Pea and Avocado Guacamole

We are enjoying the fruits of my labor this past weekend and the effort already seems to have paid off.


One of the things that I prepared has actually been on my food bucket list for quite some time: a fantastic alternative guacamole. You see, ever since making guacamole with edamame (soy beans) and dumping it in the trash (is it just me or is that stuff nasty?) after our Plant-strong Superbowl party in 2011, I have been searching for the miracle guacamole. You know, the one with less fat and calories? Because who do you know that doesn't love guacamole?

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Tex Mex Quinoa with Cilantro, Lime and Apricots

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway yesterday with your most pressing plant-based nutrition question.

If you have not yet entered, please do! The contest closes on Thursday at midnight and Julieanna Hever has graciously offered to answer our 3 most popular plant-based nutrition questions in a guest post right here on HGK.

It's very interesting to read through everyone's responses. What I am struck by is the variety of questions. No single questions are being asked repeatedly by any volume of respondants . . . yet!

On to other big news, I made this quinoa salad as part of a taco bar (more on that in a later post) party that we hosted this past weekend. It was a big hit with the guests and I couldn't wait to share it with all of you.

HGK's Tex Mex Quinoa Salad with Cilantro, Lime and Apricots

Printable Recipe

1 cup quinoa
1 � cups water
1 cup packed cilantro
� cup raw pepitas
Zest of one lime
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp ground cumin
dash or two of Cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)
� tsp salt (or not)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 roma tomato, diced small
2 scallions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 avocado, � inch dice
Place quinoa and water into a rice cooker and cook, or prepare as follows: In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Water should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.

In the bowl of a food processor, add cilantro, pepitas, lime zest, lime juice, orange juice concentrate, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt (optional). Process, scraping down sides, into a paste. Transfer to bowl with quinoa.

To cooked quinoa and cilantro paste, add black beans, tomato, scallions, apricots and avocado. Fold well to combine. Taste and add more Cayenne if necessary.

Mexican Slaw, Times Two

Lately I've been really intrigued by the idea of slaws. Crunchy, light and full of flavor, I always love a light (read, non-mayonaisey) slaw. At my favorite local (almost) Vegan eatery, Organic Energy, creative slaws are almost always served up alongside Vegan delicacies like lentil burgers and buckwheat cakes. And as a Nutritarian, I am always looking for ways to get more salad into my belly.

That's why I whipped up this slaw for my guests this past Friday evening:

Cabbage and Jicama Slaw with Smoky Avocado and Cumin Dressing

This delicious recipe was posted by Gena on Choosing Raw and it couldn't have appeared at a more perfect moment. I was actually going to her blog to do a search for "slaw" to go alongside the sweet potato enchiladas that I was making and there is was, that day, just posted. A Mexican slaw. If you'd like the recipe, you can catch it here, but be warned, there will be a lot of leftover dressing. You can easily half the dressing component and have enough for the slaw, or make all of the dressing and use it on green salads later in the week.

I also ended up with extra jicama and cabbage, which was the basis of a second slaw I decided to test. This one was inspired by a recipe I had cut out of Clean Eating Magazine many years ago. I have to say, it would be the perfect compliment to some heavier Vegan fare. A little bit sweet a little bit hot . . . a lot refreshing.

Cabbage, Jicama and Cucumber Slaw

serves 6 as a side dish

Printable Recipe

For the dressing, whisk together:

Zest of 1 lime

juice of 2 limes (1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

For the salad:

2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage

1 1/2 cups grated seedless cucumber

2 cups julienned jicama

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat. Let marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

Got a slaw story? Share it here!

Red Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Corn, Revisited

I first blogged about this recipe one year ago. There was talk in my town of a delicious red quinoa salad recipe off the back of the Trader Joe's Red Quinoa box. I took one look at the recipe and knew it had the beginnings of a fantastic dish, but it didn't fit into my new found eating style as it was written. So I set out to remove the added oil and what resulted was worth making time and time again. It's no surprise that it's one of my first recipes to make as this summer's pot luck luck season is warming up. Just this weekend, Red Quinoa Salad is coming with me to two parties!

Red Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Corn

Printable Recipe

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
2 cups roasted corn (I used the frozen bag from Trader Joe�s)
1/2 avocado cut into small pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
� cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 large bunch cilantro, finely chopped
Optional: lettuce of your choice

For the dressing, put all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend:
1/2 large bunch cilantro, washed and cut the stems off in one slice
juice of 1 orange
juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp agave syrup
1/2 Tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos
dash of Sea salt and pepper

Cook quinoa as directed on box with broth.

While the quinoa cooks (about 15 minutes), put beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion together in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss gently. Add the chopped cilantro and toss.

When the quinoa is cooked, set aside to cool. When it is cool, spread quinoa on a platter. Top with the bean and corn salad mixture.

Variation: serve on top of a large bed of lettuce.

The corn, black bean, tomato, avocado, cilantro mixture dressed with the tasty no-oil dressing would even stand alone as a winning dish.  It's that good!

I find it's best to layer the entire dish onto a large platter. First, lay down a bed of lettuce (romaine, spring mix or whatever you fancy). Next, pile on the cooked red quinoa. Finally, Top with the corn, tomato and bean mixture. The dressing will seep into the quinoa and lettuce creating the perfect amount of dressing.

OPR: White Bean and Mango Burritos

What is "OPR" you wonder? Well, it stands for "other people's recipes." I'm not much of a chef, if you haven't noticed, but what I am a master at is scouring the world for Plant Strong, Nutritarian recipes and then making and eating them. After I take some photographs that is!

Here's a new favorite that I discovered: White Bean and Mango Burritos from The Real Meal Today blog. They could not have been any easier or any more delicious! If you are craving Mexican food, give these a try. Go here to check out the original recipe, which would have been so spicy I'm not sure that I could have eaten them. I made a few modifications to the heat, to the proportions and also by adding lettuce. Spinach or any other green would work well too!

Here's my version:

White Bean and Mango Burritos

serves 4

2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups of diced mango)
1cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp Cayenne powder (less or more to personal preference!)
1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 medium whole wheat tortillas( as healthy as you can get them)
2 cups chopped lettuce

Combine all ingredients except the tortillas in a large bowl, mix by hand until incorporated. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree about 1/4 of the mixture right in the bowl with all of the ingredients. Remix everything. This will give the mixture a more solid feel and pieces of beans will not be falling out when you bite or cut it.

Soften the tortillas by putting over an open flame on you're stove, over a grill or in the microwave for a few seconds. This will make them easier to roll and move without cracking. Place 1/2 cup chopped lettuce and 1/2 cup of the bean mixture at the bottom of the tortilla, roll over forward 1 turn, fold sides in and then continue to roll to the end.

Optional: place on sheet tray and bake for 10-15 min at 325 degrees.

How do you get your Mexican Food fix?