Raw/vegan dessert! This ain't your grandma's brownie, but it was SO good. The brownie is made from blended almonds, mixed with cocoa and agave nectar. The frosting is blended cashews, honey and hemp milk with a little cinnamon. After eating it, we decided it tasted a lot like German chocolate cake, and it could have used some sprinkled coconut on top.

Yum! This was my first attempt at a raw/vegan recipe. Beginner's luck, perhaps? It turned out really well. Raw, vegan tacos- the taco "meat" is made from blended pecans and sunflowers with cumin, coriander, salt and soy sauce. Chopped onion, mushroom and tomatoes on top. And, of course, fresh avacado on the side!

A delicious belly-buster breakfast! I started with an attempt to make egg-less crepes; but without the eggs, they fell apart while cooking and turned into a pile of mush. So, plan B was a switch to pancakes (can't go wrong with pancakes, right?).

Evolving meals are some of my favorites, and this quickly turned into a pancake sandwich with loads of mango, strawberry, banana, ground cinnamon and agave nectar piled in between the two late addition breakfast staples. A little more fruit, cinnamon, agave and the last minute powdered sugar made it look as good as it tasted. I was full half-way through this meal...but, of course, gladly cleaned my plate.

Vegetarian enchiladas made with meatless soy-less beef style grounds sauteed in Leigh Oliver's fresh marinara sauce and topped with red enchilada sauce and crumbled feta cheese. Basic ranch-style beans on the side, and my world famous banana, mango, strawberry and blackberry fruit salad with a lemon, honey and cayenne syrup poured over it. Yum!

Vegetarian chicken sandwich with caramelized onion, mushroom and red bell pepper on an Ezekiel bun. A side of pan fried sweet potatoes and a spinach, green bell pepper and strawberry salad with a blueberry vinaigrette dressing.

Vegetarian Fajitas

Vegetarian fajitas + fresh guacamole + black bean, corn, serrano pepper + chips/salsa + fruit salad = a delicious first meal to post!

The vegetarian fajitas were made with a meat substitute called Quorn. "What in the world is Quorn?" you ask. Well, so did I. And I found my answer here:

http://www.quorn.us/cmpage.aspx?pageid=488

I've tried several meat substitutes over the past couple of years, and this has been my favorite by far. The texture comes closer to chicken than anything else I've tried. The flavor isn't bad on its own, but for my fajitas I added a little worchestershire, liquid smoke, sea salt and fresh ground peppercorns. Worked brilliantly. Along with the Quorn, I sauteed onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms, then topped the fajita with sliced cherub tomatoes and fresh sliced basil leaves.

For the black bean dish, I sauteed the corn with garlic and a couple sliced serrano peppers before adding the mixture to the black beans. I love the serrano pepper for its spice (it's hot!), but also for its really fresh, organic flavor. After my first bite, I quickly realized that one serrano would have been plenty!

This is the second time I've made the fruit salad. Coincidentally, I remembered as I was making it that it was exactly one year ago today that I made it for the first time. I took it to a dinner party, and it was a big hit then as well as now. Fresh sliced cantaloupe and strawberries with fresh blackberries are soaked in a syrup made from water, lemon juice, sugar, honey and cayenne pepper. The balance of spice and sweetness turned out perfectly!

I saved my fruit salad until after dinner and enjoyed it with a cup of hot tea- a Madagascar vanilla rooibos from Celestial Seasonings.

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/red-teas/madagascar-vanilla-red

The soft, smooth vanilla flavor of the tea was a perfect balance for the spicy tartness of the fruit.

Bringing Work Home

This is a blog about bringing work home. Bringing work home is something that is generally frowned upon by those who say we should separate the issues of our job from the issues of our personal life. For me, however, bringing work home is a matter of survival- physically, emotionally, spiritually.

My work is food. Professionally, I manage Specialty Foods sales for Whole Foods Market in the Dallas metro area. In short, I spend 40 hours a week getting paid to share my love for cheese, coffee and tea, chocolate, beer and wine. It's a tough gig; but I'm willing to sacrifice for the well-being of everyone who loves to indulge. Personally, I love food. Not only the indulgent variety, but all varieties. I love to cook, to create, to share with others. We all have to eat to live. I live to eat!

My food interests vary. One night a grilled steak with garlic mashed potatoes is all I want. The next, I may easily transition into vegan pilaf and a fresh spinach and strawberry salad. A nice bottle of wine does wonders for any meal, and I've recently begun experimenting with my grandmother's pie recipes.

Whatever meal idea I envision as I am managing away my 40 hour work week, I find myself more and more anxious to clock out, to shop for fresh ingredients and to get home to my kitchen. The time put into a well-prepared meal is always worth the effort; and sharing it with people I love brings me a greater sense of peace and belonging and purpose than any other activity in which I engage.

So, in an effort to combine my love of food with my overrated ability to write, I begin my food blog. Hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoy preparing and consuming it!