Tag: vegan

Cantaloupe Skewers

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Cantaloupe Skewers (1)

These skewers feature all the best flavors of summer on a plate, and are great as a side dish, appetizer, or even a non-cook main course if you eat enough for them! For the closest vegan mozzarella to a fresh one like buffalo, you can’t go wrong with Follow Your Heart’s mozzarella block. Cook your bacon slices ahead of time and cut into pieces that are roughly the size of the other ingredients.

Repeat the process below with all the ingredients to make as many skewers as you need to feed your family or a summer party crowd.

Per skewer you’ll need:

2 cantaloupe chunks

2 fresh basil leaves

2 cubes “fresh” vegan mozzarella

2 pieces vegan bacon (homemade or store-bought)

2 cubes French bread baguette.

Thread the ingredients onto long skewers in a pattern.

For every two skewers, drizzle with about 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon agave nectar.

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Which little tidbit will you eat first?

Zucchini Pizza Snacks

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Zucchini Pizza (2)

Pizza for snacktime? Kids will be thrilled when you announce that’s what’s on the menu, and hardly disappointed at all when they learn there is no crust involved.

Cut 1 large zucchini into long diagonal slices (about 1/2-inch thick) and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Spoon a little tomato sauce over each slice, and add your favorite vegan cheese on top. Cheese shreds would work great, but we also like the Chao slices from Field Roast.

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Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the zucchini is tender.

 

S’more Brownies

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Want s’more fun with summer’s favorite trio of chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallows? In addition to our s’more energy bites (which have all been gobbled up), we made these easy s’more brownies. Hint: the recipe starts with a mix!

Mix together one package of your favorite vegan brownie mix according to package directions. Spread half of the batter into the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking dish.

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Top evenly with graham cracker pieces, then spread with the remaining batter.

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Sprinkle the top with Dandies mini marshmallows – the more the gooier! You’ll notice that Travis was too busy licking the batter from the bowl to help sprinkle on the marshmallows.

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Bake according to package directions.

If brownies aren’t your favorite, try this twist on the s’more trio:

Layer chocolate pudding, broken graham cracker pieces, and mini Dandies marshmallows in a glass. Repeat the layers, and top with a final layer of pudding. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (this will help the graham cracker pieces soften).

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Summer Garden Zoodles

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Summer Zoodles

Zoodles (zucchini noodles) can make ho-hum summer squash seem so much more fun. The addition of beans and almonds makes this version hearty enough to be a full meal – no cooking required! If you have a spiralizer, make your own zoodles from 1 large zucchini.

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

For the zoodles:

  • 1 (12-ounce) package zoodles
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can cannellini beans
  • 1 cup halved yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
  • 2 ounces crumbled creamy vegan cheese
  1. To prepare the pesto, combine the basil, cashews, and olive oil in a food processor; process until smooth.
  2. Combine the pesto in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients except the cheese, tossing to coat.
  3. Divide evenly among 4 plates. If desired, top each serving with cheese crumbles (we like the creamy cheeses from Treeline for this one).

Mini Pepper Guacamole Dippers

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Miniature anything is fun for kids. Dipping anything is fun for kids. Ergo here is the perfect summer snack!

Whip up a batch of your family’s favorite guacamole – anything from mild to spicy. For my picky preschooler, this is sometimes just as simple as squeezing a little lime juice into freshly mashed avocado. Sometimes we get a little fancier.

Big kids can dip mini bell peppers right into the guac. Slice the peppers into strips for smaller kids.

Kids don’t like guacamole? Try stuffing the mini pepper halves with non-dairy cream cheese instead.

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Happy dipping!

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S’more Energy Bites

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Camping out and making s’mores got us thinking about other ways to combine the timeless combo of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. My husband loves these before a run, and my son loves them for dessert. Sure to be a family crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)
  • 8 to 10 Dandies mini marshmallows
  1. Combine all ingredients except the marshmallows in a large bowl; chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Shape the mixture into balls, placing a mini marshmallow inside each. You’ll have enough for 8 to 10 servings, depending how large you make them.

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Fun to make and fun to eat!

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Red, White, and Blue Berry Shortcakes

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It’s not Independence Day until we make a flag-colored recipe from High 5 magazine! To wit, see our recipes in the past for Flags for Breakfast or Red, White, and Blue Nachos.

This year’s candidate: easy shortcakes in the colors of the American flag. We made a few vegan substitutions from High 5’s original recipe, but stayed true to the spirit of the dish.

Instead of refrigerated biscuit dough, purchase frozen pie shells (such as Wholly Wholesome) or make your favorite pie dough recipe. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to make 12 stars from the crust (you’ll have to re-roll your scraps a few times to have enough dough).

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Travis loved playing with extra dough!

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Place the stars on a baking sheet, brush with about 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes; cool completely.

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Meanwhile, combine 2 cups blueberries, 2 cups raspberries, and 2 tablespoons agave nectar in a bowl. Set aside.

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Rather than make our own yogurt cream from scratch, we purchased a can of SoyaToo whipped cream. (Note: there are vegan substitutes that whip up like dairy cream, but I didn’t have enough time to plan in advance and order online).

To assemble each dessert, place one star on a plate, along with a heaping spoonful of berries.

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Add a dollop of whipped cream to taste, and enjoy!

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Patriotic Popsicles

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Need a red-white-and-blue snack for this Fourth of July – or any day this summer? These adorable popsicles fit the bill!

First up was using a small cookie cutter on slices of melon. Ideally, we would have used a small star for truly star-spangled popsicles, but a heart was just as cute.

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Travis was so proud of the shapes he made! Cut out enough so you have 2 watermelon slices per popsicle mold, and add to your molds.

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Fill the molds nearly all the way with lemonade, then top off with a few fresh blueberries.

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Freeze completely before serving. Ha, he seems to be asking, “Hey Mom, how do I get to the fruit?”

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Cantaloupe “Ice Cream”

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Here’s an adorable way to delight your kids for dessert this summer, with a treat that’s both healthy and delectable.

Use an ice cream scoop to make balls from a whole cantaloupe (honeydew would work well, too). Scoop the melon into ice cream cones – we love the vegan cones from Let’s Do Organic.

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Voila! Dessert.

Kids don’t like melon? Equally as easy is to give them a bowl of vanilla non-dairy yogurt with stem-on cherries for dipping – just make sure to pop out the pits with a cherry pitter (through a non-stem part of the fruit) first.

Vanilla Cherries

BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Here’s a great, almost no-cook dinner option – and the first way I’ve gotten my preschooler to enjoy spicy barbecue sauce! A summer win for all.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Gardein chick’n strips
  • 2 tablespoons bbq sauce (such as Organicville)
  • 1 avocado
  • Bibb lettuce leaves
  • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing (such as Organicville)
  1. Cook the chick’n in a skillet according to package directions, omitting the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the barbecue sauce.
  2. Thinly slice 1 avocado and set aside.
  3. Place the lettuce leaves on plates, and fill each lettuce cup with 1 avocado slice and 2 to 3 strips of chick’n. Drizzle evenly with the ranch dressing before serving.

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