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!

Raw Moroccan Gazpacho and Carrots with Moroccan Spices

I *heart* Morocco. I've never actually been there (YET!! YET!!), but I am just enamored with it. I love the food, the culture, the style, the landscape, everything. I want to go there and eat vegetable tagines and walk through a souq and buy spices and beautiful fabrics. Two of my favorite movies - Casablanca and The Man Who Knew Too Much - are set in Morocco. I turned my bedroom into a Moroccan-inspired retreat. I dreamed of actually going to Morocco this year to celebrate my 10-year wedding anniversary, but with a young son, it just wasn't going to happen. I told my hubby that he better plan on going for our 25-year anniversary!! :)

I'm just crazy about Moroccan food. So, you can imagine my utter delight when I spied this recipe on Kristen Suzanne's blog - Raw Moroccan Gazpacho! Hello!

Raw tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, and spices are blended up, then topped with some diced tomato, pine nuts, and raisins. Why on Earth didn't I discover this recipe sooner?? I loved it!!

I also made some Carrots with Moroccan Spices from Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People:

Sliced carrots, lemon juice, carrot juice, olive oil, parsley, mint, and some dried spices.

Served with some lavash crackers, this was a wonderfully light, flavorful meal for a hot summer's night.

Question: What's your favorite type of ethnic cuisine?