Sauteed Zucchini

This is a nice summer side dish.

Sauteed Zucchini


3 Zucchini, cut into 1/4" rounds
3 TBL olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed but whole
2 TBL balsamic vinegar
Salt/Pepper to taste


Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add garlic. Saute for a couple minutes. Remove garlic. Add zucchini and saute for 5-7 minutes. Turn heat up to medium high. Add balsamic vinagar. Be careful it doesn't splatter when it hits the oil. Saute for 20-30 minutes, or until the zucchini is half it's original size.

Whole Wheat Pancake with Blueberries

I might be the only person in the world that makes this pancake from scratch on workday mornings. This recipe makes one large pancake or 2 smaller ones. I prefer one larger for myself!


1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2.5 TBL safflower oil
6 TBL soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
dash of vanilla extract
1/2 TBL walnuts, chopped
2 TBL fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp Earth Balance
maple syrup, to taste


Mix together all dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Then fold in the walnuts and blueberries.


Place a saute pan over medium heat and add the Earth Balance. Spoon the mixture onto the pan once the butter has melted. Flip the pancake once you see bubbles appear on top and it seems sturdy enough for the flip. Heat through on the other side for a couple minutes. Serve with maple syrup or your favorite toppings.

Simon The Foster Puppy

Nick and I had the pleasure of fostering a 3 year old dog, Simon, for the past week. He was rescued from Puerto Rico and brought to NYC for adoption. He's going to back to his full time foster parent today but still needs to find a permanent home. He's about 20 lbs, house-trained and an overall great dog! He doesn't really bark. We only heard 1 bark over the entire week. He is shy when you first meet him, but he warms up to you after a little while and is actually very affectionate. He loves being pet, squeaky toys and chewing on rawhide. If you are anyone you know would be interested in adopting Simon, please let me know!

Love This Wrap

2 Whole Wheat Wraps

1/2 C green lentils, rinsed and picked through

1-1 1/2 C vegetable broth or water

1 bay leaf

1/2 Diced Avocado

1/2 C Chopped Mixed Greens (Mesculin, Spinach, Romaine, Arugula)

1/4 C Diced Red Onions

2 tsp. Sunflower Seeds

1 TBL Veganaise

1 tsp. ketchup

Simmer lentils for about 25-30 minutes in vegetable broth or water with bay leaf until they are soft. Mix together Veganaise and ketchup in a separate bowl. Spread Veganaise mixture in center of the wraps. Add half of each remaining ingredient onto each wrap along with the lentils. Roll up and enjoy!

Poor Man's Pasta

I make this alot!

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Cloves of Garlic

4 Pinches of Crushed Red Pepper

1 lb Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

1/4 Chopped Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Mint)

2 TBL Chopped Walnuts

Vegan Parm (optional)

Salt/Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and simmer until fragrent.

Strain pasta and then put it back into the warm pot. Add oil mixture, herbs and walnuts. Add pasta water little by little to get to your desired consistency.

Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Some pictures

Day after the rain in Long Beach.
Nick & I at our engagement party in Soho.
Shadow at the cottage.

Lentil Soup

2 TBL Olive Oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
pinch of crush red pepper
1 small can tomato sauce
1 C brown lentils, rinsed
4-5 Cups Vegetable broth
Splash of Red wine, or balsamic vinegar
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Basil
Salt/Pepper
Small shape of pasta

Saute the garlic, vegetables and red pepper in the oil for 5-7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, lentils, vegetable broth, thyme and red wine. Simmer for half hour, or until lentils are cooked through. In the meantime, cook the pasta al dente. Once the soup is done, add the basil, salt and pepper.

To serve, portion a few TBL of pasta into each bowl. Ladle soup over the pasta and mix. Garnish with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and some more basil.

Vegan BLT

I love this sandwich. It's so simple and really delicious!

2-3 strips of Smart Bacon (or any vegan bacon)

2 lettuce leaves

1/4 tomato, sliced

2 TBL Veganaise

2 slices sourdough bread, toasted

Heat up the bacon in a fry pan until it's crispy. Arrange everything on the toasted sourdough bread. You can add onion or avocado too!

Dandelion Greens

You can prepare this recipe with any type of leafy green in my opinion. Collards, Kale to name a couple... I just so happened to have some leftover dandelion greens. You can also substitute the cranberries for sun-dried tomatoes! Serve this over brown rice for a complete meal.

Dandelion Greens

1 bunch dandelion greens
2 TBL olive oil
1 clove garlic
salt/pepper
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/8 C chopped walnuts
2 dashes of Shoyu or Tamari soy sauce

Saute garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add rinsed greens, cranberries, walnuts and saute for 4 minutes or until the greens are wilted. Add soy sauce and saute another minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower

Here's my favorite way to make cauliflower:

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into small/medium florets

2 TBL minced Capers

3 TBL chopped assorted Olives

4 TBL Olive Oil

3 Cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up!). Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until all the cauliflower is coated with oil. Put into the oven for 30-40 minutes, or to taste. I like the cauliflower on the mushier side. You can toss with some fresh parsley at the end.