Roasted Vegetable Salad with Basil Vinaigrette & Chili Oil

The weather is getting warmer and that usually has a good effect on my diet. I tend to want to eat better and not many things taste better than lightly roasted vegetables tossed with dressing made with fresh basil. This salad is easy to make and even easier to eat.

Roasted asparagus, red bell pepper, artichokes, corn and pickled sea beans tossed with chili oil and a quick and bright vinaigrette made with basil and olive oil.

Roasted Vegetable Salad
1/2 bunch asparagus, 3" pieces
1 red bell pepper, medium dice
1-15oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup fresh (or frozen and thawed) corn kernels
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp-1 tbl chili oil (found in the Asian aisle)
1 tsp lemon zest (reserve juice for vinaigrette)
salt and pepper
4 cups baby arugula
10 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
1 handful pickled sea beans, or store-bought pickled green beans

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss the asparagus, bell pepper, artichoke hearts and corn with olive oil and the amount of chili oil desired to match your heat preference. Toss with lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, tossing once in between.
Toss the vegetables in some basil vinaigrette and arrange on top of arugula and basil. Garnish with sea beans. Drizzle with any remaining dressing.

Basil Vinaigrette
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
3 tbl chopped fresh parsley
1 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the basil, parsley, lemon juice and vinegar in a food processor. Blend. Stream in the olive oil and continue to process into a smooth dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Chimi Seitan Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Welp, this is officially my favorite salad to date. Enough reading, more eating.

Peppered seitan tossed in chimichurri sauce with grilled corn, sweet potato, broccoli and red pepper, garlic croutons and ranch dressing. What's not to love?

Chimichurri Sauce
1 cup packed parsley leaves
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbl balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth, brushing down the sides to make sure everything is combined. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.

Ranch Dressing
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine and taste to season if necessary.

Chimi Seitan Salad
8 oz seitan, small dice
1 tbl black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup small diced, peeled sweet potato
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozan
1 small head of broccoli, cut in florets
1 red bell pepper, medium strips
1 head romaine, dark green parts, roughly chopped
2 slices seed bread, crusts removed, medium dice
1 tsp garlic powder

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Place a large piece of foil over the hottest part of the grill.
Toss the seitan chunks with black pepper and 1 tbl of olive oil. Spread evenly over the foil and grill for 7-10 minutes until lightly charred. Set aside.
Boil the sweet potato in salted water for 5 minutes then drain.
Toss the sweet potato and corn together in 1 tbl of oil and a pinch of salt. Spread evenly over the foil piece and grill for 5-7 minutes until the sweet potato is fully cooked and the corn has some char on it.
Toss together the broccoli and red bell pepper with 1 tbl of oil, salt and pepper. Grill on the remaining part of the grill for 7-10 minutes until charred and the vegetables are tender. Remove from the grill and roughly chop.
Combine the lettuce with the seitan and all of the grilled vegetables.
Toss the bread chunks with a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Grill for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally so the croutons don't burn. Add the croutons to the salad mix.
Toss the salad with 3-4 spoonfuls of chimichurri sauce and some ranch dressing to taste.

Black Eyed Pea Cakes with Sweet Mustard Sauce, Roasted Cremini Salad

There are two different types of people in this world. People who eat everything on their plate separately (my husband, I don't get it) and people who mash it all up and dive in. I'm a masher, a swirler. I live to eat all my meals in bowls where I can easily mix everything up. This meal in particular tasted even better with a bit of each component in each bite.

Little crispy cakes made from black eyed peas, red bell peppers, onions and fresh cilantro, served with roasted cremini mushrooms, spicy jalapenos, garlic and sweet agave mustard dipping sauce.

