Pasta and Pizza and Gelato.... and Caffé and possibly some Vino

I did something yesterday evening that I rarely do and that is fall asleep on the couch.  This is an occurrence of note as I had 5 text messages when I woke up  to stumble to my bed and I did not hear any of them.  For this girl- that is significant because a. I don't usually fall that soundly asleep that fast and b. the phone was literally right next to my face.  I feel a little bleary this morning, but the disorientation is not there.  YAY!  On the coffee front, I still have a few grounds in my coffee this morning, meaning that I did not totally get that mess cleaned up from  yesterday.  This is  no huge surprise considering I could barely find my closet, let alone clean out the entire coffee maker.  I was going to say- another thing to add to the list- but seriously, after my pre-trip frenzy, lists and I have broken up for now.

YUM

So, I woke up this morning in the mood for writing and then I realized that I have not one single picture edited from my camera.....  oy.  But I took no food photos with my Canon, but I did with my phone- so food wins!!! I will start downloading and editing today I think.

When I landed in the United States after this amazing journey, I was wondering how on earth I could ever eat here again.  There is something different over there.  I touched on the fact that I ate no packaged foods over there, other than a few of these strange/tasty chip/cracker things we got at the "gas station" on the way to Verona- the ubiquitous Autogrill.  Now apparently Autogrill has some really good food, but the time we were there was literally the first time we ate ANYTHING in that country and neither Rose nor I felt at all comfortable enough to order there.  It was crowded and we had no idea what to do, though Daniela told us it wouldn't be hard at all.  Well the thing about my sister and I is that we are alike enough that we sometimes do NOT bolster each other's confidence and so we wimped out and ate food from off the shelf.  Lol.  It was the best we could do at the time, so don't judge me.

And this is called chocolate salami- it was ridiculously good

Ok, so let me give you an outline of what our food was like for this trip.  We always had breakfast at the hotel- and that was always some form of brioche/bread, cheese/meat, fruit, yogurt and these packaged biscuity things that I never had.  And the makings for cappuccino.  A discussion of that comes later.  Usually lunch was on our own in a city- not always, but usually and then we had supper together somewhere.  Either at the hotel or at a restaurant.  The together meals were meant to give the students an idea of what local food was like, but geared towards the tastes of teenagers.  So that meant that the food was so/so.  I was wishing to order off the menu most of the time, but ah well.  there was the wine.  Haha, again more on that to come.

I don't think we had the same shaped pasta during the entire trip!

Pasta

We had a lot of pasta over that 12 days!  So after reading a little on the diets of the Italian people, it sounds like they have a little pasta frequently.  And it is some good stuff!  Simply made with flour and eggs, it is quite delicious.  They also have a tomato sauce that is really intriguing.  It is almost creamy- like it has butter in it, but I think I may have mentioned (yes?  no?) that apparently they don't usually use butter in their cooking there.

Hello vegetarian pasta of awesomeness!  I had never seen pasta like this before- it was SO good

Anyway, it is light- or the sauces we had were- and not at all like the pasta sauce that is thought of here.  Even the ragu- which I did not have- was lighter looking and not that dark dark red that we have here.  Interesting.  And the different pasta shapes was so much fun.  We had at least one shape that I never saw before- and then there was the gnocchi....  Blew. Me. Away.

The gnocchi was just amazing as was the wine

Tortellini that was just sublime- one of my favorite meals.

I had a delicious tortellini in Florence that was filled with a soft cheese and mushrooms and it was divine. We stopped between Florence and Assisi to have a pasta making demonstration at a little place that I think is a restaurant, but it had no name.  It was a couple's house, actually, but they had a large dining area and they literally had their own house wine.  Daniela found them somehow- you don't just stop there unless you know about it- and the grandma demonstrated how to make fresh pasta.  It was so fun, she took volunteers and some of our group went up there and did some kneading and rolling and all.  Of all the demonstrations we had- that one was worth the stop.

Cailyn learning how to work with the dough

Daniela rolling out the pasta

The fresh pasta lunch we had!  Plus wine PLUS a shot of Limoncello 

Pizza

Pizza al fresco- first pizza was a good one!!

