Nourishing Flourishing

Ok, so. About this… I had to practice a lot of self-restraint to not blurt out what I had made all over Twitter and Facebook. Instead, I teased. I talked about riding my bike to various grocery stores 5 times in 95*+ heat. I talked about my 4 failed attempts. I talked about standing in front of my stove for hours with no air conditioning in the middle of summer. I talked about letting some frustrations slip out of my mouth as I paid for yet another jar of vanilla beans. And I taunted that I had hit the vegan, gluten-free jackpot of deliciousness with the final success batch. After all that dramatic build-up, you can see what I was so dedicated to making…

When I saw Mama Pea’s take on a vegan version of Starbucks’ Petite Vanilla Scones last week, I was excited. I had been contemplating making a gluten-free version for months — literally, months. Somehow I had gotten wind of this Starbucks scone craze, and then ran across it via a random link to The Pioneer Woman’s blog. The wheels were churning. If you take a look at that version, you might notice why I would need to use some creativity; cream, wheat, and butter aren’t so much included in my diet. I was totally overwhelmed. What would they be made out of?! But then I saw Mama Pea’s genius “health-ified” upgrade — and a vegan one at that! No more excuses. No more missing out on tasty treats. It was time to vegan-ify my scone recipe, and make a gluten-free alternative to these adorable little scones. At last — gluten-free eaters, rejoice! You can partake in the deliciousness. Huzzah!

P.S. My recipe looks way more complicated than it is — trust me.

Ingredients:
3 Tb water + 1 Tb ground flax seed
2 1/2 C blanched almond flour (make your own and save)
2 Tb arrowroot powder
2 Tb coconut flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 C agave nectar
1/2 Tb vanilla extract
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean pod

Recipe:
1) Mix water and flax together with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes (ideally, you can put everything else together during this time).
2) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3) Mix agave, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and vanilla bean pod scrapings (click here for tutorial).
4) Add agave mixture to dry ingredients. Stir, and add flax egg.
5) Stir until combined. I like to actually use my hands to mix gently and thoroughly.
6) Flatten into a rectangle on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It won’t rise much in the oven, so keep that in mind, thickness-wise. My dough was around 1/2″-3/4″, I would guess.
7) Cut four even lines into dough with a sharp knife,. (Example)
8 ) Cut three more even lines in the opposite direction. (Example)
9) Cut each small rectangle/square in half on the diagonal for a total of 24 mini scone triangles.
10) Arrange carefully on the baking sheet so that they are spread evenly. Pop in a 350* oven for about 10-12 minutes — until the edges and tops are lightly browned. Let cool.

Vanilla Bean Glaze

Ingredients:
1 C powdered sugar (corn-free for some of us!)
2 Tb unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla for added flair)
2 vanilla bean pod

Recipe:
1) Add almond milk to powdered sugar. It will seem to dry at first, but just trust and keep stirring with a fork until smooth.
2) Scrape the vanilla bean pod and stir into glaze mixture.

You can certainly halve the glaze recipe and just lightly lace your scones with a slight drizzle of frosting. I just included the whole recipe in case you are crazy about the glaze…y. I avoid refined-type sugar as much as possible (my body doesn’t do well with it), but I’m still working on a mild-tasting, sugar-free alternative. If you can’t eat this small amount of powdered sugar, don’t fret! Simply mix the vanilla bean scrapings with agave or honey and drizzle immediately before serving (it will eventually soak into the scone and make it soft). Still delicious — just different : )

So. Do they look worth the teasing? Perhaps not after you look at Mama Pea and The Pioneer Woman’s beautiful photography. I admit it, I don’t have a DSLR, or — what really counts – mad skillz. BUT if you taste these, do come back and let me know what you think. I’m guessing somewhere in between “vanilla sugar cookie” and “what a rainbow would taste like if it exploded with joy in my mouth.”

Oh yeah — and speaking of exploding (good transition, Katie)… If you want to make a fun 4th of July brunch spread, how about this banner of delicious, patriotic themed scones?! Thanks to Kelly of The Spunky Coconut for hosting another great Our Spunky Holiday Gluten-Free Carnival!

