Watermelon, Feta And Vegan Shrimp Salad

 For all my fellow Americans, Happy 4th of July.  As we celebrate our Birthday, our Independence day and our day of Freedom, families and friends are getting together to eat, swim, BBQ and pray.  As I thought about the many different dishes that would arrive at our celebration, I'd probably see potato salads, coleslaw's and many other meat and dairy laden foods.  So I decided to make a delicious and fresh salad that would not only suffice as a salad, but as a meal also.  Enjoy this salad today and all summer long, celebrating also the fresh fruits and veggies of summer and the wee bit of vegan shrimp flavors of the ocean.
This salad is made for a crowd but feel free to scale it down to the perfect size for you or your friends and family.

Watermelon, Feta And Vegan Shrimp Salad

1 Whole Small Watermelon cut into cubes
7 ounces Vegan Feta (I used Heidi Ho...and wow is it good!)
1 Lime (zested and juiced)
1 bunch Green Onions, sliced (about 8-10)
1 Box Vegan Shrimp ( I used Vegetarian Plus)
4 Cups fancy lettuce
1 Cup sliced grape tomatoes
1 Cucumber, diced
Your favorite Vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss gently with vinaigrette. Eat and Celebrate.

 

 

Here is my favorite Vinaigrette~

1/3 cup balsamic

2/3 cup olive oil (I mix my half and half with a citrus oil like Lime Oil or Blood Orange Oil)

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp citrus zest

1 tsp bee free Honee

 

 

Avocado Corn Salad with Cilantro Grapefruit dressing

Salads are my thing right now.  When it comes to health, a salad is what most people think dieting is all about.   I've heard it referred to as grass, rabbit food and a bunch of weeds, but what a salad is to me is a bunch of delicious mixtures of texture, taste and variety.  It's not only color  and balance for a diet but a delicious blend of fiber too.  Have a salad, you'll thank me later.  Or better yet, have This salad and thank me now.  It's fun, fresh and mostly raw with a deliciously delightful dressing.  So go ahead and Enjoy...

Avocado Corn Salad~
serves 3

1 ear of corn (cut corn off cob)
10 yellow grape tomatoes cut in halves
1 avocado (diced)
2 green onions (sliced)
5 Tbs Mediterranean Herb Feta Style soy cheese (diced into small pieces)

Put everything in a bowl and chill while making dressing.

Cilantro Grapefruit Dressing~

1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar ( I used fig balsamic but any will do)
2 Tbs grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
2 Tbs fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup grape seed oil

Mix all ingredients in a blender until incorporated. Pour over salad and mix gently.  Serve over a bed of mixed baby lettuces or eat just the way it is. Yum.

Optional ingredients~
Vegan Shrimp
Diced Yucca

 

Another favorite salad I love is my California Citrus Salad.  I'll include the recipe along with another recipe for my homemade candied pecans that go perfectly on top of the California Citrus Salad.

 

 

California Citrus Salad~

 

4 Strawberries (sliced)

1/4 cup blueberries

1 clementine ( into segments )  Optional:  You can use canned mandarin oranges

5 yellow grape tomatoes (sliced)

2 green onions (sliced)

1 endive (sliced)

1 avocado (diced)

5 Tbs soy blue Cheese Crumble (diced finely)

2 cups mixed baby greens

 

Sweet Grapefruit Dressing~

 

1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar ( I used fig balsamic but any will do)
4 Tbs grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup grape seed oil

 

 

Add all ingredients in a bowl and toss with Sweet grapefruit dressing. Sprinkle Candied pecans or any candied nut on top and serve.

 

 

Have you ever been to a fair, an event or even the super store Bass Pro Shop when they're cooking up their spiced nuts and the aroma is so heavenly, you make your first stop to pick some of those bad boys up?  The scent is captivating.  The scent is Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving...all rolled up in one. And then the taste.

 

When I make them, they're irresistible to anyone on the premise. 

 

Do you know how people make chocolate chip cookies before prospective buyers come to look at a home?  Well they should make these...

and for sure...

their home would be...

SOLD!

 

So, there we go.  Story told.  Enjoy your nuts on your salad or off. 

 

Candied Nuts

 

1 Tbs vegan Butter

1/4 cup white or brown sugar

1 cup nuts

1/4 tsp cinnamon

 

Over stove, cook all ingredients on med-high heat until sugar starts to melt and starts to coat nuts. At this point, about 2-3 minutes, turn off burner, sprinkle with cinnamon and continue to stir until all nuts are coated.  Lay flat and separate slightly onto foil and let cool.  Break apart.

Teriyaki Thai Cabbage Salad

Today I was inspired to create a meal simply by glancing into my fridge and finding a beautiful head of cabbage. (Honestly, I had to create something with it or I'd simply starve!) In the past I have had Thai lettuce wraps and absolutely loved them so I decided to clean out the veggie drawer and use what I had to create this oh so tasty meal. Even my nephew, who is so pro-meat, enjoyed this a bunch! (Of course when he asked if this was a fake meat dish, I simply replied it was a vegetable dish.  So I left out the meatless ground answer for now but fessed up after receiving his compliment on how good it was! I'm so sneaky that way!)
This is how I created it but this veggie dish is a canvas that can be added to, using any veggies you'd like.

Teriyaki Thai Cabbage Salad

Ingredients~
12 oz package Yves Veggie Cuisine (Tm) Meatless Ground
Shredded Cabbage, as much as you'd like.  It's best to have twice as much as the meatless mixture
1/2 cup finely diced yam
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced orange bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced peanuts
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder or fresh garlic pulverized
1/4 to 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce or marinade
2 Tbs sesame seed oil
1 Tbs sesame seeds (oops, forgot them in my picture)

 

First I diced all my veggies while the sesame seed oil was getting nice and hot.

 

I sauteed the yams first until slightly tender. 

 

 Then I added the celery, bell pepper, peanuts and sauteed a few minutes more. I added the meatless ground, onion powder, garlic powder and teriyaki starting with a 1/4 cup and adding a little more each time until all veggies were coated and I cooked the mixture until it started to caramelize. 

 

 

 To plate, I put a handful of cabbage onto the plate and added a scoop of mixture on top.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat. Yummo!