grilled spicy peanut chicken

I love Thai food and always have a couple of packages of Taste of Thai products in the pantry for weeknight meals.  This isn't an original recipe, just really tasty, easy and quick.

Here's what you need:

1 packet Taste of Thai Spicy Peanut Bake
1 Jar Taste of Thai Peanut Satay Sauce
1 can coconut milk (full fat or light)
1 package chicken thighs

Follow the directions on the package to coat your chicken.  Grill your chicken, after chicken is cooked set aside and let sit for a moment.  Put 1 jar of peanut satay sauce and 1 can of coconut milk together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduced to a simmer uncovered until sauce thickens.  Slice your chicken and serve with peanut sauce.  Enjoy! 

blackberry peach crisp

 

Last Saturday night I needed a throw together dessert.  You know, the kind of I'm-in-a-hurry-and-didn't-get-my-act-together in time to make a fancy tart or triple layer cake so now I need to throw everything in one pan and hope it looks and tastes worthy of being consumed. Yep. That was me on Saturday night. I said a little prayer and threw all this fruit and what not together and to my delight (and my guests)  it was pure summer fruit sweetness and crunchy goodness.   

Blackberry Peach Crisp

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Coat a 3 quart baking dish with melted coconut oil or melted butter and set aside

Fruit Filling

4 cups blackberries (I used fresh)

2 cups fresh sliced peaches

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp arrowroot starch + 1/4 cup cold water, dissolve arrowroot in cold water and set aside (you can sub 1 tbsp cornstarch if you do not want to use arrowroot)

To prepare fruit mix - put blackberries, peaches, lemon zest and vanilla in a sauce pan on low, in a a separate bowl mix your arrowroot starch with the cold water.  Stir the arrowroot into the fruit mixture until thickened.

Pour fruit mixture into your well greased baking dish.

Crumble Topping

1 cup almond meal

1 cup gluten free oats (or regular oats if you can use them)

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

Whisk together the almond flour, oats, cinnamon and salt.  Stir in the coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup.  The mixture will be chunky and crumbly.  Test after you've mixed everything in to be sure it is sweet enough for you.  You may want to adjust by adding in more maple syrup or adding in another sweetener of your choice.

Spread the crumble mixture over the fruit mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.  I served mine warm with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt.  If you haven't tried Adonia Greek Frozen Yogurt you must - it has 9 grams of protein in a serving and only 130 calories for a half cup!

double chocolate chip cookies (vegan and gluten free)

My husband has a love affair going...with chocolate chip cookies.  I believe he actually considers the chocolate chip cookie to be its own food group.  Its the only sweet treat he consistently asks for when I'm in one of my wrecking the kitchen frenzies otherwise known as baking.  This recipe has become my go to, its gluten free, dairy free and not loaded with fat and sugar (ok aside from 2 cups of chocolate chips). I found the original at Elena's Pantry but I couldn't find unblanched almond flour in my little town so I opted to try and tweak the recipe and many, many batches later here is what I have come up with:

2 1/2 cups almond meal flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 /2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (you can also use coconut oil)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark agave nectar
1 cup chocolate chunks
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
Stir together wet ingredients in smaller bowl
Mix wet ingredients into dry
Place mixture in freezer for 15-20 minutes until it hardens up enough to scoop balls of dough out with an ice cream scoop or spoon
Form one inch balls and place on on lined baking sheet

Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes

Cool for a few moments before transferring to a wire rack, the cookies will need a bit of time to set up before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approx 12 cookies

coriander crusted salmon and chickpea salad

I fell off the blog bandwagon for a bit but am back!  Moving on.

Friday night me and the husband had dinner at the home of some of our dearest friends, Matt and Heather. They always serve delicious meals that of course include plenty of good wine and conversation.  It’s treat to share at meal with them and Friday night was no exception. 

Matt served up this feast of coriander crusted salmon with a chickpea and artichoke salad.  It was so good I recreated the meal on Sunday night.  Matt didn’t take credit for the recipe, he first had it when another friend named Sarah had made it and Sarah found the recipe at Publix.  Thank you Publix (and Sarah and Matt).  I’m getting to wordy. 

Here’s the recipe, I made a few tweaks (like including bacon in the salad).  I prepped the salad in advance and it made this a quick and easy meal to put together.  Enjoy!

Here’s what you need:

3 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 fish fillets (salmon)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Combine coriander, salt, and pepper; then coat both sides of fish (wash hands). Place oil in pan, then add fish; cook 4 minutes on each side or until 145°F and fish flakes easily.

Chickpea & Artichoke Salad

1/2 cup canned quartered artichokes, finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped and sautéed
1 bag baby arugula leaves (4–5 oz)
Bacon, 2 pieces cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Prep
Chop artichokes and garbonzo beans (I prefer when mine have a rough chop)

Chopped and diced onion and sauté over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft

Bacon cook at 425 on foil lined pan for 15-20 minutes

Combine arugula, chickpeas, onions, artichokes and bacon

Whisk vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper until blended; add to salad. Toss and serve.

almond flour pancakes with berry compote

 

When I crave pancakes, these are my go to recipe. They are light, crispy around the edges and just the right amount of sweet.  You can add anything you like to them, my husband prefers chocolate chips in his, for me berries all the way.  Dress them up with whatever works for you, I made a simple berry compote, well technically not even a compote.  Its just berries cooked with some spices, I don't know why it works but it does.  These little cakes won't leave you in a pancake coma after you eat them either.  Enjoy with a good cup of coffee and you've got a great start to the day. 

Almond flour pancakes

adapted from Paleo Plan

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbs coconut flour

2 eggs

1/4 cup water ( or consider soda water for slightly fluffier pancakes)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp sea salt

coconut oil or oil of preference

1 cup fresh berries – blueberries, strawberries, you choose!

Here's what you do:

Combine almond flour, applesauce, coconut flour, eggs, water, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt and berries in a bowl, and mix together completely with a fork.   The batter will appear a little thicker than normal mix.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat with 1 tsp coconut oil or oil of preference.

Drop 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan once it is fully heated. Spread out batter slightly if desired. 

Flip like a normal pancake when the bubbles start showing up on the top, and cook for another minute or two.

Add more oil to the pan and repeat with remaining batter.

Top with berry compote

Berry Compote

2 cup strawberries

1 cup blueberries

3 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons agave or honey (depending on how sweet you want your fruit, you can use sugar as well) 

1 cup water (or fruit juice you have on hand)

Place your berries, cinnamon, sweetener of choice and water in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Let mixture cook for at least 45 minutes or until fruit is broken down to your liking.  Taste to ensure mixture is sweet enough for you.

I prefer mine to taste more like fruit and less like a jam and feel free to add in all kinds of spices and fruits to create this to your liking. This will make about 2 cups, I keep mine in the refrigerator and it keeps for about a week. 

Rise and shine, its pancake time!  

Image is of sunrise from our back deck.

fruit and nut bars

Need a break from Christmas cookies?  Not yet? Me either, but if you do these bars are a great alternative to cookie cravings.  They are just the right amount of salty and sweet.  Did I mention they are also ridiculously easy to put together?  There, I just did.  Now go on, go make some and enjoy.

Fruit and Nut Bars
Adapted from Cave Women Cafe

1 cup of almonds
1 cup of cashews, raw and unsalted
½ cup of nut flour, (I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal)
½ cup of unsweetened dried coconut
½ cup sun butter (or your favorite peanut butter)
½ cup of coconut oil
¼ cup of honey
2 tsp of pure vanilla
½ teaspoon of salt
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup dark chocolate chips 
½ cup raisins 

In your food processor pulse together the almonds and cashews until they are a coarse meal and stir into the nut flour in a medium bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, warm up the coconut oil and sun butter for about 20 seconds, in the microwave and stir them together well. Add the honey, vanilla, and salt then mix till all creamy. Fold the nut mix into the honey mix then add the fruit and chocolate chips. 

Pat into an 8 x 8 baking dish and stick in fridge for 1 hour or more till nice and solid. Cut into squares or rectangular bars. 

I wrapped them individually and kept them in the fridge (if you leave them out they will get soft); these made a great breakfast and or snack before running.  

Merry Christmas ya'll!  

morning glory bread

I have a group of gal pals back home in Seattle (plus the one that resides in Vancouver, B.C.) that I chat with almost daily via group email.  There are six us total, we are all so very different and have been besties since for-evah, we share everything with each other and would do anything for one another.  That's how this recipe came about, one of the gal pals asked me to come up with a muffin that tastes like the morning glory muffin from The Macrina Bakery in Seattle (one of my absolute favorite bakeries in Seattle) that is without sugar, white flour or butter.  

