For years, I stayed a vegetarian for 2 reasons:  ice cream and cheese… I didn’t want to cut those items out of my diet because I loved them too much.  However, when I finally “made the switch” to a full-fledged vegan diet in 2008, my ethics trumped my desire (for once!) and I cut dairy and eggs out.  There wasn’t even time for the ice cream-shaped hole to form in my heart; manufacturers were already producing dairy and egg-free desserts.  In recent years, this market has taken off – so clearly I am not the only one looking for quality vegan options.

With the help of two books - Veganomicon and The Vegan Scoop - I realized that I could take ice cream making into my OWN hands…

~Strawberry with Dark Chocolate shavings~

Armed with my two guides, I borrowed my mom’s ice cream maker – the Cuisinart Automatic Ice-Cream Maker.  This counter-top model is much easier to use than the wooden barrels and hand cranks and rock salt ones that I remember from summertime family reunions (although they were fun to hand crank for a while).  Simply mix up the ingredients (more on that in a bit…) and pour it into the pre-frozen cylinder.  It sits on this rotating base and slowly mixes up the ice cream.  It takes about 25 minutes start to finish.  So great that I am planning to buy my own after “test-driving” mom’s for the last few weeks.

As long as the chemistry of ingredients is right, you can make almost any ice cream flavor you dream up.  I tried a recipe from The Vegan Scoop and was disappointed when it did not turn out right – the base never “took” and while it was still good, it was more of an cold smoothie than an ice cream. This could be the result of a number of factors: this book instructs you to book the ingredients, let them cool, and then put them in the ice cream maker – so there are more variables. Perhaps I didn’t let the items cool long enough? or maybe the ingredients were not a good match for my appliance? The biggest plus of this book is the variety of ice cream flavors – it has over 100 flavors from fruit sorbets to decadent chocolate mixes, also includes novelty flavors like green tea and red bean … for that reason, I use it more for flavor inspiration than I do for following the recipes. I have had much more luck with the base written up in Veganomicon. It has 5 ingredients and doesn’t require cook/cool time. I pour the ingredients into my blender (VitaMix) and then pour them into the maker. Easy as … ice cream. This recipe cuts the time down and you don’t have to think about temperature control.

The recipe does use some soy products, but I am experimenting on how to eliminate them – with so many non-soy vegan ice creams on the market, I know there must be some way to get that consistency without it.  I am not sensitive to soy, but I know that it is an allergen to many people, and I like to find alternatives to it whenever I can.  The common substitution of almond milk in place of the soy milk works well, and one could also use more coconut milk than the recipe calls for a creamier texture.  The recipe also includes sugar and I haven’t made any substitutions there;  I am using cane sugar over refined sugar, but I have not tried using syrups or agave – perhaps another experiment is in order!

Here’s the Veganomicon base recipe ~ could be plain vanilla ice cream, or the base to  “dress it up” in different ways:

1/2 c coconut cream (the cream that forms at the top of coconut milk cans)

1 c soy milk (or almond, hazelnut, possibly rice, although I haven’t tried that)

3/4 c sugar

6 oz silken tofu

1 T vanilla extract

Puree all ingredients in blender or food processor and add to ice cream maker.  Yield is 1.5 pints of ice cream.

Following this recipe, I have made several variations – the strawberry chocolate above, strawberry blueberry sorbet, hazelnut, mint chocolate, and most recently, peanut butter.  I am interested in trying some others before I have to give it back… rum raisin is sounding good to me…

(*ahem* and don’t delude yourself… just because it’s vegan doesn’t necessarily mean that this is a 0 calorie/low fat health food.  I believe it is healthier than store-bought dairy ice cream any day – only 5 ingredients over the 20 or 30 unnatural additions you see in stores! – and the fact that it does not have milk or eggs makes it healthier – in my eyes – than the alternative.)

About 90 pounds of strawberries!  We had three rows (about 20 feet long) that were assigned to us – a group of 6.  They say it is the best picking that they have had in recent memory – I guess Snowmageddon was good for something!  Each plant had about 15 strawberries each, and they were like rubies under the dark green leaves.  So beautiful.

