veg in the southwest

I wish I could say I am one of those people who eats a lot of salads because I love the taste of raw veggies. But that would be a tall tale. For me, salad is all about the dressing. (Just like it's all about the sauce with hot foods!) With easy, tasty dressings like this one, I honestly could (and almost do) eat salads every day.

This recipe is based on one of Sunny Anne Holliday's recipes, with slight modifications. Sunny is the owner of Lovin' Spoonfuls , the first fully vegan restaurant in Tucson - which she opened over a decade ago, before vegan was hip! She is an inspiration, and I love her Lovin' Spoonfuls Cookbook. (You can order it on Amazon .) One cool thing about the recipes is she includes amounts for a single serving, as well as amounts for a family serving. This recipe is for a family serving.

Fun fact: I only recently learned that I can ferment my own pickles. I thought that my mom's method of making pickles with vinegar was the only way of doing it! Wow, was I wrong. I recently picked up a copy of the book Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten and Jeremy Shockey. (Stop by your local bookstore and pick it up or order it today - it's a terrific resource!) This is their recipe for garlic pickle slices - and be warned: this recipe is FOR GARLIC LOVERS ONLY. That said, they are crazy delicious and so good for you, chock full of probiotics.

This soup is "souper" simple (pun intended) to make, amazingly flavorful, and healthy to boot! With the cooler fall temperatures, it's an ideal lunch or dinner. Customize as you wish - add some tofu or white beans for extra protein, some brown rice if you're into grains, extra cilantro if it's your thing - it will all be good.

I grew up eating Lexington style barbecue and red barbecue slaw. We won't argue here about Eastern vs. Western style barbecue in North Carolina, as the most important part to me was and remains the red slaw. And that, my friends, is undisputed! For my money, red slaw beats standard coleslaw, every time. Back in the day, I always ordered extra slaw and topped it with vinegar-based barbecue sauce and Texas Pete hot sauce. Let me tell you, it was crazy good. This is my version of red slaw, and it pairs well with one of my other favorite recipes,  Vegan Mock Pork BBQ .