Thursday, August 16, 2012

COMPANY MEALS AND GARDEN TREATS

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I'm sorry that I haven't blogged at all for a couple of weeks-- I've had lots of company, and it was great fun-- granddaughters galore (6 of them), and one lone 8-yr-old grandson whom I don't see enough; two grown-up daughters; my son and a stepson in and out; and a friend or two.  

Here's some dishes we ate--with links to most of the recipes (besides ALOT of fruit!)...

A pile of yellow pattypan squash from our garden became..


One day for lunch we tried an inspired veggie hot dog recipe from my friend and fellow cookbook author, Betsy DiJulio-- Oh My “Dog”!: Vegan Thai “Not” Dogs with Asian Kale Slaw, Chili-Lime Mayo, Cilantro and Cashews  -- and they were a big hit!

Along with that we had a Charred Corn, Black Bean & Toasted Barley Salad from the book "Spilling the Beans: Cooking and Baking with Beans and Grains Everyday". (Not a vegan book, but lots of recipes vegans can use or veganize.) The recipe is here (I added some salt to the dressing).

           For our last company dinner, we had some of my husband's yummy homemade bread:

                                     And, since we've got plenty of basil growing on the deck....


I made a creamy pasta dish, using leftover Tofu Sour Cream, Tofu/Cashew Ricotta, and Quick Tofu Feta Crumble (from the squash tart recipe above) mixed with white vermouth, soy milk, garlic, soy parmesan, and LOTS of sliced fresh basil for the sauce.  I also added mushrooms and chopped tomatoes.  I was "winging" it and in a hurry, so I didn't write it down, but it was gobbled up...

For dessert:
A colorful fruit salad and...

                               My Vegan lemon and Coconut "Pound Cake"  from my blog.

And, when we were all alone again, we had this for lunch:
Spaghetti with Garlic, Roasted Chickpeas & Braised Kale or Chard (I used some of both).  DH really liked this and so did I!  It was also from the book "Spilling the Beans: Cooking and Baking with Beans and Grains Everyday". (Not a vegan book, but lots of recipes vegans can use or veganize.) The recipe is online here.

                                                                     And for dinner:

Quinoa and Smoked Tofu Salad (The recipe is from Eating Well magazine and online here-- I didn't have any cucumber, so I used radishes and some red bell pepper, and I used My Mother's Lemon Salad Dressing [x2] instead of theirs.)

                                                                            and
Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes with Creamy Lemon-Agave Dressing from my blog.

I'll be writing again soon!



1 comment:

joyce said...

Bryanna, just hopped onto your page. Consider changing your signature to end upwards!
(which bodes well according to chinese writing analysts) Best Wishes, Joyce