 Everyone raves about pizza in Italy for good reason.  The crust is simple and thin, with a nice chewy crust and a crunchy bottom.  Pizza Margherita  was the original type- thin crust with tomato sauce and basil- red, white and green- the three colors of the Italian flag.  If you get a good one- that is the most delectable combination.  It is amazing how many Pizza Margheritas have no basil- which is like half the fun of it.  Oh well.  I began my foray into Italian Pizza finally in Venice when we randomly chose a place that was inside and air conditioned.  With all of those restaurants tucked into all of those store fronts and some in little alleys, there are people standing out in front of their establishments trying to coax people into their place.  It was actually quite entertaining to see how the men and a few women, would try to entice, cajole and flirt to get you to come in.

Our pizza Margherita- one basil leaf- lol

That is how we found that place in Venice- as we were trying to figure out the menu in front of the door.  My very first pizza was undoubtedly the best- a pizza al fresco- with tomato and I think escarole.  It was our first chance to order on our own, and we hit that one out of the park.

And even more pizza

After Venice, we got a lot of pizza as part of the menu at night.  Lots.  of.  pizza.  I won't be eating pizza for a while.  And I certainly will never be able to EVER eat a frozen pizza again. I will have to start making my own. I did not know that Italy ruins all food for you forever.  Except for Indian and Mediterranean/Greek food.  That can never be ruined for me. Lol.

Another outstanding one!  When I could choose my toppings, that is when the pizza was the best

Gelato!

apparently I only took one gelato photo- I was too busy scarfing it down.  This is Rose's chocolate dairy free gelato

SO many people had mentioned gelato before I went overseas, so so many, and I was skeptical about how different it could actually be from ice cream.  Well, I am a believer.  We had gelato every day- of course, like the pizza and pasta- of varying quality.  I have a feeling buying it from a street vendor after supper or during a hot midday might have something to do with the charm of it, but it was so very good.  The differences are hard to describe, but it is creamier at the least.  And who doesn't want to eat their gelato in a little cup with a tiny little spoon while strolling through a city where you barely understand anything that is being said around you.....  ah the ambience.

We did find at one point in Florence a gelato that was dairy free (so probably not an actual gelato, but still) so my sister could enjoy it as well.  I felt a little disloyal indulging in gelato when she could not, but it had to happen.  THAT might be my next post- about that little trip- as no photo editing is necessary.

AAAAND on the island of Capri- the most intensely lemon flavor I have ever had- a lemon slush that  I will never forget. SO SO good.  I can't even begin to tell you how ridiculous the price was- but sitting down and eating it out of glass and  people watching was worth every Euro!

So being vegetarian ended up being a blessing in many respects during this trip, as I did not eat what most of the rest of the group did.  (Yes, I many times had better, fresher food)  It was interesting to see what different chefs/cooks did to honor my needs- I got a small frittata a couple times- one had a large amount of lightly cooked greens in it and that one was divine!

Isn't that sweet?  A smilie face

I also got some cheese and grilled veggies a few times as well as Caprese salad - which is fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and topped with olive oil.  Most of the time I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat- I know there were a few times when I was hungry 45 minutes after I ate, and oddly I don't have pictures of those meals.  haha. I had a request to post my food, which I did, but missed some when I ran out of data.  Did not photograph the boring food I guess.

Caprese salad- fresh mozzarella is amazing

Eggs and greens- great vegetarian option

One of the best meals I had- in Roma.  Cold roasted veg, pepper and olive salad, bruschetta and fresh mozzarella

Another note about the general state of food in Italy and apparently in Europe.  Nothing is as sweet as it is here in the US, except perhaps the gelato.  Nothing.  And wow do you ever notice it when you get back.

By mid week, we were a little desperate for fresh food- the pasta and pizza got to be a bit much= this was a divine salad

Pecorino cheese, salad and grilled veg! 

Caffé and Vino-

Good morning amazing Italian cappuccino 

I am really REALLY missing Italian coffee- in the morning- espresso and thick, hot, creamy milk poured together in the cup- swirling into a rich, strong cappuccino that is apparently consumed only at breakfast and lunch.  I read that cappuccino is too heavy for drinking any later in the day- the rules of coffee is quite interesting.  Oh it was so good.  My coffee here is too weak- I have to figure out what to do.  Buy my coffee ground as espresso and have that for my first cup of the morning??

THIS was one of my favorite moments of the trip- says the girl with no favorites.  It will have its' own post.  

