The Wicked Good Vegan

This vegan lasagna makes use of a bunch of fresh summer ingredients. It takes a bit of prep, but all of the steps are easy and the end result is oh-so satisfying. Vegetarians beware—this lasagna will make you rethink the notion that you “can’t live without cheese.”

Tapenade is a lovely Provençal dish. Traditionally, it includes anchovies, but this vegan version keeps it simple with olives, capers, and other flavourful ingredients. It’s still briny and delicious, it looks beautiful, and it’s easy to serve up with crackers or bread.

This black bean salad packs a lovely one-two punch of creaminess and smokiness with its dressing. The slight Mexican flair is perfect for lazy summer evenings when there’s too much outdoors to be spending an evening slaving over the stove.

This barbecue sauce is a no-brainer alternative to the ones in the store, which always seem to be mostly corn syrup. Bonus: it’ll make your kitchen smell awesome, and get you in the mood for some grilling.

These are, in my humble opinion, the perfect vege burgers. The have a bite to them, a toothsome texture, and an ability to hold up on the grill. Make some extra and freeze for sharing at impromptu cookouts with friends and family.

Do you like quiche, but not the excessive amount of effort that it takes to prepare a vegan one? Fear not! Polenta pie is here! Don’t be intimated by the polenta—it won’t bite. Or are you into that sort of thing?

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish soup that’s a perfect pairing for hot summer weather. It’s a celebration of ripe tomatoes and stale bread, and it just so happens to be vegan. A breeze to put together, this soup will be sitting pretty in a shot glass or other stemware in just a few minutes.

For July’s installment of the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally, we were challenged to make fresh pasta. Ingredients? Flour and eggs. All that I had to do was figure out how to replace the flour and the eggs… Easy, right? I ended up making long, flat noodles (tagliatelle) in a creamy artichoke sauce. This is a luxurious summer meal.

Marinaded tofu makes an excellent sandwich option, whether baked or grilled. (For grilled tofu, make sure that your marinade contains sugar so that you get those nice, carmelised grill marks.) This simple summer meal is completed by a red quinoa salad with mustard vinaigrette.

June’s installment of the Gluten Free Ratio Rally is pâte à choux, or choux pastry—a fluffly little thing used to make everything from éclairs to churros. Somehow, Ryan talked me into making cream puffs with it. Given that it’s been exceptionally summery, I decided to try a refreshing cardamom and rose water mix—the same flavours that make Indian lassis so refreshing. These lighter-than-air pastries are sure not to weigh you down in warmer weather.