Tag: vegan salad recipes

Quinoa Broccoli Salad with Tangy, Creamy Dressing {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Did you know that broccoli is one of THE most healing, healthful foods we can eat?

Tom Malterre, one of my favorite nutritionists, has been so bold as to call it “The DNA Whisperer” in his fascinating TEDTalk.

IMG_6974

I’ve written about the incredible health benefits of broccoli in another blog post (which also features my favorite “crack” broccoli recipe – aptly named due to how addictive it is).

Click here for that recipe and to learn more about the cancer-fighting, immune boosting, detoxifying benefits of this tree-like vegetable.

Broccoli is coming in season locally, so I wanted to find some new and interesting ways to use it aside from the usual steaming it or tossing it in a salad.

Since removing dairy from my diet a few years ago, I’ve been especially driven to come up with creamy dressing recipes. This one uses tahini (sesame paste) and raw cashews to create creaminess, which paired nicely with the light and fluffy quinoa and roasted broccoli.

IMG_6926

The trick was making a big pot of quinoa at the beginning of the week, which we’ve since used for a southwest black bean salad, pumpkin breakfast cereal, and now this recipe.

It’s a big time saver to cook once and then use the ingredient 3 times. You can do that with any grain at the beginning of the week (brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat).

(In case you missed it, here’s how to cook quinoa 🙂 )

One of my colleagues who tried this recipe on her own had this to say about it:

“Whoa, Rachel! This salad was excellent! First, it was easy to make, which, as a non-cook, I totally appreciate. The flavor is what really impressed me. The sweetness of the cashews, the umami of the tamari, and a bit of heat from the crushed red pepper married so well together! I’ll definitely be adding this one to my personal recipe collection!”

Tangy creamy quinoa broccoli salad

IMG_6939 IMG_6944

 Salad

  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (coconut oil is my prefered oil for cooking since it’s more stable at high temperatures while olive oil is best for raw or low heat preparations)
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked (Here’s how to cook perfect quinoa!)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • Optional: almond slices, lightly toasted

Dressing

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours in water (or overnight) then drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss broccoli in oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until golden brown and softened slightly but still bright green, about 15 – 20 minutes.
  2. While broccoli is roasting, prepare dressing. Transfer the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend on high until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
  3. When broccoli is done, remove from oven and transfer to mixing bowl. Add quinoa, drizzle with lemon juice and toss to combine.
  4. Pour 1/2-2/3 cup dressing over the broccoli-quinoa mixture and stir until evenly coated.
  5. Top with toasted almond slices, if you prefer (for an extra crunch!).
  6. Serve immediately (for a warm salad) or chill in fridge for at least two hours.

Heirloom Tomato & Chickpea Summer Salad

I used to hate tomatoes. 

I don’t know what it was specifically that fueled my aversion, but unless they were blended together in pizza sauce or in my can of Spaghettios or Beefaroni, I wanted nothing to do with them.

IMG_5520

Fortunately, over the years as I’ve opened myself up to foods and giving them a second chance rather than immediately writing them off, I’ve found that I really like tomatoes.

Especially heirloom tomatoes.

If you want to learn all about heirloom tomatoes, check out this link by a guy who has an entire website devoted to tomatoes!

I also pulled this little bit of info off of Hometown Harvest’s website. I’ve met the owners, Tony and Abby, and respect and admire their approach to food and the fresh, local products they source to their customers, which is why Bill and I switched from a different produce delivery company to Hometown Harvest.

An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated tomato whose seed grows “true to type”—meaning, if you plant Cherokee Purple seed, you’re going to get Cherokee Purple plants. From generation to generation, that seed will stay true. Some heirloom tomatoes have, in fact, stayed within one family and so are heirlooms in the truest sense of the word. Other heirloom tomatoes circulate widely.

Beautiful heirloom tomatoes

Beautiful heirloom tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes also tend to have a thinner skin and are more prone to bruising and puncturing, so it’s important to handle them carefully. Their flavor is second to none, and they come in lots of different colors, so they spruce up the plate!

I made this recipe using heirloom tomatoes for the first time last summer and LOVED it.

Oh my goodness it is so tasty!  It was the perfect way to use the heirloom tomatoes we got in our Hometown Harvest bag this week and at the farmer’s market in Easton, Maryland on Saturday morning.

If you like to “go downy ocean, hun,” you should plan to stop by Easton’s farmer’s market on your way to or from the beach.

We’ll be making this dish tomorrow night for Meatless Monday. Give it a whirl if you’re looking for something new to try. Enjoy! 🙂

Heirloom Tomatoes & Chickpea Summer Salad

IMG_2704 - Version 2

Ingredients

Serves 6

Base

  • 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch discs (or whatever thickness you like!)
  • 1-2 handfuls of fresh greens or lettuce of your choice

Chickpea Medley

  • 5.5-6 cups cooked (~ 3 15-ounce cans) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed (We like Eden brand!)
  • 5 ounce baby spinach
  • 1.5 cups cilantro, large stems removed (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro or want a milder taste)
  • 3/4 cup red onion, chopped finely

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt + ground pepper

Arrange the tomato slices on top of the greens and then follow this link to the full recipe for the medley and dressing from one of my favorite vegan bloggers over at oh she glows (she makes veggies taste fantastic!).

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén