Tips, Recipes, and Ideas to Help You Plan a Vegan Potluck

Celebrating the end of summer can be such fun. If you're anything like I am, you want to keep weekend entertaining simple and low fuss. 

Why not have the gang over, and share the food prep with your nearest and dearest? Want to make the theme one that's especially nutritious and delicious? My suggestion is to plan a Vegan Potluck. 

Take a peek at this sample party invitation. It describes what vegan is and is not. It also provides ideas that your guests can choose from to bring. 
    

You're Invited to a Vegan Potluck

Bring a Brunch or Lunch Item with Serving Utensils. To help conserve, reuse, and recycle please bring your own reusable plate, and appetite. Your hosts will be making veggie wraps and provide the beverages.

Please keep it simple, and contribute something that doesn't need to be heated. If you're not sure what vegan means ...

Every Vegetable or Fruit under the sun

Every Grain, Legume, Bean, Seed, or Nut in the world 

Vegan does not mean any dairy product including yogurt, cheese, milk, cream, butter or beef or other meat product including pork, fish product, poultry product (including eggs), honey, or mayonnaise or bread with egg in it. 

If you need help thinking of a dish or are still unclear about what vegan means, please call us or look below for ideas. We prefer stuff to be organic, but please make sure that it is at least NON-GMO. 

tossed green salad 

three bean salad

sandwiches

tabbouleh

quinoa pilaf or salad

veggie stew or combo

gazpacho or fruit soup

hummus

organic fruit or organic fruit salad

guacamole

salsa and chips

lentil or bean loaf

kale chips or corn chips

pasta salad (without cheese or mayo with egg)

potato salad (made with vegan mayo or dressing without egg)

sweet potatoes

shredded carrot salad

cole slaw (made with vegan mayo or dressing without egg)

spinach salad (without bacon)

organic tofu or organic tempeh dish

organic edamame in pod

nuts and dried fruit
bread, cakes, cookies made without eggs, butter, milk, yogurt, cream, cheese or other dairy or meat derived ingredients

seeds

squash

vegetable medley

veggie pâté

                                                    ******

My contribution to a party like this would be the wraps and my latest favorite party food, Homemade Hummus with a Kick.

Hummus dip has gained popularity over the last decade. There are many varieties of hummus served nowadays. I've made roasted garlic, kalamata olive, roasted red pepper, and artichoke and love them all. The costly store bought form can be easily made at home for a fraction of the price. Today I'll share my favorite recipe of the moment so you can see how simple and tasty it is to make.

Homemade Hummus with a Kick

Hummus with a Grilled Veggie Tossed Salad

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Organic Olive Oil

4 Garlic Cloves minced
1 teaspoon cumin

2 Cans Organic Garbanzo Beans (Also Called Chickpeas) rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons Organic Tahini (ground sesame seeds)
¼ cup fresh squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Cup Water

Note: I use organic items whenever possible, because they taste better, are healthier for you, and don't pollute the planet.

What to Do:

Heat oil in a small frying pan and add minced garlic and cumin. Sauté for a minute or two or until lightly browned.

Put this mixture and next 5 ingredients in a food processor and purée for a moment. Add the water slowly, and as needed, to make the hummus a smooth consistency or as chunky as you like. Grind in fresh black pepper and salt to taste.

Chill until ready to serve. Hummus will keep in the refrigerator for approximately 5 days. This recipe serves 8-10 people, and can be served to top grilled veggie salads, in a romaine lettuce or collard green hummus veggie wrap, or on a crudité platter with crackers, corn chips, or pita chips.

Check out this whole food quinoa casserole dish, perfect to bring along to the next potluck. Vividly Colored Plant-based Dish that's Great to Serve at a Potluck.

To end your gathering on a high note, Serve a chilled Red, White, and Blue Dessert.

Here in the United States it’s the Labor Day Weekend. This public holiday honors the American labor movement and its workers. This year it's celebrated on September 5, 2016. I’m proud to say I've done my part to strengthen, create prosperity, and add to the well-being of our country. Wishing you a most relaxing weekend and fun-filled Labor Day.

Please take a moment to comment and share the LOVE!

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My quote for today is: “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” George Bernard Shaw

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Versatile Vegan Tomato Sauce with a Secret Source of Veg Protein

Yum, yum. This is Scrumptious Pasta and Sauce!

Want to prepare a sauce that's packed full of nutrition, and looks, smells, and tastes great? It features the bright Mediterranean flavors of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. A secret ingredient, pinto beans, adds deliciousness, heartiness, and increased protein. Beans make the sauce a perfect thing to combine with pasta, legumes, veggies, brown rice, and many other foods. All beans provide a powerful helping of plant based protein, so perhaps this blog post will encourage you to eat beans more often. 

Look below to see how easy, cost effective, and fun it is to cook with them. You might be tempted to keep the sauce ingredients on hand to enhance the taste of all your favorite veggies. I revealed my secret ingredient so you'll try it. Maybe it will be your clean eating go-to gravy. One I love so much.

Versatile Vegan Tomato Sauce with a Secret Source of Veg Protein, Served on Gluten Free Fusilli Pasta

Ingredients

For Pasta

1 12 oz. package gluten free pasta (I used organic brown rice and organic quinoa mix fusilli) and fresh water to cook it in.

