Our Veggie Kitchen

The Super Bowl is about to start.  I'm not hosting a party this year, so my focus is on food I can make ahead of time and whip out for dinner during half time.  I made a three bean salad to add a healthy aspect to a mostly junk food day.  It's easy to make, relatively healthy, and is great for a side or a light lunch.

Here's my menu:
Vegan Explosion Queso
Seven Layer Dip (beans, quinoa cooked in salsa, queso, letuce, tofutti sour cream, olives  &  tomatoes)
Tofutti CheeseSteak for dinner
Tots (with queso!  I can't wait!)
Three Bean Salad



Three Bean Salad
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans
1 can (15 oz) green beans
1/2 purple onion, quartered & sliced thin 
1 tbs fresh oregano, minced
1/2 small lemon, juiced

combine the vinegar and sugar.  Microwave until the sugar fully dissolves and the vinegar is clear (a couple minutes, stirring once or twice).  Stir in the olive oil and spices and set aside.  Combine the three beans, the chopped onion, lemon juice and oregano in a large bowl.  Pour in the vinegar & oil mixture and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight), stirring several times.  Refrigerate, if marinating longer than an hour.  Take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

8 servings:  217 cal (8g fat, 32g protein, 6g protein)

I had a staff meeting and a board meeting on a Monday this month. It was a unique opportunity to cook for my coworkers, as I had Sunday to prepare. I put together a spread of Greek Pesto Pasta Salad, Zucchini fritters, my favorite coleslaw and a chickpea, chard & sun dried tomato salad (needs some tweaking, but a definite future post).

Out of everything, the coleslaw was my favorite. This was one of those inspirations where I threw everything together as they sounded good and everything worked perfectly. With the cabbage & carrots, it has a pleasing contrast of color, the green onion is a perfect flavor complement and the dressing, spiked with a little vinegar and horseradish, topped everything off. Perfect. It was also great with the Sloppy Joes (pictured below).



Perfect Coleslaw
1 head cabbage, cored & shredded
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 bunch green onions
1 tsp salt
Dressing:
1/2 cup Vegenaise
3 tbs vegan sour cream
1 tbs prepared horseradish (read the label)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Core the cabbage and cut into thin shreds. Chop the shreds into 2-3 inch lengths. Peel and grate the carrots. Cut the celery stalks in to 2-3 inch lengths and cut into thin batons. Do the same with the green onions, including the stalks. Combine in a large bowl and toss with a tsp of salt.

Combine the dressing ingredients and stir thoroughly. Pour over the cabbage mixture and stir to combine. Let sit for at least half an hour, preferably longer, until some of the moisture has wicked out of the cabbage. It is best refrigerated overnight.

Makes about 8 cups.

8 Servings: 124 cal (10g fat, 6g carbs, 1g protein)