Vegan BBQ Sloppy Joes (with Creamy Coleslaw)
Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, which means one of my FAVORITE food seasons is here! I’m a July baby, which means I was put on this earth for burgers, corn on the cob, peaches, pasta salad, BBQ chicken, and vanilla cones. I’ll just be here absolutely blissed out until October, when it all becomes pumpkin-flavored (and then I’ll still be blissed out).
Something else I love about summer food is that nobody cares if you look like a hot mess eating it – in fact, the messier the better. Barbecue sauce all over your fingers is the ultimate sign of happiness. Ice cream dripping down your arm is adorable. Corn in your teeth is the essence of beauty. Summer is (literally) dripping with nostalgia. Unfortunately, a lot of summer food (and barbecue food, specifically) isn’t inherently plant-based. I myself am not vegan, but I do strive to eat sustainably – and I believe strongly that plant-based eating should not be a barrier to delicious, nostalgic food. This recipe is an answer to that.
Rainbow Cookie Macaroons (Kosher for Passover)
Ok, so… For my own conscience, I should probably come clean about something right off the bat.
*DEEP INHALE* Ihaven’tkeptkosherforPassoversincebeforemyBatMitzvahwhichwasin2005. THERE, I ADMITTED IT. *catches breath*
I’M SORRY!!! I may have a biblical name, but by all accounts, I am as Jew-ISH as they come. That said though, I am very devoted to the traditions I grew up with, with food being very high at the top of that list (duh).
On Passover – as is true for a lot of Jewish holidays – we celebrate our people’s freedom and perseverance by recalling bad stuff that happened to them and then eating a giant meal. First, we sit around a seder table for *hours* nibbling raw horseradish, salty parsley, dry unleavened bread, and hockey pucks made of fish. THEN, after we feel sufficiently grateful (or maybe just hangry?), we stuff our face with delicious brisket and matzo ball soup.
As a whole though, Passover food is underrated in my opinion (gefilte fish notwithstanding 🤢).
Charoset? Low key slaps. Why don’t we eat it all year?
Manischewitz? IYKYK. (P.S. Have you ever seen someone try Manischewitz for the first time? It’s hilarious.)
Matzo? Pretty bland by itself, but a great vehicle for pretty much anything. Also, matzo farfel is superior to most other hot cereals. Don’t @ me.
AND, those chocolate covered jelly rings?!? Everyone hates them but me. The more the merrier, I say!
(All this, and yet I can’t give up pasta for 8 freakin’ days… But it’s what it is.)
One Pot Tortilla-Style Coconut Chicken Soup
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And no, I don’t mean the holidays (they’re fine). I mean DUTCH OVEN season.
My enameled cast iron dutch oven is one of my most prized kitchen items, especially in the cold months. My reasons:
- It lasts *forever.* I got mine five or six years ago and even though it looks worn in, it still functions just as well as the day I got it. And I use it A LOT.
- It’s naturally non-stick, but still gets an incredible sear because of the heavy bottom.
- It’s multi-purpose. I use it for soups, stews, braised meats, pastas, literally whatever. It also bakes bread beautifully.
- There is nothing on this earth more convenient than a one-pot meal, and dutch ovens are one-pot meal royalty.
- Nothing says “cozy” more than standing over a heavy pot, cooking up something piping hot and nourishing while your kitchen smells like heaven. Some of my favorite, most lasting food memories have been created around my dutch oven, or dutch ovens in general.
If you don’t have a dutch oven yet, I HIGHLY recommend you invest now or tell Santa (or whatever you call your aunt) to put it on your gift list, because it will be the real MVP when you’re staying at home this winter. I use a Lodge brand 6 qt., which at less than $100 (sometimes less than $75!) is an incredibly good value for its durability.
I digress. The moral of this very long introduction is… Get your hands on a dutch oven, and then make this soup.
