What you need:

1 lb vegan dried spaghetti pasta

salt

3 Tablespoons sesame oil

3/4 cup natural peanut butter  (I prefer crunchy, but creamy is ok too)

6 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

3 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 and a half Tablespoon freshly chopped ginger

1 pinch red chili flakes

1 Tablespoon hot sauce (I use Tabasco)

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped into 1 in pieces (sliced thinly)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro/corriander leaves

First you’ll want to boil the pasta.  Fill a pot 2/3 of the way with water and put in the salt.  Bring to a boil and cook the pasta until done.  Then, strain the hot water off of the pasta and rinse with cold water.  This will keep your pasta from being sticky and overcooked.  After you have done this, toss the cold pasta with a few drops of sesame oil so that it doesn’t get sticky.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients and  whisk together until well combined.  For this step, I like to use an immersion blender, but some really fast whisking or a blender will do the trick just fine.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the chopped veggies and then begin adding the sauce.  I have found that this recipe calls for about 4/5 of the sauce (you will have a few ounces left over – use it for salad dressing or dipping sauce another day!).  Toss everything together so that the pasta and veggies are well-coated.  Chill for 10 minutes and serve with sesame seed garnish.

Enjoy!

Ok, so…truth be told, I thought of this recipe because I’m obsessed with Gossip Girl.  I was watching the season 3 finalé and found myself engulfed with two things:  Blair Waldorf and a Waldorf salad.  Alas…here’s the most perfect recipe that (I think) exists.

What you need:

1/2 cup golden raisins (soaked for 20 minutes, then drained)

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup vegan mayo

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tablespoons regular agave nectar

3 Green (I like Granny Smith) apples, cored and chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces (uniform)

3 Fuji or Gala apples, cored and chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces (uniform)

2 celery ribs, small diced

1 cup toasted walnuts, halved or in pieces

salt and pepper

After you’ve got everything chopped, whisk together the vegan mayo, vinegar, and agave nectar in a large mixing bowl.  Add all of the salad ingredients and give it a good shake/toss/mix until everything is evenly coated with the dressing.  Chill in the fridge, covered, for about 20 minutes and then serve.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.

You can do all kinds of cool combos with this recipe.  For example:  dried cranberries (soaked and drained) and a mixture of almonds, walnuts, and pecans is a delicious twist on this classic salad.  Use your imagination!

What you need:

2 mangoes

1 pineapple

4 kiwis

4 oranges (I prefer clementines because the segments are easier to get, but you can use whatever type of orange you like)

Juice of 1 lime

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Fresh black pepper, to taste

When chopping your fruits, you basically want everything to be remotely uniform in size.  I like my pieces to about 1 inch.  Toss everything in a bowl together and add the lime juice and cilantro.  Toss and sprinkle with black pepper (less than a teaspoon).  Toss one more time and serve!

So, this recipe is super easy.  You won’t believe it.  Here’s what you need:

fresh blueberries

fresh raspberries

fresh white apricots

Cut the apricots into bite-sized pieces and toss with the berries.  Serve immediately because the berry juices will quickly bleed into the apricots, turning them blue and red.  Sprinkle with raw sugar or serve with some yummy vegan whipped cream if you like!

In a blender, combine the following:

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 bundle of green onions, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro

1 T soy sauce

juice of one lime

1 green Thai chilli, seeded

2 T coconut milk

Easy as that.  Blend it up and there you go!  All finished and ready for dipping!

What you need:

2 large carrots – grated

1 large fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced (THINLY)

1 red onion, halved and VERY thinly sliced

2 green apples, grated and tossed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, immediately

6 or 7 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

4 T  vegan plain yogurt

1 T  agave nectar

juice of 1 lime

After all the chopping and grating has taken place, you’ve reached the easy part.  Dump it all into a serving bowl!  Make the dressing in a seperate bowl – just combine everything and whisk together.  Then, using a rubber spatula, dump it all into the veggies and toss together.  Now, take it to a party and impress all your friends!  Yum!

Oh, and get this – each serving (there are 6 servings in this recipe) has less that 1 g of fat and less than 50 calories!  Yeah!  High five!

What you need:

1 package breaded fake chicken pieces, fillets, whateve you can find in the supermarket that is vegan, breaded, and tastes like chicken

1 jar of Veganaise or some kind of vegan mayo that isn’t runny

1 bunch green onions, sliced very thin

2 stalks celery, chopped very small

salt and pepper

Now, you’re going to want to bake that fake chicken so that its nice and crispy, but not burned.  Follow the directions on the package for baking, and then allow it to cool completely before you start this recipe. 

Once you have done this, you need to chop the “chicken” into small, bite sized pieces; I’d say no bigger than 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch.  Then, put all of that into a large mixing bowl.

Add your green onions and celery and toss it all together with a big heaping spoon of the vegan mayo.  Continue adding mayo until it has the consistency of chicken salad – I’d say you’ll only need to use 2 or 3 really big spoonfulls.  Then, just season with salt and pepper and you’re ready to go.  Slap some of that good stuff on 2 pieces of wheat bread and chow down!

What you need:

1 think slice crusty bread or 3 slices of a baguette, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed

4 t  olive oil

salt and fresh black pepper

1 T  fresh lemon juice

3 ounces  fresh vegan cheese ( I prefer white cheddar), crumbled

Zest of 1 lemon

Heat your oven to 425 F and toast the bread cubes on a baking tray for about 5 minutes or until very golden and crispy.  Remove and chop into coarse crumbs and set aside.  Wipe the baking sheet clean.

Arrange the asparagus on the sheet and drizzle with 2 t  olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss and roast, rolling the asparagus over a few times until tender, about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a large platter. 

Sprinkle the asparagus with the lemon juice and scatter the bread crumbs on top.  Drizzle remaining olive oil, top with the crumbled cheese and pop it back in the oven for about 2 minutes.  Remove and add lemon zest as garnish.  Season once more with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

What you need:

6 T  olive oil

2 T  white wine or champagne vinegar

1 pink grapefruit, segmented

2 large, ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into thin slices

1 large head of romaine lettuce, cut into thin pieces (bite sized)

salt and fresh black pepper

The assemby is easy – just whisk together the oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Place all of the other ingredients in a large salad bowl and then toss with the dressing.  Then you’re ready to go!  Goes great with a big glass of fresh lemonade!

What you need:

1 1/2 C  dry couscous

1 C  water

2/3 C  pine nuts

2/3 C  dried cranberries

1/3 C  raisins

1 medium butternut squash

2  Leeks

2 T  minced garlic

red wine vinegar

olive oil

salt and pepper

chopped parsley

First, put the dry couscous in a bowl and boil the water.  Pour the boiling water over the couscous and make sure its all covered by the water and then cover the bowl with a lid and set aside for a few minutes.  You can come back to this later.

In a hot oven (I usually put it at about 350 F  (180 C), place your pine nuts on a pan and roast them until they are golden brown and have a distinctive nutty scent.  While you are doing this, place a little olive oil in a saute pan and saute your leeks and garlic (the leeks should be sliced thinly so that they are little rings).  Set aside when finished.  Clean the butternut squash and chop the pieces into small cubes, about 1/2 in by 1/2 in.  Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they are soft, but not mushy.

With a fork, toss the couscous.  Add the berries, raisins, pine nuts, leeks/garlic, parsley, squash, and season with salt and pepper.  Then, sprinkle some red wine vinegar (champagne vinegar works beautifully too!) and add a bit of olive oil and stir.  Make sure you mix it well so that the dressing mixes with every part of the salad.  Add a bit more if you think it needs it.  Store in the fridge – this will keep for up to 5 days!