Vegan alert: AvoTuno Salad and Paprika Potato Wedges

Hola, vegans and lovers of tasty food! These two recipes are recipes I was using long before I decided to go veg, and they are delicious, whether you eat meat or not.

AvoTuno Salad

My AvoTuno salad doesn't use any sort of mayonnaise product, vegan or otherwise. It uses avocados! (Which is funny . . . I've been a lot more conscious of avos since my fiancee began working in the avo industry.) Avocados are creamy, delicious, and healthy in moderation. They also are delicious with tuna salad--or tuno, as it were.


Note: You can use Tuno, or any meat substitute you'd use in a tuna or chicken salad mock-up.

1 can Tuno, rinsed and drained thoroughly (thanks to the Vegan Lunchbox, I know this trick! Apparently, if you skip it, Tuno is really nasty) or equivalent meat substitute

1/2 avocado

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

1 tbsp your favorite mustard (or to taste; I like the spicy brown mustard, and a LOT of it)

dash of your favorite hot sauce

1/4 cup (or to taste) chopped pickle or relish--I prefer dill, myself

1/4 cup minced onion, or as much as you like

1 stalk celery, chopped small

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup of raisins or currants

1 clove garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp of cumin, or to taste

1 tsp chili powder, or to taste

salt and pepper, to taste


Sound like guacamole? You are very wise in the culinary arts. Guacamole was my inspiration for this little number, but I also wanted to keep the best aspects of the tuna salad. You can add or substitute or leave out ingredients as you like--for instance, I love adding salad olives. I know it sounds gross, but it works!

Oh, the process? Mash everything in a bowl and add the citrus juice. Season to taste. Easy!


Paprika Potato Wedges

I was terribly addicted to these for a long time. I used paprika that I got at Whole Foods, but your favorite paprika will do. This recipe is also REALLY good with paprika, chili powder, and sweet potatoes. It's not even really a recipe, it's more of a method, but it's so good that I think I'm going to make some tomorrow.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut as many potatoes as you want into thin wedges. You can do thicker if you want, but they will take longer to cook.

Pile the wedges onto a cookie sheet and add enough vegetable oil to make a thin (but decent--don't skimp) coating. Add enough paprika to coat; you can add or substitute any spices you'd like. Add salt and pepper, then toss the pile to coat evenly. Spread the pile out onto the sheet in a single layer. (At this point, I generally give a very light sprinkling of salt over the top. Not enough for overkill, just enough to give it a little something.)

Bake until the potatoes are soft and brown. Serve. Delicious.