning to your liking. Adjust amount of vegan mayo to your taste. You can either chill the spread or serve it warm. 

*Can’t get a hold of any vegan mayo? You could try vegan yogurt or sour cream, perhaps mixed with a little extra lemon juice. For an out-of-the-box solution, you could actually use a vinaigrette-style salad dressing in place of the mayo if you have a vegan one in a compatible flavor. I’ve used a lemon-chive flavored dressing in this recipe and it tasted very good. If your dressing is runnier than mayo, you might want use a smaller amount. Just add it by the tablespoon until you reach a nice consistency.

Garbanzo-Artichoke Sandwiches with whole wheat toast

Refreshing Quinoa Salad

This is nice salad, both refreshing and substantial. Since it is served cold, it’s good for travel or picnics. I like to make up a big batch when I’ve got a busy couple of days coming up, and grab quick leftovers all week. You can vary it by adding in different vegetables and flavorings. Sweet onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers and various fresh herbs would be good choices. Nuts can be added for crunch.

Quinoa and Garbanzo Salad

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups dry quinoa

3 ¼ cups water

½ tsp salt

¼ cup lemon juice

2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 large (or 2 small) cucumber, chopped

1 bunch chives, chopped

a handful of dried apricots, chopped

1 Tbsp oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp curry powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

additional salt, pepper, and/or lemon pepper to taste

Directions:

Place quinoa, water and salt in a pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir in lemon juice. Re-cover, remove from heat and let sit for five more minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, chop vegetables and rinse and drain beans. Sauté garlic and spices in oil for a few minutes.

Fluff quinoa and stir in garlic-spice mixture, beans, cucumber, chives and apricots. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve chilled.

Grandma's Fruit Salad

This is a simple recipe, but a nice one. Canned fruit salads are sometimes a little bland and mushy, but this one chooses its fruits carefully—canned pineapple and mandarin oranges maintain their flavor and texture through the canning process much better than most fruits.  Using canned fruit also means you can make it any time of year without paying a mint in ingredients.

It’s very satisfying when you’re able to modify a recipe from your childhood to work within your current nutritional needs. Comfort food is mainly a matter of emotional associations, and a recipe doesn’t have to be completely identical to stir those same memories. Even though the original contained dairy and this one does not, one bite still transports me back to family reunions and grandmotherly hugs just as well as the proverbial madeleines. 

Grandma’s Any-Season Fruit Salad

2 20 oz cans pineapple chunks

2 15 oz cans mandarin oranges OR 3 11 oz cans

½ cup shredded coconut (more or less to taste)

6 oz vegan yogurt (vanilla, lemon, or plain work well for sauces) or soy sour cream

A handful of smallish vegan marshmallows, optional

Directions:

Drain fruit in a colander—ideally for several hours or overnight if possible, but whatever time you have is fine. Mix drained fruit with rest of ingredients and chill.

The marshmallows add a retro touch and make the dish more of a dessert. It tastes just fine without them though; you can see in the picture that I left them out this time.

In addition to being a walk down memory lane for me, this is a nice summery dessert that doesn't heat up the kitchen and gives you at least one serving of fruit. Not bad!

Easy Vegan Potato Salad

I tried a new method for potato salad this time, and found it both easier and nicer in texture. The technique is to use a thin-skinned, waxy potato such as Red or Yukon (no russets), leave the peel on, cut them before cooking, and steam instead of boil. This gives you firm, intact chunks that don’t dissolve into mashed potatoes, and also saves you the difficulty and danger of peeling and cutting a bunch of boiling hot potatoes.  Immediately tossing the potatoes with the lemon juice while hot helps them absorb the tangy flavor, preventing blandness and allowing you to use less dressing

.

Vegan Potato Salad made with red potatoes

 

Easy Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed (not peeled) and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

2 ribs celery, chopped

about ½ cup vegan mayo, store-bought or homemade (more or less to taste)

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp dill weed

¼ tsp mustard powder

¼ tsp celery seed

1-2 tsp sugar or sweetener

salt, pepper, and/or lemon pepper or other salt free seasoning to taste

Optional Add-ins: mustard, relish, onions, cucumbers or pickles, fresh herbs such as parsley or chives, or more unusual vegetables, such as zucchini, artichokes, olives, water chestnuts--whatever you like

Directions:

Steam your prepped potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.  Place hot potatoes in a large mixing bowl (heat-proof would be best).  Pour lemon juice/vinegar over them and stir briefly. Let potatoes finish cooling.

