Mastering the Art of the Salad

Among my talents in life, the two I am probably the most proud of are: 1) my ability to flawlessly parallel park (seriously, I wish that was a profession) and 2) my salad making expertise. Everyone has their niche, and these are mine. Trust me, I could go on about my parallel parking, but I will focus on how I have mastered the art of making salads. I have decided that it really is an art, but, don't worry--it is totally attainable if you are not at pro level yet. Here's a little breakdown of what a baller salad needs.

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-Protein

One of the most common things that people say to me about being a vegan is, "but how do you get your protein?". There are plenty of ways to get protein outside of meat, my favorite being beans. Beans add a lot of heartiness to a vegan salad and make it much more filling. My favorite for salads is chickpeas, but you really can use any kind--kidney, black, cannelini, fava, etc. Another way that I like to add protein to a salad is by cooking a veggie burger, then cutting it up and putting it in the salad. I found some really great masala veggie burgers at Trader Joe's, and I put it on my salad for lunch today and it was great. You can also season and cook tofu and put it right on your next salad.

-Crunch

Every good salad needs a little crunch. As much as I love veggies and beans, I would not want to eat a whole salad that was completely soft. One of my favorite ways to add crunch, as well as protein, is nuts. Nuts are high in fat, so it is important to make sure that you aren't going overboard. But a sprinkling on top of your salad with add great texture and enhance the flavor. I love using shelled sunflower seeds, chopped cashews, and walnuts. If you want to get fancy you can roast the nuts with spices beforehand. Other good sources of crunch are crumbled pita chips or tortilla strips.

-Herbs

I have discovered recently that adding fresh herbs in with your lettuce adds so much to a salad. You can actually buy spring mix with herbs already blended in, but it would be very simple to get your own and add them in. I like dill, cilantro, and parsley.

-Fruit

I love adding fruit to my salad, but not so much so that it becomes a fruit salad. I usually don't add more than one kind of fruit. I recently went through a phase with blood oranges, which made my salads really summery and sweet. I also love grapes, and I have experimented with strawberries too. Let your imagination run wild.

-Avocado

I feel that no good vegan salad is complete without a little avocado. It is creamy and delicious, and makes my salads so much more filling. It is also a great source of healthy fat. I almost never make a salad without some!

-Veggies

You can pretty much go nuts with what kinds of vegetables go in your salad. I usually pick all of my other parts first, and then pick veggies that complement them well (aka whatever is in my fridge). I love cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, broccoli, and pepper.

-Dressing

Finding the perfect dressing can be tricky. I have experimented a lot, and I still find that my favorite is a simple vinaigrette. It couldn't be easier to make one--combine a little oil + vinegar + lemon + seasoning. Voila! You could also use any fruit juice instead of lemon (try blood orange!). I have also found some good store bought ones, such as hummus dressing and red pepper vinaigrette. My advice is just keep experimenting and keep a lot of different options on hand.

-Lettuce
It is important to keep it fresh with your lettuce--literally. I hate wilted lettuce, so I always make sure that I buy good quality organic. I also like to keep it fresh by mixing it up. My favorite is spring mix, but as I said I either buy the herb blend or add my own. I also love arugula and spinach, and often mix the two together. Another recent favorite is butter leaf lettuce--it looks a little like romaine but has a lot more flavor. I must say that I am a bit of a lettuce snob and I hate romaine and ice berg, but if that's your thing then don't be ashamed!

-Mystery Ingredient

I like to add a wild card ingredient that is a little out of the ordinary to make my salad special. I know this sounds vague, but you can really add anything that catches your eye that is a little extra special. Today I added some sun dried tomatoes which gave so much extra flavor.  I have also added quinoa (cooked), roasted potatoes, roasted edamame, sweet potato, and pomegranate. 

I hope this helps you vamp up your next salad! Next up: mastering the art of the parallel park!

