WNY VegFest - Part I - The Speakers

This past weekend was the 2nd Annual WNY VegFest and my sister and I attended because we had SO MUCH FUN last year! I have a wonderful sister! She's not a vegan or even vegetarian but has attended this festival both years now and even sat thru 2 of the speakers this year with me! I'm so grateful for her!

Speaking of which...here's a photo of her and I waiting for one of the 'chats' to begin. We did an official VegFest Selfie! Megan and I are 3 years, 2 months, and 1 day a part in age! How cool is that?

Last year was the first year I met the guys from The Vegan Zombie and I wanted to meet up with them again this year, too! Here they are! Jon (on the left) kept saying 'sorry' because he was distracted by the puppies from the puppy rescue on the other side of them. But who could blame them? They were super cute dogs! More on that in a future post I am sure! Then Chris (on the right) and I chatted about social media, T-Shirts, their road trip, juicing, and more! A few months ago I was going to buy a Breville Juicer but had seen Chris's posts on Instagram and totally had to ask which juicer he was using and I ended up getting that one instead. It's a SlowStar Juicer. I had told him on Instagram that I purchased one and he asked me if I used it yet and felt a little bad that I hadn't used it yet. His encouragement is greatly appreciated. I think between them and OPAL over at I;m Celebrating Life - I will be pursuing that more seriously around the 17th of this month. I ended up buying another Vegan Zombie Shirt and also bought a WNY VegFest T-Shirt at the festival's table, too!

This year my sister and I were able to attend 2 of the talks. The first speaker we saw was Karen Ranzi. I will be purchasing her book in the very near future Raw Vegan Recipe Fun for Families: 115 Easy Recipes and Health Tips for Energetic Living.

Another speaker we were able to see was Kristin Lajeunesse. I was lucky enough to meet her, too! I have been following her on Instagram for a while and we were chatting back and forth on there prior to her talk and meeting. She's super nice! 

Her book is Will Travel for Vegan Food: A Young Woman's Solo Van-Dwelling Mission to Break Free, Find Food, and Make Love, and is the founder of the award willing website, Will Travel for Vegan Food.

Not sure if you can see me in THIS vlog she posted on Instagram but I'm in the 3rd row back on the right behind a lady with a black tank top on and she's sitting by a guy with a black shirt and sunglasses on.

HERE is a list of the other speakers that were at the event. I was standing next to Vlad while in line for fresh juice and didn't know it was him until after he left. And I would have loved to catch Jane Esselstyn and Victoria Moran's talks but we were doing other things during those times. Another one I wanted to see was Jessica Meyers Food Demo which was living foods and sprouting and fermentation.

I will be posting more and more throughout this week on the adventures of WNY VegFest so please check back and let me know if you were there! And if you weren't there let me know if you've ever seen any of these speakers and/or YouTubers!

Gardening Journey ~ Container/Rooftop Progress

I've had a couple of comments and emails asking to post some progress photos of the containers we are starting INSIDE to then take outside for our Rooftop Garden.  Well, ask...and yee shall receive...

First up...

GREENS!  Here's a look at our lettuces, leafy greens, even some Kale (the one smack-dab in the middle).  ALL of the greenery has sprouted.  Some more advanced than others but that is expected because of the maturity lengths being different.  We are FOR SURE going to have to thin out and space the one on the left...that's the Rosalita Lettuce.  Those grow into 'heads'.  The others are more loose and leafy.  The Kale is already getting their 'second leaves/sprouts' so that's pretty neat.

Some of the other seeds are sprouting, too!  Here's a look at the Broccoli!  There are 2 sprouts here - one is stronger than the other, tho!

We have the Broccoli in a 1 and a half gallon bucket.  Some of you already read on previous posts that we are reusing CD Jewel Case Holders for the lettuces that are pictured above.

We have another bucket like this one - but it's red - that contains the carrots we are trying to grow from seed, too!

I was beginning to wonder if we got 'duds' on the carrots until we came in yesterday and saw these wonderful sprouts!  Aren't they awesome!

I can't wait to see what they all do next!  I think that is part of my problem...PATIENCE.  I need more Patience!

