Summer: The Season for Salads

Salad is for all seasons, isn't it? Nevermind.

We made some tasty ones lately and as usual. The tempeh salad here was great. We did the tempeh as usual and added a take on our Vietnamese dressing (peanut butter, lime juice, canola oil, tamari, rice vinegar).

The other salad is Mary Beth Olander's creation. We add olive oil and lemon juice to a bunch of kale so it begins to break down. Then we finely chop carrots, red onions, strawberries and toasted walnuts. We did a balsamic viniagrette to finish that.

We were most enthused by our pizza, I think. We used lavash as a crust and added soy mozzarella, TJ's tomato sauce and various toppings for deliciousness.

We haven't begun taking photos at restaurants, but we've had some great experiences. We've had vegan Asian, Italian, Mexican and Mediterranean meals without any trouble.

Beer might be the key

Both these dishes were super tasty, and beer was used as a foundational ingredient. It builds in so much flavor.

Enchiladas
I cooked some black and refried beans with onions, enchilada sauce and beer. Nicole made her delicious nutritional-yeast nacho-cheese dip (water, pimentos, nutritional yeast, jalapenos, flour), and we sauteed some peppers and onions. We then combined these ingredients for tasty results.

Beer-mustard-soy Tempeh
I pan fried some tempeh in olive oil. I then made a sauce based on a previous recipe. I combined veggie broth, beer, mustard and soy sauce for a flavorful result. I cooked some onions and mushrooms in olive oil, beer and later, the sauce and tempeh. I recommend this dish. It has a meaty flavor.

Stir-fry salad

I bought bok choy at the Amherst Farmer's Market. We had leftover salad ingredients and used some garlic greens from our garden to stir fry with the bok choy. We served the dish over quinoa.

The dressing was fairly simple and delicious. (I'm against giving out measurements -- I think it should be left up to the maker/eater to decide how much ingredients to use. I'm thinking most people have a built-in gauge.) I used rice vinegar, peanut butter, half of an avocado, half of a cucumber, a scallion, tamari and lime juice. Our small food processor did most of the work.

Doing it Well

After being vegetarian for more than eight years, I switched to veganism, and it's been easier than I thought. My intention is to express that ease. I know it can seem like a tall task, but it really doesn't have to be. Moreover, becoming vegan is rewarding because of the gastronomic and psychic benefits that might come along with it. I hope to keep this updated at least once a week to show how simple, appetizing and varied veganism can be.