Red (ish)

White…

And blue:

Any other fun ideas you’d like to see adapted?

Some of you know already (if you like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter) that I am the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference here in Boulder, Colorado (where I also live…which means I’m not paying for a hotel…which is awesome)! Fair warning: this post might be all over the place – think parentheses on crack more than ever before — as I am quite sleep-deprived. It has been a blast so far. I started the conference out by hiking and making friends with fun people like Anne (so lovely; check out her post for more pics!), Theodora (best name ever, says the Classicist in me), Heather (a legit running mama), Lori (sweet, funny, and totally in love with free deodorant…hahaha), Alisa (publishing expert extraordinaire), and Sarah (we bonded over philosophy; holla).

Psst…If you met me at FHBC, you can get an idea of what I usually write about here, on my Popular Posts page.

The hike was a nice transition into being sociable; conferences can be a bit overwhelming for those of us who have initial introvert tendencies.

Obviously, you know where my loyalties lie…

After some conference talks and free samples (10 mini Larabars? Don’t mind if I do!), we did things like walking to Whole Foods, eating the special meal they made just for us (on the reserved patio, obviously), and drinking wine whilst looking out on the Flatirons. It was rockin’. And I went to bed wayyy too late, as aresult. Nevertheless, I have a full day’s (uh, weekend’s) agenda before me. I love connecting with people, and that is what I’ve spent most of my time doing here at FHBC. Such fabulous people here (including the adorable Gretchen and Lee)! So happy to see my business cards get some action (don’t read into that).

What are you up to this weekend?

xoxo

I’m not the first person to make an avocado-based vegan “ice cream” or frozen pudding. I realize this! (And if you or someone you know about has a fantastic vegan ice cream/mousse recipe, please leave a link in the comments for others to enjoy; I’m honestly not even sure where I first encountered the idea years ago, as it’s become so ubiquitous!) But, the interesting twist is that I hadn’t intended to make this in the first place; it was the byproduct of a failed attempt to create something else. Hopefully later this week I can show you a (not-failed) finished product of my original goal… This is still smooth, sweet, and totally delectable. In the meantime, here is a happy accident; similar to ice cream, this creamy treat is perfect for the dog days of summer.

Or, you know…whenever you want chocolate.

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 C + 1 Tb cocoa powder
1/4 C agave nectar
1 t vanilla extract
4 Tb unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla)

Recipe:
1) Throw all ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
2) Pour/spoon into glass container and place, covered, in freezer for about 5-8 hours. (I used a champagne flute for added classiness…or because it’s what would fit in my overstuffed freezer.)
3) Remove when it is fully frozen (which admittedly, takes a while), and devour!

Now, as with pretty much all my recipes and methods, you can adjust this pretty easily. One avocado might be smaller or larger than another, so if you want to gradually add the agave as you make it, certainly do so. You all know that I am a proud supporter of “tasting along the way,” yes? Yes. And if you haven’t played with this green fruit outside of guacamole, and are wondering what is wrong with me…. Try it. You can’t taste it. At all. Fo rizzy.

Healthy-sneaky win!

Have you tried avocados in dessert before?

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

This is a long one. Sorry. After reading this article, I was unsettled. I find it to be hauntingly accurate. And it makes me feel all the more blessed, and thankful. Here’s why.

See, there is a guy.

A guy who would do anything for someone in need.

Who gives freely and eagerly.

Who can make me laugh until I cry and snort, and can’t breathe.

Who stayed home with me for two days when I got my first period (in fourth grade), offering patience, a heating pad, and comforting words as I reeled from this shift into being half adult way too soon.

Who told me I was beautiful every day.

Who taught me that beauty has nothing to do with my unibrow, (lack of) height, or big-tooth-smile.

Who always stressed that women are intelligent, strong, and — without question or exception — must be valued equally.

Who gave me the sense that I was the most important thing at that moment, whenever we spent time together.

