June 2011
28 posts
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Roasted Ratatouille Spaghetti
I am so lucky to be surrounded by fresh organic food sources, from my CSA share, to the backyard gardens of my cousins, & my friend Shelly’s! This weekend Shelly’s husband picked some wonderful summer veggies & herbs for me - eggplant, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, fava beans, corn, fresh basil, thyme & rosemary.
Thinking about these ingredients, a ratatoullie came to...
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This Week's (small) CSA Share!
Cucumber
Padron Peppers
Parsley
Garlic
Summer Squash
Beans
Carrots
Broccoli
Yay! Padron peppers are back at Suzie’s Farm! My favorite way to enjoy them? Roasted with sea salt! Yum! Check out a recipe here!
I’m having a bit of “large box envy” now. While I am happy with the amount of veggies I am getting in the small box, the large box always seems to have fun...
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Shaved Fennel Salad
I love fennel, but when it shows up in mass quantity in my CSA share, I am often at a loss for how to utilize it in new & exciting ways! Sometimes, simplicity is best…
So, I was very excited when this salad recipe popped up on 101 Cookbooks! I appreciate Heidi Swanson’s approach to simple & fresh recipes & am a huge fan of her cookbooks & website!
Shaved Fennel...
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Spicy Summer Squash Soup
Summer Squash is quite abundant right now at the markets & in CSA boxes!
“Suzie’s Farm Mixed Summer Squash”
While I love summer squash, I’ve already almost had my fill & summer has just begun! I’ve been scouring my cookbooks & my favorite vegan blogs for recipes & inspiration to keep me creative through the squash season. I love a light &...
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Curried Tofu "Egg Salad" Sandwich
The Curried Tofu “Egg Salad” I made yesterday turned out so yummy & I was super excited to put together my sandwich for today’s lunch!
Organic Romaine Lettuce & Onion Sprouts from Suzie’s Farm & ”Egg Salad” on Ezekiel Bread!
“Curried Tofu ‘Egg Salad’ Sandwich”
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Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Shiitake Mushrooms &...
Being the adventurous type, tonight my friend P decided to try his hand at a recipe & make me dinner at his home.
“Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Shiitake Mushrooms & Basil”
While he has made attempts at cooking for me in the past, he confessed he has never cooked from, or followed, a recipe in his life. Soooo, he found this one here, & thought it sounded like something I...
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Curried Tofu "Egg Salad"
Trader Joe’s used to make an awesome “Eggless Egg Salad” that I was close to addicted to! My favorite way to enjoy it was as a sandwich with fresh basil leaves & sliced tomato on whole wheat bread. I just about came to tears when an associate informed me that they no longer made it.
Curried Tofu “Egg Salad”
One of the reasons I had to have the Quick-Fix...
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Quick-Fix Vegetarian
I am a self professed cookbook addict & am always looking to add new ones to my collection (check out my new amazon store to see my recommendations!).
“Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less” by Robin Robertson
I bought this book for P when he decided to become vegetarian. I thought the easy-to-follow recipes with accessible store bought...
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Vegan Wine from The Vegan Vine
Whoa, there! Wine? Not Vegan? You betcha, animal products may have sneaked into your favorite Pinot Gris! When I first heard this, I couldn’t believe it either! The truth is that some vintners use egg whites, casein, gelatin & isinglass (fish bladder, ewwww!) during the refining & clarifying process - making their wines unsuitable for strict vegans!
I love to get my wine on, but...
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I Scream...
…You Scream…We all scream for (VEGAN) Ice Cream!!!
“Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream with Fresh Mint”
So, I’ve been a bit crazy in the kitchen this week & decided to try my very first attempt at homemade vegan ice cream!
I adapted the recipe from The Vegan Scoop, which encourages you to try using different non-dairy milks, so I used Silk Coconut Milk. I also could...
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Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!
After the success of the cupcakes I made last week from Cherrybrook Kitchen’s mix, I decided to give this a these a try…
These are fantastic! Moist & chewy, not at all like the dry bricks I’ve turned out in the past! Just wait until you see what I have planned for these babies!
“Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies”
Another awesome alternative when you need a...
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Inspired Soup & Sandwich
I mentioned recently that I was feeling as if I’d lost my zest! Working two jobs is often overwhelming & lately has left me completely overloaded. I had the remnants of my last CSA box dwindling away in my fridge - some random odds & ends: baby potatoes, fresh garlic stalk, purple scallions, a few carrots, summer squash, & very little inspiration. I hate to see good produce go to...
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CUCINA Urbana
I had a lovely business/birthday lunch with my family business partners today at CUCINA Urbana, a charming & thoughtful restaurant in the heart of San Diego’s “Bankers Hill” neighborhood.
CUCINA urbana is a California inspired Italian Kitchen & Wine Shop that features:
all menu items $20 & under
strong commitment to seasonality + sustainability
organic +...
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New Dirty Dozen
The EWG released the 2011 Dirty Dozen list today & there have been some changes since last year’s report!
Apples are now ranked #1 as the most contaminated item, up from #4 last year. According to USDA, pesticides showed up on 98 percent of the apple samples tested. Yikes! That conventionally grown “apple a day” certainly won’t keep the doctor away!
Other changes:...
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Summer Squash Risotto with Fresh Garlic, Petite...
My CSA has already been keeping me very well stocked in the summer squash department, & it’s not even officially summer yet! I don’t have a lot of tried & true summer squash recipes, so I decided to come up with my own - a risotto recipe - with a little inspiration from The Best of Vegan Cooking.
I’ve also received a few stalks of fresh garlic from...
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"Cherrybrook Kitchen" Cupcakes
June is filled with birthdays in among my friends & family, & with my Mom’s & cousin’s birthdays back-to-back, I wanted to bring sweet birthday treats into our family business office.
Vanilla Coconut Cupcakes
I typically prefer to make cupcakes from scratch, using my trusty favorites from VCTOTW, but I have one heck of a busy week, so I’ve been short on time!...
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Native Foods, etc. at The Camp
I had to go up to Orange County, CA this morning for a sales meeting, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swing by Native Foods, one of my absolute favorite vegan cafes, for a quick lunch before heading back to San Diego!
The O.C. Native Foods is located just a few miles away from South Coast Plaza, one of the largest upscale destination malls on the West Coast, at The Camp…
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Sangrita for Enjoyment of Your Best Tequila
The following post was submitted to Vegenista by my good buddy P’s Dad! This is the perfect time of year to spend a leisurely afternoon sipping “Sangrita!” Just remember to use a vegan Worcestershire sauce, like Annie’s Naturals, or make your own to keep it veg friendly! Thanks for sharing, Mr. W!!! :)
Cheers!
When I go to a Mexican restaurant, prior to dinner, I like...
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Vegenista's "Summertime Scramble" Recipe
The photo I posted of my tofu scramble yesterday was a favorite of many of my tumblr buddies, so I am sure you are all anxious for the promised recipe!
By the way, I hit 1300 tumblr followers today & I am absolutely “over the moon” (I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to throw in that annoyingly trite expression, haha)! But seriously, I really am ecstatic! When I...
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