Keep Moving Forward: 2012

I've been following a plethora of vegan food blogs since I started adapting to a plant based diet. This has really helped me find recipes and ideas since my former kitchen repertoire is no longer of much use to me as I am definitely not in a place to try to "veganize" any recipe. The blog posts also contain a wealth of information concerning so many practical aspects of a plant based diet and vegan lifestyle. Sometimes my google reader is so overwhelming, I have to mark all as read and start over. But not before starring every recipe that sounds amazing (ie. nearly every post in the queue). All this to say, I created a recipe in my kitchen this afternoon so I thought I'd try my hand at a "from scratch" blog post. So bear with me, remember I'm a noob.

After having a procedure yesterday on my feet to remove some skin invaders, I'm not really supposed to put any pressure on the affected areas. No pressure on the heel of the right foot and ball of the left foot. Kind of makes walking, standing, doing pretty much anything around the house somewhat difficult slash impossible. So when it came time for lunch today, I wanted something that would not require much prep/cooking/standing around in the kitchen time. As a new plant based eater, I'm still learning about the best ways to use up all the fresh produce that keeps multiplying (magically; I swear it has nothing to do with my obsession with the farmer's market) in my refrigerator. And let's be honest, today I was just feeling too lazy to scour the aforementioned google reader for a recipe that would use what I had on hand. So I figured I'd improvise. Last week, for the first time, in my life, I purchased avocado. I was under the impression that I didn't like them for my entire adult life. Then, last month, I decided to try guacamole agin and lo and behold, turns out I like the taste of avocado after all. However, I still wasn't quite sure what to do with it. So my first thought was to just mash it up and eat it with chips. But I'm still getting used to the flavor and texture so it's better for me to eat it with something. So I figured I'd make some kind if mexican dip as I have some leftover chips and rice from the vegan queso I made for hubs last week. And then, (lightbulb!) I thought, the white bean patties! They've been chilling (literally) in my freezer for months and would go perfectly with this. And using them would solve my problem of how to season this dip to give it flavor as the patty's are well seasoned in their own! And my fiesta dip was born! (creative name, I know)
Ta da!

It's a combination of left overs and fresh produce with a little kick. A yummy and filling meal perfect for lunch or a snack. It also covers all the bases in terms of vegetables, protein source and grains. So on to the recipe!

Vegan Fiesta Dip

1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 white bean patties, crumbled
4 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped
1 avocado, mashed

Mix rice, tomato, and crumbled bean patties in a large bowl.
*As mine was made with leftovers and I wanted it warm, I heated it in the microwave for two minutes.*
Mix in lettuce and mashed avocado until combined.

I paired mine with multi grain tortilla chips but this dip could also work as a wrap or taco filling.

Enjoy!

I would love feedback on this post as well as my recipe so comment away!