Balsamic Green Bean and Potato Salad

With the fourth of July speedily approaching, millions of Americans will be dishing up the old traditions of BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad. My family hasn't celebrated the fourth of july very regularly, as my husband is a firefighter and usually ends up working that particular holiday. With no real celebrations or festivals nearby, we kind of just opt out.  Still, traditional american fare can be nostalgic for some of us around this time of year.

I love potato salad, I really do. But it's sooooo bad for you. So hold the mayo, please, because we have other options afterall. It was a tough call to opt for balsamic vinegar. I wasn't sure if it would be overpowering and kept alternating between apple cider or balsamic. But in the end, this won out, mixed with a little dill and stone ground mustard. The egg gives it a creamy consistency, guaranteeing you won't miss the mayo.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of new potatoes (I used a medley of red, white and purple)
1 pound of green beans, trimmed and cut in half
2 green onions, chopped thinly
2 cold hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 tbsp dried dill
4 tbsp each balsamic vinegar and olive oil
2 tbsp stone ground mustard
a large bowl of ice water

Quarter the potatoes and boil in a large pot of water until just-soft, about 20 minutes. Reserve the pot of water (to blanch the green beans) and plunge the potatoes into the ice bath.

Meanwhile, blanch the green beans for 1 minute in the boiling water. Scoop out and drain the potatoes from the ice bath (reserving ice bath for green beans).

Drain the green beans and plunge them into the ice bath. Let sit a few minutes then drain.

Combine the vinegar, oil, dill and mustard in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the potatoes, green beans, green onion, vinegar sauce and chopped egg. Using a rubber spatula, gently toss to coat. You can serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Vegan Detox Salad with Ginger Carrot Slaw

Holidays got you feeling a little sluggish? This salad is vegan and salt free (aside from what's in the miso) but doesn't lack for flavor! So give your digestion a little fiber and nutrient boost, guilt free. Remember, oil is not the enemy as long as it is a high quality oil like olive, coconut, avocado or sesame. Oils help lubricate your digestive system, cleanse the liver and keep the skin healthy.

Toss together a giant salad of your favorite mixin's. I used spinach, green beans and tomatoes, but use what you like!

The dressing is what makes it really special.

Slaw Dressing:

1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 inch section of cucumber, roughly chopped
2 inch peeled section of fresh ginger
1 tsp miso paste
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
about 2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water

Finely chop your vegetables in the food processor. Add in the miso and the rest of the liquid ingredients and process until finely-chunky-smooth.  Dollop your slaw ontop of your salad and top with grated carrot and more chopped green onions.

Pita Salad

I've been branching out of my usual salad repetoire (romaine does get boring after a while) and this one is a nice little side dish, really fresh and light. We had it with a simple minestrone soup.

I cheated by using pita chips, but you could just as easily toast your own.

Ingredients:

1 cup pita chips
1 diced English cucumber
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, chopped
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, diced (optional)

Combine in a bowl and toss with sauce (recipe follows). Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

sauce:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix well in a small bowl .

Vegan Pumpkin Enchiladas

Born of the wonderful bounty of pumpkin puree I had in my freezer, these pumpkin enchiladas had all my meat-loving friends and family *almost* in tears. Hands-down the best enchiladas I've made, ever. Don't be put-off by the strange ingredients, they're completely, freakin' awesome.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

Sauce:

2 cups unseasoned pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1 cup water
1 cup veggie broth
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 seeded jalepeno
3 cloves of garlic
handful of fresh cilantro

Puree all ingredients in the blender until smooth.

For the filling

4 red potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup green beans, ends cut off and chopped
5 button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 each, orange and red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (frozen works nicely)

Saute the potatoes 5 minutes in olive oil, stirring occasionally. Add in onion and mushrooms, cook another 3 minutes. Add in bell pepper and corn, continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Cover the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with pumpkin sauce. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat corn tortillas (the recipe makes about a dozen or so) to prevent cracking while handling ( I do this over my gas burner for a few seconds).

Fill each torilla with a small amount of filling and roll. Place seam-side-down in the pan and continue to roll tortillas until the pan is filled. Cover with a bit more sauce (not too much or it will all be soggy) and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Top with salsa, vegan sour cream and fresh sliced green onions.

I served ours with my "Santa Monica Pilaf" that used a mix of couscous, lentils, rice and quinoa
that was cooked with a bit of garlic and olive oil and topped with cilantro. I'll post that recipe at a later date!

Greenie Beannie Machinie

Texture makes the difference between a "good" sandwich and a "great" sandwich. No one likes to eat moosh. While you wouldn't think to find green beans in a wrap, to me this seems like a natural addition. You get protein and good fats from the hummus (we used "white bean pesto" hummus) and lots of vitamins, fiber and texture from the veggies.

Greenie Beanie Machinie

Lavash bread (or tortillas)
hummus
spinach
tomato
black olives
fresh, uncooked green beans

Spread hummus on lavash bread in a thin layer. Top with generous amount of spinach and follow with sliced tomato, sliced black olives and a handful of green beans. Roll carefully to form a wrap.