What do you do when friends are grieving over the loss of a loved one?

I tend to feel at a loss for words….so I bake.

I baked cupcakes, I baked pumpkin cookies and I baked a dulce de leche cheesecake.

I put love into every bite and I hope that my friends feel nourished and comforted….

…And feel the sentiments that I am only able to convey with my humble gesture cast in flour, sugar and butter.

Cocktails and snacks as the sun goes down was an unexpected treat and a nice way to wrap up the week.

Craft beers and great wines accompanied a roasted pear, carmelized fennel, arugula and blue cheese pizza with on a dough which was reminiscent of puff pastry.

Tempura fried green beans with tangy, sweet and sour sauces make nice beer snacks!

The end of the evening includes brie baked in puff pastry and fresh fruits.

Another great night at the Flying Fig!

OK. I had kale for lunch. The usual. But I also wanted mango.

But I wanted to do something different.

I also had an avocado and some fresh cilantro; I used the juice of one lime and a little salt.

This salad was amazing and I would make it to serve with a summer dinner.

The mango was very cooling with the kale which, of course, was really spicy because… I just can’t help myself!

This salald would be great with a grilled fish or rice and beans.

The combination of sweet and savory is filling and delicious!

Six o’clock and the bells are ringing.

Sammy knows that the bells mean dinner.

Today we had leftovers; Pizza and lots of it so nothing new to post today.

It’s truly starting to feel like Spring when the sun is shining at 6 pm and you can hear the bells loud and clear without the acoustic muffling power of snow!

Soon there will be dinners on the patio, bells ringing, the sun going down and a glass of wine under the stars!

Meatless Monday! Was Pizza Night for us this week.

The girls were in charge.

I picked up dough at my favorite pizza spot; $3.50 for one large dough which makes a 17 inch pizza. That is a great value and a tremendous time saver. Plus, you know that it will be perfect every time.

We made tomato and basil, shiitake and spinach, pesto and pine nut, and a red sauce and cheese.

For the shiitake and spinach I sautéed the mushrooms and spinach in olive oil before adding them to the pizza. For the base I spread parmesan, garlic and olive oil cream sauce spread which I made beforehand then topped it off with shredded mozzarella cheese. Delish!

The tomato, basil and mozzarella pizza was fantastic! After preparing the dough we coated the top with a drizzle of olive oil then laid on the veggies…..this one was best; Belle’s creation! Gorgeous!

Homemade pesto, a few pine nuts and mozzarella made a great light pizza which was great with the Blue Moon Belgian wheat beer.

This is not only Meatless Monday! But family night and Pizzalicious!

Sprin Break is less than two weeks away and there is no room for any excess baggage on this trip!

The markets are bursting with produce and I just couldn’t pass up these mangoes and pineapple.

After a light dinner this mango with a few macadamia nuts and shredded coconut hit the spot.

The battle for our health includes sugar!

Watch this video to see the role that sugar plays in disease and obesity.

Dr. Robert Lustig’s video, in which he argues that the current obesity epidemic is due to the marked increase in people’s consumption of fructose over the last 30 years. He also points out that fructose is toxic in large quantities, because it is metabolized in the liver in the same way as alcohol, which drives fat storage and makes the brain think it is hungry.

Livestock Revolution Examined at Mother Jones.

Another article about our unsusutainable Western Culture lifestyle.

This is not gloom and doom but pure common sense.

The numbers just don’t add up any more.

How to feed the world ? from Denis van Waerebeke on Vimeo.

This great video by Denis van Waerebeke explains why some of the human population eats well and why the rest go hungry.

We are all responsible for each other and little changes in our daily routines can make huge differences world wide.

By consuming mindfully we can ensure our furture on planet Earth!

Lemony, garlicky, creamy, tahini dressing made this salad fantastic.

Baby arugula and lightly steamed asparagus was the perfect meal for a sunny day with promises of Spring!

I used the juice of 1 lemon to 2 tablespoons of sesame tahini plus 3 cloves of fresh garlic! To that I added 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

It was potent! and sooo delicious.

Another good thing about being a vegan is that the dog is never really interested in what I’m cooking.

Sammy was all about sunbathing today.

THE END!