Spaggetti w/ Italian Salad and Garlic Bread & Parsley Pesto

As a vegan you do not - I repeat do not - need to give up Italian food. I was lucky enough to have a mother who grew up in an Italian Restaurant. My Grandpa Mattie was the kind of Italian that if you asked for ketchup he'd kick you out. So growing up we had wonderful family dinners (and a lot of pasta) which neighborhood kids would beg us to invite them over to, which we did since there was always extra food. So over the years I've been converting recipes to remove the meat or cheese and adding my own twist to things. At home we try to have pasta of some sort once a week. Because of a wheat allergy I serve brown rice pasta at home. And if you have kids who wont eat their veggies but will eat tomato sauce you can shred carrots & butternut squash into the sauce and let it cook down into it. For a simple marinara sauce take olive oil in a iron pan, add 1/2 a diced saute 1 min. then add 3 cloves garlic minced - saute very quick adding 1 tsp sea salt, some fresh ground black pepper, 1 T basil & 1/2 T oregano. stir and add canned tomatoes ( I like fire roasted)  stir and simmer for 30 - 40 min.

Zucchini Bisque

Soup is such a Divine thing in my life. I could eat it everyday. Greg Lynn taught me how Bhante (one of our grandfather teachers who died at 110) would put salad in his bowl first and then ladle his soup over it. Sounds nutty but it wilts the lettuce or spring mix perfectly and is amazing. I didn't do that here but it's a wonderful suggestion for any soup addition. This is our Zucchini Bisque, it's zucchini, onion, carrot, broth, tofu with salt, pepper and a little Bragg amino's. So creamy and perfect as a spring or summer time soup. Kids love it.

Roasted Potatoes w/ Garlic & Lemon

Heavenly. That's it. That's all I'm going to say about these taters. They are so easy, and soooooo good! Take a 5# bag of organic spuds, cut into halves and then into 6 - 8 pieces. Put into a glass baking dish. Add 10 cloves of garlic - cut into halves. Then add juice of 4 lemons, some celtic salt, fresh black pepper and about 1/3 - 1/2c extra virgin olive oil. Take a bunch of fresh Thyme and Parsley - cut into 1 in. pieces (stems & all) then toss everything well. Bake at 400 for 45 min. to an hour. Toss occasionally. Eat plenty!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are so light and fresh I usually like them as they are but this salad is a great compliment to any dish. Peel & slice thin, dress with a little lime juice, brown rice vinegar, celtic salt, agave & toasted sesame oil. Toss well with some fresh garden chives and sesame seeds, chill and enjoy.