I admit that the unit I was least looking forward to in the Plant-Based Professional culinary course that I just finished was the raw gastronomy. The extent of my raw food experience was visiting a raw restaurant in San Diego about 10 years ago. It was delicious, but my dabbling ended there.

But you know what? It ended up being a fascinating topic. I love learning new and creative ways to make foods, and the techniques involved in raw gastronomy are really interesting.

One of the assignments was to create a raw pâté from soaked nuts or seeds. The sample recipe used almonds, but I had a slew of raw sunflower seeds on hand and decided to give them a whirl. Figuratively and literally.

First, you soak the sunflower seeds in water. Then, you blend them up with garlic, lemon, salt … whatever you like. The result is light-colored and smooth (not silky smooth, but smooth enough) – and really addictingly tasty.

The possibilities are pretty endless, but in this case, I wanted to make a healthy canapé.

One of my favorite recipes before becoming vegetarian, many years ago, was a smoked salmon ball. And while I haven’t made that in years, I thought it would be fun to try to recreate some of those flavors in this pâté. So I added dill and smoked paprika and while, of course, not an exact replica, the smoky flavors are perfect with the dill and cucumber.

(Note that the smoked paprika is not officially raw because it reaches a temperature higher than is required to qualify as raw food. So if you’re on a raw diet, you might want to leave it out.)

I love this smoky sunflower seed pâté, and I love these appetizers, too!

For my plant-based party, I decided to garnish the cucumber slices with borage flowers. I planted borage a few years ago to attract bees to the veggie garden. I knew they were edible (apparently, they taste mildly of cucumber) but never had the guts to actually eat them. Until now. They ended up making a beautiful garnish, though you couldn’t actually taste them at all.

Sunflower seed pâté is officially a part of my life now, and this easy cucumber appetizer is going to be coming out of my kitchen often. It’s so easy to make the pâté ahead of time, squeeze it on, garnish, and serve.

Oh, and you could totally swap out the borage for cherry tomato halves and you have the perfect Christmas appetizer! See?!

Okay, now please forget that I mentioned Christmas.

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Making the decision to go al fresco with your meal is the easy part. Finding something that’s delicious cold – AND portable, if you’re picnicking it – can be a little tougher.

That’s why I love recipes like these Veggie-Loaded Sesame Almond Butter Noodles – just whip it up ahead of time and enjoy it chilled later on.

For these sesame almond butter noodles, I love putting individual portions right in mason jars for the easiest transport and serving. The pasta, veggies, and almond-butter based sauce makes for a complete yet simple main that everyone on the blanket will dig.

This recipe is a riff on my Veggie-Loaded Peanut Butter Noodles, one of my favorites. It’s essentially the same recipe, but with almond butter swapped in for the peanut butter, and a few sliced almonds added in for crunch.

Not just for picnics, this recipe is also perfect as a make-ahead weeknight dinner, or a great meal-prep situation for easy grab-and-go lunching. I think it might also work well for kids’ lunches, especially if peanut butter is a thumbs-down at school.

No matter why you cook ’em, be sure to take them outside to eat. It’ll taste even better. Truth.

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Avocado toast is one of my very favorite lunches. And while I don’t think I could ever bore of just plain mashed, perfectly ripened avocado on a warm, toasty slice of bread and sprinkled with a little coarse salt, sometimes I just can’t help but mix it up. It’s a weakness.

And so I decided to add hummus to the mix. And fresh-sliced cukes. And a little drizzle of olive oil. And salt and pepper. Cucumber Hummus Avocado Toast. Oh, friends. This is definitely a thing.

Other than just being freaking delicious, this little meal-on-a-slice is also awesome because it basically constitutes a well-balanced meal. Fat from the avocado? Carbs from the bread? Protein from the hummus? B-vitamins from the cucumbers? You got it, sister.

And so that’s why, today, I’m sharing this hummus avocado toast. Sometimes the simplest things are the very best things!

More Breakfast Recipes with Avocado

• Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs
• Black Bean & Avocado Breakfast Scramble
• Sheet Pan Breakfast Hash
• High Protein Vegan Breakfast Bowl
• Crunchy Vegetarian Breakfast Tacos

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Cucumber Hummus Avocado Toast

Crunchy cukes, creamy hummus, and glorious avocado join forces in pretty much the easiest lunch or snack ever.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 slice of multigrain bread
• 1/2 medium avocado
• 1/4 cup of your favorite hummus I’m partial to this sunbutter hummus
• 5-6 cucumber slices
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Toast the bread as dark as you like it. Scoop the avocado onto the toast. Mash and spread it with a fork. Spread the hummus over the avocado, then lay the cucumbers on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and finish with a light sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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I mean, I really, really want to talk about the weather right now. (The calendar says summer’s all but here, but it’s freezing out there and now I’ve got a miserable cold – what?!) And I’m pretty much obsessed with farmer’s markets, but if I ever find myself writing that I picked up some delicious-looking peaches at one and then decided to make a tart with them, I’ll now know I’ve officially jumped the blog shark (um, again).

It can be tough to find something unique and new about, say, a sandwich wrap, though. Especially when you just had to come up with something interesting to say about chocolate chip cookies the day before and bacon blueberry chicken kiev the day before that.

Okay, maybe the fictional (and slightly scary-sounding) bacon blueberry chicken kiev is interesting on its own merit. But otherwise, if you’re a food blogger, I bet you’re nodding along.

So … who cares?

