Summer Salads (Project 358: Days 168 - 169)

Day 168: Broccoli Stalk (And Floret) Salad

Another copycat edition of the VegNews Recipe Club...

Ingredients:

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

6 broccoli stalks, thinly sliced*

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

2/3 cup vegan mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise)

1/4 cup agave nectar or brown rice syrup

In a large bowl, add all ingredients. Stir and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 hour to 

chill.

* I didn't really know what they meant by "6 broccoli stalks" and plus, I don't discriminate between stalks and florets so, instead, I chopped up (rather coarsely) 3 broccoli crowns, in their entirety.

Stephen and I both found this salad to be full of deliciousness, but I do have one complaint: too sweet. In my opinion, all of the sweetness in this salad should be derived from the cranberries and raisins. I mean, my goodness, those two ingredients are practically candy. I will make this salad again, but I will, without hesitation, completely remove the agave nectar from the recipe. I believe that doing so will allow the tanginess of the "mayo" to really shine through as the perfect complement to the sweetness of nature's candy. Crunchy, chewy, sweet, and tangy? Sounds like perfection to me!

Oh, and I served it with Panko-Crusted Tofu, a very simple recipe that basically involves draining a block of firm tofu (using the super awesome Tofu X-Press, an absolute necessity to the vegetarian kitchen, in my humble opinion), soaking said tofu in the marinade of your choice, dredging it in panko bread crumbs, and finally, cooking it up crispy in a wee bit o' toasted sesame oil.

Day 169: Simple Summer Salad

The salad photographed above is a summer staple in my house, so simple, so delicious, and even better when you can provide the ingredients from your own garden (currently, the only ingredient I could provide is the basil, but that will change!). Here, in very rough form, is the recipe:

Ingredients:

cucumber, chopped

avocado, chopped

tomato, chopped

fresh basil, torn

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

Combine all in a bowl and enjoy, preferably al fresco, and with a glass of wine.

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer evenings! I know I am!