Spicy sweet potato and bulgur salad

I will admit – this has more ingredients and requires a scosh more effort than usual, but my family will tell you that it’s absolutely worth it!

• 1-1/2 cup bulgur (dry) – cooked according to directions
• 3 sweet potatoes, skinned, diced and boiled until just soft
• 3 bell peppers, diced
• large onion, diced
• 1 can of sliced olives
• olive oil

Place diced peppers and olives in a large mixing bowl. Cover with cooked bulgur. This will cool the bulgur and soften the peppers slightly.

Mix up vinaigrette:

• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder (adjust all spices to taste! this is pretty spicy)

Pan fry sweet potatoes and onion in a little olive oil until they are brown and crispy.

Add potatoes and vinaigrette to the mixing bowl, toss well, chill and serve! (or if you’re a hungry hippo like us – eat it right away!)

This keeps in the fridge remarkably well and would be a fantastic lunch!

Potaaaaaahto

Even the poorest college student with limited funds and facilities can have a super filling and nutritious meal!

Microwave a potato, add some black beans, cheeze sauce, olives, salsa, avocado and or whatever else your heart desires! 

Potatoes are not only super filling and CHEAP but are packed with nutrients!

There’ll be no more asking “where’s the beef?”

You know me. I love sandwiches.

My lovely husband brought home this enchanting product…

First off, it does not taste like roast beef – and that’s ok!  I did find the taste to be palatable and a perfect base for a sandwich – as well as nice and high in protein content.

The trick to adding deliciousness to lunch “meat” is to pan fry it with a little cooking spray until it’s warm and browned.

From there you can PILE on the delicious toppings!  Here I layered Vegenaise, avocado, tomato and cheeze sauce.

I might have died for a second when I ate it.

You can almost taste summer

About 5 minutes of prep work will yield you summery vegetable-y deliciousness.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and prep veg – in this case cutting the ends off the asparagus, rough chopping kale and cutting tomatoes in half.

Toss asparagus in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Put in oven.

15 minutes later open up a can of chili beans and put on heat to warm.

Top tomatoes with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Turn oven to broil and put tomatoes under broiler. Leave asparagus in oven while tomatoes broil.

Saute kale in a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  As soon as it’s done add some red pepper flakes. The tomatoes and asparagus will be done now, too!

Finish kale and asparagus with some fresh squeezed lemon juice.

We finished up some left over potato salad and it really made it feel like summer.  The only thing that would have made it better was if the chili beans were cooked over a fire!

ENJOY!!

Do you miss ranch dressing with the power of a thousand suns?

I have a friend who is a master vegan cookery wizard of the 11th order.  She is so good that I actually followed her recipe to. the. “T”. 

Pick your jaw up off the ground now…

• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon dill
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for spicy food lovers!)

Put in a Mason jar (or if you’re a big cheapskate – er,  frugal – like me, an old salsa jar). Screw on the lid tightly and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!

It’s thick, creamy, delicious, rich and coats greens fabulously! 

BONUS:  no artificial mystery powder (yes, I’m talking to YOU, Hidden Valley!) 

I encourage you to check our V*gan Rocker Girl!