Breakfast Cookies

Oh, this was a good one.  I made these with my mom while visiting over the weekend, which of course for me was the most fun part, but my daughter will eat anything if you call it a cookie or a muffin.

I'm not a huge fan of anything that has a banana flavor to it, but these were better the second day.  Even later in the afternoon.

I plan on trying these with quinoa.

Here is the link (of course, I found it on pinterest first!).

Fresh Tomato Sauce and Pasta

Found yet another one on Pinterest.  Love that site. Find the recipe here.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

The only thing I would do differently is that I would have not refrigerated the tomatoes. I know, I know. You are not supposed to refrigerate the tomatoes. I did anyway, because I bought them at the farmer's market on Saturday, so I could make this dish, but I wasn't sure when I would get to it.  So I put them in the fridge.

Refrigerating tomatoes really does impede their flavor.  Don't do it.  This is a fantastic recipe and mine would have tasted wonderful if my cold tomatoes didn't have a metallic taste to them that comes with sitting in the fridge.

Totally easy to prepare. I even went the extra mile to scrape out the seeds before processing them. I made the sauce in advance and then squeezed much of the liquid out of the bowl before mixing with the pasta.

Bam! dinner was done. I'd say it took me less than 15 minutes.

Makes plenty of leftovers.

Quinoa Crunch Salad

Oops, I accidentally posted on the wrong blog!  I took this picture with my ipod touch and posted it using the blogger app.  The picture is a little off, but you get the idea.  What I said on the other blog is that I am not always a far of the quinoa, but I really liked it in this salad.  I think the crunch really is what made it, and it was strangely addictive.  I got the recipe from my blog crush at The Lively Kitchen.  Enjoy!

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

This is a super salad. 



This is one I found off of Pinterest. I've become a pinterest junkie lately. So many good ideas.  I have to say I quite liked this recipe. The roasted salted almonds added a crunch factor that was quite fun.  Find the recipe here. It was easy to prepare, and I could make it in advance and leave it in the fridge until everything else was ready.

My two oldest would't eat it, but my baby sure likes Kale. He gobbled it up.  Oh, the flecks of orange are carrots. I screwed up and added carrots to it, even though the recipe doesn't call for them. I was doing too many things at the same time and got confused. But who can go wrong with more veggies in your diet?

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I had a bad experience with brussels sprouts once - when I was kid.  Poorly prepared, sitting cold on my plate. I tried to feed them to the dog but even she wouldn't eat them.  I haven't been back there since.

Now, 30 some odd years later I'm brave enough to try them again.  Got the idea out of Veganomicon.  And I read somewhere that the smaller ones are not bitter. The ones I had were all about the size of a marble or a superball your kids would get from those little vending machines.They were quite yummy.

Get a fresh bunch from the farmer's market.
Trim the knobby ends and slice in half.
Lay cut side down on the tray, evenly coat with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 15 mins, throw a teaspoon of minced garlic in with them in the last few mins of baking.

Voila. They were so good, my husband (who also doesn't like brussles sprouts) and I ate the whole batch.

Give it a go.

wait for this cake . . . .

I've tried most of the recipes from this month's VT issue. Up Next:  Garlicky Cheezy Kale & Crispy Chick’n Salad,  Jack Burgers and Fabulous Vegan Fudge Cake with Bittersweet Icing

I have to say, I've liked almost all of them.  Follow this link to get the recipes, and see below for my comments.

Garlicky Cheezy Kale & Crispy Chick’n Salad

The jury is out on this one.  First of all, I couldn't find Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n. I search SuperTarge, Cub Foods and Kowalski's (which is gourmet grocery). Nada. Whole Foods is in St Paul and I didn't have time or energy in my schedule to drive all that way, so I just made do with good old fashioned Garden Burger meatless chicken patty. The recipe was simple to prepare, had a distinct tahini taste to the dressing. I didn't love it, didn't hate it, but it was kinda nice to have the mix of chicken strips with the salad.  I'm not sure why this one got an Honorable Mention in the VT Get Lucky Recipe contest - seems to me that there would better recipes out there.  I'd make it again though.

Jack Burgers



To me, Jack burgers would be a competitor to the Chick Pea Cutlets from Veganomicon.  They were prepared similarly, but I used bisquick instead of the GF pancake mix the recipe called for. They were a little mushy on the inside, but not really too bad. Good flavors.  Easy to whip up in the food processor and the recipe makes quite a few.  I'm going to experiment with freezing and cooking the remaining batter to see how that would work. Will keep you posted.

Fabulous Vegan Fudge Cake with Bittersweet Icing

This cake really was so fabulous, it probably deserves its own entry on this blog. OMG. my mouth is watering just thinking about the leftovers in the fridge. My husband ate two slices last night and had one for breakfast this AM. 

Rich. Fudgy and thick.  Super easy to make. I used rice milk instead of soy (since I was pregnant I've developed an aversion to soy milk and it grosses me out).   One note however: when making the icing, allow it to cool significantly before pouring it on the cake. Seriously. If you think its ready, wait a little while longer. It will still pour even if its chilled. Mine ran all over the place and my cake was sitting in a pool of icing. Not the best for appearances, but it was still yummy.

More from Vegetarian Times

I'm guilty. I'm just going to post pictures of the tings I made from the Sept 2012 issue of VT because I'm too tired to reproduce them. (Sorry folks, I'm just a busy mom, like everyone else and I've got too much to do not enough time). If you can find it, go out and buy this month's issue. Its worth it.  If you prefer to wait until next month, I'll post the links to these recipes on this blog when they are available.

I really recommend this issue. I've tried most of the recipes in it and there are a few. We had Heirloom Tomato Salad with Grilled Foccaccia and Rosemary Honey Drizzle one night for supper. It was really good.  I've been visiting the farmer's market here. Local produce just adds to the yumminess. 

Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad

served with:

Grilled Bread with Rosemary-Honey Drizzle