Since we had a clear plan for our berries, Kris and I took the most of them.  We split it 60/30.  It was an afternoon of washing, hulling, and freezer preparation.   The ripest and most delicate berries were taken out, cleaned and then sent through the juicer.  The juice is then frozen in popsicle holders and consolidated into plastic baggies in the freezer.  These little juice pops are used throughout the year for punches and sangria.  The majority of the berries were frozen whole – laid out on wax paper in the freezer shelf (so that they wouldn’t freeze together in one giant block after washing) and then consolidated into baggies.

…and with the others… we made some jam

My sister Sarah was in town for the long weekend, and she expressed an interest in learning how to can.  I picked up some jelly jars and pectin beforehand, so once she made it over, we were ready to go.

We made two batches of jam – the first was strawberry lime jam.  For this one, I used the Ball No-Sugar-Needed Pectin.  It called for apple or white grape juice for sweetener, but also gave instructions for adding some sugar.  Since I did not have the juice on hand, I did in fact add a bit of sugar to the recipe ~4 cups according to the recipe.  I found the recipe and adaptation on Ravelry’s Canny Crafters group page.  The original recipe was adapted from this one - just subbing lime juice and zest for the lemon.

The second batch used the same recipe as a guide, but a different flavor.  This was strawberry vanilla jam using Pomona’s Universal Pectin.  I saw several recipes for vanilla varieties and nearly all of them used a vanilla bean – but since I didn’t have one, I subbed 2 Tablespoons of vanilla extract.  I used the guidelines for sugars from Pomona’s box.  We had approximately 10 cups of strawberries, and I used a mixture of cane sugar and agave nectar for the batch.  And, it came out perfectly!  Such a nice gel and quite yummy too!

13 jars in all – 8 of vanilla and 5 of lime.  It was a great day.  Sarah, Kris and I had a lot of fun doing it all!  Now we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor over the whole year.  Planning to make more preserves, jellies, and canned goods this year – it’s fun to do!

 The version in California had some “soy shrimp” in it … I am not a huge imitation meat fan, but it was interesting to try all the same.  The meal was scrumptious and Kris and I were completely satiated.

…FAST FORWARD…

This dang hot pot is *still* on my mind.  I want to try to recreate that amazing taste.  So, I did some searching and found this recipe on the internet.  I could tell that this was not going to be exactly it, so I basically used it as a framework and added my own little perks.

 Soba noodles – wrapper tag states: “Say NO to GMOs”

Cabbage, scallions, bok choy – some of the choice greens for my version!

Sauteed the cabbage, straw mushrooms, and bok choy stems with sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes

Added carrots, tofu, chunked water chestnuts, and some mung bean sprouts, and poured the broth over the lightly cooked soba noodles.

While it was quite good, it wasn’t exactly the same blend and taste that we had in California – so I am going to give this one another try.  I wanted more spice – maybe some more rice vinegar or some miso paste? – and it was missing the lemongrass-y flavor that the other one had.  So, I need to “Thai” it up a bit more for next time!

It is definitely one of those fun meals that can be shared communily.  It was only Kris and I, so we didn’t pull out the fondue pot, but this would be a fun way to turn this meal into a course for a dinner party. 

Luckily, I have some delightful new vegan cookbooks to try out, including the oh-so-great Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. (Seriously ya’ll.  This book rocks my socks.  I daresay, more than its predecessor, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.)  It’s got it all – 100 recipes for cookies, brownies, bars (including breakfast bars) and everything else that makes you smile and comes in sweet bite-sized pieces.  Lots of photos and a huge variety of flavors too.  I have made 4 recipes from it already and want to make them all!

Care for an amazing minty + chocolate brownie?

