RV Ice Cream, Kale Chips, Gnocchi, and LOVE to Vern!

Lemony Vanilla Ice Cream Cupcakes (RV)

Happy Sunday!  I meant to post much sooner, but Friday was (finally) sunny and I went for a 3 hour walk instead.  The highlight of the weekend has definitely been my first Spring batch of raw vegan ice cream.  As usual, I used Heather Pace's Ultimate Ice Cream Cake ebook.  I started with her vanilla ice cream recipe (the base is cashews) adding the juice & zest of 2 lemons. I froze it in silicone cupcake cups, which are great for serving and portion control, unless you take 4 out of the freezer at a time, ahem.  The recipe made exactly twelve and less than 48 hours later I'm not sure if we have any left.  They're so good.  Seriously WAY BETTER than any store bought dairy free ice cream.  I've used this recipe over and over again, adding all kinds of flavors, fruits, nuts, and powders, and it always turns out amazing.  And it's super quick and easy to make, and uses really basic pantry ingredients.  So, go ahead and eat 'em up.

 Tahini Kale Chips (RV)

I finally fired up the Excalibur and made a batch of tahini kale chips.  Yet another one of those super easy staples that cost so much more at the store and usually don't taste as good as home made.  I used regular green kale and tossed the leaves in tahini, lemon juice, agave, and sea salt.  Most of these disappeared the first night.

 Creamy Tomato Gnocchi (V)

Trader Joe's whole wheat gnocchi is a totally new discovery for me.  It cooks in less than 5 minutes and tastes good tossed in just about anything.  My creamy tomato sauce was a combo of marinara and canned coconut milk.  That's it.  So fast, so creamy and warm and yummy and vegan.  The sweetness of the coconut milk really compliments the tomato.  Try it.

 Daily Greens

Yep, still eating my daily greens. And still using a tahini dressing every single time.  Once I find a salad dressing recipe I like I will eat it for months on everything.  This week's salad toppers have been pickles, daiya cheddar shreds and dulse. 

Sleepy Pixi Cat Naps

Other great things from this week have been cat naps with Pixi, visiting the Farmer's Market and getting local raw honey and some awesome vegan chipotle flavor cheese made with hazelnuts, then having the boyfriend turn it into some of the best vegan mac-n-cheese I've ever tasted, a sleepy Saturday, a visit to Powell's, a new vegan cookbook that I've wanted for a while, and the discovery of a super tea house in my neighborhood that has a bazillion blends of chai. 

Vern - Best Little Dog Ever!

Meet my sister's dog, Vern.  She adopted him a few years ago as a sick and abused stray and he's turned out to be such an awesome dog and has added so much love to our family.  He's about 13 years old and has had some health struggles the past few days.  We're all wishing for you to feel better and pull through Vern!  We love you!!!