avocado black bean salad // white corn + cherry tomatoes

This salad has been a staple of ours for the past 2 summers. We take it camping, serve it alongside burger s + dogs or simply scoop it up with a bowl full of sweet potato tortilla chips (these chips are life changing from Food Should Taste Good!). 

 It also a must for Taco Tuesday. 

No cooking required and a mere 10 minutes of your time- it's a Summer win all around!

chili // my go to recipe

Chili is always on my weekend meal rotation, typically made on a Sunday when it can simmer away on the stove early afternoon just in time for an early dinner. The beauty about chili , 9 times out of 10 you always have the ingredients on hand to cook up a batch.

Sometimes we serve with cornbread, over rice or elbow noodles but my favorite way to enjoy a bowl is with a handful of tortilla chips for scooping. Scoop, eat and repeat.

chikn' noodle soup // miso + nooch

Ahhhh March, the transitional month between Winter and Spring.  A month that doesn't quite know what it wants. One day it is 60 degrees, gorgeous, birds are singing and trees are beginning to wake up. Just kidding, Winter is back with over a foot of snow, crazy winds and frigid temps. Seriously this is the worst month in New England, when all you crave is spring weather but you get crazy snow storms instead. So, on those March snow days you simply hunker down with your generator on stand by, a fully charged kindle, pull out the old blue rays you haven't watched in forever and make a huge batch of chickn' noodle soup.

Chikn' noodle soup seriously makes everything better.

heirloom tomato tartines // handmade pesto

Swooooooshhhhhhh...that was August flying by - I mean really, August with all its beauty this year seemed not to want to stay very long. This Summer has absolutely flown by - this recipe today was actually suppose to be shared with you in August, as I type this I find myself suddenly thrown into the month of September- does anyone else feel this way?

Not to fear, at least in this part of the country, heirloom tomatoes are still gracing the tables of farmers markets and stands - in all of their glorious juicy goodness. You know you picked the bets of the best when you bite into a freshly salted heirloom tomato and you are covered in tomato juice with a bit running down your chin. So messy, but so good.

farmers market soup

My Mom and I dropped in to our local Thursday Market and veggies were aplenty along with fresh ciabatta bread and vegan cashew ice cream from Rock Salt Creamery; sooooo freakin' good.

 I absolutely adore this time of year (although Fall still has my heart) - aside from growing my own veggies which just didn't happen this year, local markets are the next best thing. This past Saturday was rainy and cold, but I was up and figured I would pop down to our Saturday Market to see who braved the weather, I wasn't dissapointed and came home with another overflowing bag of early summer goodness.

chickpea salad sammie // shallots + celery

I love sammies - they are so quick, easy and depending on how you make them super satisfying. Justin and I have been on a chickpea salad sammie quick and thought I would share with you our go to recipe. Direct quote from Justin // "I don't know how you did it but these taste just like chicken salad sandwiches" .....which I think is kind of skewed since we haven't had chicken in over 12 years- but really these have all the same flavors and textures as the chicken salad sammies we can remember - just better, cause' you know they don't have chicken in them.

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.

smoked tofu sammie // a grilled sandwich

These past few months I have felt restless and anxious. I can't pinpoint exactly why- do you ever feel that way? You know that feeling when you know you should be doing something, anything but you just can't figure out what that something is. I think that biggest reason I feel this way is the whole move this past Summer - I just want things to even out, to be able to have the whole house in one piece would be great too.  And I want a puppy, I really, really want a puppy. Which will happen, probably this Summer...I think my Friends + Family are a little disappointed that puppy isn't a code word for baby.

So for now I am making delicious sammies so I don't have to think about the house, puppies or babies.

It is a really good distraction, I totally got lost in this sandwich. Then I started thinking about puppies, and puppy names and got distracted again.

book review: Super Foods 24/7 // bonus recipe + giveaway!

Within the past couple of years we have seen a major upswing in creative vegan cookbooks on the market that totally hold their own and are finding a home on vegan and non vegan's bookshelves across the country. It has been amazing to witness veganism becoming more accepted and mainstream, it is no longer viewed as a hippie crunchie diet full of beans, sprouts and tofu - which of course I love all those things but way back the word vegan had a stigma attached to it.

Super Foods 24/7 offers up a variety of accessible, non intimidating and creative recipes that evolve around vegan super foods- let me just tell you, this book is pretty amazing.

turning leftovers into soup // red lentil, rice + sweet potato soup

Most of us at one time or another have run into the dreaded leftovers that don't quite constitute as a full fledged "meal". Am I right?

Often times when making curry or a stir fry I always have a cup or so of rice leftover with no actual curry or stir fry to speak of. Or I will randomly have a cup of mashed squash or sweet potato sitting in in the fridge. 