Who talked me through the endings and beginnings of friendships, relationships, and seasons of life.

Who would people watch and drink coffee with me for hours.

Who modeled what humility is, by always admitting he was wrong when he was, and learning from any mistakes.

Who laughed — not yelled — when he saw that I had ripped the entire side of my little red Saturn off after I hit a roadsign.

Who supplied the perfectly-colored red duct tape to cover the entire half of my car that had been shattered…

Who faced every challenge life threw at him (and they still seem unending) with determination, faith, and hope.

Who told me that I shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best partner for me.

Who encouraged me to recognize and use my gifts for the good of the world, because every little drop in the ocean counts.

Who never hid real life from me, and was always honest; this value of transparency made me who I am today.

Who helped me to understand, (in time) more fully, that I didn’t have to fear or hide my smarts.

Who buys me organic lettuce, eggs, and apples any time I come to visit.

Who taught me how to debate….and now reaps what he sowed.

Who sang oldies with me in the car, and danced with me in the kitchen.

Who is ever a student and philosopher, open to learning more and reorienting his way of thinking if shown a better way.

Who didn’t flinch at becoming a stay-at-home dad later in my life, and completely rocked his new role.

Who made me believe I really could grow up to be anything I wanted. And that I should do only what fulfilled me.

Who (alone) let out a loud applause and “WOO! YEAH!” at the beginning of our wedding, after the presider said, “We are gathered here for the joining of Katie and J’s lives.”

Who taught me that faith, questions, reason, and love coexist in beautiful, mysterious harmony.

Who gave me sweet Spanish genes so I can get a tan. (Joke. Kinda.)

Who helped me to trust that who I am deserves to be cherished and celebrated.

Who reads my blog and laughs at my bad jokes.

Who has really, really good taste in women. (Particularly, a woman that is just as wonderful as he is, and complements him perfectly.)

Who always tried to nourish flourishing (in so many ways) in my life, and my family’s.

To that guy — who is more than I can talk about here: A happy, happy day. Go enjoy yourself and read some Harry Potter in the sun, Dadd! (Yes, the extra d is no typo.)

I love you more than I can ever say.

But you knew that.

<3

I’m back! So, some of you saw my hints on Twitter and Facebook already…oh my word, do I have some stories to share. But more on that later. I feel badly that the blog has been kind of wacky lately. I would guess that, although you seem to enjoy laughing at my travel exploits, you might miss the recipes. Thus, today I will start with the food from our trip, and save the chronicles of craziness for another time. These aren’t really straight-up recipes; they are more methods that you can adapt to your needs and tastes. I just wanted to share some ideas, in case you’re overwhelmed with “What will I eat?!” camping dilemmas. Please do not assume that camping has to be rough just because you don’t eat gluten, or dairy, or meat. Even if you’re not in any of those boats, after this (egregiously long) post, you’ll know what to pack for your (high-maintenance) friends  ; )

These are some “essentials” for camp cooking that I personally bring, and recommend:
- cast iron skillet (even just a small one)
- heavy duty aluminum foil
- metal utensils (fork, spoon)
- paring knife
- substantial water container (more on that tomorrow…)
- Klean Kanteen

I prefer to use a firepit with a retractable grill instead of lugging around a propane stove. All you have to do is wrap your metal skillet, pot, or food itself (see below) in heavy duty foil. Everything will be fine. Really.

(And of course, please reuse what foil you can!)

Any guesses as to what I’m stirring?

The first night we arrived, I tried something a little different than our usual camp food fare: I made curry!

This is a method, not a recipe; and I assure you, anyone can pull this off! Just trust yourself, and taste along the way. Place your (foil-laden) pot on the grill, and cover the bottom of the inside with a thin layer of curry powder, a generous sprinkling of cumin and turmeric, and a little ginger or garlic (powder, for ease). Give the spices a stir, and once they are a bit fragrant, pour some olive oil in, and stir. Add chopped onions and carrots. Stir. Add more veggies — whatever you have. We used cabbage, and precut cauliflower, broccoli, and zucchini. I also added the bag of frozen peas for protein; I love using them as “ice packs” on trips!

