Vegan Nom Nom: Sicilian Bean and Potato Salad

My second succesful dinner from a recipe for Sicilian Bean and Potato Salad from Linda McCartney's On Tour cookbook.

The Classic Vinaigrette was very simple and very tasty!

Sicilian Bean and Potato Salad

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1 pound new potatoes, unpeeled

1 pound green beans, steamed and cut into 1 inch lengths

1 cup cooked or canned haricot (navy) or cannellini (white kidney) beans

1 small red onion, chopped finely

1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced

1-2 tablespoons capers

Classic Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling water until they are tender. Allow them to cool slightly and cut them in half.

Mix the potatoes, beans, onion, black olives and capers in a large bowl. Pour sufficient vinaigrette over the salad to moisten it and toss well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

(I din't have black olives or capers on hand so I left them out of my recipe. As a result I found that I needed to add a small amount sea salt and black pepper to the dish to make the flavors pop)

Classic Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

1-2 teaspoons fine or grainy mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice, or or 2 tablespoons wine, balsamic or cider vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

crushed garlic to taste (optional)

sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix the mustard with the lemon or lime juice or vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil gradually. Stir in the garlic if you are using it. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Both recipes from Linda McCartney's On Tour cookbook)

365Bunnies' Appliqued Bunnie Cami

Completed embelished cami for glam 365Bunnies! Just like Bunnies herself I think it's a lil bit country and a lil bit rock-n-roll.

A page of funny bunny sketches I made while trying to create a design for the cami. The red cardstock is what I used as my pattern.

This was the first time I ever sewed a face - after some trial and error (the pink button nose made the bunny look like a piglet) I think it turned out pretty darn cute.

The blue and white stripe ticking fabric frayed much more than I expected. As a result the blanket stitching on the right side of the bunnie's face is a little wonky. Now this lil bunny is off to a nice new home in Memphis!

Vegan Nom Nom: Pesto Genovese with Green Beans and Potatoes

I found a used copy of Linda McCartney's On Tour cookbook and this recipe for Pesto Genovese with Green Beans was the first I tried. To make it vegan all I had to do was leave the parmesan out of the pesto. This mouth-watering pasta dish was also a big hit with my non-vegan hubby.

The pesto was very easy to make and was so delicious!

The green beans were so fresh and snappy!

Pesto Genovese with Green Beans and Potatoes

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 25 minutes

6 small waxy new potatoes, unpeeled

3 cups dried penne or fusilli

3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2inch lengths

4 tablespoons pesto sauce

basil leaves to garnish

Boil the potatoes until tender but still firm, for about 15 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, cut them into small cubes.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

Meanwhile, steam the beans until tender but still crisp, for about 5-6 minutes.

Mix the vegetables with the pasta and toss in the pesto. Garnish with basil, and serve immediately with warm ciabatta bread.

Pesto Sauce

Serves 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

6 tablespoons freshly chopped basil

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

2/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup vegetarian Parmesan, grated

2/3 cup olive oil

sea salt and black pepper to taste

(Both recipes from Linda McCartney's On Tour cookbook)

Vegan Nom Nom: The Red Avocado

Yesterday Stevie and I enjoyed a delicious, liesurely, outdoor vegan lunch at The Red Avocado. We entertained ourselves watching the pudgy chipmunk ransack the patio for food and imagaining what sort of fart noises a chipmunk stuffed with black beans would make.
I had the wonderful Veggieburger Deluxe and a cup of Coconut Corn Soup - the intoxicating smell of which almost sent me into fits. Stevie's Revolutionary Reuben sandwich passed his stringent carnivore test - a test very few vegan dishes pass! I hope we can return soon and try out the dinner menu!

http://www.theredavocado.com/

Momma Monster Tee

This is the "mother" half of the mother/daughter not-too-scary monster tee shirts. Who could be afraid of a monster with pink button eyes?

This project was the first time I tried using an embroidery hoop - the soft, thin cotton of the tee shirt kept coming loose but I think it helped me keep the balloon string staight(er).

Fiesta in Your Mouth!

It's been a full two weeks since I went vegan! These Vegan Enchiladas made with sweet potato and black bean filling were the first more complicated dish I have attempted - served with fresh sweet corn on the side. Carnivore hubby agreed he would eat them again with some slight tweaking of the recipe - the sweet potato was a bit overpowering, so I would cut down on that amount and add pinto beans instead. I used this recipe as my guideline: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6023.0