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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Tofu Magic: How to Make Tasty Tofu

Salad with Broiled Tofu from obloggernewbie.blogspot.com

Knowing how to handle and prepare tofu is still a puzzlement to many people. It doesn’t have to be that way. This blog will show you how easy it is to put together a tasty tofu dish, even if you’ve never made one before. Tofu (plain tofu) is gluten free, has only 70 calories in each 3 oz. serving, and is an excellent source of vegetable protein (8 g). One portion contains 6% RDA of iron and 15 % RDA of calcium. Tofu is naturally cholesterol free and bland tasting. A trick to pack it with flavor is to combine it with lots of herbs, spices, vegetables, and seasonings. Sprinkle on spices like chili powder, oregano, or paprika generously to assure your taste buds sing.  

I offer tofu tips and recipe suggestions, especially for those who want an awesome change-of-pace meal, or are moving toward a more plant-based lifestyle. Read on to discover how economical, fun, and easy it can be to prepare tofu dishes you and your family will enjoy.

Transform Meals with Tofu

Lasagna or Stuffed Shells       

Follow your customary recipe, but instead of using ricotta cheese, use organic silken or organic soft tofu for half or all the ricotta cheese. Top with grated organic soy cheese instead of Parmesan.

Wraps, Soups, Chili       

Add pureed, highly seasoned organic tofu or spicy cubed organic tofu to traditional fare to stretch a recipe and be kind to your pocketbook. Substitute crumpled tofu with added spices and herbs for chopped beef, poultry, or dairy in recipes to reduce cholesterol without losing taste.

Flavorful Sandwiches and Salads

Mix chopped firm organic tofu with Sloppy Joe sauce, BBQ, or Old Bay seasoning. Blend equal amounts of organic tofu with canned tuna or crab meat, boiled eggs (use whites only for lower cholesterol), or combine tofu and paprika mashed garbanzo beans. Then enjoy. When making sandwiches, remember to use whole grain roll or bread.

One of the secrets of improving the texture of water packed tofu and heightening its taste is to remove all excess water. Place a brick of firm or extra firm organic tofu on a plate. Cover tofu with another plate and place a weight such as a large can on top of all. Refrigerate for at least one half hour. When you're ready to begin, pour off liquid and follow your recipe. 

Water-packed organic tofu can be found in the dairy, produce, or Asian food case of your supermarket or health food store. It also is offered for sale in aseptically wrapped packages. This form of tofu doesn't need to be refrigerated before opening, has a long shelf life, and is already drained. Prices for organic tofu list from $1.99-$2.50 lb. Figure a portion at 3-4 oz. of tofu per person. How's that for good value? 

Ta-dah! Now, on to my recipe.

Nancy Andres' Broiled Tofu

Ingredients:

1 package firm or extra firm Organic Tofu (approx. 14-16 oz.)

2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos (gluten free)

2 teaspoons grated fresh garlic

1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

What to Do:

This recipe requires advance prep time, but the actual cooking time is only 6 minutes. Early in the day, set up the tofu to drain as shown here and refrigerate. 

Simple way to drain the water out of a brick of tofu from obloggernewbie.blogspot.com

After a half hour or when all the water is drained out of the tofu, slice it into ½ in. slices. Place the tofu in a large container (one where you can lay the tofu slices out flat without overlap). In a small mixing bowl, blend all the remaining ingredients together to make a marinade. Use a pastry brush or spoon to coat pieces of tofu with marinade, cover container, and refrigerate for one hour or more. The longer tofu marinates, the tastier it gets.

My method for marinating tofu

When you're ready to broil the sliced tofu, put it in a broiling pan. Use a pastry brush or spoon to coat the surface of the tofu with the extra marinade left in the container. Broil 3 minutes on each side or until the tofu is lightly browned.

Broiled Tofu, Sweet Potato, and Kale from obloggernewbie.blogspot.com

Serve tofu with brown rice or sweet potato, green veggies, and a tossed 

green salad. Tofu is a complete protein and is gluten free. This recipe 

serves 4-6  hearty eaters, depending on what foods you serve with it.

One fabulous way to use leftover broiled tofu is to place a few strips on 
top of a tossed salad for a quick energy lunch (pictured at the top). Another idea is to put a few slices of tofu on rye bread, add sauerkraut and mustard, and you have a tasty sandwich.  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: In the United States, almost all tofu that is not marked non-GMO or organic is genetically modified. Genetically Modified seeds have their genes manipulated, changed, and put into other species that normally they would not grow in. Incredible results have been produced. Some include mutations, diseases, abnormalities and trigger other diseases that otherwise may have remained dormant. Little testing has been done on the health effects of humans ingesting and using genetically modified products. Tests that have been done on animals that naturally refuse to eat Genetically Modified feed, but are being force-fed the Genetically Modified feed, develop lesions, abnormalities, disease…and some have died.

Following is information from Green America about soy products. I have obtained permission to quote them.

"Soy Has Been Genetically Modified since 1996

How widespread: 94 percent of the US soybean crop was genetically modified in 2011, according to the USDA.

What to watch for: Soybeans show up in many traditional (i.e. not organic) soy products, such as tofu, soy milk, soy sauce, miso, and tempeh, as well as any product containing the emulsifier lecithin (often derived from soybean oil), such as ice cream and candy." Green America Website

Do you already make tofu part of your eating plan? If you have a favorite recipe or tofu tips, won't you share it with my readers and me? Comment in the area provided below please.

Spreading the word about this post on social media is greatly appreciated!

The quotation for today follows: "We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are." Adelle Davis

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