Community Plant Based Recipe Swap

 The fresh mint and craisins are the surprise additions to this summer salad that is packed with protein and easy to make ahead for a picnic or potluck.  Change-it-up suggestions (below) for leftovers - if you have any!  Jane served it with fresh corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, and a good loaf of bread. Her guests (omnivores) raved.

Does your home have a beet "lover" and another who thinks "all beets taste like dirt"?  This dish should delight everyone with the hint of sweetness that emerges from the slowly cooked but still firm vegetables.  The crockpot makes it an easy prep and clean up. For the Fall 2025 CUCC auction, Angelika offered a "vegan feast" which was also gluten-free.  See the menu below the recipe.

Here is another "main" from Angelika's auction Vegan Feast (see menu below).  Angelika says the next time she makes it she would reduce the amount of rice to better feature the vegetables and she would double the olive oil, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil.  The "revised ingredients list" below incorporates her suggestions so you don't have to do the math.

 With the mushrooms providing protein, this fancy but easy dish makes a delicious main or side.  Jane used a mix of white and sweet potatoes because that is what we had on hand and we all decided we would make it that way on purpose in the future.

 You can't get more Thanksgiving dinner than succotash!  If you are planning to roast a turkey and want some sides that will amp up the protein for your plant-based eaters, add this side to your table.  The Smiths and their guests enjoyed it one Christmas day. Gluten-free

Here's another "Glenda original" from one of our Charging Up Hope suppers.  She brought a bag of fresh shiso / perilla leaves for us to smell and taste.  A member of the mint family, these leaves are used in Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese cooking.  Jane thought they added a milder-than-basil, fresh, "green" taste to the dish that was a nice complement to the cucumber and cantaloupe.  Read more about shiso / perilla  here .

At a recent Charging Up Hope planning supper, Glenda brought a pickled watermelon rind salad that we raved over.  This recipe is a "pinch of this and splash of that" that Glenda created.

Judy and Paul Kiel brought this dish to a Justice in a Changing Climate supper/planning evening and we all raved over it and asked them to share the recipe.  You can see their adapted version below.  This is one of those perfect crowd-pleaser recipes that is fancy enough for a potluck or perfect for a comfort food dinner at home.

We served this one as the main dish at a Justice in a Changing Climate supper/planning evening and everyone had seconds.  Easy prep on a hot day because the only heating is to thaw the frozen edamame and steam fresh green beans which I did the day before when I cooked green beans for dinner.  All other prep is chopping and mixing.

My dad really enjoys a bowl of dark leafy greens cooked southern style or any other style for that matter.  Gary and I are more in the "how can wide hide the bitterness while still getting the nutrition" category.  This recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen suited all of us.

 Jane Smith says, "A quick and elegant side for those who love garlic and the lemony taste of capers."

Pastor Santi writes: Fun! We’re having a salad tonight with butter lettuce, roasted beet slices, orange supremes, walnuts, and an orange juice vinaigrette - with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, cracked pepper, and honey. Would be vegan and yummy without the honey.