Meanwhile, chop celery and whisk dressing ingredients together. When potatoes are cool, stir in celery and dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add more vegan mayo if salad seems overly dry.

Serve immediately or chill for a few hours.

Variations:

Cauliflower based "potato" salad

You could substitute steamed cauliflower for part or all of the potatoes for a lower-glycemic salad. Cooked cauliflower tossed with a dressing this way actually has a pretty nice texture.

Some people prefer different dressing bases for this kind of salad. You might like to try vegan sour cream or soy yogurt in place of the vegan mayonnaise. For a low-fat base, you could also try soy “buttermilk”: soymilk mixed with a little lemon juice and left to sit a few minutes to curdle. Or perhaps a combination thereof.

The seasonings can of course be altered to taste.

Other root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or beets, can be mixed with the potatoes for color and nutrition.

This was pretty nice addition to a Memorial Day meal. We also had chili, coleslaw, and roasted fresh corn.

Roastin' Ears, baked husk and all

 

Salsas and Salads and Slaws, Oh My!

The sun is shining, the veggies are growing, and it is officially the Season of Salad.  It’s a great time to turn over a new leaf on getting plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and to pull out the recipes that taste great without heating up the house. Here are some of the fresh summery dishes I’ve been enjoying lately.

Pico de Gallo (mild)

This is a mild fresh salsa that’s really healthy and refreshing.  It’s also a pretty painless way to get some extra veggie servings in without even noticing.

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium sweet white onion, chopped

¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp lemon or lime juice

salt and pepper to taste {can substitute lemon pepper or similar low salt seasonings)

Just chop everything up and mix it together. Simple as that!

Serve it with chips or use it as a topping or condiment.

Note: if you can’t get sweet onions, use regular and add a couple teaspoons of sweetener.

Variations:

Spicier Pico de Gallo: add one or two hot peppers of your choice, seeding or not according to the heat you want (leaving some or all seeds in = much hotter).

Mango Pico de Gallo: Add one chopped mango or similar fruit (peach, pineapple or kiwi might be nice). This is a nice sunny version.

Italian Pico de Gallo:  Don’t like cilantro? Try using fresh parsley or basil instead.

More potential add-ins to toss in: beans (black are particularly nice), bell peppers, chopped avocadoes, various crunchy fresh veggies such as celery or even some steamed veggies such as asparagus tips.

The sky’s the limit. However, I admit the basic version is the one I use most often.

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole

Guacamole

3-4 medium avocadoes

1/3 cup Pico de Gallo or other chunky fresh cut salsa

1 tbsp lemon or lime juice (or more to taste)

pinch of cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Halve the avocadoes and scoop out the flesh. Add the lemon juice and mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and adjust to taste.

Variations: Any of the Pico de Gallo variations will work here. The mango version is particularly nice.

You can also make a lower fat version by extending the avocados with pureed peas or other green vegetables, in which case I would probably add some onion and garlic powder to jazz up the flavor.

Foolproof trick to keep guacamole from turning brown:  The discoloration is from oxidation, which means the avocado is reacting to oxygen in the air.  Therefore if you block the air, it won’t happen. What you do is when you’re ready to store your leftover guacamole, spread an even layer of refried beans or other thick spread on top, making sure there are no gaps and the guacamole is completely covered. Then put a lid on the dish and put it in the fridge.  When you’re ready to eat either scrape off the bean layer or eat it as a layer dip.

Guacamole with its blanket of refried beans

Coleslaw

1 lb shredded cabbage and/or other coleslaw veggies

2-3 tbsp dried fruit, chopped if large (cranberries and apricots are good choices)

1 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger, optional

Dressing:

1/3 cup Nayonaise, Vegenaise or homemade vegan mayo

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

4 tsp sweetener of choice (equivalent to 2 packets)

a generous dash of dill

a dash of mustard powder

1 tbsp oil (optional—I often leave it out to save calories)

Stir together dressing ingredients in large bowl until homogenous. Add cabbage and toss very thoroughly until completely moistened—keep stirring a little longer than you think you should. The trick to great coleslaw that isn’t soggy is to use a smallish amount of dressing but have it very well distributed and absorbed.  When you first start stirring it will look too dry and like you need to add more dressing, but after a few minutes of thorough mixing it will start to look better and you’ll glad you didn’t add too much.  There’s nothing worse than a few soggy leaves swimming in a sea of goop.