Now here are our Brussel Sprouts!  We started them from seed but in 'starter sections' and they are doing REALLY well!  We will have to transplant them very soon!  So far 17 out of 18 have sprouted nicely.  I was hoping for at least half of them to survive but look at these babies GROW!  And most of them have 2 to 3 sprouts per section!  Sam and I figured we have 34 of them right  now.  Karen and I were the only ones who knew that Brussel Sprout PLANTS have a large self-supportive stalk and each plant produces MANY Brussel Sprouts!  So even if HALF of these continue to grow we are going to have a TON of Brussel Sprouts!  YAY!  Could you imagine...34 Brussel Sprout "Trees" on a roof?  that makes me giggle!  I hope it works, tho!  Did you know that each plant/tree can grow up to 2 and a half feet tall!?  that's FANTASTIC!

Soaking & Sprouting Nuts & Seeds - More Specifically (This Time Around) Broccoli Sprouts & Shoots

Last night I was catching up on some of Dan McDonald's Videos and came across this one on how to soak nuts and seeds.  I have been doing this for a while but I still consider myself a novice at it.  I don't get overly involved with fancy equipment and I think that is completely fine.  I really appreciated the variety of the nuts and seeds he highlighted in this video.

This video is a great watch.  I will give you a heads-up that it is about 20 minutes long.  But it's totally worth it.  LOTS of great info, here!

My co-workers and I started soaking some Sunflower Seeds today and will try and start sprouting them tomorrow in hopes of Sunflower Shoots - also known as - Sunflower Micro Greens!  I will keep you posted on that project for sure!  At home...I started soaking Broccoli this morning.  I'm not sure if I am going to try for Broccoli Sprouts or Broccoli Shoots yet but they come from the same seed.  Above is a photo of the sprouts!  And below a photo of the Shoots.

There have been MANY studies on the benefits of Broccoli Sprouts including cancer fighting properties as well as changes in those with high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, Macular Degeneration, COPD, Diabetes, etc.

Rawish Vegan Chedda Cheese Sauce, Re-Organizing, Sprouting, & Kitchens

I'm so excited!  I received my Vitamix Turbo VS on Friday.  Since we were "Wildtree-ing" it on Saturday I wasn't able to experiment with it until Sunday.  But when I was able to - I ran with it!  We watched the DVD that came with the Vitamix and I was so excited I also got a UNcookbook and Nut Milk Bag along with it!  I made a Smoothie for my husband that had dairy ice cream in it (he's far from veg) and for me I did Almond Milk and Frozen Raspberries and it was GREAT!  Later in the evening I made this Chedda Sauce - which was a recipe that was featured in the book that came with it but I tweaked it a bit.  Here's what's in this sauce...
3/4 C Pine Nnuts
1/2 C Sunflower Seeds
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 T Lemon Juice
2 T Nutritional Yeast
1 Clove Garlic
2 tea Bragg's Liquid Aminos

With the few things I have done with my new Vitamix so far I have noticed a few things I want to point out!  One...when doing seeded fruit smoothies - in other blenders - even with my Ninja's - you get each seed IN the smoothie.  With the Vitamix - there are very few seeds to deal with.  Two...with the 'cheese' sauce - no trace of nuts - or chunks - completely smooth!  Even fluffy!  Getting use to the variation and speed increases is the only real difference - that and having the handy tamper.  I was nervous about running it too long but apparently that's the best part!  I just have to remember it was designed for things like these!

Another thing I have been up to lately...Sprouting!  I mentioned that last week and just took these little sprouts out last night!  Aren't they wonderful?  The ones pictured here are Red Clover Sprouts.  Last night I started soaking more.  This time around I am doing a blend - a 3 part salad mix - of Radish, Alfalfa, and broccoli sprouts.  This was one of the blends from my Green Sprout Kit that I blogged about last year.  My goal is to start another different one mid week.  I will keep you posted on that!

Last night I moved these and other items that I had out on my counter top into a cool, dark place...a kitchen cabinet...above my larger freezer.  My Ninja's were there.  I ended up moving my Ninja's up a shelf and added these items to the existing shelf.  I am the type of person that needs to SEE everything or I will not use it.  I had refrained from doing this for that reason.  My husband is the opposite and I know it drove him NUTS so I finally decided to move these items out of site.  So now there is a nice chunk of the counter top that is free again.  I think I will use it for herbs and sprouting.  Tonight I will be working on another nook of the kitchen as well.

