Summer Lovin' Curried Corn and Veggie Chowder

I've been waiting for summer to roll around so I could make the Summer Lovin' Curried Corn and Veggie Chowder from Appetite for Reduction. Unfortunately, I just got the memo that summer is here - and in fact, is almost gone. Ah well, better late than never.

This recipe is just brimming with my favorite ingredients: zucchini, carrots, curry powder, shallots, red bell pepper, ginger, coconut milk, and lime. However, the undisputed star of this dish is the fresh, sweet, just-been-picked corn that only the summer months bring. I bought 3 ears at the local farmer's market, along with my customary tomatoes, peaches, and apples. I couldn't wait to get home and get this soup simmering!

After slicing off the juicy kernels, I broke the cobs in half and added them to the pot. This simple step adds lots of extra corn-y flavor. After cooking for about 30 minutes, the soup was ready. I removed the corn cobs and used my immersion blender to blend about half the soup in the pot, giving the finished product a thick body along with some chunks of veggies.

With some thickly sliced beefsteak tomatoes and a pinch of sea salt, this was a perfect late-summer meal that was enjoyed by all!

I also used some of my farmer's market bounty to make a yummy dinner of Syrian Bread Salad (from 1,000 Vegan Recipes), Masala Baked Tempeh (from AFR), and steamed zucchini and yellow squash. This meal had such a pleasing contrast of textures and flavors, from the chewy Indian-flavored tempeh, to the juicy Middle Eastern-flavored salad, to the straight up all-American steamed garden veggies.

Finally, for movie night, we wanted to have something delicious and fun, so I made a giant salad with baby lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery. I topped the salad with a mustard vinaigrette, Dr. Praeger's veggie patty, Trader Joe's roasted corn, and some Alexia sweet potato tots. It really satisfied that burger-and-fries craving in a healthy way!

What are some favorite summer dishes that you have to make again before summer ends? I think, for me, it has to be more Smoky Tomato & Jalapeno raw soup, some grilled pizza, and panzanella-style salads. I want to enjoy these flavorful tomatoes while I can!

Salad, Salad, and More Salad

Sorry for the little hiatus. Things have been busy here at Bananas for Smoothies-ville. Well, I guess busy isn't the right word. More like, distracting. Olympics to watch? Distracting. Books to read? Distracting. The Bachelorette? Distracting. Especially Arie. I've been too distracted by life to blog much about it. But it's time to get back to business!

Mmmm, business. This is the Syrian Bread Salad from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. It's one of those chop-everything-up-and-toss-it-all-together-type salads that I just adore.

I toasted some Trader Joe's mini pitas for just a few minutes to dry them out a bit.

Then I chopped-chopped-chopped the salad stuff: cucumbers, grape tomatoes, oil-cured olives, red onion, red pepper, and parsley. I tossed in the mini pitas and added the oil and vinegar.

I served the salad atop some mixed baby greens and Basic Baked Tempeh from Appetite for Reduction. This meal was a party in my mouth: juicy, salty, chewy, carb-y, crunchy. Yeah!

This was a fun and tasty recent Saturday dinner. I made a base salad of baby greens, chopped tomatoes, avocado, red pepper, and cucumber, then topped it with a Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger. I whisked together a simple dijon vinaigrette and drizzled it over the burger and salad. Some frozen Alexia fries (and lots of ketchup) completed the dish. I loved having a "decadent" meal that didn't leave me with a food hangover :) By the way, I never buy frozen veggie burgers EVER (not a big fan), but I grabbed a box of these burgers on my last Trader Joe's shopping trip. I love how they are vegetable-based and taste more like a croquette!

Finally, another salad - this one is the Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Toasted Cumin Seeds. This was one of the salads I hadn't yet prepared from Appetite for Reduction, mostly because...it didn't really appeal to me. And I was right. I didn't enjoy this :( I don't know what it is about cumin seeds, but apparently I am not a fan. I use ground cumin all the time and like it, but I don't enjoy the cumin seeds. I've made other dishes in the past with cumin seeds, and I never liked the flavor it added. So, now I know. No more cumin seeds! I piled it on top of some baby spinach and had some haricot verts and TJ's roasted corn on the side. That corn rocks! Seriously, yum. I could have eaten the entire bag!

