here is the article that i wrote in our sustainability publication about vegan cakes.  kind of interesting if you don't know much about vegan baking/cooking, definitely a different lifestyle, not for me, but adding some vegan in your diet can't hurt, it'll only help!

front page. bottom right.

written by moi.

   wild week(end)- bicycled to jana's to eat lunch friday and had a delicious crab cake burger! all locally grown or organic food is used in their creations, delicious! farmers market saturday morning to get the ingredients for the mexican corn-tomato chowder and corn bread i made this morning, then hung out with some great people to end the evening!

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    that was last a weekend update.  and this week(end) was/is nutty bizzy. can't wait til it's over. roomie's birfday is this weekend and i am mucho excited to put on some sort of birthday extravaganza, vegan birthday cake? or birthday cupcakes? i have this wondrous recipe for them, gluten-free and all, tasty too. working on a new project, actually a few new projects, one of which you will soon have the ability to purchase... not to be revealed yet though. suspense.

    mmm. made some guac from scratch the other day. i'm in love with fresh cilantro, i use it in everything now.  here's the recipe:

      3 avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

      1 lime, juiced

      1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

      1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

      1/2 teaspoon cayenne

      1/2 medium onion, diced

      2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

      1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

      1 clove garlic, minced

   in a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

     in celebration of the rain, i firmly believe i need these three items...

(when did yucky weather get so darn cute?)

     
    went out to take some photos today. the weather is beautiful. i can't wait for spring and summer and the projects they will bring. wine and watercolor starts tonight. i'll post some of them up here if i like them enough. here are some old summer photographs that make me smile, and get me in the mood.

 

  

  

all of these were taken in chautauqua, 

my favorite place to be in the summer!

summer flora.

summer insects, at the pool.

    on a more del.icio.us note, i wanted to share one of my favorite snacks that i had today, compliments of my wonderful friend and master of dietetics, amy.  if you don't like cottage cheese don't worry, can't really taste it. i accompanied this snack with an applepear, which i just recently tried. weird concept, but pretty refreshing. mmm. try one!

          ingredients: 

                 -low fat cottage cheese 

                 -black lentils 

                 -cumin (pepper and salt are optional)

    simmer the lentils for about an hour, or you can just get the pre-cooked ones from the store, then add 1/2 cup of them to every 1 cup of cottage cheese you use, roughly half the amount of cottage cheese.  now just mix them together and add as much cumin as you want for taste (I usually use a little over a table spoon per 2 cups of cottage cheese). make sure it is well mixed, and voila! i use this concoction as a dip for pita chips, but you can also spread it on pita bread or make it into a wrap. it's a fantastically satiating, protein-packed little snack.  i make big batches at a time and store it in tupperware in the fridge for an in-a-rush meal. nom nom nom.