Vegan Sweet Potato Salad

Baseball, beer, and potato salad…what do they all have in common? SUMMER!! One of my favorite salads is potato salad in all of its creamy yummy-ness! My salad takes a bit of a twist on the typical salad and will leave your guests drooling for more!

1 large sweet potato (cubed in even bite size pieces)

1 pound purple potatoes- cubed

5 celery stalks with the leafy tops, finely chopped

1 red onion minced

1 small jar pimentos

1 small jar capers

2 cans sliced olives

3 dill pickles- chopped (I prefer Clausen)  

1 ½ cups vegan mayo

2 Tbs mustard

1 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

3 Tbs vegan white sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring potatoes to a boil, cook until for tender. When cooked, strain and set aside. While potatoes are cooking, put all the chopped vegetables in a very large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the “mayo”, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and garlic. Taste the wet mixture, adjust for your own sweetness level (not too sweet, both potatoes are sweet).

Mix everything together in a large bowl! Let it stand in the refrigerator  for several hours before service!

TURST ME- your friends and family will love the sweet potatoes in this recipe.

Salt and Pepper Cocktail

Okay- I have fallen in love with a local Sacramento restaurant called “The Press” it is a gem of our city. The reason I love this place, amazing food and drinks at great prices. I have always been a fan of Greyhounds (thank you FDR)- this is that drink with a twist! I must warn, this is a very easy drink- so be careful!

Salt and Pepper Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces gin 

 1 drop Simple syrup 

 1/2 Juice of a lime 

 1/2 Juice of a grapefruit 

 2 dashes  bitters 

Tiny amount of chopped rosemary

 Lime Juice; for garnish 

 Salt; course for garnish 

Mix the ingredient into a martini shaker, and shake well! Strain into a martini glass and serve.

And, please have a second one waiting for me. Thank you.

Vegan Spanish Rice

This is a go to dish for me. I can make a HUGE batch and eat it for a week. I’ll have tacos and rice one night, rice for lunch the next day and so on! This is the recipe I use. I know there are many more out there and I am sure some better than mine. The beauty of this recipe, you can adjust it any way you see fit! Please, play with the recipe and post crazy changes you have made!

Vegan Spanish Rice

2 cups white rice

1 cup broken vermicelli pasta

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 chopped tomatoes

1 chopped onion (finely chopped)

3 cloves garlic chopped

½ bunch of chopped cilantro

1 jalapeno chopped

4 tbs Mexican Seasoning

6 oz tomato sauce

5 cups of water

In a large skillet, add the oil and heat. When the oil is hot add the rice and pasta. Cook for 2-3 minutes constantly stirring. When the rice and pasta begin to brown, add the seasoning, onions, garlic, jalapeno and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

You’re done! You have yummy, spicy Spanish rice.

Tip- if using brown rice, please adjust water and cooking times.

Blogger Update

Blogger Update

Okay world, friends, and followers: The move away from blogger is harder than I thought. I have a dedicated web address and plan to move to word press. I am struggling with the Google search feature and it blocking my content for double posts. Needless to say, I will stay on blogger a bit longer. I will continue to build the new site and hope to have it up before Christmas. Some of the features:

1.       Recipe sharing tools

2.       Recipe box tied in with a shopping list

3.       Vegan ingredient “scrub list”

4.       Real time recipe updates from visitors

5.       An so much more

Keep an eye out!

Salt and Pepper Cocktail

Okay- I have fallen in love with a local Sacramento restaurant called “The Press” it is a gem of our city. The reason I love this place, amazing food and drinks at great prices. I have always been a fan of Greyhounds (thank you FDR)- this is that drink with a twist! I must warn, this is a very easy drink- so be careful!

Salt and Pepper Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces gin 

 1 drop Simple syrup 

 1/2 Juice of a lime 

 1/2 Juice of a grapefruit 

 2 dashes  bitters 

Tiny amount of chopped rosemary

 Lime Juice; for garnish 

 Salt; course for garnish 

Mix the ingredient into a martini shaker, and shake well! Strain into a martini glass and serve.

And, please have a second one waiting for me. Thank you.

Chilled Cucumber and Dill Soup

Chilled Cucumber and Dill Soup

Last week the temperature in Sacramento exceeded 100 degrees. I was a MESS! I had gone for a run and used all the possible energy in my body. I needed a simple, protein rich, creamy, COLD dinner! I was too lazy to make a salad, so I busted out the blaneder. 5 minutes later, I had dinner!

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped

12 ounces soft or silken organic tofu, drained and cubed

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tsp dried dill, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (save a bit for garnish)

1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp vegan brown sugar

Sea salt and pepper (to taste)

1 tsp cumin

Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and wiz until nice and creamy! You can serve some right away! This soup is best when chilled for several hours.