Yield: 2 main dish servings or 4 side servings
Summer is meant for grilling, right? Yea, no. At least not at my house. I’ve never been an outdoor griller, but I do have a much beloved stovetop grill pan that I use year-round.
A craving for caramelized onions and peppers with a bit of protein from some plump little white beans was the inspiration for this salad. But these ingredients needed something creamy to hold it all together. A little while back, I had made a beet green pesto–though any flavored pesto, commercial or homemade would be delicious–and decided to fold it into “lite” vegan mayo (I like Vegenaise brand) in a 1:2 ratio for the dressing. Yum!
The only drawback was aesthetic. Despite the red bell pepper, the overall color of the salad was pretty brown. Not wanting to add a green vegetable, as its consistency and flavor was just right as it was, I simply chopped up a little cilantro–although other green herbs would work nicely as well–and sprinkled it over the top.
This salad is filling enough to eat on its own, perhaps atop a bed of greens, but I like it on cracker bread for crispy-crunch. The salad also cries out to be tucked into a wrap or stuffed in a pita pocket.
Regardless, you’ll be crying for more.
Vegan Cannelini Bean and Pesto Salad with Grilled Onions and Red Bell Peppers
1 can cannelini beans (white beans), rinsed and drained
1 onion, halved, sliced crosswise, grilled on both sides for a few minutes over medium-hi, and cut into pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, halved, sliced crosswise, grilled on both sides for a few minutes over medium-hi, and diced
2 tablespoons vegan pesto, any flavor (I used a homemade beet green pesto)
Approximately 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 teasoon garlic powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish: finely chopped cilantro, chives, parsley, or other fresh green herb
In a medium bowl, gently combine beans, onion, and red bell pepper. In a small bowl or cup, whisk together pesto, mayonnaise, and garlic powder. Spoon over vegetables. Fold together until completely combined, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over greens, on crackers or toast, or in a pita or wrap.
Yield: 4 appetizer servings (6 wedges each)
Yield: 2 servings (or 1 big one if you are really hungry and in need of hydration)
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Yield: 8 very large cookies (about 4 1/2 inches in diameter)
First, though, she had to pose with the wrapped stack of them on her head like a yogi crown. To package, I simply placed each cookie on a large muffin liner, stacked them, and tied them, wrapped them with plastic wrap, and tied it with raffia before slipping them inside a gift bag.
(To go straight to the recipe, please scroll down.)
At last night’s party, golden sangria and desserts–Barbara’s silky chocolate pie, a cake, and a cheesecake topped with a glistening fruit pinwheel–were set out on the breakfast room table. Sliced and spreadable cheeses (all from Whole Foods), Marconi almonds roasted with paprika, three kinds of black and green olives, and a luscious white gazpacho lined the kitchen buffet. And a veritable groaning board of “meats,” salads, and savory pastries covered the dining room table (which is usually covered with beautiful quilts that Barbara, also a doctor, creates for charity): spinach and puff pastry squares; a carrot, an eggplant and chickpea, and a tomato salad; hearts of palm ceviche; roasted red pepper and goat cheese crostini; meatballs in a tomato-based sauce; chorizo (really cripsy on the edges like I like it); and two of Juan’s special potato tortillas made with Follow Your Heart egg substitute. Because families have been known to split over whether onion should be included in a tortilla, he made one each way.
I couldn’t begin to choose a favorite dish, though I had to steer clear of the ceviche as I am wildly allergic to avacado. (How cruel, right? Allergic to this staple of the vegan diet.) Pretty high on the list, though, was the little chilled shot glasses of white gazpacho served with green grape halves. In fact, I was so smitten that I purchased what I needed for my own version, based on Juan’s quickly recited list of ingredients, while on my Saturday morning post-yoga Whole Foods shopping spree.
This version of white gazbacho is made with soaked bread and my bread selection was based entirely on wanting to dip a little pretzel loaf in the cup of vegan lentil soup I purchased from the prepared foods bar at Whole Foods. But the remaining pretzel loaf was delectable in the gazpacho. Yet, virtually any plain bread would do. Just avoid breads studded with seeds, nuts, fruits, garlic, rosemary, and the like.
Vegan White Gazpacho with Green Grapes and a Twist
(For the Recipes, scroll down about half way to the links.)
The demo took place on a stage in a meeting room, supported by a cracker jack AV team, for the hour just before lunch, so I didn’t want to prepare anything sweet or that would conflict with their tasty vegan bento boxes from 
I am similarly gratified that my demo was so well-received. One of the staff members shared that they have presented many of these and that they are often “dry,” but that mine wasn’t. I have to admit that I was a bit relieved, as I had come down with a fever after school on Thursday, worked Friday still with a fever because progress report grades were due, rallied to grocery shop and prepare ingredients Friday night (missing my beloved candlelight yoga class) and half a day Saturday. Afterwards, I drove straight home, climbed into bed and stayed there until Monday when my fever finally broke.
Yield: approximately 1 cup
Speaking of Whole Foods’ values, the June 2016 issue of 
Roasted Middle Eastern Carrot-Beet Spread
Yield: 8 mini-cakes (2 1/2-inch diameter)
The recipe starts with a boxed cake mix because that’s how I got my start baking. In those days, there were no canned frostings, but rather boxed mixes as well, and I recall them as being superior. Still nothing beats homemade frosting which is what I include here along with my simple-as-pie, to mix my metaphors, homemade caramel.
