Conclusion first: the original experiment failed after only a few hours.

When my sister told me she was going vegan for a month, it reminded me of the first time I tried. One day in 2003, I made it until mid-morning. Seven years later, I thought I had a stronger will and, since I wanted to be a good big sister and support her endeavor, I decided to go dairy-free for one week. (The whole month was out of the question). As I mentioned: big failure. I was only able to resist the strawberry yogurt nestled in the fridge until noon.

Thus, the original experiment has been redesigned: as a creative challenge, I’ll prepare one vegan meal per day until the end of the week.

Despite the fact that I have not yet met a vegan in France (nor a vegetarian for that matter), they do exist and the French language (despite popular belief) does have a word for them. Vegetarian translates to végétarien (no meat or fish) and vegan to végétalien (no meat, fish, dairy, eggs…not even honey). As I’ve mentioned in the past, I grew up vegetarian, and am now pescetarian.

Breakfast was one of the reasons going vegan sounded so scary to me. Milk, yogurt, butter: breakfast necessities. Without milk in my cereal, butter on my toast, milk in my tea, yogurt with my fruit…breakfast would cease to exist – as would any motivation to get up!

Yesterday morning, ready to tackle the first challenge, I headed into the kitchen. This was a completely un-prepared adventure and I had to make do with whatever was in the cupboard. Just leaving out the dairy would be too simple. First point: dry cereal was out of the question. Second point: my breakfast had to make sense and include protein, iron, calcium… all the important nutrients. A mix between muesli and tabouli ended up being my inspiration for this “Vegan Breakfast Salad.”

First, some nutritional info:

Bulgur is a whole grain, widely used in Middle Eastern cooking and rich in fiber.

Flax seeds have many benefits, but I added them for their Omega-3 fatty acids (similar to salmon).

Raisins contain antioxidants, iron and Boron (a mineral that helps absorb calcium and, thus, develop strong bones).

Nuts are a great source of protein. Walnuts are pretty much a miracle food if you ask me (they contain fiber, vitamin E, Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, B vitamins…). Almonds are a source of calcium (didn’t know that till yesterday), as well as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins…

Shopping List

Bulgar

Raisins

Dried apricots

A juicy orange and lemon

Flaxseeds

Walnuts

Toasted almonds

Recipe:

1. Cook the bulgur in boiling water for about ten minutes. Add the dried fruits  just before draining so  they will just slightly cook. Drain well.

2. Mix in seeds and nuts.

3. Squeeze in some orange juice (until the bulgur takes the flavor) and some lemon juice (just a bit). Mix well.

I thought the fruit sweetened the salad enough, but add some agave syrup or cinnamon to taste if you like.

This salad is also great served cold and will give you a boost of energy to start your day.

Starting today, the Paris farmers’ markets are “en fête,” which means they’re celebrating with music, photo contests, and all sorts of fun goings-on.

When I get back from the market, I think I’ll make my “Buddha Bowl,” a cold rice-noodle salad piled with fresh, raw vegetables. I’ve been calling this dish “Buddha Bowl” for no apparent reason, except that it sounds cute- and I always seem to feel that much more “zen” after eating one. I naively thought this pet name was my own little invention, until I just googled it (I’m chuckling since I just used “google” as a verb). Apparently, a whole slew of bloggers have a plate-less recipe with the same name and, worse… it’s an actual bowl that one can buy! Since I’m more or less addressing the subject of “enlightenment,” I’d prefer to stay in my own little world and pretend it’s just mine- my interpretation of it in any case.

For my “Buddha Bowl,” I make a three-ingredient sauce, using orange juice and agave nectar as the secret ingredients. The orange juice gives a slight citrus taste and the nectar sweetens it just enough.

For the toppings, you can obvious choose whatever you like. For me, ripe avocado and carrot ribbons are an absolute must.

Shopping List

Vermicelli rice noodles

Tofu (cubed)

Sesame oil (one splash for two people)

Soy sauce (two splashes for two people)

Sesame and sunflower seeds (small handfuls)

Red pepper flakes

Carrot ribbons (made by using a vegetable peeler)

Cucumber (diced)

Lettuce

Bean sprouts

Cashews

Cilantro (or coriander)

For the sauce (two people):

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¾ teaspoon agave nectar

Recipe:

1. Stir-fry the tofu (until it’s golden brown) in the sesame oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Just before the tofu is done, add the sesame and sunflower seeds so they will be slightly grilled, but not burnt.

2. Chop and prepare all the cold ingredients.

3. Cook the rice noodles and rinse in cold water* (move around under the faucet with a fork or your fingers to separate them). Shake excess water out of the colander and let sit a minute.

4. Prepare the sauce by combing the three ingredients and stirring.

5. Place noodles in bowls and cover with about half the sauce. Add the tofu, the veggies and then the remaining sauce. Decorate with the cashews and cilantro.

*The package always says to soak the rice noodles in water, but I’ve never been successful doing this. I just boil them like regular pasta (but only for about a minute- you have to taste) and immediately run them under cold water. Don’t let them cook too long or they’ll get mushy.

This is the perfect dish for a hot day, as the tofu can be prepared ahead of time and served cold.

I didn’t eat cucumber much before coming to France. Now it’s become a staple- and I usually have part of one hanging around somewhere in the fridge.