Vegan Roasted Coconut Curry Cauliflower, Simple Kale Chips, Kitchen Gardening, More Sprouting

Last night I really NEEDED to use a head of cauliflower and I decided to do some Roasted Coconut Curry Cauliflower.  Boy-oh-Boy am I glad I did!  I have to admit that I was egged on by Cedella Marley's post on Facebook. She was promoting her brother's Coconut Oil which I do enjoy!  I tweaked the recipe a bit because it called for Greek Yogurt and I used Vegan Sour Cream instead and used different measurements in addition to adding a Wildtree Product in there!  So here's what I did!  I roasted the Florette's for about 15 minutes - then took them out and covered them in the mixture below to then put them back in the oven for another 10 or so minutes.  The flavor was AMAZING!  I nibbled on 2 small pieces last night as a taste test but wanted to save the rest for dinner tonight!  Here's what I used for the sauce/coating for this dish!

3/4 C Vegan Sour Cream
1 T Lime Juice
1 T Coconut Oil
1 tea Red Jalapeno Powder
1 T Garlic Powder
1/2 tea Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub
1 tea Cumin
1 tea Curry Powder

Next up...you will see that I've done some more Kale Chips.  I went the Easy-Peasy Route and just massaged them in Wildtree 'Butter Flavored' Grapeseed Oil - but only a very little bit because I put them in my dehydrator overnight! 

I also used Organic Onion Flavored Sea Salt that I picked up somewhere a while ago.  This was a VERY FINE grain sea salt and OMG I should have used LESS.  You may know I'm not much of a salt fan.  Oh well...they were still edible!

 As for some Kitchen Experiments as of late...

I've noticed that my Onions have been sprouting shoots fairly quickly so I thought I would try and grow some in my kitchen and see if I could do it successfully.  I also am trying this with Kale.  I'm eager to try this with Lettuce, too, just need to get a nice starter one, first!  If I can do this successfully I will be very happy and looking forward to trying more! 

I also started sprouting again.  Today is day 3 after the soak and I have to take some photos soon!  I'm only doing a small amount but want to reserve a space n my kitchen to start doing more things like this! 

First up is the Red Clover Sprouts.  I've been craving some Radish Sprouts, too, and I hope to start those next!  I guess it slipped my mind that Red Clover Sprouts took 7 to 14 days!  That's ok!  I'm not in a hurry and if I was I have other seeds that sprout quicker!

Just when I think I don't have much to blog about I do!  I found a slew of new(er) Vegan Cookbooks I want to look into so I will be scheduling a post about that for the weekend, I think.  I also have photos of the rooftop we will be doing our Rooftop Garden!

Mason Jar Make Over - Part 2 - a Look at My Pantry!

Last year (or more) I posted a lengthy post about me totally re-doing my cabinets and cupboards with 90% Mason Jars...well...it's still that way but even more so.  So much so that I think I finally need to get some more Mason Jars!  This past weekend I took quite a bit of time to reorganize them and make them more tidy.  I'm not the most organized person BUT I have TRIED my best when it comes to my Pantry this past year.  This first photo is taking a look at my Spice Cupboard.  It goes about 4 to 5 rows deep and takes up a whole side.  I have a small spice spinner underneath this cupboard as well.  I usually buy in bulk and reuse old containers.  So when you see some of those old McCormick containers and off-brands most likely I have reused those time and time again.  Some of the clear glass containers that you see (with Cumin in it and Ginger Powder, for example) are from the same place I get my bulk spices from.  The local store I buy bulk from gets most of their items from Frontier Co-Op.

Here's another cupboard that I worked on over the weekend.  On the top row you can see some Spaghetti O looking dry pasta noodles, next is my vegan bread crumbs, Barley, then some Farro, and some Quinoa, and then Black Bean Noodles.  On the middle shelf are a lot of my sprouting seeds.  On the bottom one you can see most of my Wildtree Collection, some more sprouting items, some dry soup mixes, and Potato Flakes.

As you can see most everything is in Mason Jars.  When I was getting low I ended up using some old hard plastic ones I had not used in a while like when you see the one marked Quinoa, for example.

Here is a look at the section I have for some of my alternative flours and sweeteners.  These go about 3 deep so you can't really see everything but when you are standing in front of it it's easy to look at everything there.  What you can see on the top row is Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, Garden of Life Flax Seed with Fruit & Anti-Oxidants, more Flax Seeds, Arrowroot, a Granola from Bob's Red Mills, and what you can't see in the back are various alternative flours such as Soy, Garbanzo Bean, Spelt, etc.  On the bottom row you can see some of my alternative sweeteners - mostly from Wholesome Sweeteners.  Coconut Palm Sugar, Raw Cane Sugar, Sucanat, etc.  Behind that I have others such as Coconut Crystals from Coconut Secret and a few other things.

