breakin' the law, breakin' the law....

eating these caramel pecan bars aren't illegal, but they could very well be. THIS is the dessert you make for doubting omnivores--DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT try to convert the masses with chocolate chip cookies, try these bars instead. imagine this: i've made a batch of these twice since owning the book vegan cookies invade your cookie jar: once before my braces were removed, and once to celebrate them coming off. hoooeee! rob halford was in my kitchen singing as i popped one in my mouth. the po-po crashed down the door. a DEA agent took a bite and proclaimed that these were unlawfully good. soon there was a nationwide ban and the only use permitted by law was for medical use. mary louise parker started making extra money by distributing said bars to bored suburban housewives then opened her own covert operation posing as a coffeehouse.

if you are making these for a chocolate fan, i'm sure you could sprinkle a few chocolate chips on the top of the confection fresh out of the oven and swirl with a butter knife. even though i'm addicted to chocolate, i'll hold back. one doesn't want to mess with perfection.

getting my just desserts

as many of you know, i love dessert. so much that i would eat it for all five meals per day. who eats five meals a day? me. i am way too dependent upon delicious commercial vegan ice creams. there's nothing wrong with that--it's just expensive and it's processed!

so i took my love for dessert and the brief season of freestone peaches and made my own lovely concoction. i've often been inspired by chocolate covered katie with her passion for frozen fruit and made this!

peachy keen

1 big giant freestone peach-(really any peach will do. yellow or white doughnut peaches are pretty rad as well. in that case, you'll need two or three of those)

skin the peach. yes, you can skin a peach. don't ask me how, it's a delicate process. take your time. the more ripe the peach is, the easier it is to skin. put it in a dish. put a couple tablespoons of your favorite vegan coffee creamer and pour it on top. sprinkle with cinnamon, agave nectar, and some crushed almonds. put in the freezer for about an hour. it shouldn't be frozen, just really well chilled.

creative menu planning

rarely do i have the luxury to develop a menu and shop for what i want. i usually plan my meals around what i have in the cupboard and what i get from this awesome food bank. although my husband and i work FT we lack a surplus of money needed to buy decent groceries. it's pretty sad, but a reality for many americans. we're too "rich" for programs that we could benefit from, but this pantry is very awesome because a) they have really good nutritious whole foods, b) we do qualify, c) they make thursdays a priority for the disabled, pregnant-(that was me!), and lactating-(that's me!), and d) if you can't make it there--you can get someone to proxy shop for you. shown above and below are some seasonal staples at the pantry: tofu and corn. MHC always has tofu, veggies, and tons of bananas and you can take as much as you'll use in a week. i freeze my bananas for baking, smoothies, and to puree for my youngest child who just started solids. above is some tofu that i southern fried via a test recipe from vegan crunk. her southern vegan cookbook is getting published, and i'm pretty sure that recipe made the cut.
just look at that crispy breadly goodness! i paired it with some fresh corn salad make with steamed corn onthe cob, green chiles/green onions from my garden, lime juice, cayenne, cilantro, and a touch of salt. the corn dish was deliciously simple and ain't bad heated.
this was a dish i made with white beans, wheat pasta, kale, basil, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and mushrooms. nursing moms: did you know kale will increase your milk supply and basil will decrease it? true dat. i served this tasty combo on some fresh leaves of swiss chard from the garden. i served it hot, but the dish is just fine cold. perfect pantry cleaner potluck sort of thing to have.

do you menu plan, or do you base your meals on what you can get on sale? talk to me about your favorite time smart, pocket book sensible meals.