I got to work right away, making these reminded me of when I lived in a little Victorian one bedroom apartment on top of Queen Anne Hill,  I would meet one of my childhood friends in the morning at the bus stop and we would walk to our respective offices downtown Seattle, stopping for morning glory muffins and coffee along the way.  It was usually raining,  you could smell the warm sweet fragrance of the bakery blocks before arriving there.  There was always a line out the door, the muffins would be warm and the coffee would be topped off with a scoop of vanilla sugar (they keep it out on the counter for everyone to use). I miss home. 

I first made this recipe into muffins, top them off with a little raw sugar and when you close your eyes you'll swear you are sitting in the Macrina Bakery.  They were so good I thought I would make a loaf of bread, just to see what happens.  The bread was equally as good and did not last long at our house. 

Morning Glory Bread (or muffins)

2 cups almond flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt 

1 Tblsp cinnamon

3 ripe bananas

3 eggs

1 cup raisins + 3/4 cup raisins for adding into the mix

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cup carrots, shredded

1 cup unsweetened coconut

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350℉.

In a small bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon

In a food processor, combine 1 cup raisins, bananas, eggs, vinegar and oil

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and blend until completely combined

Fold in carrots, remaing 3/4 cup raisins and coconut

Pour mixture into parchment paper lined bread pan  (or paper lined muffin tin)

Bake at 350° for 60 minutes (for bread) 25 minutes for muffins

 

baked tofu and peanut sauce

Do you have one of those go to quick fix weeknight dinners?  Well this here is mine, its about as easy as pie to make, actually even easier.  I like to make this medley with enough to take for lunch the next day.  The flavors get even better the day after making.  Even my meat loving hubby enjoys this meal. 

Baked Tofu and Peanut Sauce

1 block extra firm tofu (not silken)
1/8 cup gluten free Kikkoman soy sauce
1 package A Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce
1 can coconut milk (full fat if you want the sauce to be thicker)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower chopped into bit size pieces
1 small red onion sliced or chopped (your preference)
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons oil olive
1 box quinoa (pre-washed)

Pre-heat oven 375

Slice tofu into 1 inch cubes.  Brush cubes on all sides with soy sauce and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, turning halfway through until deep golden brown and crispy on the outside but still tender on the inside.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, chop up your broccoli, cauliflower and onion, in a large skillet over medium high heat saute your vegetables with two tablespoons olive oil until tender-crisp, about 5-7 minutes.  In a medium size bowl whisk together the peanut sauce packet with a can of coconut milk.  Pour mixture over vegetables, bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes then reduce heat to a simmer.  Add in your frozen peas, raisins and baked tofu to the peanut sauce vegetable mixture.  Let simmer for 1-2 minutes (until peas are warmed through).  Serve over quinoa or brown rice.  


It's Friday! Looks like mother nature decided to paint the sky this morning in celebration of the weekend.

pesto zucchini and squash "spaghetti"

A couple of my friends are doing the Paleo Diet I've heard of it but never really investigated it.  I tasted some muffins a friend made this weekend and thought, I need to check this out.  The muffins were mighty taste and gluten free.  After a bit of research it appears the Paleo plan is naturally gluten free and has an emphasis on whole foods and no processed sugars.  Turns out, unbeknownst to me and the hubby we already eat a Paleo Diet, give or take a few things.  I'm rambling. 

The whole point of this is that while I was researching this eating plan I discovered a recipe for "spaghetti" made of zucchini.  We generally use spaghetti squash in place of noodles so I thought I would attempt this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint.  It was also very easy to prepare and was just as satisfying as a plate of pasta without the carbicide bloat. 

Pesto Zucchini and Squash "Spaghetti"
Adapted from Perry's Plate

4 medium zucchini, julienned thinly (I did this by hand so my pieces are far from uniform, a mandoline slicer would have been the ideal gadget to use)
2 medium yellow squash, julienned thinly
1 package hot/spicy ground sausage
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onions sliced thinly
4 Tblsp prepared basil pesto (or more to taste)
1/2 cup goat cheese (optional)
3 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Thinly slice zucchini and yellow squash.  Place zucchini and squash strips in a colander over a bowl or in the sink.  Sprinkle zucchini and squash with salt and toss to combine.  Let the veggies sit for 15 minutes while the salt extracts the moisture.  Drain excess water, squeezing zucchini and squash if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook ground sausage in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, turn frequently.  Once the sausage has cooked through toss in the onions, broccoli, mushrooms and cook until the veggies are crisp-tender. 

You can cook the bacon at this time with the sausage; I prefer to bake my bacon in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, set aside and crumble into the mixture after it is prepared.

Remove sausage/veggie mixture from the pan, set on a plate with a napkin to drain any excess oil.

Return pan to medium heat.  Add zucchini and squash with 2 Tblsp. of the pesto tossing to combine all the ingredients.  The mixture of veggies only needs to cook for about 4 minutes.  Once cooked, add back your sausage and veggie medley plus the additional 2 Tblsp pesto, crumbled bacon and 1/2 cup goat cheese.  Toss until all ingredients are mixed evenly.  Serve warm! (Serves 4). 

cranberry sauce muffins (gluten free)

I made a boatload of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.  I might have been a bit overzealous about our guests appetite for this delicious sauce.  My husband saw the vat of sauce I was making and informed me that I would most likely be the only one eating it.  Did this stop me? Nope. Now to be fair, some of our guests did enjoy the sauce but the hubs was correct that I made way to much. I didn't know what to do with the extras until I spotted a box of King Arthur's Gluten Free Muffin Mix in my pantry.  I figured, why not?  Let's just see how this works out and low and behold the muffins came out light and fluffy with just the right amount of tart and sweet.  I added a little turbinado sugar to the top of the muffins while they baked and it created the prefect little crunch, let's be real here, who doesn't enjoy crunchy little sugary bits on top of a muffin? 

Cranberry Sauce

adapted from Ina Garten Cranberry Fruit Conserve

1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned

1 3/4 cups agave

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 orange, zest grated and juiced

1 lemon, zest grated and juiced

3/4 cup raisins 

Cook the cranberries, Agave, and 1 cup of water in a sauce pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skins pop open.  Add the apple, zests and juices and cook for 15 more minutes.  Remove from heat and add the raisins.  Let cool and serve chilled.  

Cranberry Sauce Muffins

1 box King Arthur's Gluten Free Muffin Mix 

1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce

3 eggs

6 tablespoons melted butter (I used Earth Balance)

3/4 cup almond milk

Follow directions on the box and add in your cranberry sauce, top them with some turbinado sugar.  Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes and enjoy!

a homemade thanksgiving

My husband and I decided to host Thanksgiving this year and make everything from scratch.  Now maybe this isn’t a big deal to some but we both come from families that believe in short cuts, usually involving packaged items.  No disrespect to our mama’s of course, when the hubs and I get an idea we give it 150% no matter how much lunacy is involved.  We prepped throughout the week, tested our recipes which involved the hubs eating about 6 buttermilk biscuits in a row, set the table with some sparkle and I even whipped up a batch of homemade cloth napkins for the occasion, overboard?  Maybe. Worth it? Yes!  We were blessed to share the holiday with family and some of our dearest friends.  

Test run of the buttermilk biscuits, hubs decided he would need one fixed with an egg and bacon to determine if they were truly worthy of our Thanksgiving table.

Cranberry sauce above and fried turkey below, we're converts to the fried turkey - it was the best turkey we've had! 

We ended a good night of fellowship and the giving of thanks for all the blessing we have by the fire with dessert and wine.  A perfect ending to our first round of hosting Thanksgiving together.

our nations capital

Washington, DC is amazing. Barnone (to borrow a phrase from my grandma).  I had the good fortune about two weeks ago to meet up with my husband who was in our nation's capital for work, I came up for a weekend of playing tourist.  We must have put ten miles a day on our feet, there is just so much to see and do and of course taste.  The trip was a whirlwind but we did manage to dine at some classic DC eateries, The Old Ebbitt Grill, where we had a late, late night dinner of crab cakes and wine, Filomena for Italian food that felt like it came straight out of grandma's kitchen (if she were Italian).  The place just oozed kitsch, warmth and Italian goodness, it just worked and at the end of the meal they bring you sambuca and amaretto to top off your meal.  In addition to tasty meals we checked out just about every memorial, monument and museum that we could squeeze into a two day visit.  Exhausting but well worth it! 

Vietnam Memorial

Is that you Jump Master Bohannon?

