Celebrate July by Faith Escher
Pack your picnic basket, grab your friends, and get ready for the fireworks–Independence day is just a few short days away! The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays, because it’s all about celebrating. For me the day has been marked by parades, picnics, fireworks, family photos, visits to a water park, camping trips and cookouts with friends. It’s a joyful occasion because we can celebrate freedom, friends, family and even food!
Along with the dazzling fireworks and coordinated outfits, I have found it to be a fun activity to design Fourth of July recipes with a red, white and blue color palette in mind. An exciting challenge comes into play when we acknowledge the reality that very few red, white and blue dishes are made from healthful whole foods. Most of the color themed recipes out there are dessert recipes, and most of them are filled with food dyes, white sugar and preservatives.
Other than the classically delicious strawberry, banana and blueberry fruit bowl, what other plant based options do we have that will bring a festive flare to our tables on Independence day? Surprisingly, with a little creativity, a few substitutions and a little research, I was able to gather five meals worth of fabulously healthy and delicious color-conscious recipes! The best part is that they are naturally red, white and blue!
Celebrate July
Total Budget: $100 or less
All recipes serve 4
NOTE: Garlic (2) = how many recipes the ingredient garlic is used in. For example, “Garlic (2)” means we will be using garlic in two of our recipes for this week.
The Shopping List For All 5 Dinners
$75.00 – $85.00 *Prices may fluctuate depending on tax, store, sale and season. I paid $73.96 this week.
If you followed us last week you already have the following; however, if this is your first week you will need to make these additional purchases (appx $20.29) or substitute with ingredients you have in your cupboard.
Recipe No. 1
The Best Vegan Tortilla Soup | Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Source: Vegetarian Gastronomy by Anjali | Link to instructions
For the Garnish:
Note: *To add some festive coloring to the dish, I substituted the black beans with cannellini beans, and used blue corn tortilla chips instead of homemade corn tortilla chips! Also for the hot sauce, my favorite is Tabasco’s chipotle hot sauce. I highly recommend it!
Recipe No. 2
Jamaican Jerk Grilled Eggplant | Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Source: Minimalist Baker | Link to instructions
Sauce:
Note: *Instead of using olive oil I used avocado oil since it was already on the list. This recipe is deliciously spicy and wonderful! If you are not a fan of spicy or if your diet requires less spice, go ahead and leave off the sauce or omit any ingredients.
Recipe No. 3
Red, White & Blue Vegan Potato Salad Served with Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Skewers
Part 1: Red, White and Blue Vegan Potato Salad | Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Source: Godairyfree.org by California Olive Committee posted & Alisa Fleming | Link to instructions
Part 2: Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Skewers | Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Source: Godairyfree.org by Chef Alyssa & the ALDI Test Kitchen | Link to instructions
Note: *For the potato salad you can use red or white vinegar depending on what you have on hand. I used avocado oil for all of the recipes this week, but if you have olive oil it would highlight the flavor of the capers and olives in the dish. Also trader joe’s has the perfect bag of potatoes for this dish called the TJ’s Potato Medley, and its only $1.29!
Recipe No. 4
Moosewood Cookbook Borscht | Cook Time: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes
Source: Moosewood Cookbook and Erica | Link to instructions
Note: Maybe you’ve never tried borscht before, and you may be hesitant to give it a try. I used this recipe the first time I made borscht and I honestly fell in love with it! It’s a rich and hearty soup filled with nutrients and complex flavors–go ahead and give it a try! I hope you love it as much as I do! *Also note that I made a few minor substitutions to keep the cost down and to keep it vegan. I used red or white vinegar, avocado oil, and maple, instead of cider vinegar, butter, and honey. I also used parsley instead of dill because it was on the shopping list already, but feel free to add dill because it adds a nice kick.
Recipe No. 5
Polenta Rounds with Eggplant Caponata | Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes
Source: blog.freepeople.com | Link to instructions
Note: For the tomatoes I used cherry tomatoes and used avocado oil instead of olive oil.
References
ALDI Test Kitchen, & Chef Alyssa. (2017, June 22). Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Skewers.
Retrieved June 23, 2017, from www.godairyfree.org website:
http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/grilled-balsamic-vegetable-skewers
Anjali, & Vegetarian Gastronomy. (2017, January 9). The Best Vegan Tortilla Soup Recipe.
Retrieved June 23, 2017, from vegetariangastronomy.com website:
https://vegetariangastronomy.com/vegan-tortilla-soup/
California Olive Committee, & Fleming, A. (2012, July 28). Red, White and Blue Vegan
Potato Salad. Retrieved June 23, 2017, from www.godairyfree.com website:
http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/patriotic-vegan-potato-salad
Erika, & Moosewood Cookbook. (2013, April 1). Moosewood Cookbook Borscht. Retrieved
June 26, 2017, from http://www.coffeeandquinoa.com website:
http://www.coffeeandquinoa.com/2013/04/moosewood-cookbook-borscht/
Minimalist Baker. (N.D.). Jamaican Jerk Grilled Eggplant. Retrieved June 23, 2017, from
www.minimalistbaker.com website: https://minimalistbaker.com/jamaican-jerk-grilled-eggplant-30-minutes/
Polenta Rounds with Eggplant Caponata. (2012, September 9). Retrieved June 26, ` 2017,
from blog.freepeople.com website: http://blog.freepeople.com/2012/09/polenta-rounds-eggplant-caponata-glutenfree-vegan/
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