≡ Menu

Friday Foodie Favorites: January 16, 2015

in Friday Favorites

Welcome to the first Friday Foodie Favorites of 2015!  With the busyness of the holidays, I have not made a whole lot of new recipes.  As a result, I have been relying on your recipes to get me through.  I came across a few favorites along the way, and today I am going to share them with you.

Friday Foodie Favorites: January 16, 2015

FFF kale caesar saladWhen I become a vegetarian three years ago, I worked to become diligent at avoiding foods with “hidden” animal products in them.  One of those foods was Caesar dressing since most versions contain anchovies.  As a result, it had been quite some time since I had eaten my favorite Caesar salad.  When I came across Angela’s Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Caesar Salad recipe back in November, I bookmarked it on my computer for a day when a salad craving hit.  Since then, I have made this salad three times.  If that is not a sign of how good this salad is, I do not know what is.  Kale and Romaine lettuce salads are great.  Roasted chickpeas make for perfect “croutons” on salads.  But what really sets this salad apart is the dressing.  It is made with cashews, it is vegan, and it is insanely delicious.  I would not be surprised if I never found a better Caesar dressing in my life.  Now that I am incorporating some seafood into my diet, I still have zero plans to eat any other Caesar dressing.  It is that good!

FFF lentil loafWhen it comes to holiday cooking (or really any time, for that matter), there is nothing better than a vegan lentil loaf.  While I love my tried and true Butternut Squash Lentil Loaf, I decided to step outside of the box on Christmas and tried Julie’s Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf.  Like other lentil loaves, it was quite simple to make.  I love using lentils as a base, and the additional vegetables in this version were delicious.  The two things that I loved the most about this particular lentil loaf was the firmness in texture (some tend to be too mushy), and the sweet glaze on top.  The glaze reminded me a lot of the my dad’s meatloaf that I miss from time to time.  This is a great vegan substitute to his version.

FFF bbq chickpeasYou had to know there would be more chickpeas coming! That is because I have a serious love for these beans.  I have also been loving Alex’s recipes since I came across her blog a couple of months ago, so a few weeks back I dug around to find more delicious recipes that I had not tried yet.  Her Barbecue Chickpea Sandwiches instantly caught my eye.  I did, however, cheat a little bit on this one.  What can I say?  I was feeling lazy.  Instead of following her recipe exactly, I used it as inspiration.  I made my own vegan coleslaw to which I added sriracha sauce.  If you have not tried sriracha coleslaw yet, you need to!  I then added bottled barbecue sauce to canned chickpeas and microwaved them to heat them up (I told you I was feeling lazy).  I slapped both on a whole wheat bun, cooked up some sides, and dinner was served.  While I did not follow Alex’s recipe exactly, my quick version tasted delicious!  Next time I am in the cooking mood, I am going all in and making her from-scratch version.  I can only imagine how amazing it tastes.

FFF lentil burgersI saved the best for last, folks!  I know that I probably shouldn’t pick favorites.  But if I were ranking the four recipes I am sharing today, these Ginger Peanut Lentil Burgers from Alexis would take the top spot.  They are so good (just like all of Alexis’s recipes are).  I made a double-batch so that I would have plenty of leftovers, and I was incredibly happy that I did.  I see a lot of veggie burgers made with beans, oats, and veggies (which I love), but it was nice to discover a veggie burger recipe that was a bit different.  These burgers are made with lentils, bread crumbs, veggies, and… peanut butter.  I think Alexis had me with the peanut butter part.  While not vegan, I am sure these could be made with flax or chia eggs instead of the real deal.  The taste of these burgers is spot on.  Now I just need to work on the form.  It’s a good thing I don’t care if my veggie burgers are whole or in a million pieces 😉

I hope you have a lovely Friday!  I sure am excited it is here.  This weekend I have plans to meet Jeremy halfway in Des Moines for a little mini getaway.  I am super excited to see him, eat delicious food, try some new beer, and just relax.  I’ll catch you on Monday with a recap.