And finally- the wine of Italy.  There were 5 of us adult type people in our little subgroup, and we decided since we were getting slightly inferior suppers, we are grownups who can have wine if we want.  We got local/regional wine and it was all delicious.  DELICIOUS!!

Photos of several of the wines we had

Actually my favorite wine of the trip- a red, which is usually not my first choice.  More than one bottle may have been consumed- but that could be a rumor

The hotel LaRondine wins- for the hotel food, for the wine, for the morning coffee- and for the delightful service

Read this hilarious translation on the back of one of the wines we had- I think it was in Sorrento

This is the unnamed red house wine at the unnamed restaurant we stopped at on our way to Assisi

We drank our way across Italy, until we got to Roma, and then it was just too hot for most of us to drink.  Seriously hot.  And that was fine.  

And finish with a shot of limoncello 

I touched on so many things here- it brought so  many amazing memories to mind.  I had such a great time - Rose and I spent a lot of time with our group leader- Paula- and she had great instincts for finding CUTE little restaurants off the main squares.  I highly recommend.  We had great food when we ferreted out something a block or two away from the busy centers.  I am SO GLAD that I am one of those take photos of my food people.  Mock me if you will, but I just relived several meals that I had totally forgotten about.  I will never regret recording the amazing moments that I had, will never be apologetic for what I do.  It helped me recount my joys of those 12 days. Ciao ciao!

Roasted tomato sauce

We have a school garden right outside of the art room, and it is a cool thing as far as I am concerned.  I have been watching it this September and spied some pretty nice tomatoes out there.  When no one had picked many of them right before that first heavy frost of the season, I decided to do something about it.  We were all over that- I wish I had a pic of little Greggy picking tomatoes with us.  But I don't, so you just have to use your imagination.

The Mad-Science teacher did some research and told me about this roasted tomato sauce.  It basically involves tomatoes, a few aromatics and some herbs/salt/pepper.

The process is simple: choose the size of pan according to the amount of tomatoes you have.  I really didn't have that many, so I used a cake pan....  Some of us were able to use a turkey roasting pan because we have so many tomatoes.....  That will be me next year.  Plans are being made.  Anywho,  after you core and maybe if you are feeling ambitious, cut up the tomatoes, add in a chopped onion, a handful of partially smushed and completely peeled garlics, a pour of olive oil and a bunch of fresh basil.

Spray Pam on the pan!!  

I used a combo of full size and cherry tomatoes- these tomatoes were so sweet that the sauce is pretty sweet too!  Bake the veggies for about 3 hours at 375.  Or until the water has pretty much cooked out and reduced to a thick sauce.  

Still needs some reducing- I put salt and pepper on  it at about this point

After it has cooked down, you can remove some of the skins.  I probably took out half of them, but you really don't notice.  You can also use a food processor or immersion blender and make the sauce smooth if you want, but that isn't what I care to do.  I like it less processed.  When you stir it up the garlic and onion sort of melts.  

This is the chilled and finished sauce

As I said above, the sauce was sweet, so I put a little chopped kalamata olive in it when I reheated it, which added a salty and tangy note to it.  This would probably be less sweet with more traditional tomatoes, but I used the heritage tomatoes that were in the garden.  A super dark paste type and a few very dark (maybe Cherokee purple??) larger tomatoes and a whole bunch of yellow sungold cherry tomatoes.  Goodness!  You could throw in some fresh thyme or oregano too- and maybe a little bit of cayenne???

Pasta, the sauce with olives and some parmesan

It has been discussed that we could saute a bunch of veggies (peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli) and throw those in there as well.....  could add lots of things.  ALSO, Laurie freezes hers in bags, so they stack flat.  This was truly one of the best things I have eaten all summer.  Well, all fall too I guess.  Oh summer, come back to me....  that will be for the next post, though.

This is some serious good!  And it gave me a whole lot of joy!

Denver Post #3- good food and some goofy back stories

So one of the three or four things that were on our list of things to do while in Colorado was to eat all the good food that we could!  And in reality, the only "bad" food we ate was breakfast at the motel one morning.  The rest of it was pretty darn tasty.

