The Best Vegan 4th of July Menu!
The Best Vegan 4th of July Menu! Is my list of awesome appetizer, dinner, dessert, and drink ideas for the 4th. I love celebrating the shit out of any holiday. Mostly, I just love to entertain. My 4th of July decorations are buried somewhere in my storage. I am going to attempt to find them and fish them out for tomorrow. We are hanging with our friends we’ve been isolating with. I’m going to set up the picnic table outside, serve multiple cocktails, my classic infused party waters (strawberry and mint – and fresh lemon and ginger), play bocce ball, cornhole, blast my 4th of July playlist, and eat and drink throughout the day. We’re ending the holiday with our new and totally awesome gigantic outdoor blowup movie screen. The movie is still TBD! I feel this is a recipe for the perfect 4th of July. 😉
I shot the pictures of the hotdogs and the dessert yesterday. I’ll make them into individual posts at some point. I told my kiddo that I couldn’t find anything with a flag, etc. I turn around and he made me that adorable flag that you see in the berry dessert pictures. Grey is amazing. He made my bed, mopped the house, and made me breakfast yesterday. He’s becoming my little man! The menu below is for a large party. If you are going to have a smaller soiree, pick and choose to make your own menu!
Tomorrow is America’s birthday. Now, shit has been CRAZY this past year – virus, politics, #metoo, BLM, natural disasters, etc. I remember leaving the country embarrassed to have been American many moons ago. I’m disgusted by much of what goes on; however, I have seen the other side – communism, extreme poverty on levels I’ve never seen before – and I believe in the bones of this country. I know it could be worse – like, much, much worse. I am happy to celebrate America for its goodness. I’m happy to celebrate for change and hoping to be a part of that change. I want to teach my child to be part of that movement, that beauty. So cheers to America -“the beautiful” that is. Grill, drink, play outdoor games, appreciate the great, and vow to be part of the changes our country needs. Annnnnddd… watch Hamilton on Disney Plus tonight! Rock in the holiday with Lin-Manuel Miranda and the American Revolution!
For your holiday pleasure, I present to you, “Alexander Hamilton:”
CLICK ON THE NAME OF THE RECIPE TO BRING YOU DIRECTLY TO THE LINK! PICTURES TO EACH RECIPE BELOW, TOO. 🙂
Appetizers-
Red Potato Salad With Hickory Bacon (Vegan)
Buffalo Cauliflower
Mexican Vegan Sushi Rolls!
Fried Spiraled Zoodles – Oh, My! (replace egg with flax egg)
Easy Cheesy Vegan Tofu Quesadillas
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)!
5 Bomb Hummus Recipes!
The BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce Ever!
Amazing Classic Guacamole
Main Dishes- (some of these recipes are from the beginning years of the blog when it was vegetarian, not vegan. I’ve replaced the ingredients below)
Lentil Sloppy Joes To Die For! (replace real cheese with something like Follow Your Heart Jack Cheese Shreds – I use this one)
The Most Bitchin’ Broccoli & Eggplant Veggie Burger Ever! (replace real eggs for flax eggs, yogurt for soy yogurt, and real parm for vegan parm – I love Follow Your Heart)
The Perfect Purple Potato Veggie Burger (replace egg for flax egg and vegan cheese)
Vegan Kale Pesto Spring Primavera!
Vegetarian Chicken Street Tacos (replace Quorn for any vegan chicken strips and replace queso fresca with vegan mozzarella such as Miyokos – my fave)
Sauteed Veggie & Farro Spiralized Zucchini Salad
VEGAN HOT DOGS (SEE PICTURE BELOW) –
1- Hummus, sauteed mushrooms (olive oil, lemon, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper), garlic chives (optional), tahini drizzle over hotdog
2- Diced black olives , diced scallions, shredded vegan cheddar (I used Miyokos), diced avocado, sprinkle of cilantro, spicy red pepper sauce drizzle OR hot sauce drizzle
Drinks-
Gin Fresh Fruit Fizz Cocktail
Fresh Blackberry Royale
Dessert- (See picture below for how to make)
Strawberries & Blueberries with Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream
Coconut Whipped Cream – In a bowl, use a handheld electric whisk and blend :
- 1 can coconut milk (refrigerate beforehand for at least 12 hours for the best results – though, not necessary!)
- 3 Tbl powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch
Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are the next best thing since Cuba let us ‘Murica folk back into their country. 😉 Helllloooo Havana, dope music (Buena Vista Social Club anyone?), the rainbow of colonial architecture, real mojitos, and cigars! Now, without further adieu, I give you Cuba’s next best thing – state side: Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch. Totally f_____g delicious!
I can’t wait to go to Cuba. I’m totally in love with the music there. Not to mention all of the other things that I just mentioned above, and some. I’m definitely a traveler. Five years in Beijing, China as an expat had me exploring the world. I filled up my passport living there. Was freakin’ awesome. I haven’t went anywhere outside of the US in the past year and a half and it’s totally killing me! However, I’m super excited to be traveling this beautiful country.
