Garlic "Parmesan" Croutons (gluten free, vegan)

I'm not much of a salad eater. Which is ironic since most people who learn I'm a vegan usually respond with the comment, "What do you eat, salad?"

Rarely.

But these croutons have rocked my not-so-into-salad world. I tossed them into my tofu BLT salad and slathered it in ranch dressing...and suddenly I'm seeing a lot more salad in my future.

A quick hint, I start my croutons a few days ahead, since I bake my own bread. I cut the bread and let it "stale" in the refrigerator a day or two, as stale bread seems to make a better crouton. You can sub any stale bread in place of the Sweet Potato Flat Bread, just be sure you have about 4 cups of cubed bread to start.


GLUTEN FREE CROUTONS

Yield: About 4 cups of croutons
Prep Time: 10 minutes + time for preparing 1 recipe Sweet Potato Flat Bread
Cook Time: 50 minutes

You will need a very large (or two small) cookie sheet and parchment paper for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 recipe Sweet Potato Flat Bread, cut into bite size cubes
2 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 heaping tsp dried parsley
2 heaping Tbsp nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 325˚ F. Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.

Cubed bread.

Combine herbs and salt in a small bowl. Place bread cubes in a separate, large mixing bowl.  Drizzle about 1/4 of the melted vegan butter and 1/4 of the herb mixture, tossing to coat the bread cubes. Repeat this process until you've used all the butter and herb mixture to coat the bread cubes.

Place bread cubes in a single layer on lined cookie sheet(s).

Pre baking.

Bake bread cubes at 325˚ F in for 10 minutes, then stir and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Continue baking and stirring, shortening time between stirring as the cubes darken. Bake until the cubes have thoroughly dried out and become crouton crunchy. Keep a close eye on your first batch, all ovens bake a bit differently and it's easy to burn these within a few minutes.

Post baking.

You can serve these immediately, warm or cooled. Cool completely before storing and eat within a day or two for best flavor and texture.

Chomp. Yum. Mmmmmmm!

*gluten free, can be soy free if using non-soy vegan butter

© 2016 Ahimsa Kitchen and Marty Tribble | Reproduction of this post without written permission is unlawful.

Chick'pea & Grape Salad (vegan, gluten-free)

I have always been a big fan of Summer salads! You know, all those delicious favorites that show up at potluck gatherings. *drool*

I was thinking of titling this recipe "Chickens run wild and free salad." Since stepping on to the path of a compassionate lifestyle, I have been reworking my favorite dishes from earlier in life. This recipe is the IDEAL salad to get cruelty off the Summer salad menu, as it is packed with flavor and can easily make it's way onto the non-vegan's plate. Every year, 50 BILLION chickens are slaughtered worldwide. We, the consumers, are the only ones who can drastically reduce (and perhaps someday, eliminate) this astounding statistic.

If you are or were a fan of chicken or tuna salad, this tasty replacement is a great place to start. I have been totally vegan for just over 3 years now, and can I say…this tastes so much like chicken salad to me that I had trouble eating it at first! :)

So go ahead, give it a whirl. You will love the taste of cruelty free.

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CHICK'PEA AND GRAPE SALAD

Gluten free, can be soy free (use a soy free mayo and sour cream), vegan.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 (24 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup small diced onion
1 stalk celery, diced small
1 cup grapes, sliced into quarters
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
1/4 cup vegan sour cream OR plain vegan yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice

dash of paprika
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
sea salt to taste

Method

In a food processor, pulse chickpeas 5-8 times, until they appear coarsely chopped (be careful not to turn them into a paste or hummus-like texture).

Place pulsed chickpeas in a mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir gently to blend. Adjust salt to taste and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions

√ serve on your favorite bread or wrapped in a tortilla with a crisp of lettuce
√ serve over a bed of kale, lettuce, spinach, or mixed greens
√ serve a scoop as a 'side' dish on a crisp of lettuce


© 2014 Ahimsa Kitchen and Marty Tribble | Reproduction of this post without written permission is unlawful.

Roasted Fennel Cranberry Pear Salad (vegan, gluten-free)

Utterly fantastic...just wait until you chomp down on this combination of flavors! Yum.

Prep the salad:

2 bulbs roasted fennel, diced
2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed, cooked and chilled
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 red pears, unpeeled and diced
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/4 cup stemmed, chopped fresh dill

Toss above ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Now prepare the dressing:

Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange)
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground peppercorns

Add dressing to quinoa mixture, lightly stirring to coat. Ready to serve or refrigerate.

Recipe notes: This salad tastes even better on day 2, and keeps for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator. A perfect addition to Winter holiday meals.


*gluten-free and soy-free

Creamy Summer Salad (vegan, gluten-free)

One of the textures we tend to miss as vegans is CREAMY. Well, at least I do! Sometimes non-vegans as why I re-create dairy textures, after all, I went vegan and gave up dairy…and I always reply that I didn't go vegan because I lost my taste for dairy, I went vegan because I lost my taste for cruelty. 

Creamy vegan foods are readily available and simple to make with a little creativity. This recipe uses my Vegan Ranch Dip recipe to recreate the typical store-bought or homemade deli salads we find at Summer picnics. You can substitute/add any veggies you like to create your own unique version of this Summertime favorite.

4 cups cooked organic quinoa pasta (elbows, curls…you choose!)
1 pint organic cherry tomatoes (heirloom if available), whole
1/2 cup organic onion, diced small
1 medium organic cucumber, diced small
1 can small whole black olives, choose organic or check label for additives
1/2-3/4 cup of my Vegan Ranch Dip, depending on how creamy you like it

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and gently combine with a large wooden spoon. Chill for at least two hours or overnight. Gently stir before serving.

Remember, use local and organic foods as much as possible. This is just as important as our choice to remove animal products from our diet, and organic tastes better too!

*gluten-free, soy-free