'the works' sauce {it's vegan!}

we're going vegan.

and this is my new vegan sauce.

i'm calling it 'the works'

after emily's favorite vegan wrap

at her local grocery in santa cruz.
emily has been vegan for almost a year,
so this recipe is dedicated to her.

'the works' sauce

makes 2 cups

combine all ingredients and blend until smooth:

1 cup cooked beans {save broth}

{cannellini beans, chickpeas, soybeans}

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

1/8 cup tamari

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 - 2 cloves garlic

1 tsp spike {seasoning blend}

note:
you can adjust the thickness of the sauce
by how much bean broth [bean juice?] you add.

this sauce is delicious on rice & beans.

make it 'the works' by adding

fresh spinach, purple cabbage, avocado,

salsa & cilantro.

serve in a bowl or in a tortilla.

yum!

it also makes a great creamy salad dressing.

tip:

to make this sauce regularly,

cook batches of chickpeas & soybeans,

combine them & freeze in 1 cup containers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

interested in why we're going vegan?

watch this documentary:

{also here}

{it's on netflix right now}

♥

♥ happy birthday, emily ♥

this little baby turns 21 today.

happy birthday, sweet girl.

i love you so much.

♥

what do you love?

{also here}

♥

what ned did yesterday

♥

holiday star ornaments - quick, easy, no sew

ned gave these

to his fifteen favorite grown-ups
at school today.

i think they'd be pretty in white, too.

find the directions here.

♥

another year on planet earth

ned and i are celebrating our

back-to-back birthdays.

mine was yesterday, his is today.

this little baby is ten.

i could now officially change the name 

of the blog to ten-fifteen-twenty.

but i won't.

♥

día de los muertos

the book of life is a visual feast.

go see this one on the big screen.

cool fact:

we watched this with our amigo, joaquin.

learn more about the day of the dead

here, here, and here.

♥

first day

today was the first day of school

for marian & ned

{she's starting 10th grade}

{he's starting 4th grade}

like most good things,

it was bittersweet.

emily, my blue-haired child,

starts next week.

{she's starting 15th grade}

♥

earthly delights csa week 13

our share

plums

carrots

rainbow chard

jalapeño peppers

tomatoes

antohi romanian peppers

gernika peppers

eggplant

tomatillos

summer squash

ailsa craig onion

magic garlic

beans

cucumbers {lots of lemon cukes!}

genovese basil

melons

------------------------

our hearts are breaking for casey & her family.

her mother, julie, passed away on august 9th.

read all about her awesomeness here.

♥

zucchini crust pizza {gluten free!}

we have lots of zucchini this time of year.

such a blessing.

and thanks to abby,

i just learned how to turn it into pizza crust.

this is a game changer.

the crust is grated zucchini

with most of the water wrung out

with an egg and a 'flour' and spices.

i consider this less of a new recipe

and more of a new skill,

but here's the recipe abby found:

{keep in mind i didn't measure anything & it turned out great}

zucchini crust pizza

2 cups grated zucchini

1 egg

1 T oil

garlic

3/4 - 1 cup almond flour 

{↑ you could use any flour}

oregano

salt & pepper

---------------------------------------

preheat oven to 400°

put the grated zucchini in a colander.

salt it & allow to 'sweat' for a bit.

then gather it into a clean towel

and literally wring the water out.

in a large bowl,

combine zucchini, egg, oil, garlic,

almond flour, oregano, s&p.

mix until a 'dough ball' forms.

on a baking sheet lined with parchment,

use your hands

to flatten out the dough ball,

pressing it into the shape you want.

i pressed mine quite thin.

bake it for about 20 minutes,

or until the edges & bottom are golden.

at this point, i flipped mine over

and baked for about 5 more minutes

to get it nice & toasty on both sides.

note: a nice step,

but leave it out if you're pressed for time.

remove it from the oven

and add your toppings.

we used homemade tomato sauce

fresh basil & grated parmesan.

{fresh mozzarella would be incredible}

pop it back in the oven for a few minutes

but keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.

this was so good that

i immediately made a second one.

the 'crust' alone is so delicious:

soft & 'doughy' but with crispy edges.

it is the best gluten-free 'bread' i've eaten.

it could be used as flatbread in any recipe

or served alongside hummus.

next, i'm going to try a sage butter version.

♥

frozen chocolate peanut butter pie

marian requested this pie

for her birthday last month.

it's the same one i made for her 2 years ago.

super easy & super delicious.

frozen chocolate peanut butter pie

ingredients:

graham cracker crust

6 ounces dark chocolate {plus more for garnish}

2 cups whipping cream

one 8 oz package cream cheese

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

chopped peanuts

chocolate sauce for garnish

directions:

in a small pot, melt together the 6 ounces dark chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream.  stir until just melted and no lumps remain, remove from heat.  pour into your crust shell and allow to cool as you make the next layer.

in a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup whipping cream, softened cream cheese, peanut butter and brown sugar.  mix until light and fluffy.  add in vanilla and the remaining 1 1/4 cup whipping cream and beat until peaks form.  spoon over the chocolate layer.  cover and freeze for several hours.  

allow your pie to slightly soften before serving.  sprinkle on more chocolate, chopped peanuts and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

♥

happy birthday, annie!

today is annie's 20th birthday!

annie is my extra daughter.

i love this girl so much.

happy birthday, annie!

♥ ♥ ♥

earthly delights csa week 10

our share

magic garlic

green beans

gernika peppers

sugarsnax carrots

summer squash

bulls blood beets

cucumbers

basil

amaranth & lamb's quarters

ailsa craig - white onion

rossa lunga di tropea - red onion

tomatillos

♥

camping trip

turns out,

camping with 22 teenagers is

so. much. fun.

if these student council kids

maintain their government roles,

we are in good {and hilarious} hands.

big thanks to melissa stephenson,
the new student council advisor,
for making this trip happen!

♥

p.s.

after we got home, marian said,

"having you there 

wasn't as bad as i thought it would be."

love you too, honey.

blueberry lemon skillet cake

original recipe is here.

below is my adapted version.

2 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of sugar
zest and juice from 1 lemon {or 2}
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 cups berries

put cast iron skillet in oven.  preheat oven to 400°

in large bowl combine: 
flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest.

in smaller bowl combine: 
eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, lemon juice. 

remove cast iron from oven.
melt coconut oil in hot skillet, swirl to coat. 

pour wet ingredients (including melted coconut oil)
into dry ingredients and gently fold.

when almost combined, fold in berries. 

pour batter into skillet and place in oven. 

bake for 30-40 minutes
or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. 

remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes. 

♥

so summer

a shot of ned with his good friends, 

mateo & lucas, at the river today.

for the next 3 days, i'll be a chaperone

for marian's student council retreat.

wish me luck!

♥

tie dye

ned made this at the library last week

so this seemed in order

♥