Sneaky Vegan BBQ Ideas

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Looking for some vegan BBQ ideas for the 4th of July weekend?

Here are some great options to enjoy in mixed company:

Start things off with some tequila-spiked guac and chips.

Give your sweet potatoes a cilantro-lime twist.

This black-bean and corn salad with tomatoes and avocados is a delicious protein-rich side dish.

Grill up some Portabello and Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers, these yummy Quinoa Burgers or even Gwyneth's veggie burgers.

Fire up some grilled peaches with ginger coconut caramel.

Make some strawberry-basil lemonade and serve it up in mason jars with paper straws.

Try making your own ginger and lemon beer

Or, if you don't have time to go the DIY route, stock up on these vegan beers.

Going as a guest? Bring this delicious vegan dessert!

If you need more ideas for this weekend (or the rest of the summer) find yourself a great vegan BBQ cookbook and have at it!

Anyone readers out there who have have some great BBQ recipes to share? Let us know!


Have fun and be safe everyone!

Balsamic Roasted Beets

Whenever I get to wondering whether there's a point to adding any more recipes into the overly-saturated blogosphere, someone sends me a recipe request.

Really, honestly and truly, I can't thank you guys enough for letting me know that this little blog of mine is actually useful to someone out there. Your comments, posts, and retweets are without a doubt what keeps me going. As Paul said to Julia, "You are the butter-like vegan substance to my bread."

Lisa, this is for you. It's my absolute most favorite-est way to prepare beets. I hope you like it!

Balsamic Roasted Beets

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced (red onion works as well)
1 tablespoon honey maple syrup
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium beets, cooked and thickly diced

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the vinegar, shallots (if ya got ‘em) and honey syrup in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place the beets on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the beets are slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Eat 'em straight up or toss them in a salad. Add some candied walnuts and orange slices and you've got heaven on a plate.

Incidentally, the Bear goes nuts for these! It's like catnip for...uh...Bears.

Warm Butter-Lettuce Salad with Green Garlic and Fresh Peas

This sweet little summer salad got so many lovely comments I wanted to share this super simple recipe:
5 ingredients. 10 minutes. And my salad-hating Bear LOVED it. Win.

Warm Butter-Lettuce Salad with GreenGarlic and Fresh Peas
adapted from Saveur
Serves 2

2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
1 small head butter lettuce, washed and hand-torn into large pieces
2-3 stalks green garlic, thinly sliced (or 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped)
1 cup of fresh or frozen peas
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, season with salt, and cook, (stirring often) until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium, add the peas and cook until they're bright green and tender, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the remaining butter or oil along with lettuce and 1 tablespoon of water, season with salt and pepper. Stir until lettuce is just wilted, about 1 minute, remove from heat and serve with breadsticks or some toasted whole-grain rolls.

Great on it's own or a perfect side dish to this pasta or these fritters.

Tomato-Spinach Tofu Skillet

The Bear was out of town for a couple of days so I took this opportunity to play with some of my vegan cookbooks.

My advice to Sneaky Vegans who want to encourage others to eat more vegan meals has always been this: test recipes that feature any kind of food substitute - soy, seitan, tofu, etc - and make sure it actually tastes good (and not just "good-for-vegan-food" good, I mean the "so-gobsmacking-good-you-want-to-stick-your-head-in-the-bowl-and-bathe-in-it" kind of good) before you try to sneak it past an omni. Sure non-vegan recipes can suck sometimes too, but those seem to be more easily forgiven and quickly forgotten.

Another thing I do when the Bear isn't home is work ridiculously long hours. So the other night I found myself starving to death after realizing that I hadn't eaten since the night before. I had pre-emptively purchased a block of tofu at the beginning of my little husband-holiday so I immediately pounced on this opportunity to use it. I don't use it a lot as I'm not a fan of processed food but the truth is, I actually like tofu. At least when it's in a recipe that's built around it rather than thrown in as a placeholder for something else. It's all about expectations folks.

This is one of the easiest dishes to make and it's wonderfully versatile as you can substitute all kinds of spice blends to vary the flavor. This is one I tried.