Share Good Eats
{ 20 comments… add one }
  • meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles January 16, 2015, 5:18 am
    Looking up that recipe for the burgers with peanut butter now! meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles recently posted...Long Run On The Treadmill Workout PlanMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 16, 2015, 8:35 am
      They are SO good!!! You definitely need to give them a try.
  • Joanna @Makingmine January 16, 2015, 7:24 am
    Both of those lentil loaves sound amazing! Hope you have a great time with Jeremy! Jeff and I want to do a little getaway before baby arrives - I'm thinking Des Moines (or maybe Kansas City?) would be a good option! Joanna @Makingmine recently posted...today I know I’m pregnantMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 16, 2015, 8:36 am
      Oh I bet both of those would be GREAT! Jeremy and I LOVE meeting in Des Moines. They have some great restaurants and our favorite beer bar ever... though you wouldn't get much use out of that ;)
  • jess meddows January 16, 2015, 7:38 am
    Seriously, chickpeas are one of my favourite things in the whole world. Canned chickpeas are almost impossible to find in Chiang Mai, so I've been a bit lazy with using them lately. jess meddows recently posted...Free Bird Cafe Chiang MaiMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 16, 2015, 8:38 am
      Seriously? Ahh, what a bummer! I don't know what I would do without the convenience of canned chickpeas. I guess I'd end up making a HUGE batch on the stove ;)
  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine January 16, 2015, 8:38 am
    That BBQ chickpea sandwich ;) I am going through BBQ sauce like no other right now!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 16, 2015, 6:11 pm
      I can't blame you there! BBQ sauce is one of my favorites things...ever!
  • Olivia Schwab January 16, 2015, 2:03 pm
    Wow these both look amazing!! Olivia Schwab recently posted...Open When...My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 16, 2015, 6:14 pm
      Don't they all look delicious? I loved them all!
  • GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth January 17, 2015, 8:05 am
    Great list! I love veggie burgers and Alexis has some of the best on her blog, but those barbecue chickpeas are calling my name! Thanks for sharing :) GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth recently posted...ExSloth turns 2 + Top Recipes & Wellness Advice of 2014My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 18, 2015, 7:50 pm
      Her recipes are definitely SO good! You should absolutely try this newest veggie burger recipe!
  • Nancy Walsh January 17, 2015, 6:00 pm
    Hi, just want to let you know, I made your ultimate vegetable lentil loaf for supper tonight and my husband and I both loved it. Will definately make again. Thank you for posting it !
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 18, 2015, 7:51 pm
      That is so great that you enjoyed it! It is certainly one to add to the recipe box!
  • Jessie January 17, 2015, 9:41 pm
    Eek! What a fun weekend you two have planned. I can't wait to hear all about it on Monday - or whenever. Hope you love birds have a fun and relaxing time.
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 18, 2015, 7:52 pm
      We had a GREAT time! I am working on a wrap-up post right now! I'm just sad the weekend is almost over now :(
  • Ashley January 18, 2015, 2:32 pm
    I love a good lentil loaf! I need to make both of the ones you mentioned! I had one in my freezer but we just ate it :) Ashley recently posted...Skillet Mexican Brown Rice CasseroleMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 18, 2015, 7:53 pm
      Aren't they SO good? I love how well they freeze, too! Whenever I make it, I almost make sure that I freeze at least one or two servings for later. I hope you had a great weekend!
  • Courtney Hughes January 22, 2015, 8:51 am
    Hey Hannah! I have been following your blog for probably close to a year now and have gotten some great veggie-based meal ideas, so thank you! What kind of barbeque sauce do you like to use? It seems to be difficult to find without a lot of HFCS or sugar!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl January 22, 2015, 11:27 am
      Thank you so much for following along, Courtney! I am glad that you have found some yummy meal ideas. As far as bbq sauce goes, I do not have a particular brand that I always buy. I generally just try to look for one that does not contain HFCS, contains the shortest amounts of ingredients possible, and contains ingredients that I can pronounce. BBQ sauce is pretty sweet in most cases, so I kind of go into it knowing that the sugar is definitely going to be there. If you have a Whole Foods near you, I'd check there first to see if you find any that meet your needs. If not, you could always make your own. I have seen other bloggers post recipes for homemade BBQ sauce and it seems pretty easy. I hope that helps!

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge