Curried Cous Cous Salad

Cous Cous is one of those foods that I literally grew up eating. My mom fixed so many international meals for our family, so Cous Cous was a very common grain when I was little. However, when I went vegan (and gluten free), I gave up my bird semolina-based hot cereal. But this story had a happy ending: I FOUND BROWN RICE COUS COUS PEOPLE! Thus, this recipe was born. A new fave! Enjoy!

           Curried Cous Cous Salad. 

                          So good. 

    This is one dish j DO NOT want to share...

         Time to devour. GET IN MA BELLY!

Curried Cous Cous Salad. Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup brown rice couscous

2. 1/2 cup water

3. 3/4 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4. 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

5. 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

6. 2 T raisins

7. 1 T white whine vinegar

8. 1/2 packet stevia

9. 1/2 tsp curry powder

10. 1 1/2 tsp braggs aminos

11. 1/8 tsp garam masala 

12. Handful finely chopped cilantro

Method 

1. Cook couscous according to package directions and fluff with a fork. Remove from heat and set aside to firm up for a few minutes. 

2. Return to heat, along with all ingredients except cilantro, along with 1/2 cup water, and stir together over medium heat. 

3. When heated through and water is absorbed, stir in cilantro. 

4. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Around the World Mega Salad.

If you all follow me on Instagram (@thefitveganginger--follow me! Hehe!) you will know my utter OBSESSION with giant salads...I have lovingly termed these gigantic veggie piles "Mega Salads". I've posted a few of my past fave mega salads on the blog, but this one tops them all. The eclectic combination of flavors really makes this salad pop. You've got crisp, tangy, spicy, fresh, and buttery all rolled into one TOTALLY BOMB dish. "Clean out the fridge salad" just became a new fave lunch. 

         Around the World Mega Salad. 

Around the World Mega Salad; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one (makes one GIANT salad!). 

Ingredients

1. 8 cups packed fresh spinach leaves 

2. 1 cup canned navy beans (don't sub with great northern or cannellini. Navy beans are essential in this recipe because of their smooth and buttery texture, which other white beans don't provide.)

3. 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped

4. 2 T bragg's liquid aminos

5. 1/2 tsp dried basil

6. 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder

7. 1/4 tsp curry powder

8. Pinch mustard powder

9. Onion, garlic, and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Place spinach in a HUGE bowl (DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE BOWL SIZE---I literally eat my salads out of a family size serving bowl...!) and too with red pepper chunks. Add beans and aminos and sprinkle on spices. Eat up! So good. 

Note: because of all the different flavors in this salad, it goes well with almost anything as an addition to make a full meal. Think pita bread, brown rice, hummus on gluten free cracker, you name it. I may or may me have had this with my "Cinnamon Swirl Oatmeal", though....

South of the Border Spicy Tex-Mex Salad.

I love my spicy foods! And what better way to get that hot fix than with a SALAD?! This is so simple, so quick, so yummy. A perfect addition to my "Mexican Lasagna"!

South of the Border Spicy Tex-Mex Salad. 

South of the Border Spicy Tex-Mex Salad; Vegan, Gluten-free. Serves one (makes one "mega salad").  

Ingredients 

1. 9 oz. raw green cabbage, shredded

2. 2 medium (or 9 baby) carrots, peeled and chopped

3. 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

4. 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

5. 2 T bragg's liquid aminos

6. Onion and garlic powders, cumin to taste

7. 1/2 T nutritional yeast

8. Dash of cayenne

Method

1. Add the ingredients to a large bowl in the order listed. That's it! Enjoy! 

Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Balsamic Sauce

It's always so fun creating recipes that reflect the changing seasons. As vegans, we can really play it up...all those fresh and seasonable veggies! YUMMO. 

One of my all time favorite meals during my pre-vegan days was pasta primavera. The word "primavera" literally translates as "spring", so what better time than spring to recreate a veganized version of one of my favorite meals?! 

    Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy    Balsamic Sauce. 

Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Balsamic Sauce; Vegan, Gluten-Free. Serves one. 

Ingredients

1. 5 oz. silken tofu

2. 1 T balsamic vinegar 

3. Onion and garlic powders, to taste

4. Pasta of choice (I used a package of tofu noodles) 

5. 1/8 cup diced red pepper

6. 5 cherry tomatoes, halved

7. 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, halved

8. Black pepper to taste

9. 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped 

Method

1. In a mini food processor combine the tofu, balsamic, onion, and garlic. Process until very smooth. Set aside. 

2. Cook your noodles and place in a large bowl with the chopped spinach. 

3. Prepare your veggies and set aside. 

4. Spoon your sauce over noodles and spinach. Mix very well. Serve into medium size bowl and top with veggies. Sprinkle with black pepper, if desired. Enjoy! 

Note: the veggies are pretty flexible. I just used what I had in my fridge. You could use any veggie you have on hand (asparagus would be super yum!). 

              Oh the taste of spring...