Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Menu: Vegan Summer Buffet: Grilled Kale, Quinoa Salad, and Roasted Red Potato Salad

Yesterday was my brother's birthday, so we had a big family party (as we are wont to do) and fed everyone.  By doubling and tripling recipes, we were able to set out big bowls of salads and foods for a satisfying buffet.  I took photos of it, but it seems there was a problem with my camera and I lost most of the photos (though luckily my brother took some pictures of the grilled kale; see below!)

It might be hard for some people to imagine what you'd make for a vegan buffet, especially when there is a barbeque grill handy.  But our buffet was colorful and satisfying.  Here are the things we made:

1) We made a green salad with sundry lettuces and radish microgreens from local BUG Farms (harvested by my brother and his gal-pal Sharon).  We threw in some ripe tomatoes from my uncle's garden, plus sliced almonds and dried cranberries, then we dressed it with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

2) Of course, in true summer fashion, there was a huge bowl of watermelon and cantaloupe.  It isn't a buffet without fruit salad!


3) Grilled Kale

As I'm sure you've guessed from the title of the blog, kale is pretty much my favorite vegetable.  It's an under-used ingredient for most people, which is a shame because it is so robustly nutritious and versatile.

My brother has a few healthy kale plants growing out in the garden, so we decided to try something new and grill it up.  First we cut some Red Russian Kale and some Curly Kale out of the garden...

Then we washed the leaves well and tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper...

Then we placed the leaves, with their stems intact, onto the grill, turning them frequently.  The curly kale held its structure better than the red Russian, and the leaves also got more pleasantly crispy.  (Next time I do this I'll only use curly kale, I think.)  We also threw some thick lemon slices onto the grill.


Once the leaves were crisped up, we squeezed the grilled lemon over the top and ate the kale like lollipops.  (You probably don't want to eat the stems, but leaving them on makes them easier to grill.  It's easy to just nibble around them.)



4) Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Beans and Avocadoes

Quinoa salads are one of my favorite things to make, because the recipes are endlessly variable.  The first quinoa salad I ever made was from Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, but once you have the method down you can just use whatever you have in the fridge and pantry and whip up something delicious.  We made a gigantic bowl of quinoa salad yesterday, so I'll reduce the proportions here: This would probably serve 4-6 people.

2 c. quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 lb. sweet potatoes, roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can black or kidney beans
1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
A handful of black olives, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 lime
Salt and pepper

If you've never made quinoa before, it's super-easy.  Use the same proportions as you would use to make rice: 1 c. quinoa to 2 c. water, plus a pinch of salt.  It only takes about 15-20 minutes to cook up.

And roasting sweet potatoes is easy, too.  Just peel and dice the potatoes, and toss them with a tablespoon (or less) of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Roast them in a 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they are tender.

Once you've got the quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes prepared, the rest is easy.  Just throw all of the ingredients into a bowl, squeeze on the lime juice, apply salt and pepper to taste, and voila!  Quinoa salad.  Done.


5) Roasted Red Potato Salad with Lemon and Basil

We kind of made this one up as we went, and it turned out delicious.  Roasting the potatoes and lemons gave it a really deep but slightly sweet lemony flavor, and the tomatoes, corn and basil turned it into a summery-tasting dish.  It got devoured and it will definitely be in our regular rotation this summer!
2 lb. red potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
1 lemon, cut into eighths
2 T. olive oil
1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. defrosted frozen corn
1 or 2 handfuls of basil leaves, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

First, place the potatoes and the lemon pieces in a roasting dish with the olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Roast the potatoes at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork and crispy around the edges.

When the roasted lemons are cooled enough to handle, squeeze their juice over the potatoes.  Let cool.  Toss the cooled potatoes with halved cherry tomatoes, corn, and basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with lemon zest.  Serve at room temperature.

And 6) Dessert was lime cupcakes with lime zest frosting and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter-swirled frosting.  My mom made them and they were amazing, and I have good news for you: She caters cupcakes, both traditional and vegan!  She's working on getting a website up, and I'll let you know when it's ready for you to peruse.

2 comments:

  1. my mouth is watering for the quinoa salad. I've never made quinoa--where can you buy it?

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  2. Sorry, B and R, I just saw this comment! You can find quinoa in most grocery stores nowadays; check in the section with grains, and also in the gluten-free section. If you have a health food store nearby, you might be able to get it cheaper there. Hope you like it!

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