Add a splash (or a few) of water, and keep spicing as you go. Make the dish suit you. And don’t forget to add salt — copious amounts of salt.

Happy campers, indeed.

Save dishes, and trees: just eat right out of your pan (and lid)… Ain’t no shame in my game.

The next morning, we awoke to rain. It was not only a great excuse to snuggle into our sleeping bags a little longer, it was also the ideal setting for a hot breakfast once the sun broke through…*

And by hot, you knew I meant made with fire, right?

(Yes, I almost burned down my house as a child once. Why do you ask?)

Grilled toast (for the BFF Manfriend). Just place bread on the frame, watch, and flip. Easiest toast ever.

These (ethically-sourced) eggs were awesome, I’m not going to lie to you.

But that’s not all…

Slice. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, wrap carefully in foil, set directly in hot coals, near a flame if possible. Turn it halfway through to cook the other side. This method works with regular potatoes, as well as squash! Just keep it upright, so that oil doesn’t leak out. Remove and carefully open the foil to check for doneness. You can always reseal it and drop it back into the heat.

I also diced half the sweet potato and fried it in the cast iron until crisp — ’twas perfect!*

Can you see something hiding in the coals?

Both methods are superb. Just don’t be so adult that you leave your agave ketchup behind… Adulthood is overrated!

At this point, we embarked on our hike. Which, again, is a tale in itself, and shall be recounted in detail soon. I will share that we were utterly depleted when we reached base camp again, and I was not about to spend an hour slaving over a hot stove burning fire. At this point in the camping day, I like meals that I can just throw into coals and walk away from. Call me lazy.

Foil-Wrapped, Fire-Cooked, Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers

2-3 green bell peppers
1 can of black beans
1 can or small jar of salsa or Ro-Tel (or a mix)
organic cheese or Daiya, if desired

1) Carefully cut tops of bell peppers, like you would a jack-o-lantern.
2) Remove seeds.
3) Pour beans (I rinsed and drained mine a couple times in the can) to cover the bottom of each pepper.
4) Add a layer of salsa/Ro-Tel.
5) Repeat.
6) Replace top, and carefully wrap in foil. Keep upright and place in hot coals/fire.
7) Turn halfway through (again, check for doneness at any point, just be careful when resealing).
8 ) Remove and top with cheese if you prefer. Eat directly out of foil with a fork.

If your significant other tries to pass off their pepper remains to you once the filling is gone, fight the urge to selfishly devour it, and hint that some salt will really bring out the flavor. Be patient with his or her skepticism. Then bask in the glow of a happy spouse and no leftovers.

Whew! That’s a serious recap. But I know that so many of you are traveling this summer, and I don’t ever want you to feel left out because of a dietary restriction. Hopefully these examples can provide some inspiration and encouragement for your own creative camp meals. And don’t be intimidated by the fire: remember, everything tastes better when cooked outdoors! : )

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free

Any other camp cooking ideas?

*Sorry for the inconsistent quality in photos… The lighting was a bit tricky to work with on this trip!

Ok, this is no recipe folks. And you have to use the term “gum” (very) loosely here. But it works, and it is healthy. It’s a nice little trick. It’s also something to keep us ADHD folks in line when we get squirmy.

I knew that gum made me feel “weird” once I started tuning into my body more, and paying attention to even the smallest adverse affects of what I put into it. There wasn’t much ambiguity or question about gluten, corn, most dairy, and soy… But I usually dismissed the thought with chewing gum. Mainly, because I love the stuff. It keeps my mouth busy, so I don’t emotionally eat, it calms me when I get antsy, and it tastes like a party in my mouth.

