Meatless Mondays: 3 Course No Cooking Required Meal

As the dog days of summer come to an end, a 3 course, no cooking required meal sounds pretty good to me. Turn that stove off, shut down the oven, choose to go meatless this Monday and cool off with this appetizer, main course and dessert.

Appetizer: Raw Non Dairy Creamy Chive Dip and Crudités

Prep Time- 10 min-plus 4-8 hours of soaking time
Cook Time: 0 min
Yields: 8-10 servings (will keep for a week in the refrigerator in an air tight container)

Ingredients:
2 cups soaked raw unsalted Cashews
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons water (may need more depending on quality of blender)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
½ cup chopped chives
assorted veggies for dipping

Directions:
1) Soak cashews in purified water in the morning for 4 to 8 hours to soften, drain soak water and discard (this help to make the cashews creamier and easier to blend)
2) Blend all ingredients except chives until creamy smooth (Slowly add water if needed to get mixture to turn over in blender)
3) Fold in chopped chives
4) Serve with raw veggies

Entrée: Marinated Kale Salad

Prep Time: 10 min, plus optional over night to marinate
Cook Time: 0 min
Yields:  2 servings

Ingredients:
Salad
6 cups Kale-pull leaves from the hard stems and chop
1 block firm Tofu-cubed ** OR 2 Cups of your favorite Bean if you do not eat Soy
1 red Bell Pepper- chopped
½ Red Onion-sliced

Dressing
1 teaspoon Agave Nectar
3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Sea salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Chop and prep all the salad ingredients and mix together in a large bowl
2)  In another bowl, mix together all dressing ingredients, except the Olive Oil.
3) Slowly whisk in Olive Oil to combine and season with Salt and Pepper to taste
4) Toss salad with dressing and let flavors marry in refrigerator for at least an hour to soften kale.

Dessert: Chocolate/Almond Butter Banana Smoothie

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:
2 frozen Bananas (frozen bananas really make a super creamy smoothie)
2 tablespoons raw, unsweetened almond butter (can substitute with cashew butter)
2 tablespoons Agave Nectar
2 tablespoons Raw Organic Cacao Powder
1 ½ cups of Soy, Rice, Almond or Hemp milk (or water)

Directions:
1) Blend all ingredients until smooth

Photo Credit: Björn Söderqvist at Flickr for Creative Commons