VEGAN SUMMER SALADS - PESTO PASTA & THREE BEAN

Vegan Pesto Orzo salad

Neglect! My life is too busy for blogging. Even baking has taken a back seat, though Mr Vegan kindly steps in on that front every so often. My beloved sister and my lovely brother-in-law both turn fifty and there's a big party. Everyone is bringing a dish or two, so I made salads and Mr V made his delicious focaccia. (Recipe for that to follow).

VEGAN ORZO PESTO SALAD
We bought orzo recently and the great thing about it, as a pasta, is that it is tiny and slippery so sauce sticks to it well. So I thought it would work well with pesto and it does!

INGREDIENTS

300g orzo
vegan pesto (see below)
punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

METHOD

For the Vegan Pesto
handful of basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tblsps olive oil
pinch salt
pinch pepper

- Cook the orzo as per the packet and rinse in cold water to stop it cooking further
- Whizz the pesto ingredients together in a blender. If too lumpy add more olive oil (or a drop of water)
- Mix through the halved cherry tomatoes

Vegan three bean salad

VEGAN THREE BEAN SALAD

INGREDIENTS

• 400g tin of mixed beans
• 150g sweetcorn
• 1 carrot (grated)
• 1 small onion – chopped small
• handful roughly chopped basil (or coriander)
• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• half tsp sugar
• 15 ml olive oil
• 15 ml red wine vinegar (or raspberry vinegar)

 METHOD

• Mix the beans, sweetcorn, onion and carrot in a big bowl
• In a small bowl mix the oil, sugar, vinegar and garlic
• Mix dressing into salad then add the basil

3 BEAN & BASIL SALAD

Three Bean and Basil Salad

More salad, seeing as I promised. I am having this one with dinner. The last time I made it I added flaked almonds (because I had them) but there are none in the press today. The almonds make a nice crunch and should be added just before serving.

INGREDIENTS - serves 2

450g tin of mixed beans (mine was cannellini, flageolet and adzuki)
quarter red pepper, finely chopped
half small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
a few basil leaves, torn up small
1 tbsp of flaked almonds (optional)

METHOD
Rinse the beans in cold water and drain
Bung them into a bowl and mix everything else in
If using flaked almonds, add before serving and mix through - doneski!

VEGAN THREE BEAN SALAD

Vegan Three Bean Salad

Because Mr Vegan is a vegan and protein at mealtimes is always an issue, I decided we need to eat more beans. We already use them in soups, curries and chillis but, up until now, have not really incorporated them into salads. I took a pea salad recipe off Wise Móna's fantastic blog as a starting off point and made this delicious Three Bean Salad today.

Helper Juno with the beans

Tesco very handily sell a tin of mixed beans (cannellini, adzuki & flageolet) and I used that. You can, of course, cook your own dried beans.

INGREDIENTS

• 400g tin of mixed beans
• 150g sweetcorn
• 1 carrot (grated)
• 1 small onion – chopped small
• handful roughly chopped coriander
• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• half tsp sugar
• 15 ml olive oil
• 15 ml red wine vinegar

 METHOD

• Mix the beans, sweetcorn, onion and carrot in a big bowl
• In a small bowl mix the oil, sugar, vinegar and garlic
• Mix dressing into salad then add the coriander