Salad Days

Shopping at the farmers’ market is special for the way it connects different generations and people with different backgrounds. Yesterday, I was picking through a box of green beans next to a stern Italian grandmother. We got to talking about what we were going to make with our bounty. She cracked a smile and gave me a nod of approval when I mentioned that I was going to serve them in a potato-pasta dish with a creamy, basil-infused lemon sauce. For her, it was a classic dish, for me it was the discovery of something divine. I wonder what she would have thought if I confessed that my version would be made without any dairy or processed oils.

This recipe is modified slightly from the one found in Vegan on the Cheap. If you still haven’t picked up a copy of this book, what are you waiting for?

Pasta with Potatoes, Green Beans, and Lemon-Basil Cream
Serves 4

1 pound waxy potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces fusilli or other small pasta
1/2 cup cashews
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried onion
1 1/4 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk

Steam potatoes for 5 minutes. Add the green beans and steam for 3-5 minutes more until everything is just tender. Strain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, grind the cashews to a powder in the blender. Add the garlic, water, lemon juice, zest, yeast, 1 tablespoon of the basil, onion, and soy milk. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it.

When the pasta is done, drain it and combine it in a big bowl with the potatoes and green beans. Add the sauce and remaining basil and toss gently to combine. Serve hot along side a crisp green salad.

Cookies are a real treat at our house - mostly because they are filled with nutritionally empty calories in the form of white flour, butter, and sugar. After eating an almond cookie at Barrio on Tuesday night, though, Nick begged me to make some. Turns out, Veganomicon had the perfect recipe. It uses ground oats instead of flour (gluten free) and oil and flax seeds instead of butter and eggs (vegan). They’re still loaded with sugar and chocolate, so one is probably enough. For now…

I’ve never met a salad with strawberries I didn’t like. The juxtaposition of crunchy greens and sweet fruit is YUM! Here’s a quick dressing you can throw together next time you’re thinking of adding berries to your salad. It’s just a little bit sweet and a little bit creamy, which brings out the flavor of the fruit. It’s also nice as a dip for carrot sticks.

Cashew Cream Dressing

1/3 cup soy milk (or regular milk, if you insist)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cashews
2 tablespoons currants or raisins

Blend all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy.