herbed cuban black bean salad

This salad has been in our monthly rotation for the better half of a year now - it is super quick, full of flavor and can be made at a moments notice without breaking a sweat.

More often than not this is exactly the type of dish I bring to a family gathering or potluck- it appeals to carnivores & vegans alike, it also has the bonus of being gluten free. Winner, Winner soy chicken dinner.

I am willing to bet that most of you  have these ingredients sitting in your pantry & fridge- that is the beauty of this salad, these are the types of recipes I love having around when Justin has made last minute plans to have friends over for dinner or when I am looking for a quick dinner that takes minimal effort.

blueberry cinnamon sourdough waffles

There is nothing I love more than the morning ritual of breakfast. My breakfast routine doesn't vary greatly from week to week- breakfast at my desk during the work week,  on Saturday a quiet breakfast in the garden after a morning at the gym and a big lazy breakfast with my better half on Sunday.

With my love of breakfast, it is surprising that homemade waffles haven't been in my weekly rotation more often. The things is, I had a horrible experience/meltdown the few attempts I made at making waffles and never went  back to try again- that is until recently. My problem, come to find out was not letting the waffle iron heat up correctly, combined with rushing the cooking process lead to a disastrous waffle making experience. Once I  learned to be a bit more patient, waffles have been a great success, and that is such a good thing- it makes me very, very happy indeed.

pb + chocolate pudding parfaits

May flew by, it is hard to believe the start of a new month begins this weekend. With the start of this upcoming month comes warmer weather, growing gardens and lazy weekends (keeping my fingers crossed for all three!). June also kicks off the start of summer farmers markets, lake swimming & finalizing summer plans. I for one am looking forward to this summer- my garden has been started, the seedlings that have been babied throughout the cold early spring months are almost ready to make their garden debut . I am especially ready for the kitchen inspiration summer brings. Truthfully, inspiration has been hard to find these last few months - rather motivation, my focus has been on the garden and all things to do with the outside. 

virtual vegan potluck: hot spinach & artichoke dip

Oh man, I am so excited for today! So many of my favorite bloggers coming together& sharing amazing vegan food. What's better than that you ask? Getting to meet a whole slew of new to me bloggers through the potluck- so awesome. A huge thank you to Annie, Somer and Jason for all your hard work organizing the potluck - you all amazing!

I knew immediately what I wanted to contribute to the potluck - this recipe was in my pre vegan binder of tried and true recipes. This dip has been made for Superbowl Parties, Birthday's, Celebrations & Neighborhood Dinners and has never let me down -always a crowd pleaser.