Why wait for Summer? Make your own!

Sometimes a girl just needs a bit of summer!  Being, originally,  a California girl and in my true nature, a total beach bum, getting through the New York winters can definitely be a challenge for me.  I crave the sunshine more than anything but face it, one can only do so much in that area.  After a long east coast winter of many blah, grey days this girl (and her entire family) are just ecstatic over the sunny warm weather this Spring has brought us this past week.
We all seem to be in the summer mood already! So, this weekend, I decided to throw a little family party, pot-luck, picnic, "summer style".  And invited a friend over to join in on the fun.

It was a given that I would be cooking up a batch of  my new all time favorite "partay" food, buffalo cauliflower (recipe available here) but it took a bit more creativity to come up with what to pair with it.  I knew I wanted something a bit more substantial and filling but still messy, yummy and fun!

What I came up with was a vegan take on the popular picnic dish of pulled pork sandwiches.
Mine are healthier but most importantly to me . . .

NO PIGGIES WERE HARMED IN THE CREATION OF THIS DISH!

BBQ Sliders- "VEGAN STYLE"

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 cups of finely shredded napa cabbage (less dense than regular cabbage)
1/2 med onion (about 2 cups) finely sliced into thin shreds
1/2 c. of diced sweet red bell pepper
1 c. shredded/grated carrots
1 c. grated zucchini
1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1/4 c. of veggie or mock chicken broth
1 c. of your favorite vegan bbq sauce

Shred your cabbage, carrots and zucchini and set aside.  

Slice your onion and peppers separately.

Heat your 1 tbsp. of oil in a wok or large frying pan. When hot, throw in your onions and peppers.

Saute until onions are transluscent and peppers are tender.

Add your remaining veggie mixture to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring continually, until mixture reduces in size and becomes tender, about 10-15 minutes. 

It will appear that you might not have enough liquid but as the veggies cook, there will be.  When they start to lightly brown and stick to the pan, pour in your broth and cook for another 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Stir in your bbq sauce and cook for about another 5 minutes until it starts to brown. 

It will look something like this when done.  

Freshly made cole slaw was the perfect accompaniment and it takes a bit of the burn off of the spicy buffalo cauliflower, too.

Tangy, Spicy, Creamy Cole Slaw

1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, finely shredded
3/4 cup vegan mayonaise

 2 tablespoons vegan sour cream (optional though this is what gives it it's creamy)
2 tablespoons grated Vidalia onion
  1tablespoons agave nectar, or to taste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard 

1 tsp. celery seed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sweetener, if desired.

 

With my double batch of buffalo cauliflower, my hubby had the bright idea to serve some of it up:

 Shanghai Style, 

simply stir in some Sweet Chili sauce to your Buffalo sauce mixture.  

For a little sweet to balance out the tangy and spicy:

 A fresh summer fruit salad, of course!

Hoping you are enjoying some beautiful sunny days yourself! And if not, this meal will definitely bring a little summer to your day! 

Enjoy!

Love and Light,

Amber