Anyway, the Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are incredibly healthy and easy to make. Cuban style black beans and rice, red pepper, spices, all smothered in an avocado ranch and cilantro. Chow your way down to the smoke rings and colors of your very own Cuba. 😉
PS- My new and awesome vegan blogger friend, Tully Zander, has an amazing blog: vegansfirst.com. She has fabulous recipes and vegan products. Her blog has a load of information about veganism in general. Since this post is on the topic of yummy burritos, check out her delicious breakfast burrito recipe here!
- 4 tortillas (10 inch)
- 1 1/2 C cooked long-grain white rice
- 1 15 oz can of black beans
- 2-3 strips vegan bacon (I used Lightlife's Smart Bacon) - diced
- 1/2 white or red onion - finely diced
- 1/2 red pepper - finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves - diced
- 1/2 C loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1 Tbl white or red vinegar (I used white)
- 1 Tbl olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbl dried oregano
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 small avocados
- 1/4 C vegan ranch dressing (I use Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch Dressing)
- Heat your pan on medium and add olive oil
- Add onion and stir occasionally for 3 minutes
- Add garlic and stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes more
- Add vinegar red peppers, bacon, black beans, cumin, oregano, and salt & pepper stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes
- Add 1/3 C cilantro and rice and stir well - let cook for about 3 minutes
- Evenly divide the contents of the pan into 4 tortillas and wrap in a tight burrito
- Heat pan to low-medium and cook the outsides of each burrito evenly until they are lightly browned
- Remove from heat
- Smash the avocados and evenly distribute them over the 4 burritos
- Evenly pour the ranch dressing onto all 4 burritos and sprinkle the remaining cilantro over them
- Done!
- Feel free to throw in other veggies as well. I had a bunch of greens I needed to get rid of the last time I made these and they were a delicious addition to the burritos!
- Mojitos
Vegan Chicken Enchiladas & Jalapeño Margaritas!
Vegan Chicken Enchiladas & Jalapeño Margaritas! was shot at night on New Year’s Eve so the pics are poop. 🙁 However, I’ve been on my death bed with bronchitis and a cold/flu for almost a week now so it’s all I’ve got in the archives. I felt like crap-o-la at work on Friday, thought I was recovering on Saturday (went to Manzanita, OR – the coast – b/c it was beautiful that day) until my cough started up and bought me to the ER because urgent care was closed. Sigh… sickness blows. And, you know I’m sick when I don’t even want to eat food… that means I’m for reaaalllzzz sick.
Okay, back to the food. I tried packaged jackfruit that was pre-seasoned last year and I thought it was totally gross. However, many people have told me to make it myself and give it a second go, so, I did. I purchased it in a can at Trader Joe’s and seasoned it myself. Was awesome! NOTHING like the crap I had bought pre-packaged. Honestly, it reminded me of an artichoke. I made my own vegan cheese sauce, used red and green enchilada sauces (Christmas enchiladas), and, of course, had to make my famous spicy jalapeño margaritas to go with! Especially, since I was chef-ing this up for the new year! Bubbles during the EST & PST ball drops and margs the rest of the night. WOo-hOo!
Enjoy the recipes and my pics from Manzanita! I threw in one from our walk downtown on New Year’s Eve before the margs and enchiladas (G was super upset he couldn’t play in the fountain. 😉 Cheers to a MUCH warmer winter than last!
- 1 can Trader Joe's Jackfruit - sliced into thin strips
- 2 Tbl Trader Joe's Onion Salt
- 1 Tbl taco seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1 C onion -diced
- 1/2 C red enchilada sauce
- 1/4 C green enchilada sauce
- 3-4 C vegan cheese sauce (I used my own recipe - in recipe index on blog)
- 8 tortilla shells
- Oil for pan
- Salt to taste
- 10 limes - juiced
- 1 1/2 C tequila
- 1/2 C pickled jalapeño - sliced
- 4 oz orange juice
- 2 oz orange liquor of choice (Cointreau or Triple Sec)
- 2 Tbl agave or honey
- Pinch of salt
- Ice
- Preheat oven to 350f
- In a pan over medium heat, add onion in oil with a pinch of salt and cook for about 3 minutes
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute
- Add jackfruit, onion salt, salt, taco seasoning, and stir occasionally for about 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned
- In a separate pan, spray with oil and layer the bottom with some enchilada sauce
- Evenly spread the jackfruit and cheese into each of the 8 tortillas
- Roll them up and place in pan
- Cover fully with the rest of the enchilada sauces and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until lightly crisped
- For the margaritas: (Make whilst the enchiladas are baking)
- Place all of the ingredients into a pitcher and mix well
- To serve, take a shaker with ice, pour mix over ice, and pour into individual margarita glasses - the jalapeños should be strained with the ice and therefore neither should enter the margarita glasses
- Margarita recipe makes about 6
- Enchilada recipe makes 8
