Making Love in the Kitchen

Jun 23rd, 2010 by Meghan Telpner

This Friday, June 25th we depart for our amazing 3-day healing retreat just outside Toronto. IBD, IBS, Inflammation, Immune Health- all will be discussed! Last chance to register and escape Summit Weekend! Making Love In The Kitchen e-Guide To Health Summer Sipping is now available. Sip up and enjoy! And don’t miss the GlassDharma Giveaway Here!

Contrary to popular belief, I am not a strict vegan. As my friend Elana, who was once macrobiotic and is now indulging in raw cheeses and fish says, “labels are for tin cans”. I agree. But I have my limits when it comes to eating foods that once had eyes.

My mom happens to make the very best caesar salad that there ever was. That there ever was until I developed my vegan version. I have no problem eating my mom’s awesome salad, but I do have a hard time taking those little squigley fish out of the can and putting them into a blender. I needed and alternative that I could take with me to people’s homes when they invited me for summer BBQs.

See, I am not a vegan, but I also prefer not to eat food that comes off a BBQ (that’s a whole lotta heat going on). Since I rarely, if ever have the appetite for actual meat type foods, any wee bit of an appetite that I may have gets absolutely squashed, squelched and eliminated whenever I see a BBQ grill loaded down with a zoos-worth of animals, and animal assemblages (read- mixed meat burgers, hot dogs and sausages).

As per my pot-luck rule, I like to bring a dish that could serve as my whole meal, and given that I have now gone through 21 of my 24 packs of tempeh, I am a whizz with this probiotic rich, protein dense, healthfully fermented, great meat sub, delicious food. You name it, I can make it with tempeh!

I figured that I could make tempeh to to do a great impersonation of bacon, make croutons out of some sprouted whole grain bread, mix-master up a dressing that had that little bit of tang, that little bit of creamy, and that little bit of salty, well my BBQ hostesses with the mostesses, I had a winner!

Blow those horns of victory because I do! I do have a winner and here she be- the bestest, lightest, canned-fish free, Vegan Caesar Salad. She truly is a BBQ’s best girlfriend and will totally hold her own against any sausage fest, and will surely humiliate the mayo-clad potato salad.

Tempeh Bits

1 block of tempeh, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
3 Tbs tamari
3 Tbs olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat
Add in tempeh cubes and lightly sautee until browned
Add in tamari and cook until fully absorbed.
Remove from heat and set aside

Croutons

3-4 pieces of stale bread, or ends (I used Ezekial sprouted grain bread), cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped finely
1 Tbs dry or 2-3 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbs olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat
Add in garlic and oregano coat in oil
Toss in bread and mix throughly until bread is lightly coated in herbed oil
Leave on low-medium heat, stirring and turning occasionally to avoid burning
Once evenly toasted, remove from heat and set aside.

Vegan Caesar Dressing

2 Tbs almonds (ground) or almond butter
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tbs tamari
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tbs dijon mustard
1/3 cup water
1 Tbs olive oil (or flax oil)

Blend
Pour over salad

Now go on and tantalize the BBQ meat eaters with this treat and leave out the word vegan. BBQ meat eaters think vegans are hippies. Yep. Generalizing.

Question of the day: When you are invited out to a BBQ- what is your go-to pot-luck offering for the feast?

Summer Recipe Guest Blogging Contest
The search is on for the best summer recipes! What is your favourite summer dessert recipe? Send it along to hello (at) meghantelpner (dot) com with a brief tale of how you developed, when you first made, where you found it etc. in 500 words or less, and even better, with a photo and if we choose it to post on the blog, a guest blogger you will be! Summer guest posts will be featured throughout the summer, with voting and winning in August. No chance of winning if you don’t get in the game!