vegan » Living Lou

Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables and a Maison Le Grand Giveaway

It’s OK to start grilling vegetables, right? I know technically summer isn’t for another month or so, but I feel like I’ve been in the summer mindset forever – I started grilling in April!

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but it will come as no surprise that I love, love, love Julia Child. I had a phase where I would watch her cooking DVDs every night, even today, I’ll put on her DVDs if I’m feeling stressed out or just need a break. But did you know that Julia Child hated grilled vegetables? She once said “There’s nothing worse than grilled vegetables!” I’m sorry Julia, but I’ll have to disagree with you on that. The grilled vegetables in this Pasta Salad add a nice smokey touch to the dish.

Along with the smokey flavour from grilling the vegetables, the other flavour element of this dish is an amazing Spicy Rosée Sauce made by Maison Le Grand. Usually pasta salad can be a heavy dish, filled with mayonnaise, but using this healthy sauce to bring the dish together was not only really easy, but also delicious.

I don’t know about all of you, but I find vegan/dairy free cooking to be pretty intimidating (confession, I have never cooked with tofu!) and with all the substitutes out there, it almost feels like cooking with your eyes closed. This Spicy Rosée Sauce literally eliminates the fear because Maison Le Grand does it for you – it’s pretty tough to make a delicious dairy-free rosée sauce but Maison Le Grand has cracked the code.

Since I loved the sauces so much, I’m so excited to give one lucky reader a selection of pesto and rosée sauces valued at $50 courtesy of Maison Le Grand.

To enter, leave a comment letting me know what your favourite Maison Le Grand product or which would you like to try? You can also earn additional entries by filling out the contest widget to increase your chance of winning!

Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick (roughly 20 rounds)
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2′ thick rounds
1 red pepper, cut in 8 pieces
1/2 cup Maison Le Grand Spicy Rosée Sauce (or any of their rosée sauces)
1 375g box of whole wheat pasta (you can also use your favourite gluten free pasta)

For dressing:

1/2 cup Maison Le Grand Spicy Rosée Sauce (or any of their rosée sauces)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, toss vegetables with spicy rosée sauce.Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare your dressing. Whisk spicy rosée sauce with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with half of the dressing mixture.

Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Cook eggplant and peppers for 5 minutes per side. Slice grilled eggplant into long strips, and grilled peppers into bite sized chunks.

Next, cook zucchini for 2 minutes per side. Remove grilled vegetables and add to pasta. Toss with remaining dressing.

Give this Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables a try at your next barbecue, you’re vegan friends will thank you!

- Lou

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open to residents of Ontario and Quebec over the age of 18.
See widget for terms and conditions.

Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of Maison Le Grand’s line of pestos and rosée sauces. I was not compensated in any other way for writing this post – the decision to write about the product was my own and all opinions are 100% mine.

Avocado Feta Dip

While people go nuts over the Superbowl in February, I prefer The Oscars. It’s a time to look back and celebrate a great year of film. I usually love to throw an Oscar Party and last year I shared my menu leading up to the big day. Unfortunately, this year I have a bunch of midterms and papers due which means I will be watching the Oscars from my couch, in sweat pants, going over flashcards during commercial breaks. Does it get any more glamorous?

Instead of a delicious spread like last year, my snack of choice is this healthy Avocado Feta Dip. Midterms means stress, and stress can also mean eating. A lot. When I have this dip in my fridge and some carrot sticks and celery, I’m not worried about the midnight snacking because it’s not like I’m eating a whole row of Oreos… This dip is delicious, my whole family devoured it within seconds and I had to make another batch for tonight. It would also make a great after school snack for kids, just leave out the jalapeno. You can serve it the way I have in the photo above, with some celery, carrot sicks and crackers. It would go really well with red peppers also. Yum.

Avocado Feta Dip
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 avocados
3/4 cup diced or crumbled feta
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a food processor, pulse avocado, feta, onion, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add lemon and olive oil. Pulse again until smooth.

This Avocado Feta Dip is so easy and healthy, I can foresee this dip having a constant presence in my fridge from now on.

- Lou

Carrot Salad

Last week I mentioned this health kick that I’ve been on lately and this Carrot Salad is a result of said new health kick. There’s something about February that has me craving the freshness of summer, and I think this salad definitely brings that freshness to the table (ha! literally and figuratively). I’ve also had carrots on my mind recently with the relaunch of an old favourite app of mine, CarrotLines™ Powered By Tommy Europe™. Now I’m sure you all know that I am a total app addict – hence my tweet about Songza the other day (seriously obsessed with the 60s French Pop Playlist), but CarrotLines is the only health app I have on my phone because quite frankly, with the CarrotLines app, I don’t need another one.