Scrambled Tofu
adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance
Serves 2 as a stand-alone meal or 4 for brekkie served with potatoes and toast

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped in 1/2" chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained but not necessarily dry
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional, as I didn't have any but it was still good!)
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 handfuls of freshly washed spinach

Spice Blend
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (you can also substitute curry powder)
1 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Then add the spice blend and mix it all up for another minute. Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all the garlic and spices. Yum.

Crumble the tofu and mix it in well. Don't crush or mash it, just fold it in until everything is well combined. Let it cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat a bit if you find the tofu is sticking. If you happen to have nutritional yeast (this is still on my list of things to get) this is where you'd mix it in. I'm told it's delicious, but I didn't miss not having it so up to you.

Throw in the chopped tomato and spinach, mixing well to get the spinach cooked down. I realize it's probably easier to saute the spinach first, but doing it at the end keeps it from shrinking into nothingness. Same for the tomatoes, to keep them somewhat in tact rather than reducing them to mush.

Depending on how much water the tofu was retaining, you may need to add splashes of water here and there if it gets sticky. When the veggies are cooked to your liking, serve it up and enjoy.

The bear saw this photo when he came home and wants me to make it for him. So for all the folks out there who think vegan food doesn't look appetizing...eat THAT!

Veggie Num Num: Pomegranate Lentil Tart

Photo and Recipe courtesy of Veggie Num Num

If only I had an oven.
Sigh...

For those of you who are lucky enough to have this masterpiece of modern invention in your kitchens, consider treating yourself to this mouthful of amazingness from the fabulous Trudy over at Veggie Num Num.

Lentils. Pomegranate. Mint. Swoon.

I can't imagine a more vivacious combination of flavors. It just screams SUMMER IS HERE!

You can find a printable version of the recipe on her guest post at this gorgeous blog.

Bookmark 'em both folks. They're keepers!


Spicy Lentil Tart with Pomegranate and Mint
Serves 4

1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (thawed)
1 free-range egg lightly whisked or 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
3 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp warm water
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp salt flakes or rock salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 red chili, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup pine nuts, roasted
1 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 tsp sumac
1/2 pomegranate, seeds only

To serve
1/2 cup tahini paste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 Tbsp water
Extra lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F.

Bring the stock, lentils, bay leaves and cinnamon stick to a gentle simmer in a large pot, allow to cook for 15-20 minutes over a medium/low heat, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender and liquid absorbed. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and strain off any excess liquid, set aside.

Grind the black peppercorns, salt flakes or rock salt, cumin, paprika and coriander seeds together in a mortar & pestle or spice grinder to form a fine spice powder.

Combine the pomegranate molasses with the warm water until smooth, set aside.

Lay the thawed puff pastry sheet out on a baking tray, carefully score a 3cm (1 inch) border around the outside and brush with the prepared egg or non-dairy milk being careful not to brush over the score mark.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the pastry just begins to puff and golden, remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile fry off the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes over a medium heat in a large frying pan until soft, add the cooked lentils and prepared spice powder and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.

Add the pomegranate molasses & water mixture and the pine nuts, fry the lentils until they just begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, add the fresh herbs reserving half the mint and stir though.

Spoon the lentil mixture onto the prepared puff pastry sheet, sprinkle over the sumac and return to the oven for 15 minutes until pastry is golden.

Meanwhile whisk the tahini paste with the olive oil, lemon juice and water until smooth.

Remove the tart from the oven a serve sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and reserved mint. Accompany with the tahini dressing and wedges of fresh lemon.

If anyone makes this, PLEASE share the results so I can live/taste vicariously.

Goodies for the Greater Good

We interrupt our regularly scheduled frivolity to bring you breaking news from the outskirts of Chicago:

Word has it that someone is setting up a real live lemonade stand offering lemonade, herbal sun tea, cow-hugger cookies (chocolate chip with oats and toasted pecans) and blueberry lemon muffins. Everything will be "as organic as it can get", Fair Trade and - wait for it - vegan.

All profits from their weekly sales will be equally divided at the end of summer to the following charities: Mercy For Animals, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Oak Park's Animal Care League and Have a Heart Farm.

