I’m almost (if it wasn’t for my love affair with fish) vegan now and sometimes get stumped on some hearty, protein filled summer salads. However, I recently found this recipe with lima beans, and now I’m hooked!

SUMMERTIME SUCCOTASH

INGREDIENTS Serves 6

1 tbsp Earth Balance butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (10 oz) package frozen baby lima beans, thawed (or 2 cups fresh shelled, if you dare!)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp white or red balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Heat the butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic, and cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the lima beans, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the corn and tomatoes, and sauté 1 minute longer or until just heated through. You don’t want the tomatoes to collapse and release their juices. Remove from the heat, and stir in the parsley, basil, and vinegar.

Serve warm or chilled. Good all on it’s own, or with white jasmine rice topped with toasted sunflower seeds. For a complete meal, serve with some steamed bok choy or watercress.

PEACH CRUMBLE – Vegan and delicious!

I’m loving this recipe for summer as it’s so light and so easy to make. I just made it this weekend for my assistant’s baby shower.

INGREDIENTS Serves 4-6

2.5 – 3 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 cup organic blueberries
1.75 cups apple juice
2 tablespoons kuzu
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt

Topping

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups brown rice flour
.25 teaspoon fine sea salt
.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon
.75 cup safflower oil
.75 cup brown rice syrup
.25 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches and blueberries in a 9″ square baking pan.

Reserve .25 cup of the apple juice in a small bowl, and heat the remaining 1.5 cups in a small saucepan. Place the kuzu in a small bowl, and add in the reserved apple juice. Let the kuzu mixture sit for about 10 seconds so that the kuzu can dissolve into the liquid. Stir with a fork, and immediately whisk the kuzu mixture and the lemon juice into the hot apple juice, stirring continually to prevent any lumps from forming. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the vanilla extract and the salt. Pour over the peaches and blueberries in the pan.

To make the topping, dry roast the oats, flour, salt and cinnamon in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Heat the oil and syrups together in a separate pan, then pour over the flour mixture and mix well. Stir in the nuts.

Crumble the topping over the fruit, then cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for 15 – 25 minutes longer or until the topping is golden and the fruit filling bubbles a little. Cool crumble for about 30 minutes before serving.

PEACH AND MINT ICED TEA

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

 
All recipes from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.