My Vegetarian Recipe of the Day

I first got this recipe from a friend, but I’ve made some additions, subtractions and other changes since then. It’s super easy and perfect for hot summer days when you just don’t feel like cooking. The addition of black beans (canned or homemade) makes it more filling and more capable of standing on its own for a meal.

Gazpacho

5 large tomatoes, chopped (some people prefer to dump the seeds )

2 cucumbers, peeled

1 large onion (preferably red, but I have used yellow)

chopped garlic to taste

1 bunch cilantro

juice of 2 limes (I’ve used about an 1/8 of a cup lemon juice in a pinch— I think you could also substitute balsamic vinegar, just need some acid)

sea salt to taste

1 large can of vegetable juice (I like to use the spicy kind to add a little kick)

2 cups of black beans (1 can or homemade)

Put the veggies (minus the black beans) in the food processor and blend until it’s semi-smooth. Pour the puree into a large bowl and add the veggie juice and black beans and stir well. That’s it. Enjoy with some crusty bread or as a side for quiche or whatever suits your fancy.

This is a fun little fruit salad, perfect for the 4th of July.

Layered Fruit Flag Salad
16 oz. pineapple tidbits in juice
2 med. bananas sliced
6 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 c. frozen whipped topping or whipped cream
3 T. powdered sugar (optional)
4 c. cubed cantaloupe, well drained
3 c. blueberries

Drain pineapple, reserving juice in small bowl. Pat pineapple dry with paper towels to remove any excess liquid. Toss banana slices in pineapple liquid; drain well. Reserve 18 to 20 strawberries for flag stripes; cut remaining strawberries into quarters.

In medium bowl, mix yogurt, whipped cream and powdered sugar until smooth.

In ungreased 13×9 glass baking dish, layer cantaloupe and quartered strawberries. Reserve 50 blueberries for flag stars. Layer remaining blueberries over strawberries. Top with bananas and pineapple. Press fruit lightly to make a smooth top. Spread yogurt mixture evenly over fruit. If desired, at this point, salad can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 hours.

Up to 1 hour before serving, complete the salad. Sprinkle reserved blueberries in corner to resemble stars on flag. Cut reserved strawberries into quarters. Arrange strawberries in rows to resemble stripes of flag.

(Note: I don’t worry about layering the fruit. I just dump it all in the bowl. It’s going to be covered with the topping, anyway, so no one can really see any effort you put into layering. Also, it works without adding the yogurt to the whipped cream, but it’s a little harder to spread.)

I’m sure there are plenty of great ways to eat watermelon. Chilled in a lake comes immediately to mind. But I read lots of recipes for watermelon that are, well, let’s just say interesting (watermelon with parmesan anyone?— eww). But I have a dear friend who doesn’t like watermelon. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, she doesn’t like the official summer fruit. So, what’s she supposed to do on Fourth of July? How can you have Fourth of July without watermelon? Well, now even watermelon haters can include a little watermelon in their Fourth of July vegetarian celebration with these Faux Watermelon Cookies (they’re really just sugar cookies decorated to look like watermelon slices, but they sure are cute). I got the recipe from Fantastic Foods, and you can see pictures there, as well. Now, onto the recipe:

Faux Watermelon Cookies

Sugar Cookie Dough
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (not melted!)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 drops red food coloring
1 cup miniature semi sweet chocolate morsels

Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons water
15-20 drops green food coloring

Cookies
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Beat butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and red food coloring in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture and stir with wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.

Preheat oven to 400° F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter or other round object, such as a glass or round plastic container. Place circles on ungreased cookie sheet. With a butter knife, carefully slice circle in half and separate by at least 1/2 inch to allow for expansion during baking. Gently press miniature semi sweet morsels into each semicircle. Bake for 6-8 minutes, checking after 6 minutes. Cookies will be done when edges are lightly browned. Do not allow cookies to get too brown.

Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Remove from cookies sheets to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Glaze
In a small bowl mix together all ingredients to form a glaze. You may add drops of water to thin glaze if it is too thick. To decorate the cookies, roll the round end of the cookie in the glaze, allow excess to drip off into bowl. Place cookies back on rack until glaze dries.

Do you dread Fourth of July gatherings because you just can’t stand to look at one more veggie burger or veggie dog? Well, not to fear. We’ll include plenty of recipes that you can enjoy at home or take for potluck if you’re getting together with a group.

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vegetarian recipes