But one night a few years ago, we were driving to (of all places) Nebraska (I promise we travel to more than just NE, despite what the blog may lead you to believe). I used to chew gum to keep me alert, especially on long road trips. It was fairly late in the evening, and shortly after I put a new piece of gum into my mouth (probably the third in the course of a couple hours), my throat started to close. What? Yes. I didn’t have an anaphylactic reaction — I could still breath, but it took a significant amount of effort. The sensation of my swelling throat and the thought of not being able to take in air like I normally do had me panicking. Obviously, that didn’t help things much. J worriedly asked if I needed to go to the emergency room. I didn’t, and I was fine. However, I experimented a bit after this to see if it was just in my head, and of course, it wasn’t.

After grieving the last pack of gum I would ever buy

I kept brainstorming what I could substitute… I needed something that kept a good flavor in my mouth and wouldn’t disintegrate in 5 seconds flat (<– actually, most gum falls into that category, eh?). The natural gum was a little too steep to justify, and I kind of hated it anyway. We had some leftover ginger root laying around one day, and I “needed” gum. I shrugged and snipped off a little nubbin. I was alone, so no one could judge me for my “unconventional” choices. An hour later, I was still enjoying the fresh taste and having something to keep me from chewing on my tongue in desperation. Also, doesn’t ginger just rejuvenate you, and make you feel vibrant and energized through and through?

Take some fresh ginger root.

(Update: If you hate ginger [or just want to try something different], use licorice root, as Mallory kindly and wisely reminded me! Look in most imported goods stores — it looks like a small stick, and tastes like sweet anise. I used to be addicted to it. You will be too. Legit.)

Cut a small piece off. (If fresh ginger is a new thang for you, be careful! It can be pretty zingy, so just take a small amount at first.)

Chew, suck, or otherwise keep your mouth busy with it. (Please refrain from jokes…I seriously rewrote this 10 times before I gave up.)

Once it gets too stringy and bothersome, spit it out. (Or…if you’re lazy….swallow it. Not that I would ever do that…)

Easy. Cheap. Healthy. Effective. It might even qualify as another Hobo invention!

I know, this is simple, and kind of lame. But for those of us avoiding the ingredients in gum (aspartame, sucralose, sugar,and artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives), it is a delightfully legit alternative. A little hippie, yes, but whatever. In the words of my wise father, “Screw ‘em if they can’t take a joke.”

Dad, these are words I live by. <3

Oh. Also. We are heading out for a camping and hiking adventure for these next two days

BUT I’ll be back with some vegetarian, gluten-free camp food (!!!) to share. Because everything tastes better when it’s cooked over a fire. Awww yeeeeaah.

Also, I missed you yesterday.

Also, I will miss you the next two days.

Also, I’m sorry I’m bad at responding to emails in a timely manner. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them!

Also, I love you.

Do you have any weird reactions to things like gum, or am I the only freak here?

Here are some of the highlights from our trip… (Seeing family was of course the main highlight, but I don’t think everyone is keen on being plastered across my blog ; )

To my Philosophy-Soccer friends (aka Team Qualia): Notice that J’s legs are gash-free. For once.

Totally succeeding in prioritizing this goal.

I’m looking ironic here because my BFF Manfriend was way too excited about this rock formation.

That, and the sun was quite blinding. Especially after 40 pictures. (See above.)

Oh, yeah — and this sign:

Pfsh. I am hardcore. I would have just glared the snake straight in the eye, and intimidated it into submission.

Duh. You knew this.

I wanted to show you a picture of Kyle as Mark in RENT, but can’t find any photos for free use. The bright side to using this photo is that you get to see my super cute sister-in-law, Abby, as a bonus. It was her birthday this week. Manfriend and I made her some curry to celebrate.

Not sure yet if that makes us fun, or terrible, siblings. I think it probably depends on how bad the curry was.

Oh, and after the whole ghetto fabulous dinner thang, we drove home from the show in Scottsbluff at 11pm, and had to cross into Wyoming and far northeastern Colorado for a few hours…

While you can see the hail wall forming at our windshield, and the lightening aimed directly at us, this (otherwise professional) drawing leaves out the locusts, frogs, and several other plagues of the apocalypse. Which we, somehow, survived.