Black Eyed Pea Cakes
makes 7 little cakes
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon zest
3/4 tsp cajun seasoning
2 tbl fresh chopped cilantro
1 tbl fresh chopped mint leaves
1-15oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed. divided
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup safflower oil

Preheat the oven to 350.
Combine the onion, red pepper and celery in a food processor. Pulse into small pieces.
Transfer the mixture to a paper towel and ring out all of the moisture.
Place back in the processor and add the lemon zest, cajun seasoning, cilantro, mint and 2/3rds of the peas. Pulse a few times until it comes together. Add the remaining peas and breadcrumbs and pulse once or twice, keeping large pieces in the mix. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture into 7 patties.
Pan fry over medium-high heat to sear and get a nice crust on the outside.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Roasted Cremini Salad
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbl chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350.
Toss the garlic, jalapeno, mushrooms and oil together. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes, tossing once during cooking.
Turn on the broiler and crisp to finish for 5 minutes.
Toss with cilantro.

Sweet Mustard Sauce
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tbl dark amber agave
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch of sea salt

Combine and dip!

Grilled Eggplant with Mint, Agave and Cumin, Chickpea Cous Cous Salad

Both eggplant and seitan work wonderfully in this recipe to act like a sponge and soak up all of the marinade. Serve with a quick salad of cous cous, arugula and red bell pepper for a fresh side.

Grilled Eggplant and Seitan and Mint, Agave and Cumin Marinade
1 medium eggplant, peeled, small dice
8 oz seitan, medium chunks
1/4 cup small dice red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbl fresh chopped mint
3 tbl lemon juice
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 tbl agave
1 tsp cumin
1 tbl dried coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine the eggplant and seitan with all of the remaining marinade ingredients. Marinate for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Preheat a grill. Line a grill basket with foil or make a foil pouch and toss the eggplant in.
Grill for 15 minutes until soft and caramelized with crispy edges.

Chickpea Cous Cous Salad
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 tbl minced red onion
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup cous cous
1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbl fresh chopped mint
1 cup baby arugula

Saute the onions, red bell pepper and garlic with salt and pepper to taste in 1 tbl oil for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add 1 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the cous cous, turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add the chickpeas, remaining 2 tbl of oil, mint and baby arugula. Taste and season.

Cremini Mushroom Ragout and Sweet Potato Cakes

The other day I tried Morel mushrooms for the first time. I am not SUPER stoked on the rubbery consistency mushrooms tend to have so I often don't find myself trying different mushrooms, especially ones that look pretty messed up. I noticed a bin of Morel's at the store for the low, low price of $25 a pound and decided to finally just try one and get it over with. I literally bought 3. I probably still paid $6 for those three tiny mushrooms but...it was worth it!
They aren't rubbery at all, they are slightly crunchy on the outside and hollow on the inside, with a slightly rough texture that can give a lot of body and weight to a meal. By far my favorite mushroom at the moment! This is exactly why I always try new things, and always more than once. If you don't like an ingredient the first time you make it, try it again a bit later and cook it completely differently. I almost always end up liking the ingredient in the end.
With that said......Morels were no longer at the store, and I am bummed. My entire intention with this dinner was to make a Morel ragout. So if you find them and can afford it, do it! If you can't then substitute with Chanterelle mushrooms or Cremini, like I did here.

Cremini Mushroom Ragout
3 tbl earth balance vegan butter
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced, tossed in 3 tbl AP flour
2 tbl chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup soy creamer
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Melt the butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. The combination of butter and oil work nicely together because the oil prevents the butter from burning while still adding a beautiful flavor to the fat. Add the shallots with 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of the thyme and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have softened to tenderness and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and saute until the liquid has absorbed. Add the cream and simmer, stirring often, until just thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and season with more thyme, salt and pepper.

Sweet Potato Cakes
1 lb sweet potato
2 tbl earth balance vegan butter
2 tbl organic brown sugar
2 tbl shredded coconut
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl finely chopped cilantro
2c panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350.
Pierce sweet potato with a fork and roast in the oven until fully cooked.
Remove the skin and mash the sweet potato. Add the butter and brown sugar, jalapeno and coconut. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add cilantro.
Form into patties and coat the outsides in breadcrumbs. Lightly drizzle the patties with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes or until the patties are golden brown.

Arugula Salad with Maple Dijon dressing
Fresh arugula
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl maple syrup
2 tbl dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Dress arugula with dressing.