This is our new favorite dinner. I make brown rice with frozen organic corn then set up lots of toppings and everyone can make their own customized bowl. The toppings include sauteed tofu, black beans, tomatoes, shredded carrots, sprouts, cilantro, and avocado.

We will sometimes add salsa or I will make a super yummy sauce that we will add.

Once everyone has made their bowl exactly how they want, then the yummy bowls magically disappear.

I think the sauce is key. It’s zesty and creamy and so good when combined with all the other ingredients. Here is the magic sauce recipe:

3 tbsp tahini
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 -1/2 roasted red pepper from a jar
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

Combine everything in a blender and whiz together until smooth. Yum!

How about a refreshing, icy summery treat? This was made with a very, very ripe crenshaw melon that we bought and forgot about for a few days. The result was a very ripe, very sweet cut melon. The kids wouldn’t eat it because it was a little bit on the soft side. So, I made it into a sorbet. Well, I added almond milk to it so does that make it a sherbet? I guess I’ll just call it a frozen dessert.

I found a few recipes, but didn’t have all the ingredients so I came up with my own. It’s icy (more like a sorbet), sweet, refreshing, and quite tasty. You’ll need an ice cream machine for this recipe.

1 ripe melon cut into chunks (I imagine any kind of melon would work)
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
2 Tbsp arrowroot
1/4 – 1/2 cup sweetener (I used organic sugar)
2 tsp vanilla

1.  In food processor or blender, puree melon.
2. On stove top in medium saucepan heat melon puree, milk, sugar and arrowroot on medium-low heat. Bring to boil and immediately remove from heat. It should be nicely thickened.
3. Add vanilla and allow to cool in refrigerator for an hour or so.
4. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions (I use a Cuisinart machine that I’ve used for 2 summers now and it’s been great)

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

I made this zucchini galette, sorta using this recipe. I’ve made it twice now, once for my wine tasting picnic with my friends and again this weekend. It is soooo good and very indulgent.

I used a cashew “cheeze” sauce instead of ricotta and added tomatoes and caramelized onions. So good.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

the ones with strawberry jam are my favorite!

I’m heading up the mountain to stay in a cabin with some friends. Just us gals, armed with treats, wine and a bag of artsy/crafty stuff. We will be hiking, taking pictures and just having a great ol’ time. I am super excited.

Of course I made some vegan treats to take that are very, very yummy.  Almond cookies for energy on our hike and peanut butter cups for dessert.  The peanut butter cups are frozen now, but when thawed, they are  messy, gooey and really yum.

I also made a very delicious spread/dip, recipe from my friend A, that has cashews, almond butter, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, roasted peppers and garlic. So, so good!!

See you soon!

aren’t they pretty?

We’ve been enjoying our weekend, sipping on some delicious blackberry smashes (recipe here) and watching old home videos of the kids. It’s so hard to believe that those teeny, fat babes can grow up so quickly into big, robust boys.

I’ve also been working on this skirt. I have to re-do the waistband because it’s too big. But I don’t care because I love the fabric soooo much. I tried following the Skirt Sew-along tutorial, but I couldn’t get my fabric to shirr for the waistband, so I made it with out. I still have to hem it, but I don’t think I’ll be making it as short as the one in the tutorial. Knee length is better for me. I’m hoping to wear it tomorrow when we take daddy out for dinner.

I had wanted to show you the top I’ve been working on, but I’ve been having trouble with it and trying not to curse!! I’m in the process of ripping out the seams for the second time.

*deep breath*

So, instead I will show you something sinfully sweet and delicious….

I found the recipe in my Vegetarian Times, May/June 2010 issue just after making Limoncello.  How perfect is that?

We were invited to dinner last weekend and I made these for dessert.  They were a big hit. Vegan cake or ladyfingers soaked in Limoncello, diluted a bit with simple syrup (or  you can use lemon flavored syrup instead of Limoncello), layered with whipped topping, strawberries and a sprig of mint. Yum!!

I’m hoping to show you my new top tomorrow.

I made some limoncello a few weeks ago.  I followed these directions from Dabbled (thanks!) and it really turned out great.  Many of the other recipes that I saw online used a ton more simple syrup. This recipe only called for 1 cup which is perfect. I used the zest from 8 organic lemons and let the vodka/zest mixture sit for almost 5 weeks. It’ll take the hubby and I forever to get through the bottle, but I know a few friends who might want to come over and help us out.