We alternated between frantically chanting, “We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die,” and laughing hysterically, “We’re idiots! We’re idiots! And we’re gonna DIE!” …In unrelated news, after this trip, we decided to become real adults, and in the future shall purchase a hotel room instead of driving through strange lands with infamous weather habits in the middle of the night.

These are the moments we won’t forget. Because they are so, so special traumatizing. Cherish them. <3

Welp, those were just a handful of moments. Back to normal(ish) soon : ) Workin’ on a recipe today!

xoxo

Highlights of your week?

Have I been MIA or what?!

Oy vey. My apologies. Travel tends to do this to me… I’ll recap a little more of our trip in the next day or so, but for now I thought I’d jump ahead to a special moment.

We left eastern Nebraska and drove for about 10 hours or so to get to Scottsbluff. My (soon-to-be) brother-in-law (lots of hyphens) was hired to play Mark in RENT there this summer. Kyle is a wonderfully talented actor, and we love theatre — and more importantly, we love Kyle. So we thought a few hours of detouring would be very worth the late night drive back to Boulder, Colorado. It certainly was! Even after seeing the show on Broadway, I have to say: Kyle nailed his part. But we also had some…weird things happen along the way.

I wrote out the whole story, and deleted it, because I just didn’t think anyone would find it as hilarious as we did. I just want to offer the caveat that this might be a “You Had To Be There” kind of thang. You couldn’t see the looks people gave us, or the exasperation of our hour of driving through a town that takes 15 minutes to reach the edges of, or our attempts to get close enough to all the drive-through menus without setting off the sensor and having to explain that, “We don’t eat meat — and we’re just looking to see if you have absolutely anything that doesn’t contain bacon and American cheese.”

Awkward.

(Also: No. They don’t.)

Finally, we reached the end of town. And the Wal-Mart. In desperation (and our growing suspicion that they didn’t, in fact, really have a grocery store), we walked in, and started checking ingredients. After seeing that the bean, salsa, and guacamole dip has a list of ingredients 40 lines long, we moved on to the canned aisle. Refried beans. That’s innocent enough, right? Mashed beans. Protein. Cheap. Yes. Except that all but one brand had lard in it. Again, literally. I’m not being hyperbolic here. We realized we needed a can opener, and went to the deli to ask if they wouldn’t mind opening it for us after we purchased it. “Um…wow…Hmm…I don’t…I don’t know.” …Uh. What? “You’ll have to find a manager…I just don’t know…” About 3 minutes of this evasion and “I don’t know ’bout that”-ing. You would have thought we asked if we could slather ourselves in the leftover fryer grease and run naked through the aisles. “I just don’t know ’bout that…”

We just bought a flippin’ can opener.

It is staying in the car from now on, for moments like this.

Time was quickly closing in on the start of the show, so we waited until we got to the theatre parking lot to start “dinner.” We were tired, road-worn, and looked like we needed a change of clothes and a shower. As people began to filter into the venue, we hurriedly crammed food down our gullets in our car, which was packed to the hilt with firewood (for camping) and bags. Utensil-less, we were scooping our refried beans from the can with crackers; J was ravenously biting chunks right off the huge 5 lb block of organic cheese we had brought in the cooler.

It took us a moment to realize that people were staring at us as they passed.

And then it took about five seconds to connect that they were staring because we LOOKED HOMELESS. All we needed to do was start a bum fire in that front seat and you would have thought so, too.

The fact that we started laughing maniacally about this afterwards probably didn’t help things…

On the bright side, I always wanted to be a hobo when I was little.

Reach for your dreams, kids.

Please tell me you’ve done something equally weird.

I thought it might be fun to do a little update on how our meals have gone so far as we’re traveling (we are currently in Nebraska…just in case you didn’t read the title). While it has been a different experience than what we are used to, we have a wonderful, large kitchen and a mother(-in-law) who lets us make ourselves at home. For me, that means cooking up a storm, and unleashing chaos on her counters (sorry, Mom S.). No one seems to mind too much that I’m still taking (bad) photos while they are patiently waiting for dinner to be served (cold food, of course — seeing as I’ve been angling it toward the window for about 10 minutes already). It’s nice to be able to maintain some normalcy despite being in another state! Thanks Mom and Dad S. for your hospitality and understanding. And for being so willing to try the crazy things I make… True love.

