Ooooooolive Tapenade

I bet a lot of you have never heard of this yummy Spanish olive spread, so please direct your thank-you's to the comments section below. While it may not win any beauty contests, I promise that you'll make a lot of friends by bringing the dish to a party.

Traditionally, olive tapenade is served atop a slice of warm, crusty bread, but it would also make a great pasta topping. I make a big batch because the stuff keeps forever and is great on crackers when you get the craving for a salty snack.

Olive Tapenade

• 2 6 oz. cans pitted black olives, drained
• 1 3.5 oz. jar capers, drained
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon
• 6 Tbspn. olive oil
• 1 Tbspn. fresh thyme

If you have a food processor, break it out now! Otherwise, you're in for some chopping. Puree the ingredients until they form a course spread. Serve over bread or pasta. If taking to a social function where you care about the stinkbreath, cut back on garlic.

Spaghetti!

Lots of classic dishes are naturally vegan. And if there's one thing that meateaters and vegans can agree upon, it's delicious delicious spaghetti.

Even better, the basic ingredients are non-perishable, so you'll always have them on hand to whip up for hungry drop-ins!

Tomato Sauce

Sure the pre-made stuff is readily available, but taking just a few extra steps makes all the difference! The Italians know that when it comes to great sauce, simpler is always better, and minimal ingredients make for a great dinner.

And everything fresh! If you use that pre-minced refrigerated garlic crap, cut it out! Get the real stuff. It's cheap, healthy and will transform the flavor of your dish. Fresh herbs are key here. If you don't have any in the garden, just grab one of those little packs from the grocery.

• 1 package spaghetti (I love whole-wheat. This nutritious stuff will keep you full for hours, and not in the bad bloated way!) To feed 4 people, cook up a little more than half a package.
  

• 1 can tomato sauce (the totally plain stuff that's just bare-bones pureed tomatoes)
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  
• 3 cloves garlic (not the canned crap...icky!)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs (I like basil, oregano, parsley)
• Dash, crushed red pepper flakes
  
• Salt and sugar to taste
  

• Optional: mushrooms, olives, spinach, etc.

1. Boil the pasta according to package directions.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over a low-medium setting.
3. Peel the skin off the garlic and mince it. Throw into the oil and stir until golden brown.
4. Add the tomato sauce and paste.
5. Add the red wine vinegar. This brings out the acidic quality of the tomatoes and give the sauce a more interesting taste.
6. Add a dash of sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. Add sparingly until you reach the desired level of spice.
7. Stir occasionally until the pasta is finished. Add water to thin the sauce if desired.
8. 1 minute before the pasta is done, throw the minced herbs into the sauce. You can literally cut the leaves with scissors over the sauce and stir in.
9. Optional: For added texture or a heartier sauce, throw in your favorite veggies. Mushrooms and olives are obvious additions. Alternately, try shredded carrots, artichoke hearts or spinach.

Serve the pasta onto plates, then generously ladle on the sauce. Looks yummy, right??

Portabella Burgerz!

One little disclaimer before I disclose my super-secret passed down from literally THOUSANDS of generations recipe for portabella burgers:

NUMBERS, WHO NEEDS 'EM?

Numbers are just confusing, right--who is with me?? I'll admit it, I'm no foodie, and I try not to be fussy about the things I make. Sure some things like baking and neuroscience require a certain level of precision, but for most of my recipes, everything is to taste. So follow my guidelines and if I omit a measurement here and there, I'm just letting you be creative. After all, don't you know how many garlics and salts and jalapenos you like?

I promise your dishes will always turn out delishes, and vegans and meateaters alike will celebrate your culinary skills!

Marinated Portabellas

This recipe is a vegan adaptation of the old-fashioned hamburger. Serve it on a bun or by itself. Either way, a hearty entree.

• 1 portabella cap for each person you are serving (let's pretend dinner for 4, k? And don't be afraid to adjust...you can't mess up!)
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Balsamic vinegar
• Garlic

This recipe can be made a few days ahead because it only gets more delicious with age.

