The secret to the delightful flavor of this dish is the roasting!

Roasted garlic, eggplant, rep pepper and sauteed leeks create a richness that makes this similar to a pate in texture and flavor.

This recipe is also full of nutrition. Lentils are hardy and full of protein and fiber.

This is also light and when spread on whole wheat or flax crackers leaves you satisfied yet not full.

It is also easy to make and can be whippped up on short notice.

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant
1 cup lentils
1 glove garlic
1 medium leek
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bunch cilantro
1 lime
1 roasted red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a 350 degree oven wrap in aluminum foil the eggplant cut in half with a drizzle of olive oil on the flesh.

In a clay roaster or aluminum foil wrap the garlic and place in oven to roast.

Both should take no more than 30-45 minutes.

In a pan add a drizzle of olive oil to sliced leeks and sautee until translucent.

Cook 1 cup of lentils in 2 cups of water until tender.

When everything is done and cooled for handling, place in the food processor.

Add the cilantro and puree.

Add enough olive oil to create the texture you desire.

For a creamier dip; just add more oil.

I then chopped the roasted red pepper, very fine, and folded it into the finished mixture.

I wanted little “pops” of sweet juicy flavor and the texture contrast.

I, also squeezed some lime into the finished dish and then gave it a good mixing.

Serve with your favorite crackers or breads or even crudites.

The original Freddy was happy to join the ladies for cocktails and conversation in Shelly’s beach cottage.

Freddy as seen by artist Shelly Valisiades; respledent in a rainbow of color.

Bright and cheerful best describes Shelly’s nest.

Me, the writer, my two daughters and the Ballerina!

Every corner is filled with color and energy.

Knowing that Shelly’s forte is painting I brought the roasted garlic and white bean dip with French bread toasts.

2 cans of white beans
1 bulb roasted garlic
1/2 onion sauteed in olive oil
olive oil; about 1/4-1/2 cup

Place everything in the food processor until velvety and creamy.

Easy-peasy instant friends!

Shelly puts her heart and soul in everything she does.

Every nook is filled with love.

Inspired by a visit with my favorite aunt, I felt like nurturing her with her favorite flavors and some new decedant treats like cheeses and bread!

We enjoyed the leek and mushroom pizza on tuesday at the restaurant, however, we did have some issues.

We thaught that there was too much “sauce”. It was cheese or something, we couldn’t put our fingers on it but it over-powered the delicate flavor of the leeks and the mushrooms seemed non-existant.

I sauteed my leeks in olive oil with about 4-5 cloves of roasted garlic which I had left over and I used shiitake mushrooms.

I use the shiitake because of the intense flavor and the rubbery texture. They stand up to cooking and the flavor is rich and earthy.

I also used fresh mozzerella; about 5 1/4 inch slices then sprinkled on some parmesan; not much. Pizza is best with a light touch.

The leeks had the sweet, delicate onion flavor that I was hoping for and that sweetness accented the shiitake perfectly.

Arugula and tomatoes with feta cheese and a splash of oil was fresh and flavorful! I threw in some fresh basil for a peppery/licorice punch!

We are already missing her and looking forward to the next visit.

So fragrant! Throwing chopped tomatoes, basil and crushed garlic into hot pasta brings out all the aromas and delivers flavors at the peak of freshness.

The girls loved it! Lots of olive oil and crushed garlic put this over the top.

Parmesan cheese brought it all together!

The freshness of summer is right around the corner!

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!

Meatless Monday! was a huge hit tonight. It may have been the best to date.

The soup and sandwich idea was inspired by a cold and rainy day

This meal was not just meatless but vegan deliciousness.

My kale obsession continues and I have made it kid friendly and so satisfying.

I had planned to put the white beans in the soup and serve with a gourmet toasted cheese sandwich. When I mentioned this to my daughter she turned up her nose at the cheese sandwich idea, which actually made me happy as I am all about vegan meals.

So I began “deconstructing”. What to do with the beans? What do we get from cheese that we like so much? The creamy, filling, salty goodness! I can do that with white beans!

A baguette thinly sliced and lightly coated with fragrant organic olive oil was the beginning.

I then lightly toasted them and put them aside.
I sautéed ¼ of a white onion with 5 cloves of garlic and about 2 big tablespoons of rosemary in ¼ cup of olive oil until the onions were transparent.
Then I placed the cooled mixture into the food processer with 2 cans of white northern beans and pureed and set this aside, also.
I then sliced 1 large roasted red pepper.

I also had a large bunch of fresh basil. I used 5-6 cloves of garlic and toasted about a half cup of pine nuts and combined in the food processer with ¾ cup of olive oil and set that aside to assemble right before dinner so that the crostini did not become soggy.

The kale soup was easy plus I cheated with vegan soup bullion.

In a large soup pot I sautéed ½ a white onion with 5-6 cloves of garlic and about ½ cup of olive oil.

I chopped the kale and sautéed it for a bit, then added cubed yellow organic potatoes.

I then added about 8-10 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vegan bullion and allowed it to cook for about an hour and a half.

Parmesan cheese tops my daughters soup.

This wine was great with the soup.

