raspberry vinaigrette

fresh berries are oh-so-fabulous. this has been a summer of berries for me. i pretty much constantly have a big tub of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cherries in my fridge. my morning smoothies have been even better than usual (if that's even possible). 

i don't know about you, but i seem to be less hungry when it's blistering hot out. i still want to eat, but i just want to eat fruit and raw veggies, quinoa, etc. light foods that aren't overly filling, but keep my energy up. 

so, we often end up eating a big salad for dinner. above is a "chicken" (PC fake chicken) salad. when making a salad a meal, it's nice to throw something extra on it. nuts, beans, sunflower seeds, etc. 

and vinaigrette is the prefect dressing for such a meal. it's quick and easy to prepare, healthy, and adds a wonderful burst of flavour to what can otherwise be a bland meal!

this recipe makes enough for 2 large salads.

vegan macaroni and cheese

so lately i have been eating MORE vegan - not fully vegan, but pretty close. as a vegetarian who is allergic to eggs and cow's milk, my diet is probably 85% vegan anyway. i cheat on my allergies sometimes (they are not the deathly type), and i eat goat cheese. i have been thinking a lot about veganism lately as well. i'll talk more about that later, but (as i'm sure you can see from my last post) my house is nowhere near cheese-free. 

matt loves cheese. he rarely eats meat (only when someone else cooks it for him, or if we go out for dinner, which happens about once a year), drinks soy and almond milk, he's happy as long as there is tasty food, meat or not. but, i think he would die without cheese. he LOVES cheese. that's fine with me, i can appreciate a good cheese, but in my never-ending quest for awareness about what goes into my body and the ethical treatment of animals, i have been making more and more vegan choices that happen to apply to him because he doesn't cook. 

let me just say, he RAVED about this recipe. he always seems a bit skeptical (but supportive) when i come out with some crazy idea like "vegan mac and cheese! no, i don't have a recipe, i'm winging it!", and this time was no different. he actually mentioned several times while we were eating, and a few times in the days after, how amazing it was. how the cheese sauce was just perfect.

my freaking meat-eating-cheese-loving boyfriend thought this shit was fabulous. 

and he's totally right. go make it!

(gluten free if made with gluten free macaroni! BAM!)

peanut butter cheesecake

i... don't like cheesecake. 

i know, i'm weird. i'm not big on processed cheese, nor am i particularly interested in desserts... i DO love peanut butter, and i DID taste the batter from this cake, and it was better than any other cheesecake batter i have tried. but still... cheesecake!

i'm not selling this very well, am i? shit.

so, matt REALLY loves cheesecake. many years ago, i worked at a call center for kraft foods. i really loved the job (mostly talking to old ladies about canning and how their grandkids never visit), but i am not a big fan of most of kraft's products. 

regardless, i ended up spending a lot of time looking at kraft recipes (you gotta know your product!!) and the cheesecakes always LOOKED and SOUNDED so good... so i started making them for matt! he loves them, and swears i make the best cheesecake ever. i have made them for other people, and always gotten similar feedback.

anyway, this was a shot-in-the-dark cheesecake that turned out amazingly. he wanted a treat. he wanted it to be peanut butter. i offered chocolate chips, he accepted. anyway, matt promises this is a fantastic cheesecake! 

a healthy snack!

here is a great summer snack matt and i enjoy. fresh fruit with whipped peanut butter for dipping!

to make peanut butter sauce, mix 2 T of smooth, natural peanut butter with 3 T room temperature water, and whisk to mix. it makes a lighter peanut butter, easier for dipping!

fruity vodka cooler

it's summer. sometimes, you just gotta drink fruity drinks in the middle of the day, okay? 

this recipe makes 2 large drinks. but, they have no artificial sweeteners, and are packed with fruit (and vodka). how can you go wrong? 

matt and i like to sit outside and sip these while we water the lawn, or barbecue. they are a perfect summer drink. 

herbed quinoa salad

oh quinoa. loveliest of (pseudo) grains.

this salad is wonderful for the summer. it's filling, healthy, customizable, and goes well with just about everything (i served it with green salad and bbq'd tofu). it can be eaten hot, room temperature, or cold. it can be thrown on a green salad to add an extra something, or eaten on it's own for a healthy snack. 

this recipe makes about 2 1/2 c.

whole wheat sandwich bread

so, i've got an absolute ton of fabulous, fancy, amazing bread recipes. but... what if you just want something basic? something healthy, but simple? no nuts, no seeds, just an easy-peasy whole wheat bread?

boy, have i got a recipe for you, friend! 

obviously, like any other bread recipe, you can tweak this. add nuts and seeds if you like! use it as pizza crust! bake a wheel of cheese into it! whatever you want!

the trick with whole wheat (and other whole grains) is ensuring you give the dough adequate time to rise. without that, you can end up with dense, hard, BLAH bread, and who wants that?

gourmet grilled cheese

oh grilled cheese... so reminiscent of childhood, so fabulously tasty, so bad for me. 

i have taken to making grilled cheese for dinner occasionally, but (of course) i am making every effort to make it a healthier option...