Catching Up From Last Week

Well, hello there!  I really don't mean to NOT post last week!  Life seemed to have gotten in the way!  But I still have a lot to share with you since I did take pics and notes the whole time I was NOT blogging! 

Needless to say this is going to be a long post and a mish mash of different things that happened last week.  Hope you don't mind!

First off...leftovers!  I made this dish with Couscous, Peas, leftover Tempeh, and some seasonings.  No real recipe for this but an idea, rather.

As for this next photo - it's a picture of the Cashew Tomatillo Sauce or Dip I made last week!  Yes...I had bought some Tomatillos at our Farmers market and needed to use them. 

2/3 C (or more) of Cashews
About 7 to 8 Tomatillos
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Onion (I used a Stuttgarter Onion)*
1/2 tea Cumin
1 C Almond Milk

This turned out pretty tasty!  It had a nice kick to it from the Garlic and Tomatillos as well as the onion but it was also creamy and scoopable!

A little more about the Stuttgarter Onion I mentioned above...I got that from a local farmer as well.  It has a good, pungent flavor.  They are among the "Best Keepers" when in comes to onions which is nice.  They are smaller than Yellow Onions you would buy in the store and are more punchy and less sweet but still very flavorful.

Here's another photo of this dip I made with the Cashews and Tomatillos!  It's on a Flax Cracker.  I've kind of been on a Flax Cracker and Chia Cracker kick lately.  I finished up my Italian Zest ones from Foods Alive and now I am craving more!  I think I am going to try and make my own, soon, too!  I really LOVE Foods Alive Products and hope to place an order soon!  They have some really awesome products available!  I LOVE their Oils, Flax Crackers, Dressings, and their Maca Powder as well as their Nutritional Yeast!

I have so much to share with you and will be posting all this week - sometimes multiple posts in a day so please check back!  I also have a lot of new-to-me products I want to blog about, too, with more on the way!

Well, I did end up doing some roasted (Pan Fried) Chickpeas a while back as a side dish.  All I really did was use some of my Wildtree Garlic Dipping Grapeseed Oil and at the very end throw in just a pinch of the Rancher Steak Rub which is basically Pepper, Garlic, and Salt.  They were pretty good.  Quick and Easy, too!


I have been finding these neat little Vegan Facts online and on instagram and thought I would post a few from time to time.  Just as a spot check and friendly reminder for some, basically.  Plus...it gives me a reminder as well about certain foods I haven't had in a while. 

I usually eat a lot of different foods but I have REALLY been stepping it up with some old favorites as well as some new-to-me foods and have been incorporating more produce that I haven't tinkered with too much in the past.  When I worked at a Grocery Store 17+ years ago I used to challenge myself to pick up at least one new-to-me-produce item each week.  It was so fun and educational.

Speaking of trying new things...last week I made some Vegan Oatmeal Spelt Pancakes.  My mother thought this photo looked gross but the taste was pretty good, actually.  The reason I wanted to try these were to use and incorporate both Steel Cut Oats  as well as some Spelt Flour into a breakfast-type food.  I also wanted to push myself to try and tackle more breakfast foods - as you can see from my previous posts.

Here's the recipe for this one...

3/4 C Almond Milk
2 tea Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tea Grapeseed Oil (for oiling pan)
1/2 C Steel Cut Oats
1/2 C Spelt Flour
1 tea Baking Soda
pinch of salt if desired

I also drizzled Wholesome Sweeteners Maple Flavored Agave Syrup over top and it was very tasty!

The weekend of the 28th Hubby's Band played at the Amvets in Titusville, PA.  Here is a photo of him and the boys!  Nicole (Tom's Wife) and I went to watch them and have a few drinks. 

From left: Tom on the Mandolin, Bud on Guitar, Joel on Stand-Up Bass, John on Banjo (Dale's Uncle), and Dale on the end with Guitar.

It was a fun time.  I think Nicole and I will be going to more of their gigs.  We hope to get together for dinners more often, too!  We are talking about maybe even doing a long-weekend trip in the future as well.  We've tossed around the idea of trying to find a used RV or Camper/Van but we are looking for 'quite the deal'.

In other news - in the community where I live there was a recent teen suicide and rumor has it - the boy killed himself because of being bullied.  Bullying is a REAL problem in our society and it really MUST STOP. 

I'm going to try and look into outlets and groups in our area that support Anti-Bullying messages and activities.  I truly believe that Middle/High Schools are really tough place but I also think there is a lot of adult bullying and workplace bullying in our society as well as it all must end.