Fruits & Veggies Monday: 1 Year Anniversary Edition! {Vegan Loaf, Mashed Taters & Purple Cauliflower Salad}

Happy Monday everyone!  Today we are celebrating a very special 1 year anniversary of the #fruitsandveggiesmonday challenge!  Please join me in congratulating @lenasveganliving on doing such a wonderful job to keep this contest going every week.  I know I am not alone in my adoration for the lady herself and the plethora of inspirational entries each week.  Make sure to visit the contest post to drop her a congratulatory mark or join in for this milestone week!

One year ago I was just starting to blog and share recipes.  I was a bit hesitant at first, and not extremely confident in both my kitchen skills and also my ability to eloquently describe my dishes.  Not to mention the art of actually writing up a recipe in a way that people can replicate!  Fast forward a year later, and thanks to the support of Lena and so many others I find myself making a meal and thinking to myself, "Damn girl, you killed it!"  Joining in on contests like this and pushing myself to continually find new ways to put all of the wonderful seasonal fruits and vegetables to use has been such a growing experience for me.  I can't thank you all enough who continue to inspire me each week and push your own limits in the kitchen!

Since it is such a big week, I had to do a special celebratory meal!  I already shared a lovely dessert yesterday, so today it was time to put together a favorite meal for my favorite contest.  Of course any meal at that level is going to have potatoes in it.  I was lucky enough to grab some lovely little red potatoes from the farmers market this week.

I also happened upon an organic purple cauliflower!  I've gotten them in the store before, but it is rare to find one local and organic.  Of course I had to figure out a way to incorporate such a rare treat into my meal.  The color tends to dull when cooked, so raw was a good way to balance out my slightly heavier mashed potatoes and vegan loaf. :)

Speaking of stunning vegetables--check out these bell peppers!  The number of varieties of basic fruits and vegetables never ceases to amaze me.  They may not taste different than their standard counterparts, but there is just something magical about grabbing such a pretty vegetables straight from the farm stand.

I also got some more of the hydroponic greens this week.  I opted for a new one--cress!  This lovely bunch of greens is in the same family as watercress and mustard greens, meaning it is full of nutrients.  It is high in vitamins K, C and A.  The flavor is peppery and tangy, so it made a perfect dressing to really punch up my raw salad.

When coming up with my loaf recipe, I used the veggie burger recipe I shared a few months ago with pinkeye peas for the base.  I only adjusted a few things to make an excellent variation to the classic veggie loaf.  I keep thinking each week that it will be the end of the lovely summer crowder peas, but I keep getting a happy surprise as I have continued to grab some at the farmers market.  All together, the vast majority of this meal came straight from my local farmers.  How is that for a perfect meal to celebrate the day?

Cauliflower & Pepper Salad w/ Garden Cress Dressing

• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 2 small colorful bell peppers
• 2 cups fresh cress or other peppery greens
• ½ cup loosely packed fresh mint
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small lemon, zest & juice
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 5 teaspoons lemongrass mint white balsamic (can sub rice wine vinegar or plain white balsamic)

Roughly chop the bell pepper, then pulse in the food processor until finely chopped.  Place in a large mixing bowl.  Repeat the process with the cauliflower.  Mix the two together.

For the dressing place the rest of the ingredients into the food processor and blend until well combined.  Taste and adjust to your liking, then mix in with the vegetable mixture.  Serve on my itself, over top some more leafy greens, or on a sandwich!

Pinkeye Pea Loaf

• 3 cups cooked pinkeye peas
• 2 tablespoons miso
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons paprika (I did half regular, half smoked paprika)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ shredded cucumber or zucchini
• ½ cup plain bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly oil a standard loaf pan.

Place the peas through the cayenne in a food processor.  Pulse until most of the pinkeyes are broken down and the spices are well incorporated.  Add in the shredded cucumber or zucchini and pulse to mix.

Scoop into a large mixing bowl and gently mix in the bread crumbs.  Place in your loaf pan and level out with the spoon.  Cook for about 45 minutes or until the loaf is starting to brown around the edges.  Let cool slightly before flipping the loaf out of the pan onto a plate.  Slice and serve with your favorite sauce, gravy or ketchup!

Mashed Potatoes

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, halved then quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (8-ounce) package Kite Hill Chive Vegan Cream Cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Cut your potatoes then place in a large stockpot.  Cover with cold water and add the bay leaf.  Place on the stove top and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to a simmer and cook 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and soft enough to mash.

Remove the bay leaf and reserve about half of a cup of cooking water.  Drain then return to the pot.  Pour in about a quarter of a cup of the reserved water, the pepper and the cream cheese.  Mash with a potato masher until broken down to the consistency you like.  Add more water as needed to keep moist and creamy.  You can also add in some plain, unsweetened plant-based milk for extra moisture.

I got about 6 servings from the whole meal.  Of course I love my meal prep, so I already separated out the portions for leftovers!  I'll just serve the salad separately so I can leave it cool or room temperature when eating over the next few days. :) And just in case you want a glory shot of each component up close...

Have a great week everyone!

 (Banners by @woman-onthe-wing, @dksart and @bearone for @steemusa)