Vegan Caesar Salad

Vegan Caesar Salad - Easy and also Gluten-Free!

My mom makes a killer Caesar salad and it was one my favorite dishes growing up. She left the anchovies out of it for me when I went vegetarian, but when I went vegan a couple years later, it was “bye bye Caesar salad” for me. Over the years, I played around with various ingredients … Read more

Black & White Bean Quinoa Salad

Black & White Bean Quinoa Salad - Vegan & Gluten-Free

My mom subscribes to Canadian Living magazine, and it usually includes a really good vegetarian or vegan recipe. She diligently puts the vegan (or easily made vegan) recipes aside for me, and better yet, she makes a couple of the recipes for me whenever I’m in town. She  made me this black & white bean … Read more

Spicy Peanut Quinoa Salad

Spicy Peanut Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I love peanut butter. Peanut butter cookies, peanut butter dipping sauce, peanut butter out of the jar… peanut butter anything! So when a late-night Google search returned a recipe for quinoa salad with spicy peanut dressing, I didn’t hesitate to bookmark it and use it as inspiration for my lunch the next day, this Spicy Peanut … Read more

Fried Cauliflower, Chickpea and Swiss Chard

Fried Cauliflower, Chickpea and Swiss Chard - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Back in December, I enjoyed a lovely salad of fried cauliflower, chickpeas and silverbeet at Bodega Tapas Bar here in Sydney. It was hardy yet light with highlights of fresh lemon and toasted cumin seeds. As you can tell, I was making a mental note of the ingredients and flavors because I figured that it … Read more

Avocado Macadamia Pear Salad

Avocado Macadamia Pear Salad - Vegan & Gluten-Free

I came across this Avocado Macadamia Pear Salad recipe in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Sheila magazine. It looked so decadent, I just had to try it. The trick is to have “ripe but firm” avocados on hand when the pears are just ripe. But once you’ve got that under control, the actual salad itself … Read more

Avocado & Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts

Vegan Avocado & Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts

2011 has been pretty crazy for me. From hosting a good friend from back home over the holidays, to moving into a new pad downtown, to traveling back to Canada for a work conference and my mother’s surprise 60th birthday, and finally meeting-up with my partner for 5 days of sight-seeing and wine tasting in … Read more

Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad / Dip

Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad

My mom used to make this recipe and it’s one of my all-time favorites. If you manage to find yourself in that perfect space-time-continuum where you have access to ripe mangoes and avocados at the same time, then this is the perfect recipe. I can’t tell you how great this is – you just have … Read more

Fresh Tomato & Basil Salad

I just couldn’t resist bringing home these gorgeous grape tomatoes and figured that the best way to enjoy them would be as a light and fresh tomato & basil salad. Fresh basil and a high-quality olive oil are the key to making this easy salad taste very gourmet. So I don’t have a big post … Read more

Broccoli, Red Bell Pepper & Chickpea Salad

Colorful Chickpea Salad

I spent the day on the beach so I don’t have an elaborate recipe today. However, this Broccoli, Red Bell Pepper & Chickpea Salad is one of my favorite go-to recipes, and it wouldn’t be right not to include it in the Vegan Month of Food initiative. My mom made this salad often when I … Read more

Light & Healthy Potato Salad

Light & Healthy Potato Salad - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Vegan MoFo #18 – I saw these purple potatoes at the grocery store this week and couldn’t resist bringing some home with me. Look at that awesome color! I’m also going “low-carb” next week, and then 100% raw the following week, so I figured I’d go ahead and indulge in some big ol’ potatoes this … Read more