tahini beetroot black bread // black cherry jam

do you randomly think of recipes in the most peculiar places

i do - am i alone?

i have a gazillion sticky notes with ideas all over the place

in my shoes

on empty naked juice bottles making their way back home to be recycled

at the bottom of my purse

for me inspiration comes from everyday life

an idea forms, then my brain starts working

- watch out. that can get dangerous

layering ideas on top of one another

until, in my mind

the perfect recipe is formed

it is not a secret that i like bread

let me rephrase that

i LOVE bread

freshly baked, still warm from the oven

tahini beetroot bread was born after days of thinking -

about bread mostly

then the other layers of flavor started to knock

on the recipe door in my head

along the way cherry jam invited herself to the party

we welcomed her with open arms

well, we started to have second thoughts when she got a little crazy at the party

please make this bread, it is full of

goodness

love

&

beetroot - which turns this bread into a lovely shade of pink

mini pepper poppers

mini pepper poppers

say that 10 times fast

aren't these the cutest mini sweet peppers you ever did see

i think so - not hot but sweet as can be

filled with a "bacon bit" sourcream & pineapple mixture

topped with a bit of daiya

these were totally big on game day

almost as big as the patriots going to the super bowl

i only know that because of all the facebook chatter

justin and i were too busy playing buzz quiz on ps3

with me beating him on all the fashion & food questions

but him winning the game

winner winner chicken dinner

mini veggie tartletts // spinach tofu ricotta

ever since seeing bon appetit's january cover i have had veggie tarts on the mind

the photo was unpretentious but beautiful

food simply at its best

i am officially in love with my mini tart pans

is that healthy? to be in love with your kitchen products

this weekend was a weekend full of finds

first the dandies

then the confetti eggplant, i had never come across one before saturday

it was love at first sight

s'mores on a stick

honestly these were too cute to not write about

another game day treat - a sweet treat this time

super easy, super fast, incredibly fun

can i tell you how excited i was on saturday to find dandies hidden on a lower shelf at sunflower

super excited. so excited i had to hold in a little squeal

there was a class on immunity boosters taking place in the store and i have a feeling they would have been as excited as i was at that very moment

you see, s'mores was my absolute favorite camping tradition up until i became a vegan

truth is, i kinda ignored the whole marshmallows are not vegetarian once a year

however when becoming vegan, i could not just pretend anymore

last fall was the first camping trip ever i did not dance around the camp fire with sticky marshmallow fingers covered in pine needles with a chocolate mess dripping down my chin

oh s'mores, i missed you

so very much

cherry almond tartletts

valentines day is just around the corner

this was my practice run on dessert

i still remember what i made our first valentines day - we had been dating less than a year, not yet living together....ooh those days, remember those days

enchiladas - really, really unintentionally spicy enchiladas

justin was a champ - he never once mentioned how incredibly spicy they were

he even brought home a bottle of wine - which turned out to be the worst wine the store carried

but he tried - he had  no clue about wine, gotta love the boy

since that valentines i avoid anything spicy

we switched to prosecco

and added dessert

perfection

mexicali phyllo wraps // chipotle cilantro cream

round two of game day snackies - aren't you excited

... i can't believe i just used the word snackies

moving on

mexicali phyllo wraps made a very welcome appearance on sunday

i love the simple combination of flavors these wraps have

make a little or allot - you can customize this recipe to do either

don't you just love that - you can also customize the filling

to sum it up this is a very customizable recipe

quinoa spinach bites // gingered orange honey dipping sauce

game day snacks

i am pretty sure that has a different meaning to justin and i, than to everyone else

see- we are not huge sports fans <gasp!>

from new england and not drooling over tom brady every sunday, how can that be?

our game day consists of scrabble or battleship, card games (naughty minds anyone?) or PlayStation 3d move games - yes, we like to live outside the box, dare to be different

so, i thought i would share with you one of our game day snacks from this past sunday

quinoa spinach bites with a gingered orange honey dipping sauce

cherry pecan maple granola

being vegan has its challenges

not for me, but for other people -

people i don't know

breakfast, the most important part of the day they say

seems to be the biggest challenge when going away

breakfast chef's don't know what to do with a vegan

i think we confuse them - what no eggs, no butter, no yogurt!

so they throw you together a fruit salad

raise your hand if you are a vegan and for every vegan dessert or breakfast at a non vegan friendly restaurant they serve you a fruit cup

yeah- i thought so, you all raised your hands didn't you

so instead of setting myself up for disappointment - i have learned to bring my own

we spent the weekend in burlington vermont celebrating Justin's 31st

this granola was a perfect tag along - easy, portable & delicious

throw in a single serve take with you anywhere soy milk and i was in business

Liebster Award ~ fra-gee-lay "its a major award!"

I was so excited and surprised that Fern from To Food with Love nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award; super excited (thanks Fern!). This award is simply a way of giving recognition to newer blogs or those that have fewer than 200 followers, which is an absolutely fantastic idea. The recipient of the award then has to select five other such blogs to pass the award on to.

To accept the Liebster Blog Award nomination one must:

~ thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.

~ link back to the blogger who awarded you.

~ copy & paste the blog award on your blog

~ reveal your 5 blog picks.

~ let them know you choose them by leaving a comment on their blog.

Drum roll please....honestly I cannot drum roll to save my life, it is one of those life skills I apparently was not blessed with.

My Top 5 Picks:

Hey Who Cut the Cheese?: Lauren and I have been followers of each others Blogs from the very start, her Blog is fun and loaded with quick and easy recipes

Will Cook for Friends: I recently stumbled upon this Blog and fell instantly in love with it- beautiful photos and inspired recipes

The Vegan Chickpea: Caitlin is so creative, I am always finding new and interesting recipes & ideas each and every time I visit her Blog

That was Vegan? Barb is funny and fun to read - a former New England girl herself, I always find humor in her New England references

The Full Women: Desiree is hilarious and super talented - Love her Blog, her sense of humor and outlook on life. Great Photos and Recipes too!

and one more for being renominated by Lauren  @ Hey, Who Cut the Cheese?:

Vanilla & Spice: I love Genevieves Blog for her SUPER Healthy & Unique Recipes, she features a ton of ethnic flavors too! Simply reading her posts makes me feel healthier :-)

I hope you love the awarded Blogs just as much as I do!

~Heather

happy cake // lime rum frosted

happy new year.happy 1 year anniversary sunday morning banana pancakes.happy birthday justin.

what does all this happiness mean for you and me? 

happy cake - lime rum frosted of course

there is a lot of happiness in january

so let us celebrate with this amazing cake

sweet potato, black bean + bulgar soup

did everyone enjoy the holidays as much as i did?

sugar

sweets

cocktails

more sugar

that pretty much sums up what the past 2 months has looked like - good times, good times

but the reality is that i still need to fit into my pants. eating cake & sweets three times a day my friends does not help me in this area

to start of the new year right i would like to share with you a feel good soup

a soup that just might help you fit back into your "skinny jeans"

then in a few days i plan on sabotaging you all with an irresistible cake

no i am not evil - but at least you can eat this soup, then eat that piece of cake

 without feeling as guilty

it's all about balance isn't it - one of my life list goals for 2012

finding balance

and this soup does just that - for me anyways

and i hope it will for you too