Baby Zucchini with Flowers

I'm not going to sugar coat this: it already feels like summer in the Bay Area. It has been sunny, warm and clear most days this Spring. This year more than any other, even with the mild temperatures, I was ready for winter to be over as soon as we celebrated the new year. The short, dark days left me craving more... especially when we had a Greenhouse (or two) in our back yard waiting to come back to life as the days get longer and the sun gets brighter. Well now it has happened so fast I hardly know what to do with myself... all the seeds that I sprouted beginning in the late winter months are already bearing fruit! As far as the plants are concerned, in the hot box that is our Greenhouse, it's already summer! It is humid, hot and bursting with life.

Cheers to Friday!

Last Friday evening I came home from work exhausted and beyond ready for the weekend to begin. Kyle greeted me with excitement, explaining that we had our first summer strawberry harvest! The strawberries were plump, bright red and READY to be devoured. I looked down and noticed our mint was bursting out of it's pot and remembered that we had a bottle of Rosé chilling in the refrigerator. With a burst of energy that only comes when you know you're about have a cocktail from the garden, I bounded into the kitchen and whipped up a Refreshing Strawberry Spritzer! It was the perfect way to begin our Friday night and I can assure you that we'll be enjoying this light, refreshing cocktail again tonight! 

Refreshing Strawberry Spritzer

Feel free to make this spritzer your own by adding as much of each ingredient as you like!  

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Rosé
1 bottle of Seltzer
3 sprigs of Fresh Mint
8 Strawberries (with the tops removed)

Method 
Lay out for wine glasses.  In each glass slice a strawberry and tear up 3 mint leaves. Add as much wine as you think fit (we filled the glass a bit less then half) and top of with cold seltzer.  Use remaining strawberries and mint as a garnish.

Herbed Couscous Salad

The short, chilly days of winter are upon us. But as the days begin to lengthen and the sun begins to shine, we can feel the promise of spring and summer on the horizon. Here in Northern California, the cold rainy winters may not be good for tomatoes and stone fruits and other summer delights, but even in the dead of winter, we can get fantastic greens. Greens seem brighter and more alert in the winter, and our bodies are even more eager for the chlorophyll and nutrients that includes! Herbs like mint and parsley are widely available year-round, and full of fresh, clean flavors. Baby wild arugula, peppery and intense, mixes nicely with the herbal notes. This recipe uses the three herbs like greens rather than seasoning, leaving the leaves whole and tossing them with whole wheat couscous for a hearty and refreshing dish. If you are as lucky as we are and you have a mom who preserves her bountiful summer crop of serrano chiles by making a flavorful sambal (chile paste), then by all means, make it as spicy as you like.


Herbed Couscous Salad
Feel free to use any combination of your favorite herbs, also try substituting quinoa, millet or another grain for the couscous.

INGREDIENTS:
about 4 cups cooked whole wheat couscous, chilled or at room temperature
about 1 cup packed baby arugula leaves
1 bunch mint, whole leaves removed from stems
1 bunch parsley, whole leaves removed from stems
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt, to taste
sambal or chile paste, 2 tablespoons or to taste

METHOD:
Combine couscous, arugula, mint and parsley in mixing bowl. Stir to incorporate. Whisk together all remaining ingredients to make a dressing. Stir in dressing and taste couscous for seasoning.

Green Pesto

Grilled Vegetable Platter with 3 sauces: Olive Tapenade, Green Pesto and Mushroom Pâté

Yes, it's fall! We love this time of year, with the leaves changing, the chimneys coming alive with smoke and a chill in the air. Wait a second... this is San Francisco, and October is feeling very different than your typical fall moment. Any month of the year, cold foggy nights and gray sweater weather can dominate. But for a few magical days, it is hot day and night, everyone is smiling and tan in their shorts and this metropolis by the bay actually feels like California.

Vegan Big Island

From the Kona Farmer's Market

Ashley and I went to the island of Hawaii for our honeymoon! Our wedding, replete with vegan feasting and an epic dance party that left me limping down the stairs the next morning, couldn't have been better. But - in spite of the bliss of the event, and the affirmation of 15 months (plus a lifetime) of work on Ashley's part - we were so relieved it was all over and we could escape to an island!
So for us any trip anywhere is about eating, and because on a honeymoon you don't even have to pretend to do anything else, we pretty much ate our way around the island.

Macaroni and Cheeze

Yes, this is cheese with a "z!" When I first decided to cut dairy products from my diet, I figured I would have to do without some of my favorite foods, namely ice cream and cheesy noodles. Well, it didn't take long for me to learn that vegans love to eat these things too! I can still remember reading about nutritional yeast for the first time, thinking it sounded like a weird supplement and definitely not a delicious condiment that was to become a staple of my diet.

Cinnamon Rolls

I am spending my days cooking for young people who want to change the world! Youth Empowered Action (YEA) Summer Camp is for kids who care about making our earth a better place. As part of the mission of the camp, vegan food is served to campers and staff. We explain that for people who want to eliminate injustices in our wold, the SAD Standard American Diet makes no sense. So not only do we want to educate them about helping others, but show them how delicious it can be!