For Sauce

2 14.5 oz. Organic San Marzano Style Diced Tomatoes

2 14.5 oz. Organic Tomato Sauce

12 Organic cherry or grape tomatoes or 2 small whole ones

1 4 oz. can Organic Sliced Mushrooms or 1/2 cup fresh ones

1  15 oz. can Organic Pinto Beans

Sprig of Fresh Organic Basil

1 teaspoon Dried Organic Oregano or sprig or 2 of Fresh Oregano 

1 teaspoon Dried Sage and 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme (optional)

2 Organic Garlic Cloves minced

2 Organic Zucchini 

2 Organic Carrots

1/2 Organic Yellow Onion (can substitute red onion or scallions)

Salt to taste (I prefer mine with no added salt, because canned tomatoes and tomato sauce have a lot of added salt)

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Notes: Feel free to add other veggies if you like. A few ideas are red pepper, string beans, kale, capers, and celery. When you add additional veggies, it makes the sauce thicker, increases nutrients, and heightens taste even more.

I always use organic ingredients when available, because organic means produce is not genetically modified, not sprayed with chemicals, and is not grown in soil that contains chemical fertilizers.

How to Make It

1. Open diced tomato cans, tomato sauce cans, and rinse fresh tomatoes. If you're using fresh tomatoes, chop them in the bowl of a food processor until chunky. Place all in a large saucepan that has a cover. Add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and bring all ingredients mentioned in this step to a boil. Stir and turn heat to simmer. Then cover and cook for 15 minutes. While tomatoes are simmering on the stove top, do the next step.

Note: Select fresh tomatoes that are bright red in color. This is a signal that they have ripened fully and are loaded with a valuable nutrient called lycopene, an antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and lowers unhealthy cholesterol. Cooking tomatoes for at least 30 minutes  releases more lycopene than cooking for less time. That's why my recipe suggests you cook tomatoes for 30 minutes total. Canned tomatoes are picked when at the peak of freshness and can be used when you don’t have fresh on hand. I buy only those that are packed in BPA free cans, because bisphenol A, a synthetic estrogen found in the epoxy coating of food cans, has been linked to many health problems. Many companies have publicly pledged to stop using BPA in their cans, but check to see that the ones you buy are labeled BPA Free.

2. Rinse canned beans, mushrooms, and all fresh veggies in cool water. Prep zucchini and carrots by washing and scraping off sand and dirt with the side of a knife. Keep as much skin on as possible, as it contains fiber and nutrients. Peel onion and garlic. Rinse basil and any other fresh herbs and veggies you want to include. Put all remaining ingredients except pasta in the bowl of a food processor and chop until they reach a consistency that you like. I like to see little chunks of veggies in my sauce as it adds bright splashes of color and texture. Chop as fine or as chunky as you wish, but for 2 minutes max. Pour veggies into simmering pot of tomato sauce, mix, and cover. Bring to a boil again and simmer for 15 minutes more. 

Zucchini on the left is scraped clean as is the carrot on the right

Basil, Pinto Beans, and Mushrooms

3. While veggies, beans, and tomato sauce mixture is cooking (the last 15 minutes of the cooking process) put up a large pot of fresh water to use to cook the pasta. Follow the package directions (the package of fusilli I used stated that 1/2 cup of dried pasta is one portion and to cook fusilli from 7-10 minutes). It's best to test pasta for doneness at 7 minutes, so it doesn't get overcooked. When done, place pasta in a colander and strain. Put individual portions of fusilli into dishes, top with sauce, and serve while still piping hot.

This is Freshly Made Versatile Vegan Tomato Sauce 

Right below is another way I used my versatile vegan tomato sauce, a day later.

I combined 2 cups of Tomato Sauce with 2 cups of Lentil Soup for this Mouthwatering Soup Transformation

For information about lentil soup see this link:

Surprising-Features-and-Recipes-for- Organic-Red-Lentils

A few days later, I served the remaining sauce on steamed green cabbage and red skinned potatoes. It looked fabulous and was so delicious. I seasoned the dish with organic garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of extra virgin organic olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of Himalayan Pink salt.  

Organic Green Cabbage, Organic Red Skinned Potatoes, and Sauce

When you tabulate the cost of a home-cooked meal like this to meals that have been processed commercially and frozen, or eat a similar meal in a restaurant, you'll realize you come out way ahead of the game by eating at home. You save money, are eating real food, and can trust the quality of the ingredients that are in it. My secret ingredient protein tomato sauce recipe only takes 30 minutes to prepare, so you save time too. Refrigerate extra sauce, as soon as you're finished making it. It will stay fresh for up to four or five days. Have fun inventing new ways to serve it. Other ways to use it might include to put it into gluten-free burritos or organic corn tortillas, or use it to top off spiralized zucchini. 

Don't forget to let me know what you think of my "secret ingredient" vegan tomato sauce. This is how to do it. Scroll down at the end of this post and write in the space that says "enter your comment." Then, click on "publish" after you've written your comment. Thanks so much.

The quote for today follows: "Putting even one thing in your shopping basket that's locally produced or organic makes all the difference. It's a vote for the future, for animal welfare, for the environment, for your children's children." Sheherazade Goldsmith

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