Times, locations and other details can be found on the Stand for Kindness blog.

Did I mention that the proprietor is a 9-year old? How awesomely awesome is that?

Even if you don't live in or near Chicago, please stop by his blog and wish him good luck. It's refreshing to see kids channel energy into something besides video games so please take a peek and send him some blog love. Your support would be much appreciated.

If all this talk of treats is making you hungry, make yourself this amazing summer pie, some strawberry-lime pound cake, or try out a new version of avocado chocolate pudding. Or just look at some really pretty pictures of lemonade until you're inspired to make some for yourself.

Oh, and if anyone figures out a way to make any of these yummy treats available via FedEx, please let me know - I'm dying over here without an oven!

No-bake Brownies with Lemon-Date Frosting

I'm obsessed.

Admittedly I'm more of an avocadoholic than a chocoholic, but these brownies have totally won me over. I'm mostly amazed at the ingredient list because it is completely devoid of anything I would have thought a brownie properly consists of (dairy-free, butter-less, eggless) and a whole bunch of other stuff that I'd never expect. I mean, I've had brownies with fruit and nuts, but never one that was actually made from them.

Oh happy day.

The lemon-date frosting is the kicker. The lemon juice cuts the sweetness of the dates just enough to give it the perfect tang. The lightness is a bonus as well and since it's completely natural, you can pile on as much as you want without feeling like a psychotic sugar monkey. I usually have to make it when I'm alone or the Bear will slurp it all up before it gets anywhere near the brownies.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

No-bake Brownies with Lemon-Date Frosting
Recipe courtesy of Katrine Volynsky via La Vita Saporita

1 cup walnuts
3/4 cup plump raisins (make sure they're pretty fresh - if they're dry they won't stick)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon alcohol free vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw chocolate powder or finally ground cacao beans
1/2 teaspoon coconut butter*
1 teaspoon grated raw cacao butter*
* if you don't have these handy, any nut butter (peanut, almond, etc) will work fabulously

Guilt-Free Lemon Date Frosting
1/2 cup lemon juice (I use 2-3 fresh lemons but the bottled stuff works in a pinch)
1/2 cup soaked dates

*FYI - these quantities will not yield Starbucks-super-sized squares so if that's what you're looking for, you might want to double the batch. In a glass baking pan of 18x26cm (7x10in) they end up being about 2cm (1in) thick, which is actually fine because they're really dense.

For those of you who like step-by-step snaps, you can find them here.

Soak the dates for at least 30 minutes. You can remove the pits before or after - up to you.

Meanwhile, process the walnuts, raisins, chocolate powder, and raw cacao butter in a food processor.

Next, add the add vanilla, maple syrup, and coconut butter and blend until batter forms into a ball.

Spread the batter into a glass pan about 1 inch high and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

By now the dates should be gorgeously mushy. Remove the pits (if you haven't already) and blend them with the lemon juice until it's all smooth and creamy.

Spread it on top of the brownies and enjoy these little slices of citrusy-chocolate heaven!

Tangy Rhubarb Whips

Photo by Elinor Carucci, Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit

So I decided it was time to include some kind of pink dessert in my repertoire.

Don't really know why - but dessert sections just never seem quite complete without something pink.

Here's a little something I stumbled across just in time to enjoy the last rhubarb of the season. Similar to my Mascarpone Clouds but fruitier and...well, pink.

I'm partial to yogurt for the extra tang, but you can also use your favorite vegan substitute for heavy cream - here's a link to a cool soy-free recipe.

8 oz fresh rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices (or 8oz frozen rhubarb, thawed)
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/2 cup heavy cream (1 cup of vanilla soy yogurt)
1 teaspoon sugar

Bring rhubarb, sugar and orange juice to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Partially cover pan and cook until rhubarb is very soft, about 6 minutes. Mix in Grand Marnier. Refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes.

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream and 1 teaspoon sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Cover and chill up to 6 hours. If you opt for yogurt, just fold in the sugar.

To assemble, alternate layers of rhubarb mixture and whipped cream (or yogurt) in 2 large wine goblets or dessert dishes. Using small knife, swirl mixtures together. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.

