B00AG0VMTC EBOK (32 page)

Adapted from Vegan’s Daily Companion

The inspiration for this recipe came from a dish served at the Healthy You Network in Tucson, Arizona, and it has changed the way Jane and I view and consume cabbage. Jane says she finds this irresistible and that she could eat Thai Slaw at every meal—every single meal! (She claims her blood is missing some component contained within the ingredients…)

1¼ cups salsa

¼ cup natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon low-sodium tamari sauce

2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 to 3 shakes crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

½ head green cabbage, finely shredded

1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

¼ cup raw peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the salsa, peanut butter, maple syrup, water, tamari, ginger, and pepper flakes, if using, until uniformly blended into a sauce.

Pour the sauce over the shredded cabbage and toss.

Add the bell pepper, cilantro, and chopped peanuts, and serve.

This is great the next day—it marinates well!

Tip:
If cherry tomatoes are your thing, halve them and use instead of the red peppers.

By Jane Esselstyn

A hot day begs for this cool meal. Have your kids help make the watermelon balls—if they don’t eat them all first!

2 cups watermelon balls

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved (use a mix of colors if available)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Balsamic glaze, preferably Isola Classic Cream of Balsamic, or similar brand

Combine the watermelon, tomatoes, scallions, and mint in a bowl. Add the balsamic glaze to taste and mix in gently. Serve chilled.

Tip:
Serve this over cold soba noodles or rice.

By Jane Esselstyn

Our family grew up on BLTs (bacon, lettuce, and tomato). And boy did we ever love them. We even used to have “bacon bats,” family outings where we’d cook bacon over an open fire and consume BLT after BLT. That was then, this is now. Today we consume BMT after BMT, BMT being this plant-smart basil, mango, and tomato salad.

2 ripe mangos, pitted and cut into cubes

4 plum tomatoes, cut into cubes

12 large fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cups arugula or mâche

Combine the mangos, tomatoes, and basil in a bowl. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and stir gently.

Serve on a bed of arugula or mâche.

By Brad Matthews

This salad is so gorgeous you may want to just sit and look at it. I suggest decorating it with your favorite dressing, taking a photo, and then diving in. I recommend Sesame Tamari Dressing (from
The Engine 2 Diet
) or Toby’s Peanut Dipping Sauce and Dressing (
here
).

1 bunch Kale, leaves stripped of spines, spines discarded

1 red onion, chopped

½ fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes

½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup sugar snap peas

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Finely chop the Kale leaves. Place the Kale in a large bowl.

On a grill, or in a hot pan, grill the red onion, pineapple, jalapeño, sugar snap peas, and cherry tomatoes until the colors are bright and the vegetables are a little charred and caramelized.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped Kale and cooked vegetables.

Toss this stunning salad with your favorite plant-strong dressing and enjoy.

By Rip Esselstyn

I’ve always thought of Kale as lettuce with an attitude, but I recently read a reference to Kale as “angry lettuce.” This cracks me up! Kale is superior to all other foods on the planet when it comes to its micronutrient content, so I’m always looking for delicious ways to incorporate it in my diet. Massaging this salad drives the lemon juice and salt into the cell membrane of the Kale and lightly “cooks” it, making it much more tame and less “angry.”

1 bunch Kale, leaves stripped of spines, spines discarded

1 large (or 2 small) avocados, peeled and chopped

Juice of ½ lemon

¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (optional)

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 small carrot, grated

½ purple onion, diced

1½ to 2 cups mandarin orange segments (about 3 oranges)

Throw the stripped and chopped Kale leaves in a large bowl with avocado, lemon juice, salt, if using, and red pepper flakes.

Mash and massage the avocado into the Kale with your hands until the avocado is spread evenly—like a dressing—throughout the Kale.

Stir in the bell pepper, carrot, purple onion, and mandarin oranges.

If you can, let the salad sit for 30 minutes before serving—if not, dive in!

Tip:
If you don’t like avocado, hummus works just as well!

