TIPS FOR WARM WEATHER EATING FROM OUR RESIDENT VEGAN

With this awesome warm weather here at long last, being tied up in the kitchen over a hot stove is just not at all appealing. It’s seems like it has been forever since we have had such a long spell of sunshine and I just want to be outside to enjoy it. So, what do we eat when cooking just isn’t on my radar?

I was asked earlier this week what my favourite vegan meal is and after some thought, I responded with “salad”, the one dish I never seem to tire of. When I place my weekly order with Spud, I always order my salad staples; lettuce (boxed and leaf or romaine), cucumber, green onions, celery, peppers and after that I buy various fruits that are available. I also keep on hand a package of tempeh and some smoked tofu which I can add to the salad if needed. Some of my salads are more savoury in that I will use Kalamata olives and tomatoes and others have fresh mango, kiwi, strawberries or blueberries depending on availability making them sweeter. I always have on hand some nuts; pecans, walnuts, cashews or pistachios to add when needed.

My latest favourite dressing is BeFresh’s Asian Vinaigrette which I sometimes combine with my homemade Italian vinaigrette depending on my salad ingredients. When salad is our main course I top it with Soyganic Smoked Garlic Pepper Tofu or Tofurky Smokey Maple Veggie Bacon Tempeh or Gardein’s Crispy Tenders all protein rich and filling. I shared my homemade vinaigrette recipe last year but here it is again in case you missed it. This is the easiest dressing to make and will keep in the fridge for several weeks.

Simple, Italian Style Salad Dressing

5-6 cloves of garlic

2 ½ cups of delicate flavoured olive oil (or avocado oil)

½ to 2/3 cup of white wine vinegar

2 tsp of dried oregano

1 Tbsp of vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp of freshly ground pepper

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of dried mustard

1 tsp of paprika

Put everything together in a 1 litre wide mouth mason jar and blend with a hand blender. (You may need to add the oil in batches so jar doesn’t overflow) It will become creamy but may separate after sitting in fridge for a while. A simple shake or stir will bring it all back together again.