This is a delicious and very flavorful soup from Color Me Vegan. I’m not typically a big fan of dill, but it tastes great combined with the basil and spinach. It’s also very simple to make. Even during the summer, I think this soup would be ideal to make because of the abundance of fresh herbs.

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 medium onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

6 C vegetable stock (I used 4 and added 2 cup of water)

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 lbs fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 C fresh dill

8 fresh basil leaves, minced

1/2 C nondairy milk

1-3 Tbs agave

Juice from one lemon

Pepper

Tofutti sour cream, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot, combine the onions, potatoes, garlic, broth, and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

In a food processor or blender, puree the soup with the spinach, dill, and basil. I had to do this in two batches. Blend until smooth. Return it to the soup pot and add the milk, agave, and 1/2 the lemon (add more if needed).

Warm the soup up, but don’t bring it to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top! Enjoy!

It all started with a Pampered Chef party I went to through Fort Vegan, my local vegetarian/vegan group. The hostess and rep prepared all-vegan samples, including this amazing bread—made of course, in their covered baking dish. Yes, I ended up buying it, but not just for the bread! It’s great for vegetable stews, casseroles, and even cake. Yes, cake. (Oh and in the microwave). Sounds bizarre, but really delicious! (and it was a gluten-free cake). Anyway . . . my bread didn’t puff up and fill the entire baker like the one at the party, so I’m going to have to try again and see what happens. The recipe calls for only 1/4 tsp of yeast and I wonder if that was a typo since my version was denser. Dense or not, however, it was incredible! I’m guessing you can make this bread without the covered baker, so if you do, let me know how it turns out. Oh and did I mention the dough has to rise for at least 12 hours? Then another 2? Believe me, it’s worth it.

INGREDIENTS:

3 C flour

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 C tap water

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in the water until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. When it’s ready, it will have bubbles on the top. The recipe then has you flour a Pampered Chef Pastry Mat and cover the dough with it for another two hours. This, I didn’t have, so I improvised, using a cutting board and dish towel.

1-1/2 hours into this second round of rising, preheat the oven to 450. Place the empty baker in the oven for 30 minutes to get it good and hot. Sounds crazy, but I did as I was told. Then dump the dough into the baker . . .

. . . cover and bake for 30 minutes. The recipe says to uncover and bake another 8-15 minutes, but my bread came out gorgeous after the 30 minutes.

It may not have been light and fluffy like the original, but it was mighty delicious just the same. If you give it a try, let me know how you made it and if you tweaked anything—I’d love to hear from you! Enjoy!

I really love a warm breakfast of veggies. I used two Chipotle-flavored Field Roast sausages, but I think just one would have been enough. You can also choose one of their other varieties. I like that spicy kick of the chipotle ones. This can be enjoyed on it’s own, or wrapped in a tortilla.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium potato, peeled and diced small

4 large Swiss chard leaves, stem removed and chopped

1 C mushrooms, diced

1-2 Field Roast sausages, crumbled

3 green onions, sliced

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

In about 2 tsp of olive oil, saute the potatoes over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, or until they begin to brown and are tender.

Add the Field Roast and cook another 5 minutes.

Stir in the chard, mushrooms, and green onions. Slowly stir to let the chard cook down, about 3-4 minutes.

Enjoy!

Michelle also does beautiful embossed cards and sent them out to lucky readers of her blog—with a challenge. Decorate them, send her a photo of it, and enter to win an Amazon gift card! I got my card in too late for the drawing (because I procrastinate really well), but be sure to check out the amazing cards other readers made.

I really liked the simplicity of the alphabet card, so I just added some cut out hearts from some handmade paper.

To see more of Michelle’s wonderful jewelry, stop by her Etsy shop and have a look!

My second crafty endeavor of the weekend was a DIY bulletin board. I really needed one for my office because I kept losing my Post-It notes among all the other junk on my desk. I have to send props out to my mom who gave me this idea.

Materials:

An artist canvas (found in craft stores)

Fabric

Staple gun

Basically, wrap the fabric around the canvas, pulling tight on the edges, as you staple it to back of the wooden frame of the canvas.

It really is that simple.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to fabrics and there are a so many different sizes of canvases that you’re bound to find one that will fit your needs.

Barb at That Was Vegan? posted this recipe, but used Israeli couscous and kale. YUM! I didn’t have any couscous and of course, I had eaten all the kale, but . . . I really wanted to make this dish. I added some mushrooms, too and it was delicious! You could also use wild rice or barley—just keep in mind they both take up to an hour to cook. Otherwise, this is quick and satisfying meal.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C arborio (risotto) rice

1-1/2 C water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 to 2 C mushrooms, sliced

1 C fresh spinach, chopped

Salt, pepper, and cumin, to taste

2-3 Tbs lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, or drizzle with olive oil. Add the potatoes. I sprinkled on some salt and pepper, too.

Bake 15-20 minutes until they start to brown—but be sure to turn once. While the potatoes bake, bring the water and bouillon cube to a boil, then add the rice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 10-15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, spinach, salt, pepper, cumin, and lemon juice. Cover until the veggies soften and wilt.

Stir in the sweet potatoes and enjoy!