Have I mentioned how much I like to fly??  ;)  hence the obligatory cloud photo

We began our journey by eating in the lovely venue called the MPS airport. Thanks to my persistent to the point of obnoxious posting on Facebook and Yelp,  I can fairly quickly review the name of every single place that we paused at in our quest to immerse ourselves, and indeed exhaust ourselves, in the greater Denver/Golden, Colorado area.  I would say we made some very good choices, but I digress, as last we heard our heroes, er uh, travelers were last seen at the airport.  We had researched, as all good travelers with a gastronomic bent do, the places to eat after security, and it turns out there were quite a few vegetarian friendly places to try.  We settled on French Meadow, as it was on the way to our gate!  Seems like a good enough reason, right?  I am pretty sure I had a grilled veggie sandwich, but you know I have virtually no recollection of it as i was so excited to get on that plane! ** new flash- I had a veggie burger I was told** French Meadow was cute and I remember enjoying the food, but it was overshadowed by the adventure that was about to begin.  I was so right to be excited.

We, of course, ate nothing on the plane, because it was crazy to do that for a 2 hour flight.  So when we got to Golden, finally, after perhaps accidentally getting on a toll road, but that might be a rumor, hehehe.... and subsequently were unable to check into motel, we decided to go to Whole Foods and get some yummy stuff there- because: Whole foods!!  MMMMMM  I had some sort of quinoa salad and falafel and it was just fine.  After that we managed to get into our respective rooms for  few moments and then we struck out to find a mountain, which we did!  After which we sought out Mary's Mountain Cookies shop we had passed on the way to Whole Foods, and bought a couple of massively oversized cookies which were just awesome.  You will find more than a few desserts involved in this trip!  Because we do know how to enjoy ourselves!

Breakfast bagel 

So after we walked home clutching our cookie bags, we met up and discussed the next day's journey and most importantly, where we wanted to eat.  We began our morning at the ultra cool little Cafe 13 in downtown Golden.  It was a nice little 10 minute drive- thank you map lady- and we passed right by the Coors factory.  That thing is BIG! Anyway, I digress, yet again, we got there quite early- in spite of the fact that I may have overslept.  Passed out and dragged my bleary self out of bed is more like it.  But to begin ones' day with an excellent cup of latte and a delightful breakfast bagel in the coolest little cafe I've seen in a while was just amazing.  And perfect.

One of several lattes/mochas consumed by yours truly

Of course one latte was not enough to hold me over, so on our way to Target for a few provisions, like water and super glue, I may have stopped at Caribou Coffee.  In fact I am sure I did!  And I make no apologies for the daily run to Caribou that I made, because its good stuff.  Any company that hands over my coffee with a chocolate covered cocoa bean on top of it is top rate in my book.

Ok, I feel the need to explain super glue.  Turns out my the Mad-English teacher's walking shoe had sprung loose on the toe of the sole.  So we needed to make a little Target run.  We also got an 18 pack of mini water bottles, which turned out to be a genius move on our part.  Anywho, Super Glue was procured to fix said shoe and we sat out in the car while he fixed it- Debi meanwhile sipped on the Caribou deliciousness. Super Glue ended up all over his hands when the crimped back end opened up while the top side was being dealt with.  His hands "may" have been so full of glue that we had to go back to the motel - a remedy found online listed running ones hands under hot water for 10 minutes.  And yes, his hands were temporarily glued to the steering wheel....  This all was for the better, actually, since I had forgotten a bunch of things at the motel seeing I had gotten myself ready in a sleepy stupor....  so! There was that. :)

I was enthralled with this place!  Ali Baba Grill

We drove on to Panorama Point at Golden Gate Canyon Park, where we did our hiking and in the process became starved, ravenous hikers right around the 12:30 pm mark.  We had scoped out nearby restaurants as we drove into town and settled on Ali Baba Grill  in Golden as our next stop and we could not have made a better choice.  This restaurant is in a little strip mall in Golden,  with an unassuming demeanor, but wow what an elaborate little place inside.  And the food!  We each had the sampler plate that contained falafel, hummus, baba ganouche, taboulleh, a salad with lemony dressing and a yummy stuffed grape leaf.  The food was so so SO amazing.  And it fulfilled our requirements for it to either be ethnic or interesting- which this fit into both categories.  I could NOT finish it all in spite of being famished and so enjoying the flavors. Definitely our favorite spot to eat during the trip.

I need to go back here and eat this again.... 

