My favorite meals focused on multiple textures and various ingredients to make a truly dynamic salad-type dish. The Corn and Poblano Chile Salad With Adobo Pinto Beans was a solid, Mexican-inspired meal that was the perfect lunch to eat on the first warm spring day of the year. Roasted poblano peppers, sweet corn, cabbage, brown rice, and pinto beans worked well together with the mild spinach backdrop and a roasted jalapeno vegan ranch dressing that I could’ve drank straight from the ramekin.
I still dream of the Lemongrass Shirataki Bowl, a cold noodle salad dish that hit all the right elements of savory-spice and varied texture. The chilled rice noodles came with a lightly spicy marinated mince of sautéed vegetables and pea protein crumbles. The crisp cucumber, spinach, ginger, lemongrass, and peanuts added a crunchy texture, but the yummy salty, slightly tangy housemade vegan…