1. Throw your portabella caps into a ziploc baggie.
2. Toss in all the rest of the ingredients--a couple Tablespoons of olive oil, a Tablespoonish of soy sauce, a Tablespoonish of Balsamic vinegar, a couple cloves of crushed garlic. Just adjust based upon how salty/garlicky whatever you want it to be. aaaaaandDONE!
3. Seal the baggie and massage the juices gently into the shrooms. Refrigerate until you want to eat them (as little as 1 hour).
4. To prepare, you can saute in a saucepan, throw on the grill or bake in the toaster oven. Whatever's easiest! Try about 5 minutes on each side until tender.

Oldies and goodies

FREAK OUT!!
Nope, not necessary. Having a vegan over for dinner shouldn't throw you into a frenzy. Here's the basics to keep in mind...

Vegan primer:

• No meat or fish (and we don't even miss it!)
• No dairy, this includes milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, etc.
  
• No eggs
• No honey (This one's debatable, but technically vegans avoid it. If you're unsure, just ask!)

OMG, NO MEAT???
Okay, take a deep breath. The typical meat-eater thinks that all those nos=nothing to eat...which means they have failed as a host...which means THE END OF THE WORLD!!!

No! Not true! You would be surprised to realize that you can adapt many of your favorite recipes to meet your guest's dietary needs. And they will love you oodles and oodles for your flexibility.

VEGAN SUBSTITUTES
Meat...The rich, earthy flavor of mushrooms makes fungi the perfect replacement in many meat dishes. Portabella caps are divine marinated and can be served on buns like a hamburger (maybe you'll even learn a good recipe tomorrow, HINT HINT). They are incredibly versatile and stand great alone or as a garnish, like in spaghetti sauce.

Dairy...not as hard as you might think. When a recipe calls for milk, I often just substitute water. Depending on the flavor you want, I can also recommend coconut milk. It's delicious and since it comes in cans, it will politely sit on your shelf until a special vegan friend comes along.

It's crazy easy to avoid butter. Just replace it with margarine or oil.

There's a couple egg alternatives for baking. 1/2 banana = 1 egg. 1/4 c. applesauce = 1 egg.

For the meat-eater, I recommend avoiding recipes that have a heavy cheese and cream base. Us vegans have got the substitute products figured out, but we're not going to make you do anything bananas like go out and buy nutritional yeast.

That leaves us with honey. To be safe, just substitute maple syrup.

THANKS, FRIENDS!
Now being vegan isn't nearly as hard as you once imagined. You don't have to run out and buy all those strange soy substitutes (but they are yummers, I promise). By making a few simple changes, you can wow your guests with both your delicious food and your respect for their choices. Gold star!

Charmed, I'm sure...

I lied, oops...My name is actually Adriane, but I am a vegan, SCOUT'S HONOR!

WHO???
I've been vegetarian for eight years and, like so many people, reading the book Skinny Bitch convinced me that I could easily to do more for my health, animal and worker ethics, the environment--my reasons are innumerable. Since I'm only a month into this new lifestyle, I've got a lot more to learn, but I also have tons of advice to share.

WHO CAN JOIN THE CLUB:
This blog is for vegetarians and vegans, duh, but more importantly, it is a resource for your dear darling friends and families. While I have strong convictions about my lifestyle choices, I refuse to impose those beliefs upon others. If asked, I will certainly speak my mind, but I make a point never to prosyletize...it's just not effective, people!!

When I go home, I expect my mumsie dearest to make a delicious dinner free of meat, eggs and dairy. But I don't make her go out of her way to buy mysterious ingredients like soy milk, tempeh or the ever-elusive seitan. In the rural town where I grew up, she would be lucky to find such delicacies. And I give her awesome, easy recipes that the whole family will enjoy. (Hint: it's particularly effective to help with the cooking. One great vegan meal will go a long way towards winning your family's support.)

JOIN ME NEXT TIME...
In the following posts, I'll be sharing family-friendly vegan recipes. Ones that only use "normal" ingredients that any meateater should already have laying around the kitchen. And the meals will be so delicious that they will forget they are eating, gasp, a cruelty-free and, GASP, healthy meal!

Welp, that's all for tonight. It was just swell meeting you, and I hope to see you again soon!