It’s fudgy and delicious and you would never know it was vegan (of course, I *like* to know that it is vegan!) but you could sneak it in as a slightly healthier surprise on your holiday table or at that office party potluck…

It’s adapted from the Espresso Fudge Brownies (pg. 130):

• 3 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (I used Earth Balance sticks)

• 2/3 cup sugar (I used natural cane sugar)
• 1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.5 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

Line an 8×8″ square metal pan with aluminum foil (enough to turn over the side lips of the pan) Apply a non stick spray or grease with shortening. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chocolate and margarine in a large glass mixing bowl. Microwave at 50% for 2 minutes until chocolate is soft enough to melt in with the margarine when stirred. Stir until smooth and add sugar and combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the nondairy milk, cornstarch and vanilla and peppermint extracts until foamy. Stir this into chocolate mixture, using a spatula, until combined. Sift in flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt until moistened. A few lumps are okay, so do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, getting as much as possible and smooth out evenly to the edges of the pan.  (I added some vegan chocolate chips to the top of mine, they melted into the batter but kept their shape.  Just an added touch for a chocolate-lover like myself!)

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs (no gooey batter!). Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 brownies.

Do you have a holiday baking ritual? I always enjoyed baking and decorating sugar cookies with the little green and red sprinkles and the silver balls, as well as the yummy fancy cookies like “buckeyes” and chocolate covered pretzels and nuts.

I’d love to hear what you have planned for your holiday sweets

Here’s some of the recent recipes from my kitchen:

Fig-Smushed Anise Almond Cookies

1/4 c soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 1/4 c demerara sugar (or turbinado)
2/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t anise extract
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
12 dried figs (stems removed and cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Place ground flaxseed and milk in a bowl and blend until frothy.

Add the sugar and oil to the mixing bowl and beat until emulsified.  Mix in the vanilla and anise extract.

Add about 1 cup of the flour along with the baking powder and salt.  Mix well, Add the remaining flour.  Fold in chopped almonds.  Use a wooden spoon or your hands, as the mixture will be harder to blend.

Roll the dough into golf ball-sized balls, then flatten them on the cookie sheet to about 2-inch diameter.  Smush the fig gently by firmly into the center, cut side down.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  The fig should be soft and the cookies should be golden brown on the bottom.  Remove from oven and let sit on the sheets for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to cooking rack to cool completely.

Adapted from the amazing Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook~

I used Sucanat in place of demerara sugar, and it was perfect.  I also quartered the figs, as half of the fig seemed too big for the cookie. The anise was so aromatic – like cloves and licorice – and also quite photogenic, aren’t they?

…and they pair so perfectly with…

Homemade Apple Cider

6 cups fresh apple cider
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (more or less, to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries
6 strips orange peel
6 strips lemon peel

Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving, if you like.

Adapted from this online recipe – with some changes.  I used my juicer to make the apple juice directly from the apples, instead of using store bought apple cider.

My dad was in West Virginia for work conference and stopped by an orchard on the way home. He called and asked if I wanted any, and I said sure, and just picked two bushels out of the air. Of course, that was without realizing how many TWO bushels actually is – 4 large brown paper bags filled to the brim – between 150-200 apples, I estimate. So, I had to get creative! The apple cider was just one of the recipes I am trying…

…also pulled down the dehydrator for apple rings - just core and peel,  dip the slices in some lemon juice and cinnamon, and set them out to dry over night.  Great for granola, trail mix, and oatmeal fixings!

Last but not least, I made this delicious apple butter – already preserved and canned for enjoyment later on! I was inspired by the recipe in this great book, Preserving the Harvest.   I used my crockpot – and it made the house smell so good   I am planning to try a few other recipes from the book with the remaining bushel.

I just can’t help it.

I made this WHOLE meal (excluding the lettuce, olives, and tomato) using one appliance!

…and what would that appliance be?

Meet the Vita-Mix.

When our old blender finally kicked the bucket, I had hopes that we could get this one.  Every one that I know who has one loves (like LOVES) theirs.  It’s wonderful for smoothies, which I drink every morning, and for a host of other things… since getting the Vita-Mix, we have made:  pesto from garden-fresh basil, all of the items on the plate shown above (potato spinach soup – cooked IN the blender in 7 minutes!, whole grain bread – even ground our own whole wheat flour!, and zesty tomato salad dressing), cinnamon rolls, apple spice cake, strawberry sorbet, about 20 green smoothies (spinach, kale, wheat grass + fruits and veggies), hummus, coffee… and a handful of other things that I am sure I am forgetting.  (I would be happy to share some recipes, but I am not entirely sure how they would translate without the machine itself… I guess it could be an experiment…)

