The Party Spread
Udon Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce:
2. Chop up a handful of cilantro and a couple scallions
3. Whip up your favourite spicy peanut sauce (I used the Perfect Peanut Sauce from Get It Ripe, but you could also try Dreena’s peanut sauce)
4. Cook a package of Udon noodles, drain and pour into a big bowl
5. Toss all of the ingredients together and sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
Kale Avocado Salad:2. Add a Tbsp of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and a tsp of sea salt.
3. Massage everything together for a couple of minutes (the kale should change texture to become almost wilted)
4. Peel and pit an avocado (or two). Mash the avocado flesh into the kale, to coat the leaves.
5. Top with half a red pepper, julienned and a finely chopped scallion.
Sesame Ginger Broccoli and Tempeh Salad:1. Steam a block of tempeh for 10 minutes and then leave it to marinade in BBQ sauce (we used a standard BBQ sauce spiked with a little spicy asian dressing)
2. Grill the tempeh and cut it into cubes
3. Prepare a fantastic ginger sesame dressing (I used this dressing from Get It Ripe-make sure yours includes a little toasted sesame oil)
4. Chop up water chestnuts (from a small can).
5. Chop two heads of broccoli into florets and blanch for about three minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water.
6. Toss everything together in a big bowl and top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Coucous, chickpea and Asparagus Salad:My version includes whole wheat couscous mixed with onions, shallots, asparagus and chickpeas all sauteed with balsamic vinegar and tiny bit of maple syrup.
Black Bean and Corn Salad:Most of you probably have your own go-to-recipe for this popular southwestern side-dish. This combination includes corn, black beans, red onion, red pepper and a cumin-laced vinaigrette.
Add some cilantro for an extra fresh flavour.
Mickey Muffins?
My niece (age 4) expertly arranged the muffins on this Mickey tray. There are two different flavours here:
1. My standard Monkey Muffins (Banana Chocolate Chip)
2. (In the ears) Sweet Potato Cranberry Spice Muffins
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup almond milk
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp lemon extract
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with muffin papers. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a small bowl mix together the almond milk and lemon juice. Set aside for a couple of minutes to allow it the milk to “sour”. Add the sweet potato, oil, maple syrup, lemon extract and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until well blended. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until the batter is smooth and you can’t see dry flour (do not over mix). Fold in the dried cranberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
Bake the muffins for about 17 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the tester inserted comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 10 minutes in the tin before moving them to a cooling rack.
So, instead of complaining about the fact that they will be living in southern climes, with a whole bunch of possible soul mates, I will start saving my pennies for a Florida rendezvous. I am really excited for both of them. I think any opportunity to step off the beaten path to do something even slightly unexpected should be seized. But this adventure does mean that I will spend a lot of time in the next year wishing that they were close enough to join me for an evening of Ethiopian food, independent film and witty repartee.
I have promised to send a lot of care packages, stuffed full of vegan goodness. One of my brothers is vegan and has already been reading whatever he can find about how to navigate the vegan offerings in Orlando. If you have any suggestions, we would love to hear them!