Lunchtime Trio

"A trio of toasted breads with different toppings: one with lightly grilled vegan cheddar, second one with mashed avocado with a pinch of salt and tomato and the third one with sunflower butter. Accompanied by a salad of sliced cooked beetroot and rocket. Peppermint tea brewed with a couple of slices of apple is assisting me in digesting the spread."

From Nutty Crunch.

Rice and Beans Plate

"My name is Sarah and I am a gluten-free vegan. I have two blogs: VaVaVegan, which is my daily blog, and This Is What I Eat, which is a photo journal of delicious vegan food that I eat and make for others. Recently I've been really focusing on living a whole foods-based lifestyle, enjoying clean, nutritious foods that fuel me for whatever activities I'm doing (which include running, training with my trainer and even just working long days on my feet). I want to show people that vegan food is not only delicious, but can provide a well-balanced and nutrition-packed diet.

"The photo I wanted to submit is a Rice and Beans plate I've been enjoying regularly lately. It is 1/2 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans, a handful of spinach, a handful of steamed broccoli topped with a half of an avocado. It looks beautiful and tastes as good as it looks!"

Grilled Avocados and Corn Relish

Darcy from She Sings at the Table writes, "Here is a photo of a recent healthy dinner creation: Grilled Avocados and Corn Relish.

Quinoa Pilaf

Quinoa Pilaf with sauteed onions, carrots, celery, baby spinach, green beans and mushrooms, topped with cool sliced avocado.

"My new favorite staple! I try to make a big batch in the beginning of the week and munch on it whenever I need a quick meal!" writes Jennifer in New Jersey.

Yumm! Bowl

Brown rice, black beans, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, and a little scoop of Original Yumm! Sauce, from my favorite Cafe Yumm!

Vegan Hors D'Oeuvres

Nikki writes, "The photo I am submitting is one of my latest and greatest recipes, and it is a tasty little hors d'oeuvre with avocados, tomatoes, fresh mint, spices, vegan 'Monterrey Jack cheese', all on freshly baked whole wheat baguette. SO delicious. I took them into work for all my meat-loving coworkers who loved them and wanted to steal my recipe!"

Sushi Rice Bowl

This Sushi Rice Bowl from "So Many Veggies, So Little Time" (I know the feeling!) is made with brown sushi rice, chickpeas, avocado, veggies, and a homemade mustard wasabi dressing. It's garnished with pickled ginger and herbs. "It has all sorts of good ingredients that taste good, and make me feel good, too!"

Pestomole

Now this one I can't wait to try! This is Pestomole: a pesto sauce made from all whole foods using avocado instead of oil.

How brilliant is that? Pestomole's creator, Dave, tells me it "has become a favorite among my circle of friends and family. It freezes really well too. We make a lot during the summer when basil is plentiful and put a bunch in the freezer for winter."

Run and get the recipe at Le Chateau Soleil.

Portobello Burgers

Hannah writes, "This is my version of a vegetarian burger. Not exactly raw food material, but vegetarian style for sure, and a damn good one at that!

"This takes about 10-15 minutes of prep and cooking combined. A toasted bun with a panfried portobello mushroom (not actually panfried, but over a pan and cooked with the help of some water), topped with two layers of thinly sliced avocados, and some panfried (again not actually fried with oil) minced tofu. The tofu was cooked with a dash of hoisin sauce, a couple of shakes of hot sauce, and a pinch of chili pepper flakes. Add a dash of pepper to both the mushroom and the tofu topping. Enjoy!"

Basil Mung Bean Salad

Iris sent in this photo of a beautiful Basil Mung Bean Salad she made. "It's simple to make, but tastes delicious!"

Find the recipe at The Daily Dietribe.

Avocado Supreme Wrap

Melissa writes...

"My mom is a vegan and I am a vegetarian myself. There aren't very many vegan-friendly restaurants where my parents live, so I like to take her out to vegan/vegetarian restaurants whenever she comes to Toronto. Vegetarian Haven is a great place, serving all vegan foods and we both fell in love with their Avocado Supreme wrap.

"At home, I like to do my own version of it: it's simply mashed avocado, thinly sliced apple, trail mix and spinach (or sprouts) wrapped up in a whole grain tortilla. So easy, and delicious! The one at the restaurant is made with their own vegan mayo, but it's simpler and super tasty without."

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

A couple of you have submitted variations on this recipe. Here is Sheri at Green and Crunchy's version:

"I have a sinfully rich (yet healthy!) dessert to share. This is a raw vegan chocolate-avocado pudding -- there are lots of variations of this popular recipe floating around the internet. We make it often and it knocks our vegan socks off every time! We make it with an avocado, cacao powder, vanilla extract, a sweetener of choice, and any add-ins you like. Simple and scrumptious!"


The link to the recipe is here!

Rice Bowl and Restaurant Recommendation

Here's another pretty picture from Natalie: "This rice bowl is my adaptation of the wonderful dishes served at Fresh Restaurants in Toronto. It has a bed of brown rice topped with satay tofu steaks (vegan, purchased at grocery store), avocado, tomatoes, chickpeas and a wedge of lemon. The dressing is Sesame Miso Sauce (also vegan) from the book Fresh at Homeby Ruth Brown and Jennifer Houston, the owner and head chef respectively of the Toronto restaurants.

"If you're ever in Toronto, be sure to check out one of several Fresh restaurants - they're just wonderful. I lived in Canada for three years, and ate at Fresh whenever I could. Now that I'm back home in Australia, I try my best to recreate their beautiful food and juices - thank goodness for cookbooks!"

A Delicious Sandwich

From Heather in Virginia: "Ezekiel sprout bread, hummus, feta cheese, avocado and tomato. Better than any sandwich with meat on it!"

My favorite vegan substitute for feta cheese is salty kalamata olives.

Whack-a-mole-y

...aka guacamole with edamame, spinach and broccoli. Recipe at Yooli Choi's What's In Your Pantry.