Apple Spice Cake

Simply put, it is amazing.  You do pay for the amazingness of it, but considering that it is about 5 appliances in one, I felt like it was justified.  Luckily, Kris agreed with me.  He likes to cook as much as I do.  And since you make every thing right in the mixer, you know each ingredient going in.   So, it is ideal for vegans or for people with food allergies.  We got two canisters for ours – a wet and a dry – the wet is used the most for the soups, dressings, and obviously the smoothies, but the dry is essentially a bread maker… it mixes and kneads the dough pretty effortlessly, and as mentioned before, you can make all of your own flours.  We made whole wheat, rye, and buckwheat flour, as well as flaxseed meal.  If you have gluten sensitivity, it is perfect for making your own chickpea or soy flours with raw beans.  I am planning to try this very soon.   Also planning to make a whole batch of my own nut-butters and nut milks.  I *love* almond and macadamia butter, and use it often in smoothies, but I often balk at the price of the nut butters at the market.  I use almond milk everyday for smoothies and in place of regular milk.  Making my own is the key! 

It’s so interesting to me how supposedly “restricting” my diet to vegetables (I don’t see it as restriction in any way though!) has awakened this intense love of cooking.  For me, I see it as the same creative platform as knitting or sewing, or any other craft or art.

Our yard and our climate seem particularly suited for tomatoes and peppers, and we have had continued success with these plants over the years.  Squash seems to do well for awhile before being attacked by the beetles, and we also have had a decent crop of okra, cucumbers, eggplants, and lots of herbs.  Fortunately, we escaped the tomato blight that caused so much damage… funny thing is that it affected some of our neighbors down the street, but our tomatoes are healthy and abundant (so far).  We plant a number of varieties of tomatoes with pretty much one thing in mind:  making Kris’s amazing salsa recipe.  This year, we had two varieties of heirloom tomatoes, as well as several crops of romas to rely on for the first batch of the salsa.

We spent last weekend in the kitchen, canning three batches of veggies:  the aforementioned salsa, spicy dill pickles (and regular ones too), and some pickled peppers (Habaneros and jalapenos).  As you can see, we like the spicy foods and use these canned goods throughout the winter for all sorts of our favorite recipes like jambalaya, curries, various soups, black bean burgers, etc.  No wasting the veggies here!

Three Christmases ago, I saw an ad in some magazine at the doctor’s office about “Great Gifts for the Man in Your Life” (Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living, I think…)  The #1 gift intrigued me, and I thought that it would be something interesting and unique for the man in my life who likes to spend (nearly) the same amount of time in the kitchen that I do… so, I bought Kris the Cameron Cookware Stainless Steel Stovetop Smoker.  Little did I know, at the time, that this would be one of the best purchases for our culinary exploits!  I also picked up the indoor smoker cookbook, Smokin’, which has a total of TWO vegetable recipes, but it does have a lot of good ideas… The smoker is traditionally thought of for meats, but we have enjoyed so many smoked vegetables over the years. Who said vegans can’t be smokin’ too?

All that to say, that the smoker is an integral part of the salsa preparation.

All varieties of tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden – loaded into the smoker with hickory wood chips.  It takes about twenty or thirty minutes to get the right flavor.  This step is SO worth it.

For years, we used store-bought chipotles, but once we got the smoker, we made our own!

… Cilantro + Onions + Garlic + mix of spices and vinegar …

I would share a recipe if I had one, but this is all living in Kris’s head.  He has perfected this over the years. We do a whole little taste test each year and discuss whether it needs more or less of certain ingredients.  Perhaps I can get him to write it out one day soon.  This year’s batch seems to be one of the best so far – the tomatoes were not too watery and they had a delicious flavor.

Long winter with summery fresh food!

5 pints of salsa
4 pints pickled peppers
3 qt dill pickles

It was quite a productive and rewarding day.  …and there are already more tomatoes ripening on the vine.  A second batch (maybe even a third) is quite possible.

