It’s still technically summer! I am not going to even consider fall foods (everything orange, butternut squash, apples, soup!) until after the autumn equinox on the 22nd. So, until then, I will continue to make easy recipes that require a little effort, a little heat (it’s been a hot summer!) and a lot of fresh ingredients. Here are some of the dishes I have been making all summer. You’ve still got time to make them too!
The top photo is my take on a recipe by Geoffrey Zakarian. It’s called The Triple Tomato Salad and it’s so, so good. Not to mention, gorgeous. All I had to do is sub maple syrup for honey and voila. Vegan! So good! And I mean SO good!
This ricotta-pesto-spinach quesadilla is a great way to use up all of that pesto you may have made with all of the fresh basil you may have gotten at the market. Or is that just me? I have a pesto recipe (and a ricotta recipe) in my book Wait, That’s Vegan?! but you can buy them too. Just layer tortillas with ricotta, pesto and sautéed spinach and cook them on a griddle pan. So summery and so yummy!
This tomato toast is an easy and delicious snack. Tomatoes simply tossed with a little olive oil and salt.
Or, you can go crazy and make bruschetta with ricotta and microgreens. This platter was a hit at a dinner party we had this summer. Chopped tomatoes with garlic, basil, olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar and salt on baguettes, some with ricotta!
These are my favorite zucchini pancakes, an old school, Lisa’s Project: Vegan recipe, originally posted in August of 2013 right here on my blog! This summer I added corn because, well, I absolutely LOVE corn and it’s abundant this time of year!
This is my take on eggplant rollatini which I call eggplant UN-rollatini. Roasted eggplants, sauce and ricotta with capers. Here I used cute little fairytale eggplants but use whatever you can find along with your favorite sauce and ricotta cheese!
This is my deliciously creamy zest zucchini pasta. Sautéed leeks and garlic in vegan butter, shredded zucchini and a splash of white wine. The zucchini ends up soft and jammy. I finish it off with a little cashew milk to cream it up and fresh lemon zest to zest it up and toasted breadcrumbs to crunch it up. If you have fresh dill or parsley, toss it in!
And finally, these are my zucchini and corn tacos for a summery Taco Tuesday situation. Zucchinis cut into half moons and fresh corn off the cob sautéed with taco spices like cumin, coriander, chili powder, and onion and garlic powder until nice and charred, finished with fresh lime juice and served over warm corn tortillas with red onions, avocado slices, and freshly made cashew cream.
Happy end of summer. Here’s to a wonderful fall season full of orange foods!! – L