For this self you will see some of my husband's items that are not vegetarian/vegan but most of it is.  On the top row he has his sugar - regular/standard sugar, there are some raw honey's, Liquid Smoke, Steel Cut Oats, and overstock of flours.  On the middle row you can see Coconut Flour, my NuNaturals Stevia Collection, Bragg's including Nutritional Yeast and Liquid Aminos, followed by Chia Seeds, and Wholesome Sweeteners ZERO.  On the bottom shelf you can see our canned goods.  Most of which are from Aldi.  Yes...you can eye some Tuna which is NOT mine (I don't eat it) that's my husband's!  There are some canned beans and veggies but recently I found some fruit toppings and fillers from a discount store that happen to be vegan so I bought them and might play with those soon!

And FINALLY...the last section...mostly on the top shelf you can see our Coffee and Tea Cups along with some pills for hubby and the pets.  But...underneath that you will see some Pink Sea Salt which will last me a LIFE TIME as I hardly ever use salt but it was on sale a long time again and I bought it.  Next and in the back are various rices...standard, white rice, brown rice, long rice, multi-grain, black rice, purple rice, forbidden rice, Jasmine Rice...you name it!  You may even spot some Millet, Couscous, Polenta, Red lentils, Amaranth, grits, etc.

So that's a look at my updated pantry, cupboards, and cabinets!  I was going to include my Bento Box for today along with a recipe or two but I will put that in a separate post!  Questions of the Day...what do you see that are your favorites?  What haven't you tried!?  I'd love to hear!

Vegan Sandwich Spread, Cheesy Tahini Kale Chips, Jalapeno Cajun Cashews, Sprouting Again, and Cleaning!

Yesterday was a CRAZY Blogging Day...I think I had 4 posts!  Today I will probably have more than one but this first one will cover multiple things!  First up is this Vegan Sandwich Spread I made over the weekend!  It has...
1 Can of Kidney Beans, Mashed
1/2 C Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
1 tea Onion Powder
1 tea Garlic Powder
1 tea GoL Wheat Grass Perfect Food

I ended up putting this in my Ninja for a smoother consistency, tho, but you could mash it by hand if you want.  This was tasty!  I ended up putting it on Whole Grain Bread and put a few Sun Dried Tomatoes on top that had been in oil.  It was yummy!  You can also use this as a hearty dip, too!  But it's really great on sandwiches.

I ended up making a few different kinds of Kale and Spinach Chips last week as well but these were the best ones of the batch.  So I thought I would share the recipe with you!

4 C Kale
1 T Tahini
1 tea Balsamic
1 tea Garlic Powder
1/4 C Cashews
1 tea Crushed Red Peppers
1 tea GoL Wheat Grass Perfect Food

They turned out pretty good, too!  They didn't last long...so that's a good sign!  I FINALLY restocked my Nutritional Yeast at the end of last week, too, so I will be doing some more soon...I also found a great deal on a HUGE bag of Kale so I need to use that fairly quickly!

 As for these Cashews...YUMMMMM!  I will be making various flavors of these soon!  This was the first of many!  And it was a success!  Here's what I did by putting it in a zip lock bag and massaging everything together...

1 C Cashews
1 tea Cajun Spice
1 tea Red Jalapeno Powder
1 tea Wildtree Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil
Sprinkle of Garlic Sea Salt
Sprinkle of Paprika

Another seasoned snack I would like to try is a Green Holiday Cracker Snacker...yet another mini goal of mine, I guess!  I'm having a lot of FUN making homemade snacks!  I must say!

And - speaking of mini goals - one that I blogged about was jumping back into sprouting again!  Well, I started in with that again Sunday Night!  First up is Marrowfat Peas and Broccoli Sprouts.

It was easy and FUN to start in with sprouting again once I cleaned up my Cabinets and Kitchen yet again!  Let's just say I was a little over ambitious Saturday thru Monday.  I took Monday off.  I need to use vacation before the end of the year so I have a couple of full and half days!

Here I am soaking the sprouting seeds the first night.  I'm using my old tops as well as the Sustainable Santa Cruz Kit I blogged about in the past, too!  I really LOVE that system!  It's wonderful!

