With A Cherry On Top!

What a delish weekend!

Definition of delish: something so rich you have to eat it taking a break every 2nd spoonful - but its better that way so you can enjoy it for longer and the taste memory stays til the next day.... Or something so savoury your fork can barely stop scraping the burned bits from the pan, even when youre trying to be polite and have manners in front of friends....and something so garlicky people think there's horseradish in the recipe but there's not - its just 4 cloves compacted into 1/4 cup of dip....and finally, delish is when its 5 hours later and you realize there's leftovers. and youre drunk. and you dont care about your diet.

Anyway, that was this weekend. We had an amazing(ly) healthy dinner with our friends Marq & Dawn on Friday where we got to commiserate and inspire each other on our current wedding state of mind. They have a much shorter time than we do - 2 weeks! It didnt stop Dawn from making an incredible light and airy meal for us on a rainy Pacifica evening. Proof below! A great Peach, Feta & Onion tarte and a concoction of scallops wrapped in spinach and fish....

Behold!

Then we had our friends Kris & Darcy over for a "last meal". While they arent leaving for Atlanta until next month, we are all so busy that a chill dinner with wining and dining into the late hours could only occur on Saturday. Also, we made them play killer bunnies.

Here's a glimpse of what a Vegan Greek Menu looks like (with 1 exception, because sister please I need my cheese):

Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip.
1 jar of RRP, 1 bag of walnuts, smoked paprika & lemon juice. Salt & Pepper to taste! Food Process it then serve. Takes 5 minutes.


Grilled Haloumi Cheese w/Oregano & Lemon Juice
Slice it, throw it in a pan until browned. Juice a lemon and chop some herbs. Looks so pretty and tastes so salty.




Spinach, Dill & Chickpea Warm Salad
1 can of chickpeas drained. Saute with olive oil, chopped dill, salt and pepper. Toss in fresh spinach and lemon juice til its all cooked through and serve. Around 15m total.


Tempeh, Bulgar & Mushroom Mix
Saute red onions, mushrooms, garlic - add in 1/2 cup of bulgar in the pan then fill with vegetable stock and let boil until absorbed. Around 15 minutes. In a sep pan break up the tempeh and brown in a pan. Toss in at the end for texture and serve.


Garlic Sauce (like the most garlicky sauce youve ever tasted!)
4 cloves of garlic
4 pieces of white bread, no crust
White Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Puree!

..........and finally, the reason for the season:

Chocolate Cherry Vegan Pudding.
1 cup chopped and pitted fresh cherries
1 silky tofu block
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1 bar 100% cocoa vegan chocolate

NOTE: Your cherries arent fresh if your prep doesnt slightly resemble a murder scene.


Step one: Put 3/4s of your cherries in a blender with the sikly tofu, combine until pureed. Once in a sep bowl add in the agave.

Step two: In the microwave or over the stove, melt the chocolate. Once melted, fold in the tofu/cherry mixture. Whip it quickly and for at least 4 minutes straight! until pudding consistency. After that, put in the 1/4 leftover cherries and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

.............yeah!