Easy Summer Slaw {Vegan}

We're lucky that here in Portland, we don't get the humidity we get back home in Boston. 80-90 degrees here has a nice breeze, and when the sun goes down? The temperature is beyond ideal...with few mosquitoes to bother us.

However...our highest temperatures for the day hit right before dinnertime (4-5 p.m.), which causes me to lose all motivation to cook. That's where no-oven-necessary recipes like this one come in handy.

I made this slaw the other night when I had some haddock to cook up (yes, sometimes I eat fish!), but this slaw would also go with...just about anything. Tofu, burgers, sausages, you name it. It's just a versatile, tasty, easy-to-throw-together side dish - no extra heat required. 

Easy Summer Slaw

Yields: 4-6 servings

-1/2 head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

-2 large carrots, peeled and shredded

-1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

-1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)

-2 tablespoons rice vinegar

-Juice of 1/2 an orange

-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.) In a large bowl, mix all of ingredients (before salt and pepper) together. Season as necessary with salt and pepper. 

2.) Cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving (although overnight provides the best flavor!).

Told you it was easy. ;)

What no-cook dishes are you loving lately?

Chickpea, Vegetable, and Feta Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Don't get me wrong: I love the usual pasta salads and potato salads that make an appearance at almost every summer barbecue. But sometimes, I'd like to not binge on carbs all day (keyword: sometimes). And if I'm the one responsible for said "side dish," in the middle of the summer heat wave, I sure as heck don't want to cook anything either.

That, my friends, is where this side dish comes in.

No cooking required. No heavy carbs. Mostly just nutritious ingredients covered in tangy feta, lemon juice, and nutty tahini.

Let's eat.

Chickpea, Vegetable, & Feta Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Yields: 6 servings

Salad:
-1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
-3 scallions, chopped (white AND green parts!)
-1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
-1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Dressing:
-2 tablespoons tahini
-Juice of 1 lemon
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.) In a large mixing bowl, combine chickpeas, vegetables, parsley, and feta cheese. Season lightly with salt and black pepper; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.) After 30 minutes is up, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. (Texture of "dressing" will be thick; this helps prevent any leftovers from getting runny and soggy). Carefully stir dressing into salad until well-coated. Serve, and enjoy!

Summer in a bowl. With lots of feta for good measure. 

Your next barbecue needs this.

Farro Salad with Black-Eyed Peas, Red Pepper, and Arugula

We've gone from rice to farro, friends.

Farro is an ancient wheat grain that I somehow always forget about. I typically go for couscous or quinoa in the same grocery store aisle, forgetting about these little pearls of high-fiber goodness. (Bonus: Farro's also awesome for those who are sensitive to gluten - while it's not gluten-free, it contains lower levels than most of today's wheat products, and, if prepared properly, the gluten is pre-digested and broken down by sprouting and fermentation (like a sourdough process, essentially)). 

To up farro's nutritional ante in this recipe, I added black-eyed peas for protein, red pepper and arugula for texture and nutrients, and plenty of garlic, onion, Parmesan cheese, and even a little white wine for extra flavor.

Dig in!

Farro Salad with Black-Eyed Peas, Red Pepper, & Arugula

Yields: 6 servings

-3 cups homemade vegetable stock (or low-sodium store-bought)

-1 cup dry farro

-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-1 small red onion, diced

-1 large garlic clove, minced

-1 large red bell pepper, diced

-1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

-Pinch of crushed red pepper

-Salt and black pepper, to taste

-Splash of dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

-2 large handfuls of baby arugula

-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

-Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1.) In a large pot, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Stir in farro, and lower heat to simmer; let cook for 20 minutes, or until farro is tender. Strain any excess stock and set aside.

2.) In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is almost translucent, about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper and cook until it begins to soften, about 3-5 minutes. 

3.) Add black-eyed peas, crushed red pepper, and salt and black pepper to the saute pan. Add a splash of wine, scraping any excess flavor from the bottom of the pan. Add the arugula and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes.

4.) Off the heat, add in the Parmesan cheese and a healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Stir black-eyed pea, pepper, and arugula mixture into the cooked farro. Serve salad warm, or refrigerate and serve cold later. (It's even better the next day!).

This salad made a delectable side dish alongside some vegetarian sausages and a green salad, but a big bowl of it also made the perfect work day lunch. 

Do you have a favorite farro recipe? 

Honey-Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yogurt

Side dishes are my nemesis.

I am the worst at meal planning, so trying to plan a side dish along with the entree I've decided on for dinner is usually something that never happens. The extra work, extra prep, extra shopping? No thanks. I typically resort to a green salad, or I make the entree filling enough to not warrant a side dish.

However, roasted vegetables is always something I've enjoyed cooking for a side. Roasted Brussels sprouts, potatoes, asparagus - I'll take it all! You can just place whatever vegetable you're roasting on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper - it cooks while you prep the entree - and boom, dinner done.

But it wasn't until I stumbled upon this recipe for Honey-Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yogurt in Plenty More that I thought of roasted carrots as being "fun." The prep time wasn't all that bad, either, and I tweaked the recipe slightly to use what we already had on-hand, so the little bit of extra shopping was doable, too. Another roasted side dish for the win!

Honey-Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yogurt
Yields: 4 servings
Adapted from Plenty More
-1 1/2 tablespoons honey
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
-6 large carrots, peeled and cut into batons
-1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
-Salt and black pepper, to taste

Tahini Yogurt Sauce:
-3 tablespoons tahini paste
-2/3 cup Greek yogurt
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-Salt, to taste

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.) Place all of the ingredients for the tahini sauce in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk together and set aside.
3.) Place the honey, oil, coriander, cumin, and thyme in a large bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the carrots and mix well until coated, then spread them out on a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 40 minutes (or until cooked through and glazed), stirring gently twice during roasting.
4.) Transfer the carrots to a large serving platter or bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a spoonful of sauce on top, scattered with cilantro.

*You will likely have extra yogurt sauce. Save it for dipping ANYTHING into. It's delicious, not just on carrots!

Sweet roasted carrots with tangy tahini-yogurt sauce, all topped off with the brightness of cilantro. Now this is one side dish I can get behind. (This would make an unique and delicious Thanksgiving side, too!).

What's your favorite side dish to make?