I recently made a pretty good vegan thing that is not too hard. It's kind of a salad/accompaniment. (Sort of along the same lines as a 3 bean salad.) It is also good as a topper for tacos, etc. This is my own recipe that I made up, it's VERY approximate but you can taste as you go along and customize as you wish!
Black Bean and Corn Salad
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn, drained
half an onion, chopped finely
small handful of cilantro, chopped coarsely
freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
few teaspoonfuls of a light oil (sunflower, safflower, canola, etc.)
juice of 1/2--1 lime (I think!)
1 Tbsp tequila (probably optional but added a nice interesting taste)
sprinkle of cayenne pepper, and/or
a chopped jalapeno pepper
I just basically dumped the corn and beans into a bowl, chopped some onion and cilantro in the food processor, and added the rest of the ingredients tasting as I went. I think this is probably best if it sits for a little while to let the flavors meld and so the beans absorb some flavor. I liked the tequila, it didn't give it an overpowering alcohol taste but did add an interesting flavor.
Again, this is very approximate, but it may give you a starting point. I know, I can never think of a good recipe when I'm under pressure and someone has some food limitations!!
You could also make hummus and/or baba ghanouje, to serve with pita bread wedges and/or vegetable sticks (bell pepper, carrot, celery)"
Hummus:
1 15 oz can chickpeas, save liquid
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt (reduce if beans are well salted)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
about 1/4 cup of tahini
Drain the chickpeas but reserve about 1/4 cup of the liquid. Put the chickpeas, reserved bean liquid, salt, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor or blender. Process until you have a smooth puree. Add tahini until you have a thicker, lighter paste.
This will be better once it sits for a while. You can put it in a shallow bowl for serving. If you like you can sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley over it or sprinkle a little ground cumin or paprika on it. Then you can drizzle some nice olive oil over it. The bread or veggies are dipped into it.
Baba Ghanouge:
1 medium eggplant
1 tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic
about 1/4 cup tahini
The best way to do this is to roast the living daylights out of the eggplant! Either grill it on a bbq grill, or roast it over the flame of a gas stove. Char the skin outside and get it so the inside is soft. Alternately you can bake it at about 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until it's very soft. But roasting it is best so that it has a smoky flavor, and it is also faster.
Let the eggplant cool, remove and discard the peel, put the garlic into the blender and chop finely, then add the eggplant flesh and the rest of the ingredients and process until it's a thick paste.
You can also sprinkle some cumin on this if desired and drizzle with good olive oil.
If you look on the website for the movie Super Size Me, there is a link to the website of the filmmaker's girlfriend, Alex, who is a vegan chef. She has some recipes on there. I tried one for a lemon chickpea salad that was pretty good.
Hope this helps--enjoy your potluck!
