Arugala w/ Golden Beets & Walnuts in Orange Miso Dressing

This is a wonderful dish from 'ani's raw foods kitchen' - she makes wonderful fresh easy dishes that are perfect for spring. It's a must have cookbook if you want to eat better. The dish was a HUGE hit for all of us at Thunder Mountain. Let's just say we were scraping the bowl when the meal was finished!

Thai Watercress Soup

I love Thai food, it's very clean tasting and fresh. This soup is easy, easy, easy AND yummy! The stock is a few carrots, a few stalks of collard greens and a few pieces of kombu (seaweed also known as kelp). Sautee' some garlic, ginger and crimini mushrooms in a little oil. Add broth cook 15 minutes and add tamari, ume vinegar, watercress and beansprouts cook 2 minutes and your good to go. I'm sure you will here slurping during dinner, which in Japan tells the chef that the food is excellent!

Secret Smashed Potatoes & Peas

We all love mashed potatoes right? To some of us (no names) it is the ultimate comfort food. I love making them with some other ingredients just to make 'em a little less carbohydrate filled. I like to add cauliflower or celeriac to the pot of boiling potatoes. I also use red skinned ones over all the others, they have a lower sugar content. But sneaking in these other veggies just gives them a little more nutrition then just plain 'ol tatters. Skye (my son) loves them and the only thing he needs to make his dish complete are a pile of garden peas next to them. Yum!

Fresh Spring Roll w/ Peanut Sauce

Spring rolls are great anytime...lunch, appetizer, dinner, snack, whenever! You can fill them with just about anything. I like using napa cabbage, cilantro, carrots, avocado...well just about anything. The trick I have found that works best is to have a wet dish towel laid flat on your counter to make your wraps on and to soak your rice paper wraps in a large bowl of hot water (not scalding) until soft.
Peanut sauce is great as a dip for them. I use crunchy peanut butter with fresh ginger and garlic, some lime juice and agave, adding water to whisk into a creamy consistency and some chili pepper is always nice unless your serving kids.

Roasted Asparagus

Needless to say asparagus was the least favorite of GL's (my husband) vegetables. I love them personally and one day figured out a way that is now what I consider "the only" way to have them. Toss them onto a baking dish, drizzle olive oil on them, add celtic salt and fresh ground black pepper, toss well and roast at 400* in the oven for 30-35 minutes...toss them at least 1 time during cooking. Wow are they the bomb!!! GL even loves them and that my friends is saying something.

Lentil Soup

I once had the best tasting lentil soup I had ever had, so of course I inquired how it was made. Her family was from Greece and she said there's 1 secret ingredient for lentil soup. It adds acid and sweetness, can you guess what it is? I said vinegar? No. Uh Salt? Duh....No Give up? Ketchup....add just before you finish cooking, just a few squirts and presto - acid from vinegar, zing from tomatoes and sweetness from the sugars. Works every time!

Welcome to my new place!

This blog is a place to share our love of local vegan cooking! I plan to post about new foods that I'm coming up with everyday and to talk shop on how to convert our favorite recipes so we can enjoy them wheat free or vegan. All the while getting ready to create the next Peaceweaver family cookbook and one of my own. So please feel free to tell me what you think and please be patient since this is the first time I have ever done a blog :)