It’s a little strong going down the throat, so I may have to try it with some seltzer water or something. I also just found a recipe in one of my veg times magazine with limoncello soaked ladyfingers, strawberries and some kind of cream (yogurt, pudding?) . I may have to try that out too.

Totally unrelated, a friend of mine just opened her own etsy shop, Touches of Color. She makes beautiful jewelry and has a great eye for color. I get so excited when friends learn about etsy and are inspired to make beautiful things to sell. Please hop on over and take a look.

I made more bagels a few days ago. Half wheat/white and whole wheat. I used this same recipe again. For the whole wheat I used whole wheat pastry flour and added a tablespoon of molasses. They were quite yummy.  It’ll probably be my last batch. I try not to turn the oven on once it gets over 100 degrees outside. Today it was 106!!

I also made a tempeh salad. I love tempeh. It’s a fermented whole soybean product that is highly digestible, high in protein (40g per pkg) and high in fiber and vitamins. It is also very versatile and we eat it on a weekly basis. Normally I make a “mock chicken salad” version with veganaise, but this time I wanted it a little lighter and I also wanted to use some lemon thyme from my herb garden. Here is what I came up with…

(serves 4-6)

1 pkg Tempeh
1 can garbanzo beans(drained and rinsed)
1 jar artichoke hearts (drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh lemon thyme (or parsley)
juice from 1 lemon plus zest
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup almond slivers
1/2 cup golden raisins
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cube or crumble temple into saute pan and cover tempeh with water. Simmer until water is evaporated (about 15-20 minutes) and allow to cool.

2. In bowl, smash garbonzo beans with a fork, keeping some of the bean whole.  Add remaining ingredients, including cooled tempeh.

3. Serve over lettuce or on crusty bread for a tasty lunch. Enjoy!

After all the house work we’ve been doing, we took the weekend off to relax and eat some good food.  I bought loads of fresh organic fruit and made a huge fruit salad for breakfast.

Later I made some bagels, because of this post, but I went with Isa Moskowits’ recipe instead. It is so dang awesome. Easy too, with  only 6 ingredients.  It does call for vital wheat gluten which you may not have on hand, but it makes them so soft and chewy. Make sure not to get gluten flour if you try these–it must be vital wheat gluten powder–there’s a big difference.

Then I made some Edamame Guacamole from Everyday Dish TV.   Avocados are super healthy, but this dip is even more healthy with the added protein and fiber from the edamame. So good!

Lastly, I made some berry trifles, which look and taste very good, but man were they ever a pain in the a**! First you make the cake layer, which was my favorite and best part, then the custard which NEVER thickened enough, then the berry fruit sauce and finally you have to assemble everything. If it weren’t for the custard not setting up, I probably would have been okay with everything. I am definitely making the cake part again. It was excellent. The best vegan white cake I’ve ever had. The recipe is from the book, Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm.

Now, I definitely have to exercise tomorrow to make up for all my good eating.  Hope you had a great weekend.

The organic strawberries and blackberries have been on sale, so we have be buying them all week. They are so good and disappear quickly.

Earlier in the week I found a vegan recipe for gelato and decided to modify it by adding pureed strawberries.  It was pretty yummy.  I made the original version a few weeks ago and it was a little creamier than the strawberry version. I wonder if was the strawberries or if I did something wrong.  It was still very good.

Speaking of vegan treats, I was sent some Primal strips (meatless vegan jerky) recently, and was asked to give a review.  Although I was never a big fan of jerky when I did eat meat, I thought it might be interesting to try them out. It turned out to be a really fun little experiment with the family. We divided each flavor into four pieces and gave them all a try.  They were pretty dang tasty and the texture was chewy giving us a nice jaw workout. Our favorites were the Texas BBQ and the Teriyaki.  I also liked the Thai peanut.  The one with the best texture was the Hot & Spicy flavor, made from shiitaki mushrooms, but unfortunately it was a little to spicy for us.   I usually don’t buy processed fake meat items, but these might make a fun snack on a big hike or camping treat.