Capital

Lincoln Monument

Cross at Arlington

Arlington

Outside an Arts Building

Northbound Train

The Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most beautifully heartbreaking places I've ever been, I could not help but think of all the sacrifice that has been made by our soldiers, that brought them to this final resting place.  My husband has witnessed fellow Rangers and brothers in arms be put to rest here and has spoke of how awe inspiring it is to see first hand the care, love and honor that is taken with the soldiers.  We were able to watch the changing of the guards while we were there, the precision and timing were impeccable.  I'm ready to go back and explore further, it felt like I had just a small taste of all that the city has to offer. 

PS. More pics are available via my flickr account on the right side bar for viewing. 

halloween sunrise

Happy Halloween!  This is the sunrise this morning from our back deck, what a treat!  Its probably the only treat I should enjoy after my weekend of stuffing my face with mini 100 grand bars and bite size milky ways (my favorite).  Hubs and I dressed up for Halloween and gave out candy at the trunk or treat at our church.  My dog Peanut and I were Bee's, what...its totally normal for a grown woman to dress in the same outfit as her dog, right?  Don't judge me.  Hubs costume was much more unique, he decided to go as our very own Pastor Bill which required him to shave the top of his head bald, sport some reading glasses and walked around eating candy talking to everyone.  Thankfully, Pastor Bill enjoyed the Hubs creativity. 



Speaking of Hubs, its his birthday today.  Happy Birthday to the love of my life, I am so very blessed to be share my life with you.  Cheers to many more birthdays celebrated together.  PS.  Peanut says happy birthday and he would like a treat in your honor.

grilled shrimp tacos with roasted cabbage

Roasted cabbage is a staple in our house.  My mom is actually the one who suggested I roast a batch.  When my mother recommends a recipe, I have to try it; my mother is one of the most talented, creative people I know, but the lady doesn’t like to cook and makes no qualms about it. The fact that she recommended this to me meant I just had to do what she said and it turned out that we now eat this at least once a week as a side and I mix it into all kinds of recipes, including this one for shrimp tacos.  Most shrimp tacos have some kind of crunchy cabbage slaw, I figured crispy roasted cabbage would be just as good if not better.  Hubby says these are his favorite tacos now and requested I make them twice in one week.

shrimp tacos with roasted cabbage

1 lb or package of frozen large peeled & devined shrimp (I have limited fresh seafood options so I use frozen)

3 tablespoons seafood seasoning dry rub (I used Tom Douglas Seafood rub)

4-6 bamboo skewers, soaked in water before grilling

1 small head purple cabbage (or regular)

1 medium onion, sautéed

Goat cheese crumbles or queso fresco (I only had goat cheese on hand but the queso is awesome with these)

1 container greek yogurt (optional)

4-5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Corn or flour tortillas

Pinch salt & pepper

Sriracho hot chili sauce (optional)

Here’s what you do:

*I found that prepping much of the ingredients even a day ahead of time made this for an easy and quick meal despite the lengthy looking process below.

Heat oven to 425 degrees and prepare a baking pan with olive oil to prevent sticking.

For the cabbage:

Chop cabbage in half, laying center flat on cutting board, slice into thin strips, and lay out evenly on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 15-25 minutes, flipping each piece half way through roasting.  (I prefer mine crunchier and usually leave it in 25 minutes until the edges brown).  Set aside after cooked.

For onion:

Chop onion into thin slices and sauté on low-medium with olive oil or a pat of butter (butter substitute) on stove top for 20 minutes or longer if you want to reduce them down over low heat.  Set aside after cooked.

For the shrimp:

Take the tails off your shrimp (I prefer it this way but you could leave them on), soak your bamboo skewers in water for a few minutes before using them.  Skewer your shrimp onto the bamboo skewers, sprinkle with rub on both sides.  Fire up your grill, either charcoal or gas and cook 3 minutes on each side.  Set aside after cooked.

Now that all your ingredients are roasted, sautéed and grilled, you can begin the fun part – assembly!  Warm your tortillas on a griddle/pan or wrapped in a damp paper towel in the microwave for a few seconds if using corn tortillas.  Layer with a tablespoon of greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), grilled shrimp, onions, sprinkle of bacon crumbs, cabbage and goat cheese.  Top with Sriracha and enjoy!  

chattanooga

It’s been settled.  The hubs and I are moving to Chattanooga…someday.  We went to celebrate our friends wedding and discovered that we both adore this little gem of a city.  Chattanooga offers up everything we love, plenty of outdoor activity from running spaces, kayaking and biking, water views, and loads of eateries, art, shopping and tucked away neighborhoods to explore. If we could, I think we’d pack up tomorrow and move. 

