NO Excuses Necessary!

I know...once again it has been another slow week, but for good reasons. Tomorrow morning at 2AM my husband and I will be heading to NC to have me Certified in Scuba Diving..something my husband already obtains. Therefore, this week after work I have been doing nothing but reading, studying and test taking.

Also, I made some really delicious foods I just could not take a pic of because I assembled it at work. For example, I made a Mock Chickpea Chicken Salad which was absolutely delicious with New Yorks Three Peppers Pita Chips (Product Rave #1: These Pita Chips can be described in one word..ADDICTIVE!! Gotta Try 'em!) It was to die for! It sat on top of a scarce bed of lettuce with tomatoes around it but taking a picture of food sitting in a deep, clear to-go container is quite difficult.

I also had a Tofurkey Beer Bratwurst stuffed inside a white roll (because I could not find anyone around who sells single, frshly baked whole grain breads..give me a break I just moved here!), with whole grain mustard, sauerkraut and grilled peppers and onions. Man was that good and really, really filling!

I was also absolutely blessed to be able to have not one large slice, but TWO (I took the second one home and SHARED with my daughter..)large slices of Vegan Vanilla Cake with a middle layer of Strawberry Mousse and covered with Vanilla Whipped Topping thanks to Happy Eatery Bakery. The first was fresh from the bakery, slightly chilled and pretty good. The outer icing was very light in sweetness and flavor and creamy in texture. The cake was a dark golden brown, dense sponge-like cake that was also very light in flavor and texture again wa sdense but very moist, not dry at all. The thin strip Strawberry Mousse that connected the two layers of cake was like the topping; creamy and light in flavor. As for Pricing: May seem pricey to some, but quite reasonable. A 6 inch high, 10 inch round special/customed made cake was $40 and it fed well over 12 people depending how think/thin you cut the slices.
But you know they say leftovers always taste ten times better because the flavors are allowed to mend together. Well that goes for cake too! After allowing that cake to sit overnight, the flavors, the sweetness.. the whole cake was overall ten times more yummier. I honestly, really did not want to share but I just couldn't resist my two-year old duaghter cute little face when she looked at me and said, "Cake, please?" That deserves a piece.

.My last dish I made this week which I am proud to claim as Semi-Homemade by yours truly was my Thai Tofu Lettuce Scoops. I had two pieces of leftover tofu cubes from my Pete's Tofu 2 Go Snackables: Sesame Ginger Flavor with a Sesame Ginger Sauce (PRODUCT RAVE #2: This stuff is perfect to take a long anywhere as a snack. The tofu is seasoned pefectly with flavor and the complimentary dipping sauces make this snack ten times tastier and ten times more fun to eat!) So what I decided to do was take all the "leftover's" I had and create this simple tasty, finger food lunch. All I did was cut the tofu in cubes and sauteed them in a rub of oil until they were crispy and golden brown. I then tossed the tofu along with julienned carrots and diced red bells and spooned the mixture into the lettuce scoops. I then topped them with some sliced green onions and drizzled it with the Sesame Ginger Sauce that came along with the tofu mixed with some peanut butter and cayenne. It was delicious. Every bite was crisp and refreshing. Wohoo one more for me!

PRODUCT RAVE: Galaxy Granola Maple Quinoa Meteorbites: Ever looking for granola that's Vegan, Organic, Low in Fat and made with several different whole grains? Then this is the stuff to buy! Made with whole several different whole grains, tossed by hand and baked with apples instead of oil, this granola is healthy, low fat and extremely delicious. I used half as a snack and the other half I used to top off my yogurt parfait! Sweet and Crunchy!!