I'll try to be better about posting more often!

Two Smoothies and Flower Power Granola Squares

Is this not the best-colored smoothie you've ever seen?

The color reminds me of Ecto Cooler, but the taste and ingredients? Not so much.

It's a Pina Colada Smoothie from Zesty Cook, and it's awesome. Coconut milk, baby spinach, banana, fresh mint, and pineapple. So refreshing (and so green!)

One morning, I wanted to make a smoothie with flavors of strawberry shortcake, but I didn't want it to be too rich or heavy. I certainly could have added lots of things to make it more shortcake-like (quick oats, baking soda, butter extract, cashew butter), but I wanted something simple and light.

I blended together some frozen strawberries, banana, hemp protein, raw cashews, water, ice, and a pinch of cinnamon. It was just what I wanted - not too sweet and not too thick. It was the perfect recovery drink after a run!

Of course, I don't just drink smoothies and eat salads all the time. Sometimes I even bake stuff :) 

These are Flower Power Granola Squares from 1,000 Vegan Recipes, and these are a party in your mouth. Mix together some seeds (I used sunflower, pumpkin, and hemp seeds), quick oats, dried cranberries, flaked coconut, chocolate chips, soymilk, melted Earth Balance, and agave nectar. Smoosh it all together and bake for 25 minutes. Then, show some restraint and try not to eat the entire pan by yourself.

This is a wonderfully "sneaky-healthy" dish for kids. My son acts like he's getting a cookie for breakfast, yet there is only 2 tablespoons each of EB and agave in the whole dish (an 8x8 pan). How can a mama not love that? It's basically a super-loaded bowl of oatmeal in a semi-solid form, and it's got chocolate. You can't go wrong! It's a little crumbly in texture, so I usually just scoop some into a bowl and we eat it with a spoon. It's good right out of the oven AND cold from the fridge. Take that, Pop Tarts!

Avocado and Tempeh Bacon Wraps and Roasted Ratatouille Gratin

I think if I could only keep one cookbook for the rest of my life, I'd most likely choose Robin Robertson's 1,000 Vegan Recipes. I mean, duh. One thousand recipes is quite the variety, and I'd never get recipe-fatigue. Having said that, there are several recipes in this book that I make quite often -Chickpea Pancake with Rosemary; Tuscan Bread and Tomato Salad; Arugula and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing; Tuscan White Beans and Broccoli Rabe; and Lemon-Glazed Baby Carrots with Cranberries. What can I say, when it's good, it's good! But I certainly have a long way to go to reach 1,000, so I'm trying to make a dent in the recipe count.

First up, the Avocado and Tempeh Bacon Wraps. I've made a similar sandwich before, but this one was definitely simpler to make. It was also, most importantly, super-delicious!

The Tempeh Bacon is a separate recipe in the book, and it's easy as pie to make. Just steam the tempeh, slice it, and pan-fry it with some oil, tamari, and liquid smoke. Done. Then grab a wrap (I used pumpernickel), spread it with some Vegenaise, add some sliced tomato, lettuce, and avocado, and add the tempeh bacon, like so:

Roll it up, slice in half, and serve. Yum!

Funnily enough, one day I looked in the fridge and saw that I had some eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and red onion that needed to get used up. Those ingredients immediately made me think of ratatouille, so I grabbed 1,000 Vegan Recipes to see if Robin had a recipe for it. Sure enough, she did!

This is a GREAT recipe. You just chop up the veggies, toss it with some other ingredients (garlic, canned diced tomatoes, EVOO, spices), and throw it all into a baking dish. During the last 15 minutes, you uncover the dish and sprinkle it with some bread crumbs (I used Panko), thyme, and nooch. When it's done baking, you have a creamy, delicious casserole that will satisfy anyone, including 3-year-olds...my son LOVED it!

I added some cannellini beans to increase the protein/nutrition, and that was a great decision. These soft, mellow beans are the perfect complement to the soft, creamy veggies!

I had some kale salad on the side to increase the "green" factor of this meal. It was so, so yummy!

Summer Salad Slam!