This is the part of the story that will get it's own post- the afternoon spent at the Denver Art Museum.  I maybe have indicated that we got stuck downtown in a hail storm, or maybe that was facebook, I don't know, but we spent a good deal of time at Mad Beans and Greens that afternoon.  I had more very good latte, but not a lot, since I realized that I needed to limit my caffeine post noon.  Which could account for my crappy night sleep that night, but I am blaming it on the pillows from hell.  Regardless, after the weather calmed down a little, we walked a few blocks away, thinking that we would get some little something for supper.  We found the Corner Bakery Café where we ate some pretty tasty bakery items.  I got a sort of lemon hand pie and Adam got a great big cookie!  We were sitting there for a little while enjoying ourselves, and then the rain began again.  And so we had to dash- it was a rainy night.  We attempted to get in another hike, but again rainus interruptus.

I LOVE THESE GIRLIES

I needed Leland's selfie stick for this one!  Love the giant milk can building!!

So, the next day was Thursday and that was the only mediocre meal we had----- motel breakfast.  Sigh. Thank the heavens above for my Caribou run and latté to go!  I made plans with my friend Lori for later in the morning, so we went to Lookout Mountain for a hike that day, and then the Tabletop North Park.   Adam went back to Whole Foods when I was gone, and I ended up going to have pizza with my dear friend Lori and those lovely girls of hers.  The place was called Beau Jo's and it was a pizza and salad bar, and there was nicely 3 vegetarian pizzas among the carnivore selections.  YAY.  We decided that we needed ice cream, so a trip was made to Little Man Ice Cream near Denver. That was a fun trip with the Duba women.  Zipping on the freeway to the right place, trying to find parking and then trying to find the place again.  We had such a wonderful chat and a lot of laughs.  And the ice cream was divine!! Peanut Butter cup fudge was da bomb!!  I miss them so much, but am glad I got to hang out with them all for a few hours in Arvada.  And I got my Lori hug fix.

If you pass this place, turn around and go back

 Both of these places were pretty awesome, made fantastic by the company that I was with!  I was so full that after our trip up into the mountains and frolicking in the snow, that I was unable to have ice cream yet again at Empire Dairy King!  Adam NEEDED to stop for ice cream, so I had an Italian Soda, which was amazing.  It was mango and very creamy. YUMMO.

Vegetarian curry and naan at Sherpa house  noisy children were <----- over there.  ;)

So apparently I could not eat enough that day, and we finished off Thursaday with a little visit to the Sherpa House- an Indian Restaurant in Golden.  We again were dodging a few raindrops, but had a very nice meal there.  We have an affinity for Indian food and we did our research for this one.  We chose it because of the proximity to our hotel and from Highway 70 and for the fact that we sort of knew where it was without map lady having to tell us until the very end of the drive.  It was very good food, the only problem was the kids.....  Now, you KNOW that I like little kids.  I have had little kids, I teach little kids, I talk to them and play with them, but for some reason, I felt like I shouldn't have to be subjected to them that night.  Maybe I was getting tired by that time (yes) or maybe I was cranky (um, no, I had just been up in the snow covered mountains and had Italian soda at the most freaking cute little ice cream dive, so that wasn't it at ALL) but we unfortunately had to sit at the table next to a family of four- and the two little children were not having any of this foreign food stuff.  Oh well.  I didn't make any nasty comments and I think I accidentally caught the mother's gaze in an uncomfortable glance over towards me.  They didn't do much to encourage them to stop hopping around and whining and such, but oh well.  The food was pretty good, I had a vegetarian curry, and some really good naan, Adam I believe had the  Chana Masala and we did enjoy our meal there.  Adam happened to have on a Wisconsin map on the back of his shirt and the people across the room began discussing Wisconsin, which we found infinitely amusing.  Or at least I did, I am not positive Adam wanted them discussing his shirt.  Lol. I don't remember what exactly they said, other than talked about where they had been and I think the cold might have been mentioned.

I love meeting my virtual friends, even if just for a short time.