With fall right around the corner, I am already thinking about more harvesting and more preserves… apple butter?  some more peach jam?  … gosh, I love this season…

I have been looking forward to this moment all week.

Knitting on Kris’s Olympic pullover while the smell of the peach muffins bake in the oven.

Peach and Pecan Muffins, adapted from The Vegan Table - makes 16-24 muffins

• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t  nutmeg
• 1 T baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 3/4 c chopped raw pecans
• 1/2 c canola oil
• 6 oz. non-dairy yogurt or non-dairy sour cream
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 T distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 c granulated sugar (I used sucanat)
• 1 c brown sugar
• 2 1/2 c peaches, pitted, skinned, and diced
• Extra pecans for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease muffin tin or fill with cupcake liners.  In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt,  and baking soda.  Add pecans and stir.   In a separate bowl, mix oil, yogurt / sour cream, vanilla, vinegar, granulated sugar, 3/4 c brown sugar (save rest for later) and the peaches.  Stir the peaches mixture into the flour mixture slowly until moist.  Spoon the mixture into the baking tin  and sprinkle the top of the muffins with the extra brown sugar and nuts.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack and serve!

There are plans to can some of our garden veggies this weekend… but that may wait until tomorrow. I have every intention of working on this sweater and flipping through my library books and enjoying the stillness today.

…and then I had an amazing mushroom dish… and it was just so simple, but well done and delicious… and I started wanting *more* of these fungi. 

Now I am eating up the mushrooms left and right.  Who knew?  All I had to do was prepare it myself with other delicious ingredients!  In the past few weeks, Kris and I have enjoyed several different Portabello dishes, chantrelle-stuffed poblanos, crimini tofu omelet, shiitake stir-fry… and all of them have been so mouth-watering good.

Adapted from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, the book that I blogged about before, I have made these roasted Portabellos once each week since the beginning of July.  (I must thank my dear parents for setting my on this path with the delicious Portabellos I ate at their house on July 4th!)  The recipe is so so simple.  My changes were the result of experimentation – I found the original a tad too salty, and I wanted to add some garden-fresh herbs.  If you do not have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs, but the taste will be much better with fresh!

• 4 medium to large portabello caps
• 2 T tamari or soy sauce (tamari for lower sodium and gluten-free - you can reduce this to even a smaller amount if desired)
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c cooking wine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 stem rosemary
• 1 stem marjoram
• 2 sprigs thyme
• ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix ingredients in a casserole dish (I use a 9 x 12 glass dish) and spoon the mixed marinade into the upturned mushroom caps.  It will bead at the surface, but you can push the spoon into the small crevices.  Leave some marinade to pool at the bottom of the dish.  Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes.  With tongs, flip the mushroom caps face down and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  (I remove the foil for the final 10 minutes).   

I like to serve the portabellos in several ways – on top of quinoa or a salad, or as part of a sandwich.  If you have fresh ingredients available (tomato, lettuce, pickles) the mushroom tastes perfect as a burger.

In my experience, thyme has such a lush and savory taste – it really can make a whole dish taste amazing.  We have grown it for years in our herb garden, but it was not until two or three summers ago that I began to use it in meals.  It really balances out tomato dishes, and brings depth to ingredients like mushrooms, potatoes, or tofu.

My foodie summer continues… I have so enjoyed all the baking and making this season.  It is so satisfying to sit down to a delicious meal and to feel no regrets afterward.  What a liberating feeling it is to know that my food is clean, nourishing both my body and my soul!

Of course, some of the best summertime menus are not even cooked at all…

Cucumbers, heirloom tomatos, dill from the garden with greens and pinenuts

Two books have completely inspired by cooking and baking of late.  I checked them both out at the library, and promptly purchased my own copies.  Once you make 11 things from a cookbook, it seems like a good time to buy your own, right? 

The Vegan Table pretty much blew my mind the minute I picked it up.  First off, it is a *beautiful book* with great photography - nearly every one of the 200 recipes in this book has a full length color photo, artfully arranged and lighted.  Eye-catching indeed.  Of course, that is purely the aesthetic.   Then you start to look at the recipes and your mouth just starts to water right then and there.  Give me a vegan cookbook and I am like Pavlov’s dog!    This cookbook came out this summer, and the timing could not be better.  It is just chocked full of recipes for the fresh fruits and vegetables that you find at the farmers’ markets and your local store.  Even if you are not a vegan, there is an endless supply of healthy and fresh recipes in this book to inspire you. 