Happy Summer!

Pumpkin-Parsley Risotto

Photo courtesy of La Vita Saporita

The first runner-up to that other amazing risotto is this lovely bowl of deliciousness.

Although I normally reserve pumpkin-related stuff for the Fall, this weather has been so bizarrely autumnal recently, we decided to celebrate instead of curse it. It actually turned out to be a much lighter dish than I expected, so it's perfect for Spring as well.

I'm happy to report that the same taste-tester who stuck his head in this other pot of gooey goodness was caught sneaking the pot into the kitchen yet AGAIN. Super score!

Pumpkin-Parsley Risotto
Recipe courtesy of La Vita Saporita

1/2 cup olive oil
1-4 shallots (or 1 onion), chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 small bunch Italian (flat) parsley, chopped
1-1/2 cups pumpkin, cubed (500g/1lb)
2 cups risotto rice (300g)
1 cup vino bianco (white wine)
5-6 cups (1.5L) vegetable broth
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup vegan parmesan (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable broth.

In a separate, heavy-bottomed saucepan, start by making your soffritto. This is the base for every good risotto. Heat the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots (or onion) and the sea salt - this will help onion soften the onion without browning to keep the flavor delicate. Add the sugar and cook for 3-5 mins. Add the garlic and half the parsley and cook another 3-4 mins, stirring frequently.

Next, add the pumpkin and cook until fork-tender. This could take anywhere form 5-20 minutes, depending on the pumpkin. If it starts to stick, add a few spoons of stock to keep everything loose.

When you can cut through the pumpkin with the side of your wooden spoon, add the rice and saute for 1-2 minutes until the rice is well coated and slightly toasted.

When the rice is slightly translucent or spotted turn up the heat to high and stir for about 30 seconds to keep it from burning before adding the white wine - it should make that great sizzling sound and begin to evaporate immediately.

Then turn the heat back to medium and continue cooking (and stirring) until the wine has evaporated. Add enough stock to cover the rice completely and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed.

Add one cup at a time of the remaining stock, and keep stirring until it is absorbed again. It is this act of constant stirring that gives risotto its creamy texture. It is also one of the things that makes risotto such a great group activity, as it permits plenty of time to drink and gossip.

Repeat until the rice is al dente, tender but still very chewy. The consistency should be slightly liquid, somewhere between solid and soupy. Then season with a bit of pepper and check the salt.

If you happen to have some vegan parmesan, you can toss it in at this point or sprinkle it on top for serving. However, don't let anyone, ANYONE (not even great Italian food writers) tell you that risotto gets it's creamy consistency from butter or cheese 'cuz it just ain't so. Master the simple art of stirring and you, too, can be a Risotto Queen!

Spoon it into shallow bowls, sprinkle with remaining parsley and enjoy immediately.

Sun-dried Tomato-Basil Risotto with Balsamico

Photo courtesy of La Vita Saporita

It was a close race, but this Sun-dried Tomato-Basil Risotto was the most requested this week. For those of you who voted for the Pumpkin-Parsley Risotto, stay tuned - it will get posted before the weekend. Promise.

But back to this ridiculously good risotto. The Bear was highly skeptical when he saw the ingredients on the counter and I have to admit, I wasn't expecting it to be all that interesting either. But I had just found this recipe (and I hadn't gone to the market to get anything else) so we tried it out.

Wow.

This risotto is amazing. I can't remember the last time we dropped so many F-bombs in the kitchen - and I mean that in the best possible way.

Sun-Dried Tomato-Basil Risotto with Balsamic Vinegar
Courtesy of La Vita Saporita
Serves 4

5 cups vegetable broth
2 small tomatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1-1/2 cups (250g) arborio rice
1 cup red wine
4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (about 3 oz), cut into bite size pieces
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
20 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled (optional)

Pour the veggie broth into a saucepan and add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to simmer and reduce to warm, but don't take it off the heat. It's important that the cooking liquid is always hot to facilitate the starch release.

While that's happening, warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion with a teaspoon of salt - this will soften the onion and keep it from browning. Then add the garlic and saute until soft.

Next, add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice is thoroughly coated and becomes translucent. Nicely toasted rice is another secret to great risotto.

