Remember the old school vegan cookbooks? Yeah, they were great. *smiles dreamily*

Yesterday I spent a lazy day at home with my family. My middle son has been pretty sick for over a week. He has strep throat as well as mono...talk about a double whammy! No matter what they say, boys like to be at home with their moms when they are sick. So although I am sorry he is sick it is nice taking care of him again. Icy cold smoothies and kukicha tea are his biggest requests and I am happy to oblige.

A lazy Sunday is a great day to try new recipes so my family got to sample my latest, Brownie Sundae Cheesecake. It is not ready to be posted yet. It still has a few tweaks but it definitely was not bad!

I was looking through all of my old school vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic cookbooks yesterday and it gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling. They are so comforting. Thumbing through the pages actually feels like home to me. There are so many cookbook writers out there creating awesome and amazing vegan delights but there is just something special about the simple elegance of the old school recipes. The fresh taste of vegetables and grains without all of the fancy, schmancy-ness of some of the recipes of today. I am not knocking them, don't get me wrong, just feeling a bit nostalgic for plain, simple yet utterly delicious foods. As I make dinner tonight with a recipe from one of these cookbooks and I will cook it with love and gratitude in my heart for the cooks, chefs and authors that paved the way for the rest of us. I thank you.

Simple, Fresh, Delicious.

Needed Update...

I know that I have needed to update my blog but I have been feeling so uninspired. It has been either snowing or raining and dark and dismal here in Maine. I guess I need some warm, bright, cheery sunshine! Which is exactly what we have today. I am so happy to see that big yellow ball in the sky I feel like dancing on my deck. I will definitely be meditating (and maybe even doing my yoga practice) outside today. I just want to soak up every bit that I can.

I have been working on my cookbook, testing recipes and creating some new ones. Today's recipe testings are Tofu and Vegetable Pot Pie, Apple Pie and possibly some sort of cookies. That is the plan anyway. I am easily distracted and the sun is shining. ; )

I thought I would post some images of some recent recipe creations.

Not Meat Loaf

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili with Brown Rice

Hearty Whole Wheat Bread

Blondies

Brownie Sundae with Almond Joy Ice Cream and Rice Mellow on top

Brownies

Lavender Scones