I was going to show pictures of my cabinets and cupboards but I think I will save that for another post.  When I purchased nearly 200 Mason Jars I never thought I would use them all - but - you know what?  I think I have to purchase some more - because NOW I am using them for almost EVERYTHING!

Participating: What I Ate Wednesday, 

Power Potatoes, Avocado "Egg" Salad, A Word About Kala Namak, and Arugula Sprouting Update

I shall call them "Power Potatoes"...it all started with my craving for Mashed Potatoes.  I'm semi-embarrassed to say that back in the day I would have TONS of 'regular' mashed potatoes.  Ever since going dairy-free I haven't had many at all.  Last night...that finally changed!  But these aren't just 'any' mashed potatoes...these are POWER POTATOES...I swear they even have special powers!  Okay...that's a little inflated but the are jam-packed with protein, potassium, calcium, B Vitamins, Fiber, and more!  

Here's what's in it:

1 Pound Yellow Potatoes (mostly peeled)
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4 C Tahini
1/2 C Almond Milk
Splash of Lemon Juice
2 tea Hemp Hearts/Seeds
Small handful dried Parsley
Small handful of Nutritional Yeast

Then...what do we have here?  It's Vegan Avocado "Egg" Salad!  I believe I was inspired by a recipe I originally saw on my Whole Foods Recipes App but you know me...I have a hard time following instructions.  I'm kind of rebellious that way, I guess!  So here's what I did for this:

2 Avocados

1/4 C Almond Milk

2 Pickle Spears

3 Stalks Celery

1/4 of a Red Onion

4 teaspoons of dried Parsley

2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1 T Agave Nectar

1 T Balsamic

My special ingredient?  Kala Namak...to taste!  I totally forgot I had this and came across an unopened container of it I bought at a spice store that was quite Veggie Friendly.  This Kala Namak - if you don't already know - is a Sea Salt.  It's Pinkish and Purplish in color.  I've read this is a 'Vegan's Best Friend' when it comes to replacing egg in flavor and aroma.  That's because of it's natural sulfur.  Some say it originates from near Volcanic Activity.  In the future I will be making a Tofu Scramble with this as well.  Other benefits of this 'salt' is that it's considered a 'cooling spice' in the natural medicine world and is also used as a laxative and digestive aid.  Some have also said it helps with Heart Burn and to help cure goiters.

In other news...I told you I would keep you posted on my progress with sprouting Arugula.  Yesterday was Day Three!  Here is a photo of that.  I'm pretty happy with the outcome so far.  I will continue to monitor the growth.  In addition to growing these Arugula Sprouts I still have a windowsill plant of Sweet Basil and a Crazy lil Chive Plant.  I was going to do a garden this year but decided against it because we have had SO MUCH rain - it's been NUTS!  Perhaps next year!  I'm not upset about it, really, because I am supporting our local Farmers Market Vendors in the meantime.

Sprouting Arugula, Neem Oil Soap, Farmers Market Finds, When Ducks Attack, Our Little Boy's Growing Up!

 Yes, this is the 3rd post for today!  I mention in THIS POST about me trying to sprout Arugula for the first time.  So I thought I would take this time to elaborate on that.  Keep in mind this is the first time I am doing this - so I am far from a GURU!

I didn't realize when I bought these that you did NOT soak them over night as you do with many or most other sprouting seeds.  Instead you lay it atop a medium of your choice and dampen it.  What I did is I re-used a pint sized container I got at a produce stand and lined it with a few paper towels.  I added a little bit of the sprouting seeds and sprayed them with water from a spray bottle.  This is only DAY ONE so I will update you on my progress.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get several things accomplished in and around town as well as home.  For one - I was able to take some time with Riley and give him a more lengthy bath instead of the quickie-wash he sometimes gets.  He wasn't happy at first but once in the bath he did better than I expected I kept telling him I wouldn't use the 'mean' dryer - that's what he really doesn't like!  I kept my promise.  I used commercial shampoo briefly but then switched it to the flea and tick wash and spent a lot of time with the Oatmeal soak.  After the Oatmeal soak I rinsed him off and applied Neem Oil Soap!  I had bought a little bit from the Daughter-In-Law of a lady I know who sells it at our Farmers Market.  I'm THINKING I will be buying more of this from her in the near future.  I bought that last week.  I think Opal will be excited about this purchase of mine as she's a soap maker and lover of Neem Oil as well!  This week I bought a bit of French Bread from one of the vendors before heading out to the Winery.  I was so happy when I noticed Abers Acres Produce Stand open in our area around midday yesterday!  They are usually only open from 10 to 5 during the week and I am not able to get there because I work.  I stopped and purchased Fava Beans, Peaches, Cherries, and Blackberries.  Let's just say the Black Berries are already gone and I ate about half the Cherries already, too!  They are AMAZING!  Friday night I stopped at The Hatch Patch and grabbed some Sugar Snap Peas and ate them on Saturday.  They were tasty, too!

