Picnicking in Baltimore City

This summer, Roland Park Place in Baltimore challenged me with the question: If you were to have a great vegetarian picnic in Baltimore city, what would you prepare and where would you go?

The Green Monstah Sandwich

The next person that I hear tell me that vegetarians can't eat sandwiches, well...I'm going to take them out for a nice lunch. That'll show 'em. I found this recipe on The Bojon Gourmet, and made a few tweaks, including changing the name. This recipe makes one sandwich, and I hope you enjoy!

Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
Cook Time: none

Ingredients
Two (2) slices of your favorite bread -- I used a hearty multigrain bread.
One (1) tablespoon of Goddess dressing -- I used Annie's brand; many Green Goddess dressings call for anchovies, but this brand's style is vegan!
1/2 cup of greens -- I used spinach and romaine lettuce.
Small handful of pea shoots -- you can also use another type of sprout.
1/2 avocado, sliced
5 - 6 slices of fresh cucumber
Optional: Three slices of fresh mozzarella -- I omitted this to make it vegan, but it was one of the items in the original recipe that I will absolutely consider adding next time.

Directions
Spread the Goddess dressing on both sides of the bread.
Assemble additional ingredients as you would any sandwich (I don't really feel like I need to write directions for this part).
Devour.

Kale & Avocado Wrap

Vegetarians sometimes have a harder time putting together simple lunches than meat-eaters, especially when things like lunch meat exist. Charmington's in Baltimore - you know, the awesome café that hosts my favorite monthly lit reading and even welcomed the President of the United States in January (!!) - makes a plethora of amazing meatless lunch options. Their kale and avocado wrap is my favorite and I just had to recreate it. Grab these ingredients from a grocery store and make enough to last for the week. The following recipe makes one kale & avocado wrap.

Vegan Chik'n Salad

I recently went to Land of Kush (Baltimore's only Southern-inspired vegan restaurant) for the first time this past month and was completely blown away. They have an amazing chicken salad wrap (in addition to everything else on their menu!) that I absolutely needed to replicate. I came up with something that is a hybrid of Land of Kush's meal and a recipe on FatFree Vegan Kitchen's website. This recipe makes about three cups of chik'n salad.

Cucumber Sandwiches

I recently made these cucumber finger sandwiches for a friend's baby shower (hence the duck-shaped bread). This recipe is so simple that I'm not sure I even need to write it out, but they were such a hit that I wanted to share the love. These sandwiches are a great meatless addition to a party spread or even as an everyday lunch. This recipe makes about 12-20 sandwiches, depending on how you slice them.

Apple & Honey Grilled Cheese

L'Shana Tova! It is officially Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and it is traditional to eat apples and honey in celebration, so your new year is sweet. I decided to do something a bit different this year and made mini apple & honey grilled cheese sandwiches. This recipe makes four mini sandwiches (serves two people).

Portobello Sliders

Inspired by a recipe on The Curvy Carrot's website (what an awesome blog name, by the way), I made these delicious and filling portobello sliders for dinner. My recipe is slightly different from hers, since I had different ingredients on hand. My recipe makes four sliders (and feeds about two people). Enjoy!

Guest Post: Anthony's Perfect Black Bean Burger, served California-style

Please welcome my partner and best friend, Anthony, for the next guest post! The best part about this recipe is that I got to taste the result and it was incredible. Enjoy!
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This is my favorite recipe for preparing black bean burgers. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've tasted few recipes that even come close to this one. It's flavor- and texture-rich, and even better, it's easy to prepare. It is the perfect dish to serve with a beer for a late-spring supper on the porch or rooftop, but it is hearty enough to fill you up during these colder months too. This recipe is adapted from "Spiced Black Bean Burgers" at epicurious and makes four burgers.

Mock-Tuna Chickpea Salad

I have heard this concoction called a variety of things (my favorite is coined by The Kitchn as "Chickpea of the Sea"), but whatever you call it, it is a delicious protein-packed meat alternative. This recipe is a modification of a few different recipes including one by The Apron Archives and The V Word. My recipe will make three to four servings.

Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese

I'm a huge fan of grilled cheese and am always looking for new ways to try it. I saw this recipe online & couldn't resist. These sandwiches were made for cozy winter nights. This recipe makes two grilled cheese sandwiches.

Open-Faced Portobello Melt

This is a recreation of my favorite sandwich from Baltimore's own Soup's On. The toppings are amazing, but the secret ingredient to this sandwich nirvana is garlic bread. This recipe makes two open-faced sandwiches.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
French bread
Five (5) cloves of garlic
Two (2) tablespoons of butter
1/2 bundle of arugula
One (1) large portobello cap, sliced
One (1) roasted red pepper -- This is usually sold in slices, but I am estimating that it is about one pepper.
Four (4) slices of smoked mozzarella -- It doesn't have to be smoked, but if I have a choice, I always choose smoked cheese.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Spread butter and garlic on bread and bake for 15 minutes, or until slightly crispy.
While the bread is baking, toss portobello caps in a pan with some olive oil and garlic. Heat until soft.
Top bread with mozzarella slices, portobello caps, and roasted red pepper slices.
Bake for ten minutes, or until melted.
Top with arugula. Enjoy!


Tip
For future reference, I will melt the cheese on top of the mushroom and peppers. Underneath took too long and made the bread a little crispier than I would have liked.

Avocado Egg Salad

I saw a recipe for this somewhere on the Internet, but the original directions were needlessly complex. I simplified it and it was incredibly delicious. Even better: no mayonnaise involved.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes (for eggs to boil)

Ingredients
Three (3) eggs
One (1) medium avocado
One (1) tablespoon of cream cheese -- Some recipes told me yogurt, but I love cream cheese much more.
One (1) clove of garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste


Directions
Boil eggs for thirty minutes or until hard-boiled.
Remove eggs and cool.
Slice avocado and lightly mash. -- Think: very chunky guacamole.
Gently stir in cream cheese.
Add in garlic and seasonings of your choice.Set aside
Peel and chop eggs.
Add eggs to mixture.
Eat in a roll, bread, on crackers, in a wrap, on lettuce. The possibilities are nearly endless!

Tips
Want to learn how to perfectly boil an egg? Check it out here.