I found this recipe on the Veggie Boards and thought it sounded interesting.  It is supposed to be a vegan “tuna” tasting spread, but I found it tasted nothing like tuna or like anything that came from the ocean.  As a sandwich spread, though, it was really good.  Even Emma ate some.

Vegan “Tuna” Sandwich Filling

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 TB vegenaise

1 TB dijon mustard

1/2 tsp kelp granules

1 tsp soy sauce

Mash the chickpeas.  You want them mashed, but still with some texture to them.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and enjoy.  I also added some relish to mine, which gave it a little zing, but you could really add in anything here.  Chopped celery or onion would be good too.

I made up a batch of focaccia the other day and turned two big chunks of it into two panini sammies. I made them exactly the same way as I did before, except that I used vegenaise instead of mayo. That’s right, I finally used up all my mayo and switched to vegenaise. I was overwhelmed by all the types of vegenaise at the store, but went for the original and I have to say that it has exceeded my expectations. I hate Miracle Whip and anything that tastes like it, which is what I expected this to be, but it really does taste exactly like mayo.

To go with our sammies, we had a side of fruit salad and my Mexican style tabbouleh salad, which we’ve been eating leftovers of for days and days.  That stuff is so good!

I have been a fan of the tofurky products since becoming vegetarian way back when.  I haven’t had it in a long time, but picked up a pack of the hickory smoked variety at the store yesterday.  This stuff is so good.  It makes the best “turkey” tasting sandwiches– I’ve used it to make “turkey” cranberry sandwiches when I crave them at Thanksgiving time, and today, I used it to make a “turkey” avocado sammie:

Yummy!  A little mayo (still trying to use the stuff up), a little mustard, some sliced tomato, dill pickles and avocado.  Doesn’t get much better than that!

While visiting my parents over the weekend, my dad said that he’d never had a falafel before and didn’t even know what was in it.  I told him that I would make them the next time they visited and, true to my word, I made them tonight.  They ate ‘em up and even took some leftovers home.  They are so incredibly easy to make.  I wonder why we don’t have them more often?!

I’ve been using the same falafel recipe for a few years now and I’m not sure where it came from originally.  Sorry for not giving any credit to the original creator of my falafel recipe.

Falafel

2 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh mint

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use whole wheat)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 TB olive oil

Put everything into a food processor and process until smooth.  You can either make them into patties or balls.  I use a cookie scooper and scoop them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.  You can also pan fry them, but I usually end up making a huge mess when I go that route– baking is much easier and less fatty.

Not the most attractive photo, I know (my plate is on an Elmo placement, by the way, in case you were wondering about all those words).  I served ours up on top of some middle eastern flatbread that I can always find at Trader Joe’s, topped with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and some dill pickles.  I know, the dill pickles sound like an odd topping for falafels, but they are really quite tasty.  The sauce that I make to go with the falafels is made from 2 TB mayo (or vegan mayo), 2 TB Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream (thanks to Amy’s tip, I was able to find some at Whole Foods), juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup chopped cucumber, and about 2 TB chopped fresh dill.  Combine all of those ingredients and thin it out a bit with some plain rice (or soy) milk until it is the right consistency.

On the side, I threw together a quick tabbouleh, which turned out really good.

Tabbouleh

1/2 cup bulgar

1 cup water

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1 cup chopped kale

1 cup chopped cucumber

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup diced red onion, soaked in several changes of water (optional, but I find that doing this removes the raw onion after taste)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

S&P to taste

Cook the bulgar in the water.  Meanwhile, put all of the other ingredients into a bowl.  When the bulgar is cooked, add it in and stir.  Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary.

I know that kale isn’t a traditional tabbouleh ingredient, but it really has no flavor when it is raw (at least to me it doesn’t) and I thought it would be a good addition here to boost the nutrition of the dish.  The only thing it contributed was extra vitamins and fiber– if I hadn’t known it was in there, I wouldn’t have thought that anything was amiss.