Add in a cup of red wine (and pour one for yourself while you're at it) and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Then add a cup of the broth and tomatoes and stir. And stir. And sip. And stir some more.

When the broth has been absorbed, add another cup and keep stirring until the liquid has again been absorbed. Feel free to pour yourself another glass of wine. Call your mom. Make out with your husband. But whatever you do, keep stirring.

Continue adding the broth a cup at a time. When the rice starts to soften (test a couple of grains after 2-3 cups), stir in the sun-dried tomatoes then continue adding rest of the broth (a cup at a time) and stir-stir-stirring until the rice is al dente (tender but slightly firm in center).

When the rice is nice and creamy, stir in the last cup of broth along with the balsamic vinegar. When these have been mostly absorbed, remove from heat, add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. The traditional texture is all'onda (wavy). It should spread out easily, but not have a watery perimeter so be sure not to cook the liquid out completely.

Risotto should be served and eaten immediately or it will continue to cook itself in its own heat which will dry it out and make the grains too soft.

Spoon onto individual plates or bowls, garnish with the basil chiffonade (and a few crumbles of goat cheese if you like) and serve with the remaining red wine.

Buon appetito!

Grilled Pepper Fajitas with Aromatic Black Beans

Had two leftover bell peppers after making this pot of deliciousness so we decided to make fajitas.

One thing I've learned making vegan meals for non-vegans is that a handful of aromatics (garlic, onions and fresh herbs) really goes a long way. Much of what we "taste" is really about what we smell, so a sure-fire way to get people excited about eating whatever you're serving is to get some good kitchen smells going.

These would work just fine with a simpler guac (or even plain avocados) and black beans straight from the can, but it's really worth a few minutes of chopping to go the full Monty. Even if you're not trying to win-over non-vegans, do it anyway. It's delicious.

The third version of this herby guac (para bailar la Bamba) with some pimped up black beans add a substance and texture that turned what would otherwise have been "one of those lame veggie wraps" the Bear turns his nose up at into a hearty, flavorful dinner.

We also fired up some of these strawberry-lime bananas for dessert.

Fast. Filling. Fab-u-lous.

Aromatic Black Beans

14oz can of black beans
4-6 cilantro stems (or the whole sprig, it's up to you)
1 garlic clove, crushed or pressed
1/4 cup chopped onion
pinch finely minced red chille
pinch of salt

Combine everything in a saucepan and simmer 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat.
While that's going on, make the guac and set it aside while you grill the veggies.

Grilled Pepper Fajitas
makes 4-6, depending on serving size

1 each red and yellow bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
1/2 onion, sliced lengthwise (use the other half for the guac and beans)
3-way guacamole
aromatic black beans
4-6 whole wheat tortillas

Lightly oil a grill pan and lay the peppers and onions out in a single layer. Cook over medium heat, turning as needed, until they are done to the tenderness of your liking. If you don't have a grill pan, you can just saute them in a skillet.

Remove and set aside. Quickly warm the tortillas in the same pan, about a minute on each side.

Assemble the fajitas with guac, beans and veggies.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Caponata with Bell Peppers

Photo & Recipe courtesy of La Vita Saporita

Food Photography.
Add this to the long list of things for which I do not possess any God-given talent.
But please don't judge the caponata unfairly as a result. It ain't pretty, but it's delicious!

Eggplant Caponata with Bell Peppers
Serves 6

It's worth mentioning that Caponata is a Sicilian aubergine dish normally made with celery, aubergines (eggplant), vinegar and capers. This regional twist substitutes the celery with bell peppers. Actually, this whole recipe is an exercise in approximation so be as creative with it as you like!

1/2 cup (100g) olive oil
2 large eggplants (1-3/4 pounds/1kg), diced or sliced in strips
1 celery stalk chopped (apparently optional, but probably good too)
1 each red and yellow bell pepper, sliced in strips (optional if you use celery, but why not both?)
1 onion, thinly sliced (I used two)
14oz (500g) ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced (fresh is best, but canned is ok too)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (we used red, worked fine)
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup pitted olives (black or green)
3 tablespoons (50g) capers (we used a whole cup in lieu of the olives)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Freshly torn basil leaves, to garnish

Firstly, you must must must sweat the eggplant. Unless, as Rhea commented below and Savuer confirmed, you're using smaller ones that you know don't need it.