Peanut Coconut Sauce

As much as I love trying fancy new recipes, what I really need more of are simple weeknight recipes that are light, delicious, and versatile. This peanut coconut sauce is probably one of the most versatile things I've ever made--as I was eating I came up with about 50 different ways I could use it (with noodles, tofu, rice, and the list goes on). I basically threw together some odds and ends and came up with a delicious creamy stir fry with wonderful Thai flavor. You can use any vegetables you like, or really any food you like (I would pretty much dip paper in this sauce it's so good). I used potatoes, carrots, onions, and spinach and it worked really nicely. Let your imagination run wild and try this sauce as soon as possible!

Chili Mac

Happy National Chili Day! Didn't know it was such a delicious holiday? Neither did I until yesterday, and it just so happened that I had this chili mac on my menu this week. When I first became a vegan, I relied way too much on pasta and bread, and I realized that I wasn't achieving the weight loss goals that I set out to. After the first few weeks, I decided to basically eliminate pasta and bread, and it actually was not half as difficult as I thought it would be. Now, 3 months in, I feel much more comfortable using some pasta and bread, as long as the vast majority of my diet is based on fresh and non-processed food. This chili mac is a great way to splurge on some carbs--the mix of vegetables is hearty and delicious and the spice is perfection. Even if you missed national chili day, there is nothing that should stop you from celebrating with this chili mac!

The Perfect Vegetable Soup

perfection in a bowl.

Nothing says wintertime like a delicious bowl of hot soup. Too bad it was above 60 degrees in DC today, but this vegetable soup is so good that you can enjoy it any time of year. I have always loved making soups, because seasoning is kind of my specialty and soups are all about the seasoning. I was experimenting in the kitchen one day a few months ago, and somehow this delicious vegetable soup came together. The only problem is that I just threw a bunch of random stuff in a pot, and had very little idea how to recreate it. However, I have made it a few times since then, and each time it tastes different, and better, than I remember. The key is that there is no key--you can pretty much add whatever you want. My ingredients list is just a benchmark, but you can add or subtract whatever is to your liking. I like my soup spicy so I went pretty heavy on the cayenne, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce. If spicy isn't your thing, then you can just add less, to taste. Good luck, and remember--if it comes out the same twice then you're doing it wrong!

Sweet and Savory Roasted Chickpeas

These made my kitchen smell delicious

Hectic does not even begin to describe my job as a pre-school teacher. Between poopy diapers and temper tantrums, I don't get a whole lot of time for a lunch break. So it is really important that I bring my lunch, because I just don't have the time or money to go out. This has proven to be great for both my health and my wallet, because one of my favorite things to bring is salads.

I have been seeing some recipes for roasted chickpeas lately, and it got me thinking that this would be great as a salad topper. Especially because I found some bomb hummus dressing at Trader Joe's last week, and I thought they would pair well.

I cannot stress how incredibly easy and tasty this recipe is. You basically take chick peas > put on tray > season > put in oven > put chickpea to mouth > repeat. You can pretty much use any seasoning you like, but the mixture I used came out really nicely salty and sweet. Hopefully this will make your next lunch salad a little more exciting (even though what I really need in my day is a little more calm!).

Broccoli and Potato Casserole

What on earth is nutritional yeast? Because I certainly don't know. I have been hearing so much about it since becoming a vegan, and I have been very intimidated by it. I really have no idea how to use it, but I have read that not only is it a good source of B12, but it provides a creamy cheesy element to many recipes.

I found a recipe for a potato and broccoli rabe casserole that called for nutritional yeast, so I decided to seize the opportunity and try out this mystery ingredient. However, when I got to Harris Teeter to get my food the broccoli rabe was looking pretty sorry, so I decided to replace it with regular broccoli. I made a few other minor adaptations, and the casseroles turned out great. It was creamy and decadent, but it was pretty much fat free. You must try this for breakfast, lunch or dinner--it is fantastic! I still don't have any clue what nutritional yeast really is, but I know that I like it.