So every night we had a discussion about the next day, and sadly Friday was our last one.  We wanted some different and close by for our breakfast, and right around the corner from the motel was a very divey spot that delivered some awesome pancakes and french toast...  JC's Café.  It was a really great way to start off the day.  I had French Toast, something I generally don't order, because I like to have eggs in various forms when I go out to have breakfast/ brunch.  But since I had eaten eggs for a few days, I thought a change was in order.  It was really good, though I did miss my real maple syrup.  Again- good coffee and then Caribou.  Because I am an addict and should be studied.  At this point we went over to Red Rock and hiked the trails there, which was a spectacular way to end our interaction with the landscape in the Golden area.   We then moved out of our temporary housing and began heading in the general direction of the Denver airport.  We stopped in the downtown area, and walked around an outdoor pedestrian mall, maybe called the 14th Street Mall- something on that order.  Some number.  I'm sorry if I get it wrong.  Anywho, I met a virtual friend (Hi Leland!) there and we had a nice time talking and having a little liquid refreshment (if it was coffee, I am not admitting it :D ) and then had fun taking a few shots with his selfie stick.  This is something that seems so ridiculous and yet I totally want one.  Adam had been over at Barnes and Noble and we went on to our final meal at Mad Greens, as I mentioned before.

Mad Greens is an awesome little place that makes fresh salads and other things for you while you stand in line.  There was a really cool bunch of specialty salads and they were so many yummy sounding choices.  While I was in line I struck up a conversation with the salad guy and then another one chimed in and we discussed different places in Wisconsin that they have visited/vacationed/have relatives in.  It was a hoot!  What nice people and really good salad!  Seems like I can always find some nice folks to talk to and find something in common with them.  It was so so sad to have to drive to the airport and surrender our cool white car and go home.  However, it did involve a fun plane ride again!  YAY!

Cut to 10:30    and it is dark on Hwy 8, just west of the Wisconsin/Minnesota state line.  Two bleary eyed travelers know that they need to find something to eat for supper since it had been a while since Mad Greens.  And it is not easy to find a veg. friendly place on the road.  We were thinking Subway, and then a glowing beacon of red and white appeared before us...... yes, folks it was a Dairy Queen.  You may have noticed that we had some nontraditional suppers and it was awesome.  So yes, there was a brownie sundae consumed under the guise of supper when we still had 2.5 hours to drive home.  It was a long drive, but we did it!

It is kind of hard to wrap this up concisely, as this was far from a concise post.  It was so fun to use the food we ate as a vehicle to remember some of the things that might have not been included in another summary.  The food was just wonderful, I am glad that we did some research before we went, as we had an idea of some places that were available.  I just can't say that there was any part of the trip that was disappointing.  It was a nice week, chock full of joy!  

Chickpea Salad and Peanut butter mousse cups

HERE is that other food post I was talking about.

I have had a lot to do today, (now yesterday) much of it involves this post.  I have to say, it would take a lot less time to cook if I wasn't constantly stopping to take pictures, which involves a goodly amount of food styling.  I mean, the things that I have done to keep the quinoa neat, the peanut butter mousse wiped up and the chocolate graham cracker crumbs from spreading like a fungus over the whole kitchen!!!  Jeez!  But it is a labor of love.

Speaking of labor of love- wow that has a couple connotations- a. I have a granddaughter that is going to be born in a month or so, and there was that baby shower last weekend.  I do have a few photos to post!  And 2. I have (speaking of photos) a bunch of awesome, sock rawking, kick-ass photos to show you. If I don't do it tonight, that will be tomorrow mornings project, as I will be having my days altered as of next Monday morning- but that is a subject of yet another blog post later in the week.

SO enough babbling about non-food related items- on with the show here.

I made 2 lovely and delightful things today- one a chickpea salad that was super easy to make and one a dessert that was easy, but took some time!

 Chickpea and Kale Salad

The ingredients are very simple!  You can of course chop your own kale and cook your own chickpeas....  It is important for the  best flavor tho to use the freshest, yummiest ingredients for the dressing. 

Rins and drain the chickpeas to remove a little salt

Add the chopped kale- I eventually also added halved cherry tomatoes- it only took one taste for me to conclude it could use one more element- a little hit of sweetness.

Make the dressing with oil, lemon and fresh garlic 

Grate some good parmesan after the salad is dressed.

YUM!!!  Very light yet the chickpeas somehow make this filling!  I got 3 servings out of this recipe for about 250 calories.  Healthy fat, high protein chickpeas and kale is just plain good for you!!  Enjoy!

Chickpea Salad

This is a simple and fresh salad that is basically a few ingredients with a type of vinaigrette dressing. Lots of room to adjust and add-

original recipe found on The Greatist.com

3 servings

What You’ll Need:

1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)


1 cup of chopped kale


2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of lemon juice


1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese, grated


Sea salt and black pepper

cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, ???