My favourite feature of this free app is the bar code scanner, it’s amazing. When you scan the bar code of a product, it pulls up the nutritional information and tells you if the product fits with your nutritional goals, whether it be low-fat or gluten free etc. Plus, there is exclusive nutrition and fitness video content by Tommy Europe. I’ve loved using the app while grocery shopping and for purging my pantry of items that I really shouldn’t be eating. I already had the CarrotLines app on my phone so all I needed to do was update it, but if you don’t have the app you can download it from the Canadian app store.

Now, to spread the #carrotlove I've created this delicious Carrot Salad. It's so simple and is a great way to change up your salad routine.

Carrot Salad (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

For Salad
5 large carrots, peeled and grated
4 mini cucumbers, sliced
1 green onion, sliced

For Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, toss together vegetables for the salad.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Carrot Salad is one of my favourite salads because not only is it gorgeous and colourful but also really easy and delicious.

- Lou

Disclaimer: I am proud to be a media sponsor and brand ambassador for CarrotLines™ Powered By Tommy Europe™. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 Ingredient Guacamole

I am obsessed with 5 Ingredient Recipes. And I’m obsessed with avocados, so this 5 Ingredient Guacamole is a natural progression.

Avocados on toast, avocado salad, avocado tossed with a little soya sauce, I could go on and on. While all of those preparations are divine, my favourite way to eat avocado is in its simplest form; plain and scooped right out of the peel with a spoon. People think I’m a little weird because I will literally just bring an avocado to class and eat it straight out of its peel. Sue me!

It’s kind of like the way I like to eat guacamole; made with just a few ingredients to really allow that avocado to shine. Plus it’s way easier and faster. A little onion, garlic and lemon go a long way. And please, don’t skimp on the salt, it’s one of avocados one true loves.

If you’re not really feeling making an extravagant, time consuming Super Bowl party this year (because let’s face it maybe you want to actually enjoy the game (Beyonce half time show) too?) this 5 Ingredient Guacamole is so simple and it will please the crowd. They’ll never know how easy it was.

5 Ingredient Guacamole (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

3 avocados, peeled, pitted and smashed
1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
coarse salt to taste

Directions

In a bowl, combine avocados, onion, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and mix to combine. Serve with your favourite chips.

If you are a fan of a simple, flavorful guacamole (and are in the camp of “what the heck are tomatoes doing in my guac!“) then this is the recipe for you. It couldn’t be easier or faster than this, my friends.

Rice and Beans

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to take part in something called “The 10 Day Consumer Challenge” basically, you’re only supposed to buy necessities for ten days. You know what that means…no movies, no chocolate bars for that 5pm chocolate craving (no, it is not a necessity!) and no ordering in dinner – it’s a lot harder than it sounds. Until finishing the challenge, I never realized how many things I buy on a regular basis that are completely unnecessary. I mean, did I really need that burrito during class the other day or was I just bored? And as much as I love seeing movies on the weekend, maybe a couple of nights a weekend, I should just watch what’s on TV. I saved a heck of a lot of money by only purchasing what I needed and not what I wanted - I’m going to try and implement a few of the “10 Day Consumer Challenge” principles on a regular basis – as a college student, I can’t get enough of saving money.

What the challenge also had me thinking about was pantry staples – and the meals you can create from items already stocked in your pantry. I couldn’t even tell you the amount of times I look in my pantry and walk away saying there is nothing to eat or to make for dinner. In reality there are cans of beans, tuna, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, rice and pasta. About halfway through the challenge I was a little uninspired by the ingredients in my pantry, but knew I couldn’t go out and buy anything because I had everything I needed for a good meal at home, that’s where this Rice and Beans recipe came from. It was super quick and filling, plus I had lots of leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day. It works great as a side dish or even as a main course because the black beans add a ton of protein.

Rice and Beans (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, cored and finely chopped (leaving in the seeds depends on how hot you like it)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions

In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add rice, stirring to coat in oil. Toast rice for 1-2 minutes.

Add the garlic and jalapeno, stirring to combine with rice. Cook until fragrant – about a minute. Next, stir in spices and oregano. Add water, tomatoes and black beans. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Steam for 20 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed and rice is cooked.

Serve as a meal or with your favourite Mexican foods like my favourite Shredded Chicken Tacos. I challenge all of you to try out the “10 Day Consumer Challenge” – let me know how it goes! Did you find any changes?

- Lou