Whereas, it is the time of year for barbecues and picnics;

Whereas, vegetarians are often left out, or driven to the point of madness by questions like “so what do you eat at barbecues anyway?”;

Whereas, everyone I mention this site to asks with bright eyes if there will be recipes and I answer in the affirmative;

Be it resolved that I shall give you recipes that you can use this summer!

I now present Choose Your Own Adventure Potato Salad and Mac ‘n’ NYF.

Choose Your Own Adventure Potato Salad
I call it this because this recipe is really a guide. You can adjust the ingredients and quantities to suit your needs.

Ingredients

Potatoes (red or Yukon Gold are good choices. Figure on 3/4 to 1 potato per person), washed well and cubed
Fat (this sounds kind of crude, but this is the next more important ingredient! Using 2-4 tbsp. per potato, go with regular or vegan mayo, olive oil, mashed avocado, or even flax seed oil)
Vinegar (this is optional, but very good. Use 1 Tbs. per potato of balsamic vinegar, umeboshi plum vinegar, rice vinegar, etc)
Tasties and crunchies (things like minced onion and/or garlic, capers, chopped olives, diced celery or bell peppers, and crumbled feta cheeset)

What to do:

Boil cubed potatoes for about 5 minutes or until you can pierce them easily with a fork (don’t let them get too mushy!)

Drain potatoes and put in the refrigerator to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your fat, vinegar, tasties, and crunchies. Mix well. Add the potatoes and fold everything together until well combined. Chill for a few hours.

Mac ‘n’ NYF
(A vegan version of mac and cheese)

Ingredients (amounts are just guesses – use your judgment for measurements and experiment until it tastes good!)

1 lb. (16 oz.) dry pasta

¼ c. canola or vegetable oil, or 4 Tbs margarine
¾ c. chopped onion (optional)
2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
¼ c. flour (whole wheat or white)
1 c. plain soy or rice milk
1 c. water
½ tsp. turmeric (optional, for color)
salt to taste (1-2 tsp.)
soy sauce to taste (1-2 Tbs)
½ cup nutritional yeast flakes (NYF)
1 bunch scallions, chopped (greenish-white part only) or 1 Tbs. dried parsley (optional)

What to do:

Start heating water for the pasta.

In quart saucepan, heat oil or margarine on med-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion starts to turn translucent. Reduce heat to medium and add flour. Mix to form a kind of paste (a roux). Stir until roux turns golden brown.

Slowly add milk, stirring constantly, then the water. Add turmeric, salt, and soy sauce here, then sprinkle in the NYF a bit at a time as you continue to stir.

By now, if the pasta water has boiled, start cooking the pasta.

Simmer NYF sauce for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then adjust consistency. If it’s too thick, add water. If it’s too thin, mix more flour in a few tbs. water, then add to mixture. Make sure it stays a saucy consistency, not too gloppy.

Drain the pasta, return to pot, and mix with sauce and scallions.

Yum!