So, while we’ve been in Nebraska we’ve eaten the following:

Zucchini Fries

Summer Grilling Marinade and Vegetables

Blueberry Scones

Vegan Mango Lassi (actually, this is on the docket for today!)

And a variation on 5 Minute Vegan Pesto

Some of the family’s various favorites that they have made or tried in the past included:

The Cheapest, Easiest, Vegan Split Pea Soup in The World

Best Bangin’ Marinara and Eggplant Faux “Parmesan”

Simple Lime Mocktail

The BFF Manfriend and I have been supplementing with lots of big, fresh salads, fruit, and nuts (and organic cheese, for him — he’s trying to cut back, but it’s a process ; ). Thus far, I think J has found being vegetarian in the Midwest to be fairly doable, so long as we’re responsible and prepared. We know full well that it is our job to make sure we have food that meets our needs, and we would never place expectations on anyone else. But this week has also made us more aware of and grateful for how lucky we are to live in an effortlessly accommodating town, if only for a short season in our life. Boulder ranks high on the GF and veg-friendly list of places to live, and thus makes our lifestyle painlessly straightforward — this is not the case in other parts of the country. It has been encouraging to see that while we could have done things better at certain points, we can certainly manage our health and lifestyle quite well while traveling. I hope you find the same to be true for yourself this summer, regardless of whether it is in the food allergy, veg, or general healthy-eating category, and celebrate yourself as result!

Do you have a favorite recipe on here?

What would you like to see?

First of all, before you tell me you hate mushrooms, let me tell you a story:

I didn’t used to like mushrooms

My husband didn’t used to like mushrooms.

Kids (in general) didn’t used to like mushrooms.

Guess who’s bringin’ mushrooms back? (Be honest, do you have Justin Timberlake stuck in your head now?)  I threw this dressing together on the fly the other day as we prepared a meal for my in-laws. There was some teasing at the generous amount of mushrooms I had bought, but after they had marinated in this dressing and were served up at the table, even my little one year old nephew was asking for “Mo!” I am taking that as a win. I know the kid loves food, but…hey. A mushroom is a mushroom.

That, and they tasted like pepperoni. In a very vegan way. Or something.

The zucchini we marinated and grilled was delicious as well. We didn’t bother adding the sauce to the onions, as they seem to not soak it up, and are plenty flavorful on their own. You can make these into shish kebabs, broil them, or grill the zucchini in long strips, as we did. (Just try not to engulf them in flames get too much char on them like we did.)

Ingredients:
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb red wine vinegar
1 Tb white (regular) vinegar
2 t oregano
2 t basil
2 t garlic powder (I rarely use garlic powder, but it’s better than fresh garlic in this case, for texture and a smoother flavor)
2-3 t dried onions
salt and fresh ground pepper

Recipe:
1) In a bowl, mix the olive oil and vinegars together.
2) Whisk in dry spices, and taste.
3) Add salt, pepper, and more or less of any other ingredient to taste.
3) To use as a marinade, pour into a large bag (or a glass baking dish), and add vegetables. Shake to distribute.
4) Lay bag flat, and flip over after 20-30 minutes. Marinate for 40-60 minutes, if you can.
5) Grill or broil vegetables.

We served these alongside whole grain pasta tossed in homemade pesto (obviously, I didn’t partake of this). I remember one summer we had grilled vegetables for the majority of our dinners each week. It got a little out of control…. Even so, we aren’t sick of it, and grilled veggies are the sure sign that summer has arrived! It’s so easy, there’s just no reason to use that processed bottled stuff that’s filled with preservatives and fillers. This dressing is high-fructose corn syrup, metabulsulfite, and Red #40 free, and tasty to boot! It comes together in less than five minutes — just add veggies and walk away for an hour. Zing.

What’s your go-to summer meal?