OK Oprah, Here's A Vegan Superbowl Menu For You!

A Vegan Superbowl Menu
As you may have heard by now, Oprah and 378 of her staffers went vegan for a week, It's nice to see a healthful diet that protects the planet and is kind to animals get some main stream attention. Although not all of her staffers warmed up to the diet, many of them were amazed that after just one week, they regained their energy, lost weight and felt better than they had felt in years. The biggest topic of conversation was their ability to finally poop! But we'll talk about that some other time.
So here's a Superbowl menu for all current and future vegans out there to enjoy this Sunday!
Let's Start with 2 Black Bean Salsa Recipes! My favorite is the one with the mango and jicama but I also love the cucumber, bell pepper and corn version too. I'll let you decide!


Vegan Black Bean Salsa with Cucumber, Red Bell Pepper and Corn
[makes 4 1/2 cups salsa]

1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped 
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen 
One 15 ounce can cooked black beans, rinsed well 
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped 
1 clove of fresh garlic, finely chopped 
1 small avocado, chopped 
1 fresh jalapeno (more or less to taste) 
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 
2 ½ T freshly squeezed lime juice 
½ t salt (more or less to taste) 
Dash of cayenne pepper (more or less to taste) 


Mix the lime juice with the garlic, jalapeno, salt and cayenne. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and mix gently. Add additional salt and cayenne if needed. 

Vegan Black Bean Salsa with Mango and Jicama
[makes 4 1/2 cups salsa]

1 cup jicama, peeled and diced
1 cup mango, peeled and diced
One 15 ounce can cooked black beans, rinsed well 
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped 
1 clove of fresh garlic, finely chopped 
1 small avocado, chopped 
1 fresh jalapeno (more or less to taste) 
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 
2 ½ T freshly squeezed lime juice 
½ t salt (more or less to taste) 
Dash of cayenne pepper (more or less to taste) 


Mix the lime juice with the garlic, jalapeno, salt and cayenne. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and mix gently. Add additional salt and cayenne if needed. 


The Main Course
Since most of you are covered in snow this weekend, I'm not suggesting you make these Vegan Rosemary Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Spicy Red Pepper Hummus and Watercress on an outdoor grill. No worries, you can either broil them or make them on a George Foreman indoor grill or I sometimes use my electric panini maker. Either way, these "meaty" burgers are a crowd pleaser. To make things easier, you can brush the marinade on before the game, pop them in a large zip lock bag and cook them when you're ready. Besides the hummus and watercress, you can also serve these with the more typical burger sides like thin slices of tomato and red onion.
As a side dish, try serving Vegan Potato Salad. This healthy, mayo free version of this classic goes very well with the burgers.
Save Room for Dessert
A baked crisp, like this Vegan Gravenstein Apple and Blackberry Crisp, is a great dessert choice for a day like this because you can prepare it earlier in the day and pop it in the oven during half time. The final moments of the game will be enhanced by the amazing smell of the baking crisp. But make sure you have a loud timer as the excitement might leave you with a burnt dessert! Although this recipe calls for Gravenstein Apples, you can use any baking apple and if you can't find blackberries, you can use any fresh or frozen berry of your choice. Serve with some store bought vegan ice cream or if you have an ice cream maker, make your own Vegan Mango Peach or Strawberry Ice Cream.

Enjoy the game and don't forget to follow Foods For Long LIfe on FACEBOOK!