Yesterday I was able to make some Iced Tea.  Well, it was actually a Tisane.  I made up some of Shanti Tea's "Lemonade" which consists of Rooibos and Lemon/Grass.  It's marvelous!  As you can see I have been using my Team Melissa cup quite a bit around the house. 

I have a TON of FOOD Posts coming up but this is my 3rd post already for today.  I might wait until tomorrow to blog about the foods of the last week or so. 

I also have lots to share with you about my walks around town and some TREE Photos I have been taking.  Again, I will put those off a while longer, tho.

FUNNY STORY...
Last week while I was taking one of my walks around town I heard a duck and looked around and noticed her drinking in a nearby puddle.  I started slowly walking towards her - I often DO do this - and she started walking towards me.  I first thought - oh - how cute - she's social...well, then she started walking faster and faster!  Darn near running!  CHARGING even!  So I drew back.  I walked about a half block and she was still chasing me!  I was laughing but still trying to be cautious.  I'm thinking it was because she thought I had food.  I was behind our local Subway Restaurants. 

I don't want to label this little lady as aggressive - but she sure wasn't afraid - nor was she slow and just waddling.  Let's just say she was pretty excited.  Perhaps I was a friend of hers in a previous life and she recognized me and wanted to give me a BIG HUG!

It was a memorable moment, tho, that is for sure.

I've seen my share of wild life so far this year!  I'm thankful for it!  It makes life interesting and each being is beautiful!

Speaking of wild life...indoor wild life, in our house, that is...PACO!

I think he's finally growing out of puppy!  He's calming down in the evenings faster but he's still Mr. Personality, don't get me wrong!  He's a character.

But he's maturing.  He's snuggling more.  I like it - I like it A LOT.

This was Friday Night on my lap - on the sofa.  The 'kids' and I watched a 'scary' movie.  A "B" Movie at that.  It wasn't very good...but it was nice to snuggle with the kids.

My Many Mason Jars & The Vineyard is GREEN

 I will be doubling and tripling up on posts today to try and catch up from my wild week or weeks lately.  One of the many things I have been working on - it's a constant battle - but I couldn't be more proud of it as petty as it seems - is my Mason Jar Kitchen Cabinets!

My original post happened almost a year ago and I have been tweaking it ever since.  I'm not the most organized person but I try.  Mason Jar are the way to go for me!  It's what has helped me the longest and I have stuck with it!  I have been getting more and more grains, sprouting items, powders, and more and these are PERFECT for them!  Not only have I been using Mason Jars I have been reusing other glass jars that I have come across as you can see in the 2nd photo. 

The one with the Green Lid is a reused Tahini Glass Jar.  I believe I bought these sprouting seeds over at VitaCost.  Take a look at the right hand side bar for the refer a friend program.  I LOVE this online store!  Anyhow...back to the Jars!  You can see in the first photo I have Marrowfat Peas.  I haven't used them yet but I hope to soon!  On either side are some of my Wildtree items.  In the 2nd photo I have Arugula and Sunflower Seeds.  I sprouted Sunflower Seeds before but didn't blog about it.  I wanted to get a 2nd attempt under my belt first.  Yesterday I started my first attempt at Arugula and I will blog about that later today, too.

In my 3rd photo - you can see the glass jars I bought FIRST even before buying the Mason Jars.  I bought those from my local herb store where I buy bulk often.  I started using those for 'meals' and alternative flours but I also use them for sprouting beans, seeds, etc now, too!

In this last photo - I have some Quinoa but also some Farro.  I have to admit I am still new at using Farro but will be posting about this, soon, too!

In another section of my cupboards I have recently added Maca Powder containers and a Maca-Hemp-Cacao Powder. 


