Happy Father's Day

To celebrate our Father's Day we had a picnic outside on the patio in the hot and humid weather. But we kept cool under the shade canopy and alternating dips in the pool's refreshing water.

Because the weather was so hot I wanted to keep the meal simple to cook yet not sacrifice the type of hearty meal we are used to at gatherings.

Simple Menu:

Vegan Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches in Homemade Gravy

Topping choices of Daiya Mozzarella, Fried Peppers, and Horseradish.

Sides of Homemade Vegan Potato Salad with fresh herbs from the garden.

Grilled sugar sweet Corn on the Cob.

Kettle Cooked Potato Chips.

Homemade Avocado, Grilled Corn, and Cilantro Salsa severed with Brown Rice Chips.




AND DESSERT...My very first time creating... Vegan Lemon Tartlets topped with Vegan Whipped Cream and Mixed Cherry Berries gently sweetened with Agave Nectar.






Dessert was definitely the hit of the meal. Fresh with sweet and tart notes of citrus and berry.

Vegan Philly Cheese Steak for Lunch

As cold as the winters can be and as humid as the summers are, I love the Philadelphia area for is best know Italian Sandwiches. All I have to do is open a menu for inspiration. Nothing beats a Philly roll. Hands down the best, and I am not just saying that because I sell them. You could put anything on these rolls and it makes it taste better. Anyway, back to the cheese steak at hand, I love adding peppers, mushrooms, onions, Daiya mozzarella and cold hot peppers, lettuce and tomato. For the meat I sauté Gardein beefless tips in my own secret marinade. I have fooled many cheese steak lovers into believing these are the real thing!

If you are reading this, I would love to know what you think...

My Garden

I have several gardens around the house. The fist one is my classic Italian garden that includes 5 varieties of tomatoes, 5 varieties of peppers, 2 kinds of parsley and several varieties of basil and to remind me Grandmom, mint.









My second garden is a raised bed with parsley, basil, lemon balm, tarragon, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, cilantro, fennel, radishes, green beans, 2 kinds of cucumbers, and a few tomato plants that came up on their own from last years seeds.





My 3rd garden is new this year, and came about due to my love for eggplant and squash and their love to takeover my gardens. They are huge. About 4' wide and 3' tall with tons of blossoms and four 6" squash already. There is also winter squash on the other side of the fence.








There are flowers abound the whole house, here are some of my creations...

Not so Italian, but oh so healthy lunch

I needed a five minute lunch that would give me some energy and keep me cool too.

I opted for a pre-made Trader Joe's beans and rice burrito. (only 260 calories)

I also put together a sprout salad using organic zesty sprouts, organic pea shoots, and some fresh spicy organic watercress.



Now for the flavor...a quick organic salsa made from:
Hass Avocados, last night's left over steamed corn on the cob (cut it off the cob right before using), fresh cilantro, green onions, grape tomatoes halved, a few cubes of mango diced, juice of half of one lime, and a very small pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

I can't believe it's vegan... Veggie Lasagna

Grandmom's recipe for homemade sauce...
followed by layers of sautéed cremini mushrooms, zucchini, farmer's market spinach, a thin layer of vegan Italian sausage, my recipe for tofu ricotta, sandwiched between whole wheat noodles and some vegan mozzarella for added richness. Served with fresh baked garlic bread and an Italian salad with loads of basil from my garden. I am sure the whole neighborhood could smell this Italian feast.







Strawberry Basil Spinach Salad

Neighbors Rhubarb put to good use...

It starts out with generous neighbors and extra Rhubarb. Then I added the berries, agave, arrowroot, Grandmom's crisp topping and love... then magic happens. It bakes and bubbles and gets thick and sweet inside and crisp on top. Serve warm with a little vegan whipped cream or some very vanilla "rice cream".









Strawberry Cherry Berry Rhubarb Crisp

Simple Summer Dinner

On a hot and humid day, nothing beats a classic veggie burger with the works, baked red potatoes topped with a tiny bit of earth balance, Himalayan sea salt and cracked black pepper beside a super sweet fresh ear of corn lightly steamed and served naked in it's very own sweetness.

Italian Meatless Meatball Sub

I cheated a little on this one. I used Nate's instead of homemade meatless meatballs. This was especially good with the fresh chopped basil and oregano from my garden.

Happy Memorial Day

Our Vegan Memorial Day Picnic was a success. Everyone enjoyed the homemade food. Our menu included:

Italian Salad


Pasta Salad


Potato Salad


Tomato, Basil(from my garden) and Vegan Mozzarella Salad with hard Italian Bread.



Italian Philly Style Hoagies




Hummus with Blue Corn Chips


Fresh Avocado, Corn and Bean Salsa with Spicy Red Bean and Rice Chips



Cold Italian Philadelphia Tomato Pie
Italian Broccoli and Black Olive Pie


and dessert was...





Thick, creamy, dreamy Coconut Tofu Cheesecake and...

My grandmothers modified recipe for Cheery Berry Crisp