foodie pen pals!

WOW it is hard to believe that it is the end of june aready! that means one thing, reveal day for foodie pen pals!

strawberry almond breakfast cake

gluten free baking is becoming more familiar to me - fun actually.

once thought of as scary, not gonna go there territory, has now become a fun kitchen adventure full of new flavor, textures and methods.

my recent loves are almond meal, coconut flour and polenta.

just like vegan cooking & baking, gluten free vegan cooking & baking is amazing and 

not as hard as one would think.

watermelon, radish & strawberry plate

this time of year, when fruits and veggies are at their best i like to keep things simple.

truly, this time of year it is best to let them be exactl who they are -fresh, flavorful, wonderful.

for fathers's day, i invited my dad over for breakfast. my dad and i share a love of gardening and all things found in nature - i proudly say i inherited is green thumb and passion for backyard gardening.

i knew my dad would enjoy this little addition to the breakfast table, especially the radishes.

that man loves his radishes.

roasted garden radish salad

i have a super easy, uncomplicated salad for you today.

uncomplicated is good sometimes.

truth. sometimes i make things more complicated than they need to be - enter this salad, he quickly uncomplicated things for me.

salted caramel layer cake

a friend of mine just returned from a being away for almost a month.

they told me that when they return, the first thing they want to do is devour anything that i would be willing to bake for them. don't you just love friends like that, friends that enjoy your baking almost more than you do. those friends are definite keepers.

speaking of keepers, this cake is definitely one- a keeper.

well hello salted caramel chocolate layer cake, its good to be home.

breakfast parfait // one lovely blog award

routine - sometimes i get stuck in a routine for month's.

change can be hard, going with the flow is something that i still work on becoming better at.

once i do switch things up i realize that its not so bad; it's actually really refreshing.

starting with something small helps to get the momentum going. for me, it was changing up my breakfast habits. predictability has its positives, but going with the flow and spur of moment "creations" or "events" are good for the soul too.

in place of my "predictable" sprouted English muffin with peanut butter - inspired by the fresh local fruits that are starting to show there pretty little faces, i created my version of the breakfast parfait. so versatile, the possibilities & combinations are really, truly endless.

spiced coconut cake

i love little cakes. instant portion control, kind of.

it at least deters Justin and i from inhaling copious amounts of sweets in one or two sittings.

i had originally made this cake to bring with me to my my Pepe's 75th birthday.

but then Justin came home and was all "awww you made me a cake, you are the sweetest" -after that, the cake became "his". he is a good sharer so in the end it became "ours".

cinnamon basil strawberry shortcakes

how incredible is this? cinnamon basil.

pretty sure my mouth hit the floor and i grabbed the plant straight from Ginny's hands when she mentioned cinnamon basil. this was a first for me. how is it i have never heard of this amazing variety of basil?

armed with another pint of native strawberries i knew exactly what i wanted to make with my new found basil. strawberry shortcake with cinnamon basil biscuits.

it was total love at first bite.

classic veggie burger

how do you define a classic veggie burger?

for me, it is one topped with lettuce, tomato and ketchup

one that has a bit of a bite; a mouthful of flavor & goodness. 

a burger that when you take a bite you can't help but have ketchup on your chin.

this burger was that veggie burger for me - a classic.

spring spinach salad

summer has arrived a bit early here in new england - with a pleasantly warmer than normal spring all of our early summer crops are showing up sooner than expected at local farm stands. during one of my weekly visits to picnic rock farms last week, just before closing time Ginny handed me the last pint of native strawberries - the very first of the season! awesome. the spinach had just been planted in the fields, her husband, Lauchie - the biggest sweetheart ever kindly cut me a bag full of spinach greens. i of course couldn't leave without a bunch of their asparagus also grown on the farm. i left with the makings of the best spring salad ever. a salad inspired by my fried Caitlin over at the vegan chickpea.