Cut it lengthwise in thick slices and rub them lightly with salt on both sides. Place them vertically in a colander and let them sweat for at least an hour. This will pull the bitterness out of the flesh and leave them delightfully sweet. Rinse them, pat them dry with a paper towel and slice them lengthwise in strips.

In a large skillet, fry the onions in the oil until golden. Add the eggplant and peppers and cook "until the colors are vibrant." Technically the eggplant is supposed to be cooked in a separate skillet and combined in the last 10-15 minutes of cooking but honestly, I couldn't be bothered. It still tasted great.

Next, add in the tomatoes (and celery if you're using it) and cook until heated through, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour in the vinegar, sprinkle in the sugar, capers and olives and bring to a boil. Then simmer over low heat until the vinegar has evaporated, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve with freshly chopped basil. If you happen to have some vegan parmesan, that would be a lovely addition as well.

Nota bene: This doubles as a fabulous antipasto when served cold.
Buon appetito!

Update: a tablespoon each of pine nuts and golden raisins would be a great addition.
Add them in at the same time as the capers and olives.

Weekend Inspiration: This Is Your Life

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Strawberry-Lime Fried Bananas

After a disastrous attempt at making a flan for our last dinner party, I needed to come up with an emergency substitute. Luckily I've been on a smoothie kick lately and had some bananas and berries on hand. This was not only a life-saver, but super quick and easy to make while the Bear cleared the dinner plates.

Strawberry-Lime Fried Bananas
Serves 4

4 fresh, firm bananas
2 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan butter
5 tablespoons cane sugar
2 cups strawberries, quartered and then halved
Juice of 1 lime
5-6 large basil leaves, sliced in ribbons (optional)

Hull the strawberries and quarter them lengthwise. If you want them smaller, cross-cut the quarters.

To prepare the basil chiffonade, stack the leaves and roll them lengthwise into a tight bundle. Then cut the roll cross-wise into thin ribbons.

Combine the strawberries and basil in a bowl with the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Refrigerate while you prepare the bananas. If, unlike me, you happen to have the foresight to plan ahead, you can prepare this up to 2-3 hours earlier.

Peel bananas. Slice lengthwise, then cross-cut in half.

Heat the butter in a wok or frying pan until the butter bubbles. Add the banana slices and fry them on both sides over medium heat until they are golden and soft. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the bananas. You can stir everything together until the sugar dissolves (making a thick-ish syrup) or just let it caramelize on the bananas. They're done whenever they look like you want to eat them.

Transfer to serving plates, spoon the strawberries (which should be deliciously gooey by now) over the bananas and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

So delicious the Bear literally lapped up every last drop of berry juice.
Sneaky Vegan dessert - 1, Flan - 0.
Hoo-rah.

Spring Soup with Carrots, Apple and Fennel

This delicate combination of springtime flavors (young carrots and fennel with a couple of apples and some fresh ginger tossed in) is the perfect warm-up for those chilly Spring evenings when you're craving warm comfort food but still want to keep things light.

It was a HUGE hit with the Bear, even though he was a little skeptical when I told him this was all I had time to make for dinner. Turns out it was not only good enough for him to go back for seconds, it was filling enough that he couldn't finish! Love it when that happens...

Carrot-Apple-Fennel Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced; fronds reserved and chopped
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium apples, cored and cut into chunks (I used Gala)
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large, heavy saucepan, warm oil over medium heat. Add the fennel slices, and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the carrots, apples and garlic, and cook for another minute or two. Pour in only 4 of the 5 cups of vegetable broth and reserve the last cup.

Season with salt and simmer, covered, until you can easily cut the carrots with a spoon, about 20 minutes. Add the ginger at the end (this keeps the flavor bright) and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the orange juice and reserved fennel fronds. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup directly in the pot. Or, if you don't have one, transfer it in 2-3 batches to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth.

Adjust seasoning as necessary and serve warm.