Occasionally, there are nights I don’t cook dinner for the fam. Either we have lots of leftovers, or everyone is doing their own thing, so we fend for ourselves. Tonight was one such night. But when The Husband saw what I made, he kindly asked if I’d share. He said this was one of his favorites dishes—we both loved it. And so easy! Throw this together in 20 minutes and you have a healthy, protein-packed meal.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C quinoa

2 C water

1 vegan vegetable bouillon cube

3 C fresh spinach

3 C fresh mushrooms, sliced

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, bring the water with the bouillon cube to a boil. Stir it around so the cube dissolves completely. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to low, and cover for about 15 minutes. When the quinoa is almost done—just a tiny bit of water left—add the spinach, mushrooms and seasonings; combine well.

Turn the heat off, cover, and let the spinach and mushrooms steam a bit—5-7 minutes. You may need to drizzle with some water if there isn’t enough moisture left. Once the spinach is wilted and the mushrooms are tender, serve and enjoy!

Like many of you, I received the latest issue of Vegetarian Times yesterday . . . when I saw this recipe on the cover, I had to make it. I didn’t have all the same ingredients, so I improvised, plus I added some other seasonings. It came out delicious! Next time, I think I’ll try using barley instead of rice and maybe use zucchini instead of broccoli. It helps to have all of your ingredients chopped and ready to go first. Despite some prep work, this dish came together quickly and I liked that I only needed one pan.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbs olive oil

2 C broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 green onion, sliced

3 C low-sodium vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 C white rice

1 C corn kernels

12 pitted green olives, halved

12 pitted black olives, halved

1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped

Salt, pepper, and cumin, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and green onion. Cook about 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the broth and garlic; bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the corn and olives; cover and cook another 8 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper, and cumin and serve with a pinch or two of fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Ouch! Well of course that wasn’t my intention and I apologize if I did that, but is that the new excuse for not helping out a fellow human? “Oh, I might embarrass them.” If that’s true, what a depressing state of mankind. I told the woman this and she shrugged. If it wasn’t my turn in line, I would have found a box to stand on, grab the intercom and said, “Can I get a reality check at register 12?” I said I wouldn’t ever apologize for offering to help someone out and that perhaps by seeing me extend a hand, someone else will offer help to a person in need.

This woman had a small child with her and I found it sad that she’d rather teach her child to be apathetic, than show him the importance of paying it forward.

Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for what I have. I live a pretty comfortable life that allows me to stay at home, write, cook, buy my kid nice clothes, etc. I don’t offer to help people because I want a pat on the back. I do it because it’s the right thing to do. Plain and simple. When I was 21, I stood in the Medicaid/Welfare line carrying my newborn son in a car carrier. I was a single parent and I know how difficult, if not impossible it is to get ahead when you don’t have money. I was lucky that my parents could help, but if I didn’t have their support, I would hope someone would at least offer to help—whether I was willing to take it or not.

This incident reminds me of a documentary I saw a few weeks ago called “I Am.” It asks the questions, What is wrong with the world and how can we fix it?

It is a powerful movie with an incredible message that I think we all need to hear.

Maybe I overstepped my societal boundaries at the store today—I don’t know. I hope not. And I hope we haven’t come to that as a community, as a society, or as a race.

What do you think? 

This recipe is from Color Me Vegan and considering I love chickpeas, (a.k.a garbanzo beans) and chard, this is a new favorite. I would, however, make a few changes next time. Even though chickpeas are a great source of fiber and protein, and have no saturated fat, they do sport 90 calories per half a cup. Given this, I would use just half a can and even double the chard. So what to do with the other half of beans? Make a small batch of hummus, perfect for a few sandwiches during the week. I could have eaten the entire pan of this, which would not have been wise, so reducing the amount of chickpeas and adding more chard, I think, is a smart way to go. Otherwise, share this dish with plenty of others! (The recipe below is sans my suggestions).

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped

1 small lemon

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the chickpeas and cook 10 minutes, or until the beans begin to brown.

Stir in the chard and cook until it begins to wilt and cook down, about 5-7 minutes. Zest the lemon over the pan, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half over the mixture. (Watch out for seeds). Stir well to combine. Add salt, pepper, and more lemon, if desired. (If you go with my suggestions, you can use the leftover lemon—if there is any— in the hummus). Serve immediately, or at room temperature. Enjoy!

These are packed with nutty love! They’re also simple to make and grab while you’re on the go. You can sub in your favorite nuts, dried fruit, or even some chopped coconut. Go wild!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 C quick oats

2 Tbs brown rice flour

2 Tbs quinoa flakes

1/2 C nuts, chopped (I used peanuts and pecans)

1/4 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C chia seeds

2 Tbs flaxseeds

1/2 C dried fruit, chopped (I used Craisins)

1/2 C dark chocolate chips

3 Tbs almond butter

1 small avocado, pitted

2 Tbs brown rice syrup

3 Tbs almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, quinoa flakes, nuts, seeds, fruit, and chocolate chips.

Using a fork, mash up the avocado. Add the almond butter, almond milk, syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and thoroughly combine. Lightly oil an 8″ baking pan and press the mixture evenly in the dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Cool the pan on a rack, then cut into squares. Enjoy!