For now we’ll just enjoy planning another weekend getaway in the near future. We arrived on Friday evening and took a stroll downtown, with time to kill before dinner we headed over to The Meeting  Place for appetizers and cocktails. Two words here...duck wings.  Probably the best appetizer me or the hubs have ever enjoyed, they were so good we ordered a second plate after slamming down the first round in 2 minutes flat.  They were crispy without being greasy, the flavor of the meat was subtle and the spicy sauce on them made you crave more.  Ah-maz-ing.  

After a couple of beverages, we walked a few blocks over to Alleia for dinner.  Alleia is housed in an old building with brick walls, huge expansive ceilings and concrete floors.  I liked how they took an industrial space and warmed it up with natural elements.  Huge wooden lamp shades hanging over the communal table, reclaimed wood tables, candle wax dripping display.  It was warm and cozy, we each had a glass of pinot noir and shared muscles, pear salad and a pizza.  Full and happy we walked back to the hotel to meet our friends for catching up.

Saturday morning was a perfect fall day, we started with coffee and then later went out for a run.  We may just be oddballs but every city we go to we like to run the neighborhoods, get some exercise and check out the city from another perspective. Then it was up to Signal Mountain to take in the view, up on the mountain we found a festival and stopped to check out the offerings.  I found this miniature planted landscape (pictured above) and fell in love with it.  The fruit and veggie displays were calling my name as well.  Later we headed to Urban Stack Burger for lunch, hubby had a meaty burger of sorts and I had a homemade veggie burger with pickled beets, both were delish.  We sat outside and enjoyed the cool air before heading to the wedding for more fun and finally at 2am we called it a night.  Wish we could have stayed longer!

road trip

 
Oh happy day, its Friday! We’re road tripping this afternoon and Peanut is assuming his usual pre-road trip position in the front entry of our house.  He plops down on the floor to take in the hubs and I scurrying back and forth from the house to the car, packing, organizing and trying to make sure we have everything we need, which by the way, we never do.  We always forget something.  

 Is it just me or does he look slightly bored by us?

We're off to beautiful Chattanooga to celebrate the marriage of our friends from Jackson, Wyoming.  Nooga-bound!

Happy Weekend.

zucchini pineapple quick bread (gluten free & vegan)

My grandma makes the best quick breads on the West Coast, it’s the truth, and she doesn’t measure or follow a recipe.  The woman has talent, she’s 85 and been making the same recipes for so many years that she can just whip up a batch of bread while giving you the overview of her latest world travel, last year it was touring Turkey for a month. 

There are days when I crave a thick slab of her pumpkin date bread and a cup of coffee in her kitchen.  I started thinking about that bread and it got stuck in my head, being that we live across the country from each other right now and my pantry had no pumpkin or dates in it this week, I decided to make the next best thing which in this case meant zucchini pineapple bread.  Pumpkin date bread, I will make you soon!

Don’t tell grams but I used a mix for the bread, I had a package of The Cravings Place Quick Bread in the cupboard and to be honest I am short on time this week.  Every night this week is packed full.  I grabbed the package for the bread, surveyed the pantry and the zucchini and pineapple were starring me in the face.  They practically told me they were going to be in the bread and I am so glad I listened.  This bread, while not my grandmas was delicious.  In fact, it was so good; I ate two slices of it standing up in my own kitchen before I realized I hadn’t even fixed my coffee. 

Zucchini Pineapple Quick Bread (gluten free & vegan)

1 package The Cravings Place Quick Break & Muffin Mix (not presweetened)

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or sweetened if you like)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 can unsweetened crushed pineapple + juice from the can

1 ¼ cups agave

1 cup water

2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar (optional)

Here’s what you do:

Heat oven to 375 degrees and prepare 2 baking pans 9 x 5 x 3 with gluten-free cooking spray

In large bowl combine dry mix, 1/3 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup oil, 1 can crushed pineapple, 2 cups zucchini, 1 ¼ cup agave, 1 cup water, stir until thoroughly mixed.  Pour into prepared pans.  Sprinkle with raw turninado sugar (optional).

Bake for 60 minutes, the top will be golden brown, cool on wire wrack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan, leave on wire rack for at least one hour after out of the pan.  This bread is easiest to slice when completely cooled. 

Serve it up with a pat of Earth Balance butter substitute (or butter) and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite baked goodie from your grandma?