Run-around Friday

I was busy today! It's amazing how I can have absolutely nothing scheduled, yet I end up filling up the day somehow. I didn't even get to eat lunch until 4 PM! Considering my love of food, that's saying something!

After getting a pedicure, my sister and I went shopping for Mother's Day. We checked out Williams-Sonoma (one of my fave stores), but we decided on a few silver serving pieces from a local gift shop. We even picked out her birthday gift (June 1), so we are ahead of the game. My sister is getting married June 7, so we figured it would be a good idea to get things settled now, before the whirlwind of the wedding starts...

Anyway, I have been busy in the kitchen the past few days; I have been in what I call a "cooking fugue." Without much further ado, here are some of the most recent creations from Caroline's kitchen...

Wednesday

Wednesday night, I made a delicious shake using unsweetened chocolate Spirutein and Soy Delicious fruit-sweetened chocolate vegan ice cream (that was a mouthful!). The vegan ice cream is especially good for creating a "whipped" texture, so this shake was quite voluminous-the way like it. I added some chocolate syrup and a few chocolate sprinkles for fun:)

Thursday

Yesterday morning's breakfast was inspired by Chocolate Covered Vegan and Ruby Red Vegan. I made pumpkin oatmeal pudding, topped with sliced almonds and a squirt of agave. (The recipe you see beside my bowl is Ruby'sPumpkin-Pecan Raisin Pudding).

When lunch rolled around yesterday, I was in the mood for the white bean spread from ED&BV. So that's what I made. I love the combination of cashews, nooch, and white beans. A lovely sliced tomato and crispbreads rounded out the meal. I also had a big grapefruit afterward.

Due to the fact that multiple bloggers highly recommended it, I made the Low-er Fat Banana Muffins from Veganomicon yesterday afternoon. They are a hit! I love seeing the look on my family's faces, mid-bite, that they're vegan. Ha!

While my family feasted on spaghetti and chicken meatballs, I decided to make Veganomicon's bean balls for dinner. I wasn't in the mood for pasta, so I decided to make a beanball sandwich, Oh. my. gosh. Beanballs are definitely entering my regular rotation--'nuff said.

Friday

For breakfast today, I tried something new: scrambled tofu. I used the recipe from the Chicago Diner Cookbook, which called for tofu, sesame seeds, tahini, and soy sauce. True to form, I didn't follow the recipe exactly; I added spinach and mushrooms for good measure:)

My belated lunch today consisted of leftover vegetarian baked beans (Amy's), oat bran pita bread, and an amazing salad. This salad included oranges, sliced almonds, and spinach with a dressing made of agave, red pepper, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. I used a Vegetarian Times recipe as inspiration for this dish. The original recipe required honey, but I used agave, and it also included sesame seeds. I opted to leave those out since I had so much sesame this morning for breakfast. The sweetness of the oranges combined with the saltiness of the soy sauce is phenomenal. I might make a big batch of this dressing for later use.
We are headed to our lake house in an hour or two. I am so excited! I haven't been since last fall, so I am looking forward to being near the water again. We often take long boat trips while we're there, so I'll need to think of some waterside snacks. What would you recommend? I'll probably bring a cooler on board, along with a good book and my shades:) Enjoy your weekend!