I really make an effort not to waste food, when I have little odds and ends leftover from a meal I pop them in a container and store them in the fridge. During the winter month's these leftovers are most often used as  base for a weekend soup.

spinach herb mac n' cheeze // field roast sausage crumble

This moving + renovating business is crazy! Isn't there a magic wand that I could simply wave and have everything back to normal? Making dinner let alone blogging has been a challenge these past couple of months // I have no idea where any of my photo props are, we are still sleeping in our front media room and the upstairs is in full on reno mode....which means no office or computer set up just yet. However, this mac n' cheeze recipe is just too delish not to share with you all, it is the perfect intro into Fall and coming cooler months. Our reno is right on track, so I should be up and running full force by the end of September if not sooner.

( I cannot wait, you can totally check out my instagram feed for house pics too if you a nosy like I am when it comes to other peoples homes!)

chao cheeseburger // spicy slaw + bacon

Burgers! Need I say more?

For us, burgers are a must during the summer months - the first BBQ of the season, 4th of July and of course it is always one of our main courses at least one night while camping in the great outdoors.

I had never had a field roast burger until recently - they are quick, easy and delish!

greens + quinoa salad // chao cheese crisps

Oh my, it seems like forever since I last posted. Life has become so busy I can barely keep up, let alone keep track of myself. 

Have you ever bought + sold a house at the same time? Let me tell you, it is not fun - we are in the midst of doing just that and my stress level has never been higher. If you know me, I like to be in control and this process has proven to be one of unknowns and working on other peoples timelines - all of which is out of my direct control. Going through this process has also made me realize I am not a person cut out to move - seriously I hope I never have to do this again.

However, in the end it will be all worth the stress, worry and hopefully soon excitement.

smokey tomato grilled sammie // chao cheese

Sandwiches are so much fun to make- the possibilities are endless. I had so much fun creating this Sandwich with Field Roast Deli Slices + Chao Cheese. I was lucky enough to have been selected along with Chuck Pepper, as Field Roasts 2015 Cooks in the Field. We get to create recipes each month, for six months highlighting Chao Cheese. This was especially exciting for me, often times, here on the East Coast it takes a little while for new products to make their way to us, let me tell you Chao Cheese does not disappoint.

sweet potato + black bean quesadillas

When Justin and I first started dating and throughout our vegetarian years quesadillas were a BIG part of our lives. It was Justin's go to anytime we went out with friends to a non veg friendly restaurant and it was my go to when I wanted a quick and easy meal on a busy weeknight. Sadly, when we went vegan quesadillas were kind of forgotten about. Justin is not a huge fan of vegan cheese, so finding a quesadilla filling that satisfied him just like the cheesy version was a challenge to say the least. That was until recently, this quesadilla blows the socks off its non vegan counterpart and way more satisfying.

mini grinders // maple chipotle veggie meatballs

I have had these maple chipotle veggie meatballs on my mind since I first saw the non vegan counterpart on Martha Stewart- I just knew I had to recreate a vegan version. 

They are sweet, savory and a bit spicy- a fusion of Asian and Mexican flavors, Justin and I couldn't get enough of this flavor combination.

the green monster // a sandwich

A sandwich can be a masterpiece. They don't ever have to be boring, they can be bright, beautiful and absolutely delicious.

This sandwich right here. This Sandwich is all those things and more.

crispy tofu noodle bowl

Does anyone else ever get super excited to have a day to themselves just so they can eat what they want- it doesn't even have to be a full day, just one meal any given day where all the choice is up to you. I sometimes secretly get excited when Justin tells me he is going to a friends house for "Guy Night" or on Saturday's when he has to work and I don't.....yeah I miss him, buuuuut him being gone for a short amount of time means I get to have whatever I want for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Justin and I don't see eye to eye on all food choices, he is pretty open to most things but I have a tendency to get strong random cravings for certain dishes when he could take it or leave it. 

However, I was really surprised when he was bummed that he missed out on this noodle bowl - I totally thought this would not be "his thing" and I ate it all and didn't save him even a taste {sad face}.

book review: but i could never go vegan! {bonus recipe!}

I first started following keepin' it kind from the very beginning, like many I just knew Kristy + Chris were destined for something big. Heading over to the blog feels like sitting with an old friend; I love the voice she brings to those without one, her compassion and Chris's photography // just amazing. They bring so much brightness to the world, I was beyond excited when I learned they would be coming out with a cookbook. Seriously, could the title be any more spot on!

sweet + spicy roasted chickpeas

You guyssss!  Oh wow, just WOW - these chickpeas are so freakin' amazing.

A little sweet, just the right amount of heat and so easy to make!

This is good vegan eating on the cheap - super inexpensive and wicked versatile.