I have been running out of a few of my rices - wild rice, long grain rice, and various brown rices that I had from Lundberg as well as a few other brands.  I have also just finished up my Rice Crumbs and one of my Vegan Panko Bread Crumbs.  Lucky for me I found a box hiding and replenished my stock.

In other news - we went back to Noble Winery in Westfield, NY, on Saturday with our Wildtree set-up and did pretty well!  We LOVE the Noble Winery Crew!  They are beautiful people!  The last time I blogged about Noble - it was cold!!!  This time around it was gorgeous!  The grounds and vineyard were MUCH MORE GREEN!  Afterwards we went to Quagliana's Bark Grill - as we did the last time - it's becoming a favorite!  It has a neat set-up as well as SUPER FRIENDLY people!  They have an awesome cheese-less Bruchetta I had as well as something similar but with Eggplant and Red Peppers!  YUM!

I was wondering what the 4th would have been like on the hill of the winery!  You can see for MILES.  I bet you could see various fireworks that night.  We only stayed until about 7pm so it wasn't dark yet.

We have a party this Wednesday in Little Valley, NY, and we are expecting quite a few so we are looking forward to that and we have a few shows in the works, too!

Herbed Hemp Dressing, Healthy Snacks, Power Salads, More Sprouts, & Chi-Wee's Slumber

Over the next few days my schedule will be jumbled up a bit.  I will tell you why afterwards!  How's that for suspense!? 

Before things get a little crazy I was able to do a few things - and I thought I would share them with you!  First...this Herbed Hemp Dressing I found on CarrieOnVegan.com and the VeganDelish App!  I didn't have any onion flakes on hand so I ended up using my Wildtree Garlic Galore which is made up of Garlic, Onion, and Herbs.  In addition I used a bunch of Italian Parsley , Hemp Hearts/Seeds, Almond Milk, and Coconut Vinegar.  The Coconut Vinegar is the real reason I wanted to do this dressing in the first place since I recently got some Coconut Vinegar from Coconut Secret.  I love it - by the way - and will be doing a full review on it soon!

Since I used the whole Italian Parsley leaves and stems in my version as well as blending everything in my Ninja my texture was a little bit different...it was still smooth but the 'greens' were a bit more defined that in the App's Photo of the outcome.

The flavor packed a VERY powerful punch!  And I LOVED every minute of it!

I couldn't resist cracking-open a new-to-me-product I recently bought on Vitacost.  The Orgran Corn Crispbread.  I topped it with this dressing and halved a Cherry/Grape Tomato!  It looks so cute and was FULL of flavor!  A fantastic quick and easy snack!  YUM!

Last night I didn't want to prepare anything for dinner...I didn't want to think about it...but I still wanted it to be healthy.  I remembered having that HUGE salad the other night but no longer had the Avocado Ranch Dressing I made and already ate.  I decided to do another LARGE Salad and this time topped it with Foods Alive Mike's Special Flax Super Dressing and Hemp Hearts/Seeds.  It hit the spot!  I'm so glad I decided to do this for dinner last night!  I'm definitely going to have to re-order some of their dressings and SOON!  I do have a little left but want to be ahead of the game!

Look at all of that color!  Isn't HEALTHY FOOD beautiful!?

WHY I didn't put these sprouts on top of my salad - I don't know - but my sprouting is complete from last week!  You may remember this little tidbit...

I used the Green Sprouting Kit from Sustainable Santa Cruz once again!  I do LOVE this kit!  As of last night I started soaking a little bit of their Spicy Blend.  The Sprouting seeds were among the smallest I have ever tried sprouting so I am very eager to see how they progress!

Well, here they are!   They turned out awesome and I will be starting more on Thursday night!

I caught the Chi-Wee in a rare moment last night!  He fell asleep on my lap under the blanket and decided to sprawl-out.  For a little dog he took up a lot of room but I am NOT complaining because he was so quiet and cute!

He did let me pet him gently while he was still half asleep.  Again, this is rare.  Paco is usually 'full speed ahead' 100% of the time!

Maybe he's finally shedding some of his puppy energy.  Maybe like 1% of it...he's still a little Crazy Man!

Look at that face!

He's an angel when he's sleeping! haha!

Seriously, tho, he's spoiled!  ALL of our kids are, tho!

I will have to take a pic of Gabby in her new sleeping spot - upstairs - in between her toy box and the wall!  I don't dare move it!  She has it 'just-so'.