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.

Taco Deviled Eggs

The Annual Deviled Egg Pageant strikes again! This year the eggs that I made were not technically winners, unlike previous years' eggs (last year's roasted garlic deviled eggs, and the first year's dill and stone-ground mustard deviled eggs). I like to believe this is because this year's competition was even more fierce than previous years (and plus, I was told that everyone was a winner). Either way, these taco deviled eggs were absolutely delicious and added a spicy twist to a classic dish. This recipe makes 24 deviled eggs.

 

Baked Egg & Avocado

Apparently, baking eggs inside of avocados has been gaining popularity for the past year or so (Pinterest told me so) and I needed to see what all the hype was about. After trying it, I definitely think they are onto something! It is extremely easy to make, has a great full flavor, and is protein-packed. I topped my egg with parmesan and garlic, but you could easily add anything you'd like. Also, I toasted and sliced up an everything bagel to dip into the warm yolk and it was heaven. This recipe makes two servings.

Homemade Vegan Sushi

Let me dispel some myths for you, quickly. First off, vegetarians & vegans can totally eat delicious sushi. Second, rolling your own sushi at home is actually not that difficult! Once you get everything chopped & ready, you can make a bunch of rolls quickly & easily. Before last night, I had never made my own sushi, but my friend was having a sushi party (which is an amazing idea, by the way) and it really got me out of my comfort zone. We all brought tons of ingredients (veggies, fruits, crushed wasabi peas, fish, tofu, cream cheese, etc.) and went at it! Below is a really simple recipe to get you through your first roll. Once you do that, go crazy & see what kind of new sushi recipe you can come up with! Enjoy!

Avocado Summer Salad

This is a delicious, protein-rich meal that is easy to pack up for lunch at work, a party side dish, or a snack in the middle of the day. Serve by itself, with tortilla chips, or roll up into a flour tortilla as a taco or burrito.  Feel free to add cayenne pepper, or homemade taco spice into the mixture as well to make it a bit spicier. This recipe is my own, but it does remind me of Sweet Potato & Spice's Cowboy Caviar. (Also, a quick disclaimer: the light in my kitchen went out so the lighting makes the photos look different than what I normally shoot.)

Food Bloggers Against Hunger: Cheesy Avocado Grits

There are millions of Americans that can only afford $3-4 per day to eat, and 1 in 4 kids in America don't know where their next meal will come from. For those of us with sufficient food on the table (and sometimes too much), this can be startling. Because of these financial restrictions, the food that is eaten is usually not enough, or is nutritionally barren. In response to the hunger epidemic in America and the new documentary, A Place at the Table, The Giving Table began a movement called Food Bloggers Against Hunger.

In doing what I can as a food blogger, I am helping to bring visibility to this issue of hunger and malnutrition in America, as well as provide a recipe that only costs $3-4 per serving (in this case for two servings). I have decided to make one of my personal favorites, Cheesy Avocado Grits topped with an egg. This recipe makes two servings and is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Portobello & Veggie Fajitas

Veggie fajitas are awesome because they're really filling and fairly low-calorie. Not to mention that they're super-easy to cook, as long as you have a skillet of some sort on hand. This is a highly customizable meal, so throw in any types of veggies, top with any type of sauce, and season as mild or spicy as you'd like. This recipe makes two generous servings.

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.

Black Bean, Avocado, Goat Cheese Tacos

These tacos have everything in them that I love about summer, and they are probably one of the most delicious dishes that I've cooked since starting this blog. I recommend sticking pretty closely to the recipe, and don't forget to add the honey-lime drizzle at the end. This recipe yields six tacos.

Pair with: Margarita on the rocks

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 can of black beans -- do not drain or rinse
One (1) avocado, halved
1/2 cup goat cheese
Two (2) cloves of garlic, minced
One (1) teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 small lime, for juice and zest
Two (2) teaspoons of honey 
1/4 teaspoon of ground red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
Six (6) small flour tortillas, slightly heated -- the original recipe used corn tortillas

Directions
Heat garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes in a heated skillet.
Add black beans and heat until most liquid has cooked out, about 5-10 minutes.
Brush avocado half with olive oil and heat face-down in separate pan over medium heat.
Remove avocado and slice.
Whisk together lime juice, zest, and honey. Set aside.
Spoon black beans into tortilla, followed by avocado slice (one or two for each taco), and then goat cheese on top.
Drizzle lime and honey mixture lightly over each taco.
Devour.

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.