Raw Veggie Salad

This salad combines several flavors and texture to give your tongue a little dance! I initially made this as a green salad for lunch, but when I realized the toppings were the best, I eliminated the lettuce. Make it ahead and refrigerate overnight for more intense flavor.

1 head broccoli
4 carrots
2 tomatoes
1/4 c. dried cranberries
2 T. hemp seeds
2 T. sliced or crushed almonds
2 to 4 T. raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

Cut florets from broccoli. Slice each floret at least in half, and if large, in quarters. Peel carrots and slice very thinly (I used a mandolin). Dice tomatoes.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. If making ahead, use a bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Toss or shake until dressing completely covers all vegetables.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Variation: Add 1/2 block extra firm tofu, diced.

Roasted Eggplant

I already have a recipe for roasted eggplant on this blog, but this recipe is substantially different. It's very easy, but takes a lot of inactive prep time so be sure to plan ahead. I thought it was absolutely delish and had it for lunch, but the boys refused to even try it. Fine, that's more for me. :o)

1 large eggplant
2 T. olive oil
1 t. Thyme (more or less according to preference)
1/2 t. granulated garlic
1/2 t. Real Salt (plus more salt for prepping the eggplant)
1 T. Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter
2 T. non-dairy sour cream

Wash and dry eggplant. Trim stem and end. Cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half in thirds lengthwise, then cut into thin slices. Depending on the size of your eggplant, you may need to make more or fewer slices.

Place eggplant into a colander or strainer. Sprinkle with enough salt to lightly cover all the pieces, tossing to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse well and continue with recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine eggplant, thyme, garlic and Real Salt in a large bowl. Toss eggplant until all pieces are completely coated with the olive oil and seasoning. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread eggplant evenly in the dish.

Bake for a total of 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Eggplant is done cooking when it is darker in color and soft. Add non-dairy cream and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings.

Oven-Roasted Beets

Most recipes for roasted beets instruct leaving the skin on until after they have roasted. Then, you have to wait for them to cool enough to handle and remove the skins. However, this method for roasting beets takes care of the peeling ahead of time. I recommend wearing gloves while peeling them - unless you want your hands stained purple.

3 large beets
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
Dash dried basil
Dash dried oregano
Dash Real Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray, if desired.

Wearing gloves, cut the stem and any root fragments from the beets. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin. I recommend doing this over a garbage can or garbage disposal. The beet "juice" will stain pretty much anything it touches if not cleaned up immediately.

Rinse beets. Cut into cubes. Place beets in a medium-sized mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Toss to ensure even distribution. Spread out on prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with a second piece of foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, stir, and continue baking. Stir every 10 minutes until beets are fork-tender, about 60 minutes total, depending on the size of your beet cubes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes about 3 side-servings.

Note: This recipe would easily double for more satisfying portions. I had only purchased 3 beets, so that's all I made. Next time I will definitely make more.

Variations: Mix up the seasonings. The basil and oregano are certainly not the only combination that would work. Consider cumin, thyme and lemon juice, or other seasoning variations as you desire.

Smashed Yams

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is Yams. I love yams. Historically my family has made them with marshmallows (not vegan) and cream (again, not vegan). This dish is vegan friendly. Believe me - you're not missing anything.

6 yams
2 T. Earth Balance
1/2 c. pure maple syrup (more or less for desired consistency)
1/2 c. coconut milk (more or less for desired consistency)
Cinnamon, if desired

Scrub and peel yams. Bring a very large pot of water to a boil. Cut each yam in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/2 in. pieces. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes or until yams are very soft.

Drain yams. Dump into a very large serving bowl. Add Earth Balance and about 1/4 cup each of maple syrup and coconut milk. Add desired cinnamon if using. Using a hand blender, mix yams until very smooth and combined (about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Add remaining maple syrup and coconut milk, using slightly more or less as needed. Yams should be moist and fluffy, but not liquified.

Pour yams into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until yams are slightly bubbly. Serve right away.

Can be made ahead if desired. Prepare dish to the point of baking and then store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove dish from the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before you are ready to bake it.

Variation: Add a small can of crushed pineapple (drained) before pouring in the baking dish.