The Perfect Brunch: Blueberry Breakfast Cake and Heirloom Tomato Salad

the brunch spread

Like most D.C.-ers, I love a good brunch. However, I have discovered that vegan brunch food is pretty hard to come by. Some of my favorite brunch staples--like omelets, sausage, and lox and bagel--are pretty much impossible to create sans animal products. So when I was making plans this weekend with Andrew's family to go out to brunch while my mom was in town, I feared that it would be difficult to find a quality place with vegan options. Thus, I decided to take out the middle man and offered to cook brunch myself. I get a strange satisfaction out of cooking for other people, so I was more than happy to accept the challenge.

beauty.

I perused my favorite vegan blog, Fat Free Vegan, for some recipes, and I was immediately sold on the blueberry breakfast cake. It looked like a moist and fruity crowd pleaser, and the fact that it was fat free was very appealing.

I was a little apprehensive to bake, because I have been burned in the past...literally. My baking ventures rarely turn out well, because my cooking style is much more throwing things together and hoping for the best than carefully measuring ingredients, which is pretty crucial in baking. In fact, I made chocolate cheesecake brownies for a swim team pot luck dinner in high school, and I overheard two girls pointing to my brownies and betting each other $5 to try one. Thus, I am a little anxious about breaking out the mixing bowls.

However, I am so happy to say that the cake turned out GREAT, and people were shocked that it was both vegan and fat free. It was also very simple to make, and I am already scheming an excuse to make it again asap. I followed the recipe to a letter, so CLICK HERE for the full recipe.

Where to Eat: Elizabeth's Gone Raw

This is not what we had, but an incredible looking tiramisu 

I like to consider myself somewhat experienced with quality dining, at least for a 24 year-old, but being at Elizabeth's Gone Raw made me feel like a country bumpkin. I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a dining experience even close to this level. Firstly, the decor of Elizabeth's Gone Raw, located in a converted town house in Thomas Circle, is elegant and beautiful. I mean, there was more than one fork--classy stuff. Secondly, and most important, all of the food is raw vegan. As in not cooked. But you will not encounter one item on this menu that is bland or boring.

For $75, Elizabeth's offers a 5 course tasting menu, which is based on local and seasonal produce and changes weekly (wine pairings are an additional $45). This is not the caliber of meal that I spring for often, but since I had class on Valentine's Day, Andrew and I decided to celebrate the Friday after, and have this meal be our gift to each other. Since this was a very expensive meal, I was nervous that my very high expectations were not going to be met. Oh, was I wrong.

Vegan Goddess Soup

Ah, Valentine's Day. Love. Romance. And a shit ton of candy.

You would think that being vegan would limit my candy binging abilities, but believe me I found a way. Fueled by my depression over having to go to class on Valentine's eve until 8:30 rather than coming home right away and spending it with Andrew, I decided it was a good idea to eat no less than 3 pounds of nerds. Turns out, it wasn't. (Andrew did make me an AMAZING dinner when I got home so it was definitely a good night).

The next day I felt like I needed a bit of a candy detox, so I decided to adapt a recipe for Green Goddess Soup from one of my favorite food blogs, called Big Girl Small Kitchen. This seemed like a great healthy soup to expunge the nerds from my body, but I was a little skeptical of whether or not it would taste like....grass.

With some minor adaptations, it turned out delicious and flavorful, and a soup that I would eat detox or no detox. I also garnished it with some cashews and bean sprouts and ate it with a little bit of pita on the side, which made it more of a substantial meal. I enjoyed some leftovers for lunch today, and the lingering memories of the nerds are almost forgotten.

Food for the Soul: BBQ Tofu + Lemon Kale + Sweet Potato Mash

One of my favorite pre-vegan hangouts was a little place called Super Pollo. If you know even a word of Spanish, you know that this place is not exactly meat free (pollo=chicken). I loved me a half chicken with creamy mashed potatoes and cole slaw, and lately I have been feeling a void in my heart where my favorite soul food used to be (...literally. My heart is probably way healthier.)

My vegan soul food fix came this past Sunday when I decided to make BBQ tofu, lemon kale, and sweet potato mash. It is one of the best meals I've made in a long time, and I must say that it kicked some Super Pollo ass. These dishes go great together, but can also be served separately. Definitely worth trying out!