Vegan And Gluten-Free Antipasto Salad The Perfect Start To A Holiday Dinner

Everyone loves antipasto salad- A real holiday pleaser!

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Antipasto Salad
You know it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter when my cousin's all post pictures of their gorgeous antipastos. But this year, I'm leaning towards an antipasto salad. What's the difference you might ask? Well, an antipasto is usually a large platter with ingredients such as olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, etc., all laid out in a beautiful and creative fashion. If you're not vegan, you'll see provolone, bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) or chunks of salami on the platter as well. An antipasto salad has many of the same components but also has more raw salad ingredients such as cucumber, romaine lettuce, raw onions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and more, in a Italian dressing. I find the antipasto salad a little easier to serve and you don't have your guests picking out their favorite ingredients :-)
So for those of you coming to my Thanksgiving feast this year, expect to see a huge platter of this delicious vegan and gluten free antipasto salad!

Feel free to substitute your favorite fresh salad or olive bar ingredients for the ones listed in this recipe. Or just add more ingredients. At dinner last night, while consuming (and testing!) an entire platter of this salad, my husband mentioned that I left out radishes, his favorite. So we quickly cut up a bunch of them and threw them on! So if I left out something you love, please don't hesitate to make modifications.

Box Beans - A Healthy Alternative to Most Canned Beans 
My father's favorite antipasto ingredient was garbanzo beans. Even though he is no longer with us, I always include garbanzos in my holiday salad to make me feel like he's at the table.

When shopping for garbanzos this week, I was very excited to discover that Whole Foods now sells them and other beans in little boxes that are BPA free! BPA, or bisphenol-A, is an industrial chemical that is commonly found in the lining of cans. Beans are one of the only things that I still buy in cans so it is worrisome. There are companies, like Eden Foods, that make cans without a BPA lining but these companies are few and far between. BPA is an endocrine disruptor because it mimics the body's hormones and is linked to an increased risk of infertility, obesity, breast and other cancers. So if you can find these cute boxes of BPA-free beans, they are a better choice than canned beans that have BPA linings.

Whole Foods sells beans in boxes.
A great option when trying to avoid
BPA linings in canned goods.

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Antipasto Salad
Vegan and Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive or cold-pressed hemp oil (or a mixture of both)
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 large clove pressed or finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup peeled, halved and sliced English cucumbers
1 cup seeded and sliced red bell pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup mixed, pitted marinated olives
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup marinated button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (15 oz can or 13 oz box)
1 large head of romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped

Mix the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Stir in the onions and let them marinate while you are preparing the remaining ingredients.

Let the onions marinate in the dressing while
you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss until well combined.

Spoon onto a large, shallow platter and serve.

A large shallow platter makes a nicer presentation
than a tall salad bowl.

Check out other healthy and delicious vegan and gluten-free Thanksgiving and holiday favorites. 

  

Garden Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill

Bush beans are prolific and do not require a trellis.

Fresh dill is easy to grow.


I planted bush beans this year instead of pole beans and I'm really surprised just how many beautiful, large beans come from each little plant. So many, in fact, that I really need to come up with some clever ways to prepare them. I've never really liked to can beans since canning makes them lose their snap and frozen beans just don't compare to fresh. So I guess we'll have to eat them all!

Here's my favorite way to prepare green beans. It's quick and easy and a perfect dish for entertaining since it can be served at room temperature. This dish can be made an hour or so before a meal and you don't have to worry about warming it. I'm lucky to have almost all of these ingredients from my garden - beans, dill, garlic and lemons.

Green beans are great in any weight loss program. They are low in calories, high in fiber and are a very good source of vitamin A (through its content of beta-carotene), C, K, folate, iron, potassium and manganese. Green beans are also a good source of protein, the B vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3) as well as important minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. With its vitamin and mineral content, especially that of calcium and iron, it's an important vegetable for vegans and vegetarians. It is even a good vegetarian source of omega 3 fatty acids.

As a vegan or vegetarian main dish, serve over brown rice. These green beans also make a great ingredient when building a vegetarian antipasto (see my June 22, 2009 post). They make a great side dish, especially when paired with omega 3 rich grilled salmon.

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Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill [serves 6]
4 cups whole green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon dried or 1/4 teaspoon fresh dill (more or less to taste)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper

Steam green beans until fork tender (do not over cook). Mix together olive oil, salt, dill, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour over cooked green beans and gently toss. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Per serving: 43.5 calories, 2.3 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.3 g protein, 5.7 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 44 mg omega 3 and 236 g of omega 6 fatty acids.

Vegan Antipasto—Great Alternative to Crudités

Artichoke heart, black olive, roasted red pepper and peperoncini antipasto.

When entertaining guests, healthy vegetarian appetizers can sometimes be a challenge. Often you end up with a bowl of vegetables surrounding some kind of dip—not a bad choice, but here is a more creative alternative.

Growing up in an Italian home, my parents would always create a beautiful antipasto when guests would visit or if we were to bring a dish over to someone’s home. Antipasto literally means “before the meal” and can either be served as an appetizer or as the first course. It can be simple or elaborate, large or small. This weekend I hosted a 2 day summer solstice party for my family (we decided Christmas was too stressful so we would have our holiday party later in the year). With all of the food preparation needed, I decided to do a very quick and easy antipasto as you can see.

Many antipasto recipes include heavy slices of salami and cheese but you can create a very imaginative and tasty vegan dish. Just start with a platter and arrange the ingredients in rows of contrasting colors. In the picture you’ll notice that I separated the green peperoncini and artichoke hearts with black olives and bright red roasted peppers.

Here are some of the ingredients you can use:
• Marinated artichoke hearts (they come pre-prepared in a jar or at a salad bar in your grocery store).
• Your favorite olives (many stores have olive bars where you can get oil cured, kalamata, Greek, or olives stuffed with pimentos, almonds or garlic, and other interesting things. Or, for simplicity, just use pitted black olives in a can. Kids generally will eat these.
• Peperoncini (comes prepared in a jar).
• Roasted red peppers (for simplicity, use the ones in a jar. Rinse under water, slice and marinate overnight with several tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a clove or two of minced garlic).
• Grilled or broiled veggies (lightly brush a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic powder on the vegetables and cook them on a grill or broil them in an oven). I generally use zucchini, Portobello mushrooms, eggplant or red peppers.
• Pickled or marinated vegetables like cauliflower and carrots (you can usually find these premade).
• Marinated chick peas (drain and rinse a can of chick peas and combine with olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and an herb like fresh thyme, tarragon or dill.
• Garnish the plate with several heads of roasted garlic. (Chop off the tops so you see the tops of the cloves. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over each head and wrap in aluminum foil. Put in a pie pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes. They should be soft to the touch). Serve with a sliced baguette.