Vegan MoFo, Day 2: Frito Bean Salad

Hey MoFo'ers! Happy Day Two!

I spent most of today baking (which you can see on my Instagram). Not happy that the long weekend is coming to an end, but onward to autumn!

There's one principle to Gems from the Wheat State that you must understand: this collaboration of a cookbook appeared during a time when convenience was very much a welcome thing. You'll find a LOT of recipes using cream of whatever soup, jello, chips, and other convenience items. It's pretty cool but can sometimes be a challenge when trying to find/make a vegan alternative.

The recipe for today comes from the "Salads" section of the cookbook. Envision a salad RIGHT NOW. Do it. What do you picture? Maybe various types of greens, healthy (and not so healthy toppings), and a bitchin' dressing, right? I would have to say that most of the salads in the "Salads" section of this cookbook don't fit into that mold. Actually, MOLD is a good word to use here since a good deal of them call for jello. They just had a different definition of "salad," and it's cool to see how it has evolved since 1978. One of my friends fondly tells of a time she went to a family function and encountered a "taco salad" that had Catalina dressing and grapes in it. Times have indeed changed.

That being said, Frito Bean Salad, while not in need of jello, proved to be an interesting combination of iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese shreds, kidney beans, Catalina dressing, and crushed Fritos. I wanted something more salad-like and with more kick, so this is what it became:


Frito Bean Salad
adapted from Gems from the Wheat State, pg. B1, contributor Wanda McCutcheon
serves 4

1 head iceberg lettuce, diced
1 can kidney beans, drained
2 hot peppers, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 cup Fritos, crushed
shredded Daiya cheddar style wedge or shreds
dressing of your choice--I used Annie's Naturals Lemon & Chive

Prepare salad ingredients as described above. Layer dishes with lettuce, beans, tomato, peppers, green onion, crushed Fritos, shredded Daiya cheese, and dressing.

This salad proved to be pretty tasty and kept well for my lunch the next day (keep the crushed Fritos and dressing in individual containers and add to salad when ready to eat).

On to Day Three!


Past Vegan MoFo posts on this day:
VMF Day 2, 2012: Tasty Drinks--Week 1
VMF Day 2 2011: Spaghettaaaaah.
VMF Day 2 2010: Green Soup, Part Deux