After farmers’ market on Sunday, I came home with an especially nice-looking, organic one that I mixed into a refreshing salad. Since cucumber doesn’t have a very strong taste on its own, I figured I could add whatever I wanted to my salad- and decided to try a savory-sweet combination. The sweet apples added a subtle, tart punch to the other ingredients and combined extremely well with the bit of red wine vinegar I drizzled over everything.

I also added some extra kick by throwing in a combination of freshly ground spices: black, white, green and pink peppercorns, plus dried coriander fruits and allspice (also known as Jamaican pepper). Pink peppercorns, by the way, are not really pepper, but dried fruits from the Baies rose plant (as it is often called).  Suggestion: put all the un-ground spices together in a pepper mill and use to flavor dishes (instead of just plain pepper). If you’re in France, you can cheat and purchase them already mixed together!

I topped it all off with some of the lemon thyme we’re growing in the window. Like common thyme, it’s nice for cooking and never overpowers the other spices. Unlike common thyme, this one really does smell like lemons.

Hint: Add the vinegar a little at a time, until it compliments the other ingredients- it shouldn’t be too strong, but abundant enough to create a nice contrast with the apples.

Shopping List

Cucumber

Apple (Jazz or Pink Lady, for example)

Belgian endive

Avocado

A few sprinkles of olive oil

A few drops of red wine vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground spices (see above)

Fresh lemon thyme

Directions:

1. Dice all fruits and vegetables and place them in a salad bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to taste and toss with salad forks.

It’s that easy!

What do quinoa, mangoes and shrimp have in common?

Not much; they just all found their way into my “Tantalizing Tabouli.”  I’m a huge fan of tabouli, traditionally made with bulgur wheat and dominated by fresh parsley.  I often play with different combinations of ingredients, including the grains.  This version is a fun, colorful (and protein-packed) spin on the tabouli most of us know.

How’d I get the idea?  Recently, we discovered a new restaurant in Paris’ 15th arrondissement.  C’est mon plaisir (8, rue Falguière, 75015) has a menu filled with many enticing entrées.  Because I had to save room for the main course, I ended up opting for a simple salad with roquette lettuce, artichoke hearts and parmesan, but was tempted by a salad with, well, the three aforementioned ingredients.  Since eyeing them on the menu, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I could put those ingredients together.  I made my tabouli twice: once using cold, cooked shrimp and mixing them into the rest of the salad (everything was cold) and once sautéing them and placing hot shrimp over the cold salad- I vote for this last version.  You can either keep the shrimp whole or cut them into smaller pieces.

Quinoa is one of my preferred “grains.”  I just referred to it as a grain, like most of us do, but it isn’t a grain at all. It’s a highly nutritional seed that comes from the plant Chenopodium quinoa, from the same family as spinach and beets!  Quinoa is known for having been cultivated, and highly revered, by the Incas and its popularity has steadily been increasing here in France.  It’s especially good for vegetarians, as it has a high protein content, and, for those who seek alternatives to wheat, the seeds are naturally gluten-free.  In France you can find it relatively easily, either in natural food markets such as Naturalia or La Vie Claire or in the biologique (organic) or commerce equitable (fair trade) aisles of larger grocery stores.

Preparation note: Rinse quinoa in a tightly-woven sieve before cooking to eliminate any film and to avoid a bitter taste.  Cook in salted water (1 part quinoa, 2 parts water) and let cool before making the salad.  Here’s the recipe for 4 people…

Shopping List:

1 cup (uncooked) quinoa
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced mango
24 small shrimp (cooked and peeled)
Lots of mint leaves (cut into small pieces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients.

If sautéing the shrimp separately, add some spices.  I used a few dashes of paprika and turmeric (curcuma in French).

We ate our tabouli with roasted veggies (bell peppers, red onions…) and a green salad with balsamic vinegrette.

What else might go well with it?

This is one of my favorite, and easy to find, salads in France.

Many restaurants and brasseries have it on their menu and, as the name implies, there will always be lettuce and warm goat cheese. The rest of the garnitures will vary depending on the restaurant, and the season. Unless its specified as an entrée, this salad is usually copious enough to eat on it’s own, especially at lunchtime or on a warm summer evening.

I first discovered the salade de chèvre chaud in Paris at Le Comptoir du 7ème (39, avenue de la Motte Piquet, 75007) a bistro at the metro stop Ecole militaire, right near the Eiffel Tower. Since 2001 it’s been my all-time favorite spot for this salad. The goat cheese, and a fresh tomato slice, are wrapped in a thin layer of pastry and accompanied with a variety of seasonal vegetables- perfectly satisfying.

Salade de chèvre chaud is also one of the first French specialties I learned to recreate. Here’s my version (for 2 people), easy and tasty!

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
3/4 cup (180 ml) olive oil

In a bowl, combine the mustard and vinegar. Then steadily stir in the olive oil. You can also add freshly chopped garlic or shallots. This recipe makes a lot of dressing that keeps well in the fridge.

For the salad:
2 Crottins de Chavignol (soft goat cheese)
Olive oil
Ground pepper
Dried chili flakes
Four thin slices of baguette (toasted and rubbed with garlic)
Salad greens

The rest depends on what you like. I often use:
Shredded carrots
Endive
Hard-boiled eggs
Steamed green beans
Fresh tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Slice the goat cheese into 4 half-inch rounds and place on baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle with olive oil, a little pepper and a few chili flakes.
4. Bake until the cheese is warm and slightly turning brown (but not melted!).
5. Place cheese on prepared toasts.
6. Decorate salad with your favorite ingredients and dressing.

Bon appétit!