What to Do:

Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

In a bowl, combine chickpeas, chopped kale.

In small bowl combine olive oil,  garlic, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Toss with vegetables.

Add grated cheese and a dash of sea salt and black pepper. Stir all the ingredients together until well mixed. Eat immediately or chill!

This has lots of potential for additions- Olives, onions, croutons, what have you!!

Peanut Butter Mousse Cups

THIS decadent dessert is NOT low calorie, but ohmygosh is it yummy!!!

It is actually vegan, not that I am vegan, BUT as I was making it, I was thinking the Mad-seester would totally be able to eat this as it is milk free!  That is if she chooses her dark chocolate carefully for the topping, which of course she would!!  Cuz she's pretty awesome and stuff!  xoxox  Luv you baby seester!!!

I doubled this recipe, as I knew I had people who wanted to try it out!  Both vegetarian and nonvegetarian friends. I managed not to tear into this until AFTER my 7 mile walk yesterday.  It was worth the wait! 

FIRST of all, people, do not fear the coconut oil!  It has healthy fats in it and life should not be fat-free. For heavens sakes, we need to get over this obsession and eat healthy and in moderation.  Fat-free is not natural!  

The use of these adorable little mason jars just makes life good. The are so cute!!!  AND they can double as jelly jars to give to ones daughter-in-law who  makes fantastic jelly and maybe one will get some back with jelly if the weather this year cooperates and produces berries!  Isn't that right SarahJane??  :)

The crust is very straight-forward with a little coconut oil, cocoa, maple syrup and graham cracker crumbs

The food processor makes short work of this crust!!  

Chocolate graham cracker crust!

2 Tablespoons or so of crust go into each jar- I came up with the idea of using the little insert in the food processor to smoosh down the crust into the jars.  It worked perfectly!!

I forgot to take a before I destroyed the box and jar pic!  Lol- so the filling has silken tofu, natural peanut butter, brown sugar and almond milk in it- very smooth and silky!  AND yummy!

Just a few Tablespoons of chocolate chips and a teaspoon of coconut oil to make the topping- (the bowl is small, the look here is deceiving) 

After the mousse is in the bowls, you are supposed to place in freezer, but I, in my usual mad way, did not!  This is kind of like how I eye balled many of the amounts of the ingredients- I blithely ignore measuring spoons and things like that.  Don't judge me!  :) This is how I roll!  It is not like it is baking or something--

Place a teaspoon or so of chocolate on top and spread/smooth/roll until it looks cute on top!

NOW it is going to kill you to put this in the freezer for a while- but trust me it is worth it.  Go for a 2 hour walk and just let it be!!  (each cup is about 300 calories, but has over 9 grams of protein!)

And it is just adorable!!

The synthesis of the 3 layers in amazing!!!  The recipe makes 5 little cups....  You can make this in tiny ramekins or custard cups or even little plastic "Glad" containers....

Mini Peanut Butter Cups in a Jar

 Original recipe from Oh She Glows at http://www.ohsheglows.com

Ingredients (5 mini mason jars)

For the crust

heaping 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp graham cracker crumbs (10 squares) 

1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)

1 tbsp coconut oil 

2.5 tsp cocoa powder

For the filling

200 grams soft/silken organic tofu, roughly chopped (I used firm silken, as that is what I had)

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup  brown sugar

1 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

 dash of salt

For the chocolate shell

2.5 tbsp dark chocolate chips

1.5 tsp coconut oil 

Instructions

1. Grab 5 mini (125ml) mason jars. In a food processor, process the crust ingredients until crumbs are a bit damp. Add 2 tablespoons of the crust into each jar. Spread out evenly and flatten with fingers. or use the little thingy from the food processor!!

2.  Wipe out the processor bowl. Now add the filling ingredients and process until silky smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

3. Add approx. 3 tablespoons of filling into each jar and smooth. Place jars into freezer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to firm up a bit. (HAHAHA- or don't)

4. Remove jars from freezer and melt the chocolate on the stove-top or microwave. Spoon 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate on top of the filling. Quickly, twist the jar around to coat all sides. Repeat for the rest. chill in the fridge or freezer to firm up the chocolate or just dig in as is!

Yeah, this really did make my day joyful!!

Until next time, be a joy giver, and a peanut butter cup in a mason jar giver!