Julie's test recipe is the star this week

I am so blessed to be able to be one of Julie's testers from Everyday Dish. This week I made one of her new burger recipes. Probably one of the best veggie burgers I have ever had. Easy to make, incredible taste, texture, and versatile! DH said they were very tasty! They are great for leftovers and just look below at what else we did with them!

Just out of the frying pan resting!

No this is not a burger, but wanted you to see the size of the tomato we got from our CSA! Huge! It is bigger than the large veganaise jar. They are so good!

Here is a perfect veggie burger, thanks to Julie, on a whole wheat bun, lettuce, veganaise, mustard, and rice cheese with a scoop of baked beans. MMMM GOOD!


So, I started back to college today, which meant packing a lunch. I love my laptop lunch system. Sure beats school cafeteria lunches. CSA grape tomatoes, carrots, red grapes, and one of Julie's burgers with mustard in the little blue container. Just what the doctor ordered after going

to my nutrition class. :o)

Remember I said that the burgers were versatile? Well, here they are rolled in little "meetballs" lightly fried and served along some of DH's extra spicy vegan chili. He made a 19 cup pot of this chili today while I was at school. What a guy. We served it over baked potatoes, with corn, and a dollop of vegan sour cream. Thanks Babe!!!

Ok, I promised a birthday picture and here it is!

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

Happy 51st Birthday to me! Brandie took me to Stephanie's Pizza. It is a vegan bakery in Ocean Beach, which is in the San Diego area. Words can not describe how delicious there pizza's are. Maybe telling you that the 2 of us ate the whole thing is proof enough. Well, we couldn't just leave leftovers in the car while we went to the movies. Gross! And you don't waste this pizza! Thank you, Brandie for making my day so special!

The server at the restaurant took our picture together. Brandie you are the best! She gave me vegan fruit sweetened cookies, zevia (rootbeer flavor), and made me a bunch of family cloth with an accompanying wet bag! I love it all!

VeganMoFo Day 29 Daring Bakers Challenge

My very first Daring Bakers Challenge. Lets just say this was very interesting. I was thrilled that it was vegan so no substitutions were necessary, but a pizza challenge where you had to toss the pizza was a bit hysterical to say the least. DH took about 10 pictures of me tossing and never got the pizza in the picture. It was too high and I was too low. Yes, he did finally get one picture that makes me look like the wicked witch of the west, but hey it is me tossing a pizza. I told him look at me, gross take another one and I will try and smile. It didn't happen. We couldn't get both of us in the picture. lol... seriously.

Here the little pizza doughs getting ready to rest for the night.

Italian sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper, spinach, and olives with basic pizza sauce with yummy Follow Your Heart Cheese.

We had to make 2 pizzas so here is our second one. This pizza has zucchini, spinach, bell pepper, pepperoni, and Follow Your Heart Cheese.

After all that I forgot to take a picture of the cooked pizzas. Guess we were too busy eating. :o)

VeganMoFo Day 22 Football and pizza

Since we were busy playing with our grandson all afternoon dinner had to be quick. Our daughter picked up the baby about 4:30 and we were having company at 6:pm. I had made the salad this morning so there was nothing quicker than to toss a pizza in the oven for 7 minutes.

Dinner served. Quick and easy!

Pizza toppings included marinara sauce, follow your heart cheese, smart life pepperoni, field roast Italian sausages, spinach, black olives, and red and green peppers. No time to caramelize onions. Bummer! Sadly folks, pizza is a RED LIGHT FOOD for me and I forget when to stop. :o) Thank goodness Vegan pizza is better for you than omni versions.

I leave you with a smile! We were playing football and having a blast. :o)

How do you start your day & how do you end it?

Planning a wedding is very stressful. I have been cooking, eating, and even taking pictures, but have not had the time or should I say energy to post. I am also back to work 3 days a week, 4 hours a day. I know it may not seem like much, but when you don't move very well and you have to leave for work an hour and a half before you need to be there, just to find a parking place, the day is long and tiring. So for your enjoyment :o)

"Breakfast of Champions"

Here we have Susan's fantastic "Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche", fresh mango's, blueberries, and hash browns. Our family loves these quiche. If you have not tried them, what are you waiting for? Go for it and you will never turn back. I added cooked broccoli to them this time and they were gone in a matter of minutes. I can't even explain how good they are and this is coming from someone who has always had a great dislike for eggs. Give them a shot. No eggs equals incredible yumminess! Here are 2 of the best salads I have had all summer.

"Quinoa Spring Salad"

The first one is Quinoa Spring Salad from Dreena in her book Viva la Vegan on page 71. She had suggestions of amounts and ingredients. I used 3/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, toasted pine nuts, and left out the parsley, cilantro, or basil because I did not have any. It calls for 3-4 Tablespoons of a simple vinaigrette. I once again looked to Dreena and used her simple dressing on pg 57. What a fantastic dish! I can't say enough about it. I took it to a dinner with the ladies from my church and it disappeared almost instantly. Poor Brandie, she was so sad when I showed her the crumbs that were left.

"Cowboy Coleslaw"

Salad #2 is Cowboy Coleslaw from Alanna. I of course had to fool around with the recipe and it was a hit. Thank you Alanna for sharing it with us. Here is my adapted version:

COWBOY COLESLAW
2 cups grated carrot
2 cup thin-sliced red cabbage
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 apple, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds

DRESSING
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, white or red
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon agave nectar
salt and pepper to taste
Gently combine the cabbage, carrots, and apple. Whisk together the dressing and add to your salad mix. Add the toasted sunflower seeds just before serving.

"Dreena's Tofu-Lovin Sandwich"

Have any of you seen the August issue of VegNews? Dreena has a couple wonderful recipes in there. Potato-Spinach Salad with Pine Nut Dressing, which I have not yet made and Tofu-Lovin Sandwiches, which are wonderful. The tofu is lightly fried with balsamic vinegar and tamari and mixed with garden goodies. Here I had it on sprouted grain bread, corn on the cob, and broccoli. DH loved it and mixed it with his green salad the next day for lunch. This recipe is very light and refreshing on these hot summer days. Thank you, Dreena for another wonderful recipe.

"Veggie Pizza"

A good old stand by! "Veggie Pizza" cheeseless of course. I love the mixture of roasted veggies, pineapple, and olives. So, so, good! This is a wonderful way to eat your gifts from your garden! If you have never had a cheeseless pizza you don't know what you are missing.

"Bumbleberry Crumb Pie"

What a better way to end a post than with dessert. Julie has graciously asked me to test, yet another one of her soon to be famous pies for her upcoming book. Friends you won't be disappointed. The lovely pie is a mixture of different berries ( I added extra fresh blueberries), with a whole wheat and oat crumb mixture. The smell, the taste, the drooling, and the final product with a side of Soy Delicious Vanilla. Thank you, Julie!