World Wide Vegan

Fresh Tropical Salad Recipe Below

I love fruit and when I travel I love to try the local fruit selections. Regardless of where I am, there is always something interesting at the farmers market or at roadside stands.

During this last trip to Hawaii I purchased some fresh picked fruits from a local, road side vendor to go along with the papaya we ate for breakfast each morning. The bright purple speckled fruit here is Dragon Fruit. I love Dragon fruit - but then I also love Kiwi and the bright magenta, seeded dragon fruit has a similar taste to kiwi.


As you can see from the picture the deep red color tends to bleed onto anything it touches including the white Lychee fruit laying next to it in the photo above.

The deep red color is so beautiful that it is often used to make wine as well as to color pastries, but I like it freshly chilled alone or with other tropical fruits. Be careful not to eat too much of it at a time as doing so can result in a reddish discoloration of the urine. The discoloration won't hurt you but it can be alarming.

Tip: Dragon fruit is a powerful antioxidant and it's medicinal properties include prevention of colon cancer and diabetes. Dragon fruit, neutralizes toxic substances such as heavy metals, reduces cholesterol and high blood pressure. Eaten regularly, it controls Asthma and cough.


Star fruit (Star Fruit, Star Apple, Carambola)is another common tropical fruit that is now sold in California and Florida as well as in Hawaii and other tropical areas. It's nickname is Star Fruit because when you slice it the slices are star shaped. This is a delicious, mildly sweet fruit with a waxy skin that is also edible. I love to slice it and use it in fruit salads as a beautiful garnish.

Tip: Star Fruit, Star Apple, Carambola is known to reduce elevated blood sugar when eaten regularly.


Lychee fruit is an under appreciated fruit that can take a little getting used to. But once you have tried it a few times you will want it every chance you get. Underneath the red bumpy skin is smooth, white flesh that is sweet and tastes a little like a tropical flower smells. Peel the fruit and discard the seed. Then either eat it or use it in fruit salads. Delicious!

Tip: Lychees are a rich source of Vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and thiamine and are said to cure a cough and indigestion.

Many of these fruits are becoming widely available in your local grocery store, so when you have the chance to buy tropical fruit don't just buy the pineapple and mangoes, try something new and refreshing. You will be glad you did.

Tropical Fruit Salad

Chop or slice the following into a bowl:

1/2 ripe pineapple, chunked
1 mango peeled and seeded
6 medium lychees peeled and seeded
1 ripe banana
2 kiwi, peel, slice and then quarter the slices
6-8 large strawberries, sliced and halved
1 cup chunked papaya
1/2 cup guava juice
1/2 cup passion fruit juice
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbs. coconut milk
3 Tbs. lightly toasted coconut
5 slices star fruit (with peel)

Mix fruit chunks (except Star fruit) in a bowl. Chill.
Whisk together juices and coconut milk. Pour over fruit and toss lightly.
Garnish with toasted coconut and star fruit slices.
Serve.

Labels: dragon fruit, Hawaii, lychee, medicinal, star apple

A while back I posted a recipe for Taco Filling which was good but took a little work. Today I am posting an easier and even better tasting taco salad recipe. The bean recipe is actually adapted from my son's recipe and can be used as a taco filling or burrito filling as well as for taco salad. This recipe is absolutely man friendly and kid friendly.

The guacamole sauce is a blend of my homemade salsa and homemade guacamole recipes. I decided to process the ingredients altogether instead of adding bottled sauce to the guacamole. It turned out delicious. Generally I use a hand chopper to make the guacamole and the salsa so that there are chunks, but for this recipe I used my processor to create a smooth guacamole/salsa blend.

I also used Original flavor Sun Chips instead of Frito's or tortilla chips in this recipe but you can use whichever you prefer.


Tip: This recipe calls for several onions and according to "Real Age.com" an 8-year study shows that people who consumed the highest levels of three powerful flavonols -- kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin, found in onions, reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 23 percent.

Taco Salad With Homemade Guacamole Sauce

Bean Filling
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic
2 T. taco seasoning mix or 1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 Tbs. oil
1/4 c. water

Saute garlic in oil for about 1 minute, don't brown. Add beans, taco seasoning, and water and cook over Medium heat stiring frequently until most of water is absorbed. Set Aside

Taco Salad Ingredients
tortilla or corn chips
shredded lettuce
soy cheese, shredded
2 chopped tomatoes
soy sour cream or IMO
1 chopped onion
homemade guacamole-salsa sauce (see below)
olives (opt.)

