Almost Vegan

Grand Rapids, good for you. A small city near me here in the Mid-West where being a vegan is not exactly a cool thing to do, but this place exists. Yay.

Get the dairy-free scoop at Love’s Ice Cream. Multiple (rotating) flavors of vegan gelato and non-dairy sorbet available daily.

Source: Love’s Ice Cream in Grand Rapids Michigan for Vegan Treats

Raw vegetables are delicious, but you’ll get more out of them if you cook them first.

Find out why you should cook carrots and tomatoes before eating them.

Watch the video on Real Simple >>>

Preparation: 15 minutes | cooking 40 minutes | Serves 4

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small head cauliflower, chopped
5 cups vegetable broth (I changed it from low-sodium chicken broth)
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

Cook the garlic in the oil in a large pot over medium heat, stirring, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes; remove and reserve the garlic. To the pot, add the cauliflower, vegetable broth, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Top with the garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and additional thyme before serving.

This lovely recipe is from Real Simple >>>

Rising Moon Organics Butternut Squash Ravioli is certified vegan and delicious. I like to saute some vegetables like mushrooms, onions, garlic in olive oil and toss in the ravioli after it is cooked. It really makes a nice meal.

Here’s their webpage with more info and where to find them >>>

Are you thinking about ham for the holidays?

For God’s sake don’t do it! There’s so much good food out there that has nothing to do with animal pain and suffering.

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 15m| Total Time: 15m

Ingredients

4 scallions, chopped
3 cucumbers, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
3/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt (not Greek), plus more for serving
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Puree the scallions, cucumbers, zucchini, oil, basil, and lemon juice in a blender until smooth.
2. Add the yogurt and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
3. Serve topped with additional yogurt, torn basil, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.

By Lindsay Hunt, July, 2014 via realsimple.com –>

Make it vegan

Purchase some vegan yogurt. There are many different brands on the market. Find something plain.

Or make your own vegan yogurt. I found good instructions on this website and the author claims it is easy, although I have never tried it myself. Make your own vegan yogurt –>

I found a number of what look to be very tasty vegan salad dressings on FOX News, no less. What they were doing on there, I don’t know. Here’s the vegan Caesar Dressing:

Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
Serves 6
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 cup organic vegetable broth or water

Puree all in a blender or food processor; pulse until smooth. Adjust ingredients as necessary for desired taste and texture.

And here is the whole article —>