This was my “cheat” ingredient!

My food processor was my best friend today. I couldn’t have done it without her! I could have but it wouldn’t have been as easy or as fun!

I am in love with kale!

I am deep into experimentation and I am sure that I haven’t even scratched the surface.

Today I was thinking stir fry but as I ate this meal I felt as though the kale was the “pasta”; carrying the weight of the flavors while not offering much more than nutritive value; which “ain’t a bad thing”.

I could definitely taste the kale but it wasn’t the dominant flavor, however, all the while offered texture and surface for the earthy shiitake, sweet leeks and creamy coconut.

If you read here often you know that I like spicy so there was a lot of crushed red pepper, some red chili paste, and I also threw in the last of a jar of peanut sauce; about 1 tablespoon. And, it goes without saying, lots of garlic! ¼ cup of coconut milk rounded out this dish.

This was very easy and quite filling. It was more delicious than I thought it would be and that was because I underestimated the power of the leeks.

I sautéed the leeks , garlic, mushrooms and red pepper flakes in about a ½ tablespoon of coconut oil.

This process bought out a creamy texture and caramel –like sweetness of the leeks which added a whole new dimension to the overall dish. The garlic and mushrooms became just the slightest bit crispy and the crushed pepper infused into everything.

I added the chopped kale and let everything cook to perfection.

Just as everything was just about finished I added ¼ cup of coconut milk to bring it all together.

Just before serving I squeezed a half of a lime over the dish….gorgeous!

Total calories: about 425 Delicious and nutritious meal: Priceless!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of organic kale
1 large leek
4-5 large shiitake mushrooms
4-5 cloves of garlic sliced
As many shakes of crushed red pepper as you like
About 1 TBSPN peanut sauce (peanuts/peanut butter would work)
1 TBSPN red chili paste
¼ cup coconut milk
½ lime juice
1/2 TBSPN coconut oil

I wish that my meals looked as good as they taste.

How can I convince you that nutritious, yummy vegan meals are satisfying and delicious when they look so awful in photographs?

Food photography is indeed an art unto itself; an art which I have not mastered and do not see doing so in the near future.

However, making this stuff look good must take a talent far beyond my reach so I will have to ask you to indulge me; trust me, this food is great, not just nutritionally balanced but tasty!

When I make a meal like this I consider all the nutritional elements and the flavor notes, as well.

Some ingredients just lend themselves to certain herbs and spice combinations. Sometimes it’s nice to think outside the proverbial box and combine the unexpected.

And getting over the notion that you need a pound of flesh at every meal will liberate you to introduce your palate to flavors and textures that will seduce into a new way of eating.

It will also allow you to obtain necessary nutrition and micro-nutrients from foods which you haven’t been eating.

For my main meal of the day I consider a few things: I like to eat a lot of vegetables, I need to incorporate a healthy fat, and I like to make sure that there is protein.

Herbs and spices are important to healthy body function and can help fight off disease and increase overall wellness.

This recipe includes fresh ginger and garlic as well as crushed red pepper and red chili paste.

Coconut oil and avocado help provide that creamy mouth feel which leads to satiety and provide a vehicle for fat soluble nutrients.

Ingredients

1 TBSP coconut oil
2 TBSP red chili paste (or to taste)
1 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
fresh ginger to taste, sliced
2-3 Cups of broccoli
1-2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup pinto beans
1 avocado sliced, for garnish

Method

In a frying pan, saute coconut oil, garlic, ginger, red chili paste and crushed red pepper.

Add the broccoli and spinach and allow to cook; Just a few minutes on high.

Add 1/2 cup of pinto beans and allow to cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with sliced avocado.

Enjoy!

My little one loves pancakes. She is not a vegan and regularly extols the virtues and pleasures of butter, whipped cream and cheese.

I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Although I did not eat this meal the smells were intoxicating; partly due to my obsession with quality, fancy, organic, exotic vanillas.

Fresh quality ingredients are the key to the best dishes and I just try to bring out the best in creative combinations.

Hashbrowns

3-5 medium sized yellow organic potatoes

Peel and place in the food processor and shred, or grate on a hand held grater.

The most important thing is to make sure that the potatoes are thoroughly dried before you cook them.

I patted mine with a few rounds of paper towels then placed them into a hot skillet with about 2-4 tablespoons of butter.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method

Place a pan to medium heat.

Combine the 4 dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a bowl.

Add the buttermilk and vegetable oil and vanilla to your mixture.

Mix until smooth.

Now the pan should be ready for your batter, so spoon one pancakes’ worth of the mixture into the pan.

Flip [carefully] when you see bubbles in the middle of the pancake, or if the edges are looking stiffened.
Repeat until the batter is gone, and try not to eat them all while you’re cooking them.

These pancakes were so light and fluffy and they had a crispy “edginess”.

A leisurely afternoon spent with friends, eating good food and sipping champagne is the best way that I know to spend my time!

The asparagus were delicious.

I sautéed them in olive oil, 3 cloves of crushed garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and a handful of pine nuts.

We sipped on Mimosas and soaked in the gentle sunlight listening to music and chatting about old times.