red curry soup // rice noodles + coconut

This type of meal is all me- Justin would not touch this with a 10' pole. For some reason he has an aversion to coconut milk in anything other than curry.

I am a sucker for rice noodles in any which way you want to serve them up // I love them in soups, a stir fry and spring rolls. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

za'atar hummus // kalamata + garlic

Justin and I plow through so much hummus in a week it is kind of embarrassing - it is our snack of choice and I love adding it to my veggie wraps. 

Hummus is also our go to if we are heading to a party or on a road trip and it is something our friends always have on hand for us too. 

I mean you can't really go wrong with hummus, am I right?

sweet potato minestrone // chickpeas + pesto

Happy New Year!
Have you set your intentions for the new year? Each year I compile a life list; on one side I list out goals or intentions for the coming year , on the other side future long term goals and intentions.

I typically have these thought out way in advance, this year is a bit different. 2014 came and went so quickly I feel as though I'm just beginning to breathe again.

Intentions for 2015 // more whole plant based foods- less "vegan" junk food + processed foods // regain confidence + consistency in my yoga practice  // redefine + rediscover the purpose of this blog + what it means to me + direction // design our dream home

This soup is perfect to kick off the New Year - whole plant food goodness + loads of flavor, easy to make a batch for a week's worth of healthy lunches.

pumpkin seed panzanella

I know what you must be thinking "Giiiirl you crazy, Summer's over, get yo'self some pumpkin"- hear me out, it haaaaas pumpkin seeds! Even though Summer is officially over my garden is still producing pints of cherry tomatoes, peppers and basil. So, it's not too late to get on the panzanella wagon, with a little fall flair that is. 

Come on, bread, basil + tomatoes, what's not to love?

mango tarragon frappe

One of my all time indulgences is ice cream- prior to becoming vegan I use to make homemade ice cream at least once a week. I still have not perfected the ultimate homemade vegan ice cream recipe, so I resort to store bought. Growing up I always passed on the birthday cake opting for a double serving of ice cream, when I did have a small piece of cake I love mixing it with my melty ice cream. 

It was a total game changer once ice cream cakes became popular, quickly my yearly birthday cake was an ice cream cake. So when So Delicious contacted me to sample their new line of sugar free and gluten free ice cream I couldn't resist. So Delicious has been a staple in our home since becoming vegan- ice cream and coconut yogurt are favorites, oh and I can't leave out the chocolate coated vanilla ice cream bars!

sweet pea millet cakes

My garden is performing amazingly well this year, the tomato plants are taller than I, baby butternuts and cheese pumpkins are sprouting up everywhere I look and cukes, kale, carrots and peppers couldn't be happier. However this year I do have one garden bed that is refusing to cooperate and it just so happens to be the one I planted first in early spring without amending the soil ( I got a little too excited the first sign of warmish weather I couldn't be bothered to take 1 extra step and add a bit of compost- lesson learned!) So far, this bed has produced a 1/2 cup of spring peas, I have planted Swiss chard on 3 different occasions and for the life of me I cannot figure out where the seeds and or/seedlings are disappearing too. I also planted (after I gave up on the Swiss Chard) a section of green beans and not one has sprouted. At least my oregano and Borage is pretty happy in this bed so I'm not at a total loss.

sunflower seed herb pesto

The Garden is off to a slow start this year - one day we are blessed with clear skies and 80 degrees, the very next day 50 degrees and rain. The silver lining- the herbs and greens are doing amazingly well! A few years ago I added perennial herbs to the Garden- perennials come back year after year without and poking or prodding from the gardener needed. They are the first to sprout up, giving your garden life once again. This pesto was inspired by my garden herbs; chives, tarragon, thyme, oregano & winter savory. The beauty of this pesto is the ability to use any herb growing in your garden- throw in some greens too if that's what abundant in your garden. Sunflower seeds are used in place of the more traditional pine nut, making this nut allergy friendly and a little more frugal  than a traditional pesto.