4th of July Vegetarian Menu for 2

Alicia and Ben celebrated their 4th in the Bahamas. The cashew cream delights look mind blowing! This is a simple and lite menu that would be perfect for a mellow get together. Enjoy.

4th of July Vegetarian Menu for 2

Flatbread Veggie Sammies
Mediterranean Barley Salad
Cashew “Cream” Delights

Tips Before Starting:

*Make Cashew Cream Delights earlier in the day
*Start making Flatbread dough and marinate mushrooms about 1 ½ hrs before grilling starts

Flatbread Veggie Sammies

Ingredients:

2 Whole Large Portobello Mushroom caps (marinate in olive oil and crushed garlic for at least one hour)
1 Zucchini cut into 1/8in. slices (length-wise) and brushed with olive oil
Flatbread (or buns/bread of choice; we prefer to make our own bread and used this delicious and easy recipe HERE )
2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
Sea Salt to taste

 

Feta Sauce for sammies:

½ cup feta cheese

¼ cup Greek yogurt (or full fat sour cream)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 TBSP lemon juice

Chopped basil leaves

Directions:

1. Make your feta sauce first and keep in fridge.
2. Grill veggies after all other menu items are complete is done. Turn the zucchini on each side for about 2 minutes. Put the mushroom caps on top side down for 10-12 mins. You can flip the caps if you’d like, but then you lose all the delicious juice. Grill these with grill top down or covering caps with a large saucepot or lid.
   
3.  If making the above fresh flatbread, grill these next after you’ve brushed one side with olive oil.   If you have a thermometer on your grill, we recommend 400 degrees- enough to cook the inside without charring the outside.
   
4. Layer: Flatbread, spoonful of feta sauce, spinach, zucchini, mushroom cap, more feta sauce!)
   

Mediterranean Barley Salad Supreme

Ingredients:
1 cup cookd barely grains
½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
Avocado slices
½ cup chickpeas
¼ can artichoke hearts
Sunflower seeds for crunch
Mixed Greens
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
 Lemon juice 

Directions:

1. Cook and cool barley grains. We pre-soaked and cooked hull-less barley. Soaking is very important to help eliminate the phytic acid in the barley which impedes proper digestion and mineral absorption. This takes several days and should be done in advance. You can use the remaining barley for soups, as a risotto, or rice like side dish another time.
2. Clean and add mixed greens in a bowl.
3. Wash and slice  ½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes.
4. Slice avocados
5. Add ½ cup chickpeas (Pre-soaked, cooked, and cooled dried peas are better for texture and taste; we used the remaining for several batches of savoury hummus!).
6. Drain and add ¼ can artichoke hearts.
7. Sprinkle Sunflower seeds for crunch.
8. Toss with quick dressing (see below)

Quick dressing

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Sea Salt, and Lemon juice

Directions: Mix all ingredients together.

Cashew Cream Delights

Ingredients:

“Cream”

1 cup Raw Cashews (soak the night before in filtered water)

1 TBSP honey or agave
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼-1/2 cup filtered water
Process all ingredients in food processer or high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Store in fridge.
Crust
1 cup Raw Almonds
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 tsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
2 dates (vegan) or 1 TBSP honey (vegetarian)

Directions:

1. Process Almonds alone in food processer until it looks like flour with small chunks (be careful not to process too long or it will mix and become butter!)
2. Then process all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Will be slightly wet but sticking together.
3.  
4. Press into muffin or cookie tin (bottom and sides) and put in freezer.
    

Toppings:

*(make coulis with first 3 ingredients by combing them in a small saucepot and bringing to a boil, blending and then cooling in fridge)

½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1TBSP lemon juice
1 TBPS raw sugar
Small handful of blueberries
Assembly:
 15 mins. before serving, take crust cups out of freezer and use knive to remove.
Spoon “cream” into cups and add coulis and blueberries.

Happy 4th of July!!

If you decide to make any of the above please post them below or send them to Jennifer to post. 

Thank you, Belicia!! xo