My Sister's Summer Pasta Salad-Veganize It!

My sister is usually in charge of making both the pasta & fruit salads at every family event. Since her pasta salad contains cheese and ham/turkey, I haven't enjoyed it since becoming a vegan. The other day, I figured what the heck?  Let me just veganize this recipe and make it just as delicious without the animal products.

This recipe is super simple and delicious! I made a video about it below.

Update: You can add any other vegetable you choose. These days, I also add in a cucumber. 

Print and share the full recipe at the end of this post. 

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What do you like in your pasta salad? Leave a comment below?

Simple Pasta Salad

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (Feeds 7)

• 1 lb rotini pasta
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup black olives
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup Italian dressing

Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to the directions on the label. Drain and rinse the pasta and place to the side.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients , mixing everything until pasta is evenly coated.

Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

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6 Summer Vegan Side Dish Recipes

I posted some tips on how to eat vegan at a cookout yesterday, so today I wanted to pass on some side dish recipes for your next summer event.  

Click each picture to see the recipes.... 

BBQ Baked Beans 

BBQ Baked Beans 

Vegan Macaroni Salad

Vegan Macaroni Salad 

Black Bean Chickpeas Salad

Cooking Channel TV  

Vegan Coleslaw 

Lunch Box Brunch

Three Bean Salad

Eating Well 

Potato Salad

Recipe

Popular brands of vegan sausages, hotdogs and burger patties:

*Amy's All American Burger     *Tofurky    *Field Roast     *Gardenburger's Veggie Medley Burger

Also, marinated portobello mushrooms are awesome on the grill.

What's your favorite cookout dish? 

Zaalouk Recipe

On the same day Lisa and I recorded the Asian tofu salad video, she made us zaalouk--one of her favorite Moroccan dishes.  Like a lot of other wonderful cooks, Lisa isn't one to measure her spices and other ingredients.  She relies heavily on color, taste, texture and smell to guide her in the kitchen. 

Being that I was working on my 2nd glass of wine, I failed to take notes myself. #thestruggle

Anyway, I didn't want to leave this post with just pictures, so here's a list of all the ingredients Lisa used in her recipe:

1 large eggplant

Diced tomatoes, canned

Olive oil

Garlic, minced

Dried parsley

Cumin

Paprika

Salt

Pepper

Vinegar (red wine or champagne)  or lemon juice or sumac  (something acidic)

Saute aromatics in olive oil, then cook everything until soft, and mash it up with a potato masher.

Drizzle olive oil on top.

Eat with pita bread scooping the zaalouk in with your fingers--in true Moccorran style.

Have a great weekend!

Veganize It! Chef John's Crispy Potatoes with Spicy Garlic & Chili Aioli

A lot of my inspiration for meal planning and recipe videos come from non-vegan sources.  I spend hours skimming through cookbooks soaking in recipes from around the world and really enjoy learning about food preparation and spices. Did I mention I have a slight desire to attend culinary school? I just couldn't imagine handling eggs, cheese, and meat all day, though. *sigh*

Last week, I watched Chef John (a non-vegan chef) put together a fried potato dish using herbs and simple spices.

I made it today and it was so delish! Crispy on the outside and soft (like old school McDonald's fries) on the inside.

I only had to make one ingredient change to make this recipe vegan. I used Vegenaise in place of conventional mayo, and also decided to add chili paste to the topping to give it an extra kick.

This batch didn't come out as crispy as the first picture.

When I make this dish again (probably this weekend), I will use more potatoes (these kids are greedy lol) and allow them to fry longer to ensure each potato is even more crispy. I was a little nervous that I would burn them, so I only fried each batch for about 6 minutes (8-9 is probably a better number).

Visit Food Wishes to watch the video and get the measurements. 

Thanks for reading. :-)

Cornbread Recipe-Moist & Slightly Sweet

Update: I made a better cornbread here. Check out that recipe instead. ----> Recipe

While hanging out with my parents a few weeks ago, I asked my dad about the yummy cornbread he always made growing up.

His response, "I use Jiffy." I gasped. Boxed cornbread? He makes nearly everything from scratch and all these years I've been duped by boxed cornbread. lol

Anyway, he did give me a few tips to use in this recipe. :-)

This cornbread is moist, slightly sweet and delicious. 

Check out the full recipe and watch me make it in the video below.

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think.

Song playing while I baked....

P.M. Dawn-Looking Through Patient Eyes

Cornbread-Moist & Slightly Sweet

by Brown Vegan

Cook Time: 20

Keywords: bake bread vegan

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• 1 cup all-purpose or spelt flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 4 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup canola oil or melted vegan margarine (I prefer the margarine)
• 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (or agave nectar)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven at 400º

To make flax "eggs":

In a small bowl mix together flaxseed and water and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

To make "buttermilk":

In another bowl, mix together almond milk and vinegar and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients of flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder & baking soda.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flax "eggs", "buttermilk", canola oil, and maple syrup.

Add the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix together until evenly combined.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Once ready, top with vegan margarine or coconut oil.

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