If I had my way, I'd exist on smoothies and salads for the entire summer. I love their taste, nutrition, ease of preparation, flexibility, and portability. I also love the fact that I don't have to turn on the oven and make the kitchen any hotter than it already is!

Here are some salads I've been enjoying lately:

Roasted Portobello Salad (except I sub eggplant for the 'shrooms!) from Veganomicon, with a side of millet:

Roasted Cauliflower and Rice Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette from 1,000 Vegan Recipes:

Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl from Oh She Glows, with a side of Chickpea Pancake with Rosemary from 1,000 Vegan Recipes:

Arugula and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing (1,000 Vegan Recipes), frozen Alexia fries, Basic Baked Tempeh (Appetite for Reduction), carrot sticks, and roasted chickpeas:

Umm...I can't remember where this recipe came from. It appears to be massaged kale, apples, carrots, and something else?? I'm sure it was tasty!

Raw Mediterranean Kale Salad from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen:

Romaine and Grape Tomato Salad with Avocado and Baby Peas (1,000 Vegan Recipes) and Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli (Appetite for Reduction):

A completely random salad made with baby arugula, chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, celery, carrots, fava beans, roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast, chopped green olives, pine nuts, capers, olive oil, and white balsamic vinegar. Yummmm.

My new obsession - Purple Kale Salad with Creamy Apricot Ginger Dressing, Walnuts, and Apples from Choosing Raw:

I've been eating it by the boatload lately. Here it is with some brown lentils and more socca (my other new obsession):

This is the simple but tasty Chopped Salad (1,000 Vegan Recipes), served with Basic Baked Tempeh (Appetite for Reduction) and a baked potato. The romaine lettuce was fresh from a friend's garden and it was so tender and delicious!

Creamy Curry Pasta and Vegetable Salad (1,000 Vegan Recipes) with some steamed broccoli:

And, finally, another delicious smoothie creation. This one had spirulina, hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, spinach, pineapple, coconut water, and ginger. So tangy and refreshing!

What are your favorite summery salads?

Birthday Food: Homemade Bread, Muffalettas and Cake!

It was Mr. Bananas for Smoothies's birthday the other day, so I decided to go all-out and make him a birthday feast of his favorite foods.

I haven't made them in a couple of years, but I remember how much my hubby loved the Veggie Tempeh Muffaletta sandwiches from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. It's a delectable mix of chopped olives, capers, red peppers (raw & roasted), sauteed tempeh, celery, green onions, garlic, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. It's salty, tangy, and uber-delish.

The filling is layered on crusty bread and topped with some avocado, spinach, and sliced tomatoes. Lousy baker that I am, I would normally have bought some bakery bread, but I took a chance and tried to make my own bread - the Sunflower Artisan Loaf from 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Success! It rose beautifully and was super-easy to make, even for a novice like myself. In fact, the dough rose so much that I ended up splitting it into 2 loaves before baking. I just cut 5 minutes off the baking time and it came out perfectly.

I sliced one of the loaves horizontally, like so:

Then I scooped out much of the middle part in order to make room for the yummy filling:

Next, I added some sliced avocado:

Then I topped it with some sliced tomatoes and baby spinach:

Finally, I put the top back on and pressed down hard to smoosh everything together:

Finally, I used a serrated knife to cut the sandwiches in half. Here's an inside look:

I was tired after all my bread-and-muffaletta-making, so I just threw some sweet potato tots in the oven for a side dish:

My hubby was thrilled to have his beloved muffaletta sandwich again :) And he was very impressed by my attempt (and victory!) at bread baking!!

We made sure to save some room for birthday cake and ice cream. I don't make cakes very often, but I immediately thought of the delicious Apple-Cardamom Cake with Lemon-Maple Frosting from Vive Le Vegan!:

This cake is as healthy as cake can get - it is made with oat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, applesauce, spices, and a minimum of oil and (natural) sugar. The frosting is silken tofu-based and includes maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, and agar powder. The best part is that you can eat an two enormous slice of this cake and not feel gross afterward. Yay for natural sweeteners and whole-grain flours!

The only thing I didn't make was homemade ice cream. Hey, that's what Trader Joe's is for! Cherry Chocolate Chip Soy Creamy....oh yeah!

Happy birthday to my sweetie!