In just over a week, I made nearly a dozen recipes from the book, including:  Berry Crisp, Herb-Infused Portabello Mushrooms, Lentil Mustard Salad, Quinoa Corn Salad, Beet Chocolate Bundt Cake, and Eggplant Caponara.  And now that I have my very own copy of the book, I am planning to make many many more.  There are all sorts of entertaining ideas for holidays and/or seasonal pairings.  This is such an amazing book that I think it may be perfect… or at least as close to perfect as anything I have ever seen.  [GoodReads review]

 The second book, had I not seen Vegan Table before it, would have been my #1 favorite.  It is also a wonderful cookbook in it’s own right with SO many ideas. Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook is written and arranged by the same woman who put together the fun Vegan Cupcakes book that I reviewed a few posts back.  With this book, she truly expands and covers the whole vegan gamut.  Amazing recipes for hundreds of foods.  Like the one above, it is a great resource for anyone who wants to introduce more fresh ingredients and vegetables into their meals, regardless of the vegan name.   I used it several times when I had an ingredient in hand, and wanted to find a recipe to use it in.  This was specifically the case with some pumpkin puree I had.  Last year, we had several large pumpkins in the garden.  We pureed the pumpkins and froze them into blocks in the freezer.  Needing to make more room for this year’s harvest, I pulled out one of the blocks and searched for a recipe.  I came to the delicious sounding “Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Pecan Streusel”.  YUM!  So, I set out and made 2 batches of the cake:  one for my friends at Yoga Teacher Training over the weekend, and one for Kris and I at home.  One block down and many more ideas to go!  (On the pumpkin crumb cake note:  It was truly an international cake!  The molasses used in the recipe was from a sugar cane farm in Peru -that we visited on our trip in 2007- and the pecans were from my uncle’s orchard in Alabama.  I love the memories that cooking can bring back!) [GoodReads Review]

Here is my friend Kath enjoying the Pumpkin cake this past weekend at YTT:

I also surprised my YTT friends with some zucchini bread that I made – with the zucchini fresh from my garden.  I used this recipe from the Vegan Street Kitchen and it was perfect!  A great way to use the zucchini too.  The thing I really liked about the recipe was the lack of refined sugars – maple syrup was the sweetener and it was just right.

Alecia seemed to enjoy it!

The cooking and baking fever continues around here, especially when I look out at my garden – growing so well as the Maryland humidity rises.  I am planning a series of posts about cooking/baking with herbs – especially herbs directly cut (or purchased fresh) from you garden:  I can’t wait to share some of the delicious recipes I have tried with you… in the meantime, here is one to whet your appetite.  A tried-and-true recipe from last year’s harvest that I am repeating this year…

Freshly cut basil from the garden to make the delectable vegan pesto!

* I looked up the word “relish” to get an idea of the etymology – and I came across this definition: to relish – to take zestful pleasure in   but I just love this definition.  ZESTful!  Yes!

PS - Yes, I am gung-ho about my veganism.  Yes, I realize that this is a huge topic that could take many posts to discuss and explain.  My veganism is very important to me, but I will never force my opinions on anyone.  I don’t like to be preached to, and I will not do this to others. Food and what we eat are sensitive matters that can be just as touchy and controversial as discussing politics and religion.  The one thing that I will say is that it is very important to know and understand where your food comes from and how it arrives on your plate;  for your health, your longevity, and your general happiness.  Veganism is a choice I have made, although I have family and good friends who continue to eat meat and dairy products.  I myself have not felt the complete conviction to eschew all of my animal fibers in my yarn stash, but I follow the same maxim here – I like to know where my products come from.  Thanks for reading, and if you would like to hear more about this, let me know by email or in the comments section… I am considering an addendum page to this blog about food politics and choices, as it is something that I deeply care about and would be happy to provide information about my path.