By Phyllis Taft

The street in Cleveland where we grew up holds an annual Labor Day picnic. The whole community shares two grills. Everyone is nice enough to let the Esselstyn family cook our veggie burgers first, then offer grill space to the next family. One time, expecting beef hot dogs, turkey burgers, or other flesh to arrive next, Jane called out the famous line from
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
: “Bring out your dead!” But instead of meat, one of our neighbors approached with a beautiful armful of romaine lettuce. Entranced, we hung around and watched as she grilled the long, bright, quartered heads, then added orange slices, pepper, and salt. Before she poured on any oil or feta, Jane and I grabbed the leaves and ran off with a winner of a new recipe!

1 head romaine, cut lengthwise into quarters

1 orange, segmented (by cutting off ends, peeling, and then removing white pith from each section)

Salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Balsamic glaze, preferably Isola Classic Cream of Balsamic, or similar brand

Place the quartered romaine sections on an open preheated grill. Flip the sections as you grill so that the leaves cook on all sides. The sections should be warmed through and crisp.

Transfer the grilled romaine leaves into a large bowl, toss with the juicy orange segments, any juice from the orange, and a pinch of salt and pepper, if desired, then drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

Tip:
This recipe works in the oven under the broiler, too!

Inspired by the Wright family recipe

Whenever Aussie Leanne Wright serves this at her Christmas party, she is inevitably mobbed for the recipe. Jane happened to be part of such a mob, secured the famed recipe, and tweaked a few things. Now here it is: a new family favorite, especially around the holidays.

One 12-ounce package fresh cranberries

Juice of 1½ limes

½ cup pure maple syrup

3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced

½ large jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cups fresh cilantro, measured whole, without stems, not chopped

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor, and run only until coarsely chopped. Chill and serve with toasted whole wheat pita, on top of rice and beans, or with anything that needs zip.

Tip:
Blending the mixture longer turns this salsa into more of a relish, which can be delish!

By Fred Wenz

Fred is a creative and clever engineer who’s also known for his amazing recipes. Here is a smashing salsa with lots of room for artistic license. It is so colorful, bountiful, and plentiful it could double as a side dish!

6 plum or other meaty tomatoes, sliced into chunks

1 seedless orange, peeled and sliced into chunks

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced into chunks

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

3 scallions, diced (or ¼ red onion, diced)

1 bunch seedless red grapes, halved

Juice of 1 lime

½ cup cilantro, stems removed and chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

Prep all of the ingredients for the salsa. Combine in a bowl and mix gently to avoid damaging the fruit. Add the cilantro, pepper and salt to taste, and minced jalapeño pepper, if desired. Mix and serve.

By Jane Esselstyn

There are times of the year when the tomatoes are so fresh and the mangos so perfect, only a fresh salsa will do. This salsa is quick, fresh, and alive. It will brighten up your meal and your day!

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 champagne mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut into cubes

6 scallions (more or less, as you prefer), thinly sliced

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Combine the tomatoes, mangos, and scallions in a bowl. Add the zest and juice of the lime. Mix and serve.

Tip:
In place of mangos, try watermelon balls. Also try adding avocado!

By Debbie Kastner

This recipe was originally meant to be a topping for the Red Lentil Mulligatawny (
here
). Its flavor is unique and so crisp we recommend using it for everything else you can think of, from a topping for a burger or burrito to a salad dressing to a dessert topping.

cup finely chopped Granny Smith apples

¼ cup finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix and serve.

By Jane Esselstyn

My mom likes soup she can walk on! In other words, she prefers it thick, and so do all Esselstyns! This hearty lentil soup with darn near the whole garden chopped, diced, and minced up within will keep you stepping high.

One 15-ounce can lentils, or 1 cup dry lentils

1 onion, chopped

½ cup sliced carrots

½ cup sliced celery

One 8-ounce package mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 to 6 cups vegetable stock

1 tomato, diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons miso

3 collard green leaves, stripped of spines and chopped

4 to 6 Kale leaves, stripped of spines and chopped

½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

If you are starting with dry lentils, begin recipe here; if you are using cooked lentils, go to the next paragraph. Add the lentils and 2½ cups of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked through.

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Add the stock, cooked lentils, tomato, sweet potato, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle ½ cup of the warm broth from the soup pot into a small bowl, add the miso, and stir until dissolved. Add the dissolved miso to the soup pot. Add the collard greens and Kale leaves and simmer until the greens are soft and deep green in color. Garnish with parsley and serve.