Vegan Greek | Vegan Recipes for Vegans and Vegetarians: The Blooming Platter in Virginia Beach, VA

Get your salad on!

As part of my tasty work with Tofutti, we create the occasional not-to-be missed FREE eCookbooks, a curated collection of favorite recipes, all with photos, in keeping with a theme. As mentioned previously, life and work prevented me from staying current on my beloved The Blooming Platter website, but I’m back!

And I am proud to share our Simple, Sizzling Summer Salads before summer is over. Where I live in Coastal Virginia, we definitely have a few more weeks of summer-like weather ahead of us…and it’s been a hot one until Mother Nature decided to grant us some reprieve just this weekend. (To access and download simply click on the linked title.)

But, let’s be honest: we are fortunate to have at our fingertips a wealth of summer season ingredients year-round and these salads will certainly satisfy 12 months of the year. So, beat the heat with this selection of simple-salads-with-a-twist…or just enjoy whenever the mood strikes. A colleague at the school where I teach taste-tested the entire set–she teaches in the summer and I started a tradition three years ago when I was hired to bring her lunch–and received a hardy and “hearty” thumbs-up.

Released for July 4, each salad honors one of the immigrant cultures that has helped make America what it is:

Chinese Chili Crisp Slaw
German Roasted Potato & Sauerkraut Salad with Maple Caraway Dressing
Creamy Greek Salad
Indian Broccoli, Cauliflower & Eggplant Salad with Creamy Chutney Dressing
Italian White bean, Peach & Mint Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

These easy recipes are all prepared with Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream. Tofutti makes my favorite non-dairy sour cream (not to mention cream cheese, ricotta, and ice cream), but feel free to substitute, though non-dairy products batched by different companies all vary in taste and texture and my recipes have only been tested with Tofutti. If you would like to purchase Tofutti products online so you always have them at the ready, visit Plantx.

Happy Last Gasp of Summer!

~Betsy

It’s official. I am obsessed. This is my 6th or 7th version of Chex Mix this year, each one–if I do say so–a flavor sensation.

Picking a favorite is akin to picking a favorite puppy. So, my favorite is whichever is in front of me.

This iteration was inspired by Juan Gelpi’s vegan gyros. I could not get those flavors out of my mind after seeing his Instagram photo, even during Saturday morning yoga. I was mindful alright. Mindful that I was stopping at Whole Foods on the way home and procuring ingredients. (That is where I find vegan tapenades.)

Admittedly, this Chex Mix contains no Chex. That wasn’t my intention; it just didn’t seem to need more crunch. Or more anything. It is lemony, garlicky, nutty, Greek perfection. Hope you agree.

I made this for one of my late husband’s paralegals’ birthday with the surplus going to others at the firm. I had to get it out of the house quickly…before I consumed it all.

1/2 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup olive oil

Zest of one large lemon

1/4 cup (generous) vegan artichoke and garlic tapenade or something similar ( I used Seggiano brand)

1/4 cup (generous) vegan olive bruschetta or the like (I used Delallo brand)

2 tablespoons Greek (or Italian) seasoning (dried oregano and rosemary are key ingredients)

2 tablespoons Za’tar

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

Sea salt to taste

8.6 ounces Cheerios (I used Canadian Farms organic Purely Os)

8 ounces pretzels

9 ounces pita chips

7 ounces walnut halves and pieces

9 ounces shelled pistachios

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place butter in large roasting pan, slide into oven, and allow µbutter to melt. Remove and whisk in lemon zest, tapenade, bruschetta, and all spices. Stir in remaining ingredients, one at a time until evenly coated. Roast mixture for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and package in airtight containers.