Place lettuce on plate. top with chips, beans, onions, cheese, IMO, guacamole sauce, tomatoes and olives.

Guacamole Salsa Sauce
5 ripe avocados
1 small onion
1 small can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
2 small ripe tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 seeded jalapeño (more to taste)
1/4 seeded bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Store leftovers in tightly sealed container up to 1 day.

Labels: beans, guacamole, salsa, taco salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

Great news for Vegans! Taco Bell is willing to "veganize" almost anything on their menu.

Perhaps I'm the last vegan on the planet to know this since I live in the country and until a few weeks ago the closest Taco Bell was over an hour away. But this month a new Taco Bell opened up just 6 miles away from my home. At first I was less than thrilled because the only thing on the menu I thought I could eat was their 7 layer burrito, minus the dairy products.

But last Saturday I decided to go inside to talk with an employee and to my surprise I was told that they now have a new "fresco" menu. The fresco menu basically takes all dairy products off of any menu item and adds a tasty fiesta salsa. If the item has meat on it, you can ask for extra beans in place of the meat. So I ordered a Fresco Salad Bowl without chicken, with extra beans and extra lettuce. It was great!

I went back the next day and ordered a regular taco, fresco style, with beans instead of beef. The taco was stuffed full of beans, lettuce and fiesta salsa. It was delicious. The following day I treated my teen clients to breakfast and I ordered their new fiesta potatoes - fresco style - adding guacamole and fiesta salsa in place of the cheese and sour cream. Mmmmm. The veganized side dish was so good that I couldn't imagine why anyone would order it with cheese and sour cream in the first place.

So I am now a Taco Bell fan. Maybe for my next visit I'll bring some soy cheese and ask them to make me a vegan Mexican Pizza. It can't hurt to ask.

Labels: restaurants, Taco Bell, Vegan, Vegetarian

First let me apologize for the photo. I promise that they taste ten times better than they look here. I took several pictures that looked great but somehow they didn't show up on my computer later on, so I had to re-take pictures from the left-overs, which were pretty well picked over.

I learned to make these tasty shells during my last trip to Italy. Of course at the time I made fresh pasta sauce. But here at home I often don't have that much time so I have substituted bottled sauce for convenience. However I often add sautéed onions and additional garlic and herbs to the bottled sauce.

Tonight I am making this recipe for my son who is not a vegan but who appreciates a great tasting meal regardless.

For my fresh tomato sauce recipe click here.

Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells

10 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed
16-20 jumbo pasta shells (suitable for stuffing)
1 lb firm water packed tofu
2 tbs. nutritional yeast (opt.)
2 Tbs. Herbs de Provence (see recipe)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
5 sun-dried tomatos, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups pasta sauce (see recipe for homemade sauce)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the pasta shells according to package directions until al dente (approximately 6-8 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Place the spinach in a large mixing bowl or food processor. Add crumbled tofu and remaining ingredients (except for the olive oil and pasta sauce) and mix well.

Coat a 13"x 9" glass baking pan with olive oil.

Fill each pasta shells with approximately 2 tablespoons of the tofu filling and arrange, filling side up, on the prepared baking pan.
Pour the pasta sauce over the top, allowing some of the sauce to dribble to the bottom of the pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with Vegan Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with green salad and garlic bread for a full meal.

If you wish to freeze some, place them in a freezable container, cover and freeze before cooking. Microwave to reheat.

Labels: Italian, pasta, shells, stuffed, Vegan, Vegetarian

I love yams and sweet potatoes any way they come. But convincing my adult children that they are yummy is another issue. So when I was visiting my family in Las Vegas a few weeks ago I bought some yams and decided to make some yam fries. They were a great hit. Even my son loved them. In fact he has made them himself a few time since. My grand daughter thinks they are a treat instead of something good for her.

There are dozens of spice variations you can experiment with. And I haven't found a recipe yet that I didn't like. I'll list two of my favorite recipes here. Of course, your kids might like them best with just salt and olive oil but try the other two variations and see just how versatile yam fries can be.

2 large sweet potatoes or garnet yams
2 tablespoons canola oil
your choice of spice mix (listed below)

Curry Spice Mix

1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cajun Spice Mix

1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
dash of ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400º. Wash the potatoes, leaving on the skins. Cut them into sticks, 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. In mixing bowl whisk together oil and spice mixture. Add cut potatoes and gently toss to coat.

Arrange fries on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 (longer for thicker fries) minutes or until the fries are tender and slightly browned. Halfway through cooking use a spatula move them around on the baking sheet to prevent sticking.

Labels: cajun, curry, fries, sweet potatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian, yams