The single greatest takeaway from the workshop was this: do your words pass the “who cares” test? It’s a bit of a  harsh way to look at things, but very smart. If you can’t make your reader care about what it is you have to say, well, they’re not likely to be a reader for long.

So. I’m looking forward to trying to be a lot less cliche and hopefully a little more interesting around here, although, frankly, my life is just not that exciting. (“You’re not boring,” Kathleen said to me after one of my typically self-deprecating remarks that weekend. “Don’t ever say you’re boring.” )

Fair enough (and thank you, Kathleen, for the reminder to be nicer to myself – and for the rejuvenating workshop).

So, about these wraps! The super-cool folks over at Chobani recently sent me some of their Greek yogurt, so lately I’ve had Greek food (and, particularly, Tzatziki sauce) on the brain. I wanted to come up with an easy meal that’s super light, cool, and refreshing for summer [remove mention of the weather here], and so here we are.

Classic Greek salad veggies – red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes – tossed with a fresh, garlicky Tzatziki sauce, kalamata olives and some feta cheese, then wrapped. And devoured.

(Sandwiches and wraps are yet another food  that’s perfect for our multi-vore home – just add meat to the carnivore’s, and leave it out of the vegetarian’s version. Easy peasy.)

Be sure to allow for extra time for the wonderful homemade Tzatziki sauce, both for straining the yogurt and the cucumber and a little sitting time so that the flavors can meld. If you want something a little heartier, throw in some chickpeas.

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Creamy Greek Salad Sandwich Wraps with Optional Chicken (+ a Food Writing Workshop!)

Creamy, garlicky Tzatziki sauce tossed with feta, kalamata olives, and classic Greek salad veggies – cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, red peppers – then rolled in a wrap. Just throw in some diced, cooked chicken for the meat-eaters.

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 4 sandwich wraps

Author Kare

Ingredients

Tzatziki sauce

• 2 cups lowfat Greek yogurt can also use nonfat or full fat, depending on your preference
• 1 medium cucumber peeled, seeds scraped, and grated
• 1/4 teaspoon salt I prefer coarser, milder kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 medium clove garlic finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill*
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh peppermint*
• Additional salt and pepper to taste

Sandwich wraps

• 1 cup cucumber peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch dice about 1/2 large
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/3 cup red onion peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced (about 1/4 large)
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese about 3 ounces
• 1 cup Tzatziki sauce
• A few leaves of lettuce if desired (I used assorted spring greens, but romaine would be terrific too)
• 4 12- inch flour tortillas

If including chicken, add per sandwich:

• 1/4 cup diced cooked chicken

Instructions

Make the Tzatziki sauce:

• Place a large funnel or colander over a bowl. Line with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, and carefully spoon the Greek yogurt into the cheesecloth or coffee filter. Place in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours to drain any excess liquid. Note: Greek yogurt is thick enough that you can skip this step if you like; it will just result in a slightly thinner sauce.
• Line a colander with cheesecloth or paper towels and perch over a large bowl. Toss the grated cucumber with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pour into the colander. Allow the cucumber to drain for about 30 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, add the Greek yogurt. Gently squeeze the grated, salted cucumber to discard any remaining liquid and add to the yogurt. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, dill, and peppermint. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Place Tzatziki sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Assemble your sandwich:

• In a large bowl, gently toss together the cucumbers, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, onions, and olives. Stir in the feta and Tzatziki sauce.
• Lay tortilla flat and line the middle with a few lettuce leaves, if desired. Add 1 cup of Greek salad filling to the middle of the tortilla OR, if adding chicken, add 3/4 cup Greek salad filling and then top with 1/4 cup diced cooked chicken.
• Roll tortilla tightly and tuck in the ends. Slice in half and serve.

The post Vegetarian Creamy Greek Salad Sandwich Wraps (Chicken Option) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• More About Peanut Butter Noodles

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Reviews & Comments

The Story Behind the Recipe

My friend Laurie, a devoted mother of two and generally cool chick, shared this recipe with me. She swears it’s kid-friendly, and I trust her judgment because this is a gal who very impressively made most of her baby food from scratch, and aside from that time she tried to sneak me disgusting sweet potato puree disguised as hot chocolate during her Deceptively Delicious phase, she’s never steered me wrong.

It’s also pretty adult-friendly – aka, YUMMY. Doesn’t it look yummy? And don’t you love my awesome vintage Pyrex bowl?!

I love the green flowers. Of course.

More About Peanut Butter Noodles

But back to Peanut Butter Noodles: They’re incredibly easy to make, and I’m psyched because there was plenty left over for a couple easy take-to-work lunches. Oh, and speaking of lunches, Laurie says the big draw for her was that you serve it room temperature, so it’ll be great for her kids’ lunches.

Here’s the recipe:

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Peanut Butter Noodles

Whole wheat spaghetti dances in an easy peanut butter dressing along with delicious veggies and chopped peanuts.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6 servings

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti noodles linguine, angel hair pasta, or soba noodles also work
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger root
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 4 scallions peeled and sliced into rounds
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• Optional toppings: grated carrot more scallions, cucumber (peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced)

Instructions

• Boil the pasta according to the package directions. While it’s cooking, blend together everything but the noodles and the nuts in a large bowl.
• Drain and rinse the pasta, then pour the pasta in to the large bowl with the peanut butter mixture, and mix well.
• Top with chopped peanuts and any optional toppings (I don’t think I’d ever make this without the additional scallions and cuke – yum!) Best enjoyed  at room temperature, though you can do it cold, too.

Thanks, Laurie! For this, I think I can finally let go of the Sweet Potato Disaster.

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