Yippee! Summer is almost here!

Beach time, pool lounging, road trips, movies and outdoor parties! Memorial Day marks the start of the “fun in the sun” season so kick it off with an awesome get together and killer food! Check out our fun menu of recipes below as well as some from last year and the year before.

Berries and Brew

• 4 strawberries, chopped
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons grenadine
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 (12-ounce) bottles pilsner beer, cold

In a bowl add the strawberries, blueberries, sugar, grenadine, and lime juice. Stir to dissolve as much sugar as possible. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, stirring a couple of times to agitate and help create juices.

When ready to serve, divide the mixture among four low ball glasses. Pour six ounces beer into each glass and give a gentle stir. Drink!

Chips and Dip

Dip

• 1/2  cup vegan heavy cream (1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps )
• 1  8-ounce container vegan sour cream
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan (recipe below)
• 2  scallions, finely chopped
• Pinch of dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Chips

• Safflower or coconut oil, for frying
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2  medium to large beets (1 red, 1 yellow), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• Sea salt
• 1  sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick

Make the dip: Blend the heavy cream in a blender until slightly thickened. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, vegan Parmesan, scallions, dill and garlic powder and pulse to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill two hours.

Make the chips: Heat one to two inches vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Rest a cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Spread some flour in a baking dish, add the beet slices and toss. Tap off the excess flour, then fry the beets in batches (don’t overcrowd the pot), stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick to each other, three to five minutes, or until the fizzling around the chips slows down.

Transfer the chips with a slotted spoon to the rack and season with salt. Let cool at least five minutes; the chips will crisp up as they cool. Return the oil to 350 degrees F between batches.

Replenish the oil, if necessary, and return to 350 degrees F. Dredge the sweet potato slices in flour and fry in batches, stirring, two to three minutes. Transfer to the rack, season with salt and let cool. Serve the chips with the dip.

Vegan Parmesan

• 1 cup soaked and dried Brazil nuts
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• Pinch nutritional yeast
• Pinch oregano

Place all ingredients in a food processor with the “S” blade on. Process until well incorporated and the consistency of bread crumbs.

Cool Slaw

• 2 pounds green cabbage
• 4 carrots
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons pickle relish (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut cabbage in quarters and remove core. Peel carrots and onion and cut into pieces that would fit through the feed tube of a food processor. Fit food processor with the large-holed grater attachment and push cabbage, carrots, and onions through feed tube to grate. In a large bowl, toss vegetables together.

In another medium bowl, prepare the coleslaw dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and relish. Toss dressing with the cabbage mixture, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours before serving.

BBQ Pulled Jack Sliders

BBQ Sauce

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, minced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 canned chipotle peppers, packed in adobo, seeded and minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 4 cups vegan chicken broth (from box or make from vegan chicken bullion)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Pulled Jackfruit

• 2 1/2 cups of “young” or “green” jackfruit (do not add in the water from the can) (about 2 cans (17-ounce), packed in water, not syrup)
• Vegetable broth, enough to cover the jackfruit in the pot (about a carton)
• 1/2  cup spicy brown mustard
• 1/4  cup agave
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1  tablespoon paprika
• 3  cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil, for sauteeing
• 1 medium sized white or yellow onion, sliced

Sliders

• 10 slider rolls
• Cool Slaw (recipe above)

Making the BBQ sauce: Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Stir in peppers, ketchup, maple syrup, broth and allspice and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and continue to simmer until thick and shiny. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.

Making the pulled jackfruit: Open the cans of jackfruit and rinse them with cold water to get rid of the brine. Shred it all and set aside. Bring broth to a boil, then add jackfruit; lower heat and simmer, tightly covered, for about one hour, or until almost falling apart tender. Add salt to taste, then let “meat” cool in broth at least three hours if not overnight in refrigerator. After refrigeration, remove “pork” from broth.

Combine the mustard, agave, one teaspoon salt, one tablespoon pepper, the paprika and garlic in a bowl. Toss shredded “pork”, making sure to coat well.

 In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium heat, add shredded “pork” and sauté until it is almost crispy, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook another 10 minutes or so, until it begins to brown slightly. Remove from heat.

Assembling Sliders: Toss cooked jackfruit pork with the barbecue sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve on rolls with coleslaw.

Patriotic Parfait

• 1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 box vegan vanilla wafers
• 1 pound vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups vegan heavy cream, at room temperature (Double the recipe: 1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps )
• 2  pints blueberries
• 2  pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract. Let cool slightly

Toss cookies in the mixture.

Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.

Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of 10-12 parfait glasses. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Next dollop the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cookies on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate one hour.

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Editor: Kate Bartolotta