Add the dried fruit (which adds great texture and flavor) and ginger if using. Keep chilled.

Variations:

There are a lot of vegetables that can be made into a slaw both on their own and in combination, including: different colors of cabbage, broccoli slaw (which is made from shredded broccoli stems), shredded carrots, daikon and other radishes (yum!), tough greens such as kale, onions, zucchini and frankly pretty much any vegetable that can be shredded and eaten fresh. Some flavorings might need to be adjusted to bring out the best flavor in alternate veggies (see carrot salad below).

The dressing can be replaced with pretty much any type of tangy salad dressing, bottled or homemade. It’s probably best if it’s a little on the thick side, but it doesn’t have to be creamy—a vinaigrette will work too. Use 1/3 to ½ cup dressing for a pound of shredded veggies.

Tricolor Coleslaw with dried cranberries

Carrot-Cranberry Salad

1 lb shredded carrots
1/3 to ½ cup dried cranberries (or more if you like)

Coleslaw dressing (above) minus mustard

An extra 4 tsp (2 more packets) sweetener or sugar

A generous dash of cinnamon.

Stir together dressing, then add rest of ingredients. Adjust sweetener and amount of fruit to taste.

Carrot-Cranberry Salad

Cauliflower salad

Here’s a salad I made for the 4^th. It’s a basic creamy potato salad style dressing that’s tossed with steamed cauliflower instead of potatoes.  It went over pretty well.  The original idea comes from Hungry Girl. I veganized it and adjusted it some based on personal taste. One touch I particularly liked was that the dressing was extended with a couple cups more cauliflower, pureed. That made it lower in fat as well.

I’d never had steamed cauliflower cold and tossed with dressing before. It was surprisingly good that way, although of course not an exact match for potatoes. A combination of half cauliflower and half potatoes might be something to try.

Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

Dessert Salsa/ Fruit Salad

This is basically just a typical fruit salad that has been chopped more finely than usual in order to imitate salsa visually, and so that it can be scooped up on sweet cinnamon chips. It’s a fun presentation.  The salsa can also be served up on waffles or pancakes or even on top of grilled pound cake for a kind of mock bruschetta.

3-4 Cups mixed fruit, chopped finely

½ tbsp lemon juice

1-2 tbsp sweetener

1-2 tbsp jam or preserves (flavor of your choice)

1 ½ tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

a dash of cinnamon

A handful of flaked coconut (optional)

2-3 mint leaves, chopped finely (optional, mainly for looks)

Chop everything up and mix it together, adjusting sweetness and flavoring to taste. Serve with cinnamon chips (below).

There are a lot of good fruit choices for this. I think that tropical fruits and berries are particularly nice. The important thing is to incorporate some contrasting flavors and colors.  A combination of red, white and green would look the most like regular salsa.

The fruits I used in the picture are mango, pineapple, green apple, coconut (is coconut a fruit or a nut, anyway?) and boysenberry preserves to bind it together.

Other fruits that would be awesome include kiwi, peach, strawberry, pomegranate arils, mandarin oranges, blueberries, apricots, other kinds of apples and asian pears (what a great texture those would have!).  Canned or frozen fruit is fine too as long as it’s well drained.

Dessert Salsa

Baked Cinnamon Chips

2-3 whole grain tortillas

oil or cooking spray

cinnamon and sugar or sweetener

Preheat to 350 degrees F.

Cut the tortillas into eight wedges each.  Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets.  Spread wedges out on sheets, keeping them from touching or overlapping. Give the tops of the wedges another light spritz of cooking spray and then sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crispy but not burnt.  Watch closely if you’ve got an erratic oven.

Variation: Use different flavorings to make a savory chip.  One of my favorite versions is to brush the wedges with lime juice and sprinkle them with garlic salt before baking.

Baked Cinnamon Chips (with salsa)

Well there you have it: no less than six recipes for nourishing summer fun. Stay cool out there…and full of veggies!