quinoa strawberry pistachio cake

an experiment.

that is precisely what this cake was.

a gluten free baking experiment to be exact - oh boy.

this was my first full fledged gluten free baking adventure, all in all it went pretty well. there were a couple "uh - oh is that what it is suppose to look like?" moments - in the end everything worked out ...and tasted good!

chocolate chia cookies

cookies, can they be healthy? i think so.

i love sweets, it is a weakness i embrace. it simply means to

a. work by butt off at the gym

b. find alternative forms of sweetness that isn't all that bad for you

on Friday i had a few extra hours in the morning that I'd thought i would put to good use.

cookies were on the agenda and i was on a mission to make a slightly healthier cookie.

vegan 3 bean chili with guacamole ~ a special guest post!

today is a very special day - you are about to meet the most amazing person. my little sister, sarah  is one of the funniest, compassionate and inspiring people out there. she makes everyone around her want ot be a better person, including me. this year she has been through an incredible personal journey - she actually created a blog to share her story with others that may be looking for inspiration, support and a good laugh too. i have asked her over to sunday morning banana pancakes to share a part of her story and one of her original recipes. i would loveif you headed over to My Big Fat Blog and see for yourself what an amazing & beautiful sister i am lucky to have.

walnut bella "meatball" subs

 i can safely say before going vegan that i have ever had a meatball sub.

meatball pizza - yes! (the best one around was from the old corner deli)

i was introduced to the world of "meatball" subs by Justin. we use to make them fairly often on Saturday nights at the beginning of our relationship.

efforts are being made to avoid "mock meats", they just don't seem to agree with me any longer.

the other day, after seeing a pin for a meatball sub a little craving started to form, then it was all i could think about. my mission this weekend: to create my own tasty "meatball" sub.  i consider this the grown up version of an all American favorite.