It's transition Time : Goodbye to Snowbird Season- Almost

As the  Florida season comes to a close for us snowbirds, there’s a familiar rhythm for me setting in. After seven wonderful playful months, it’s transition time—time for organizing, cleaning out, and getting ready to close up our condo before we head back to the Philadelphia area for the summer.

Summertime And The Living and Cooking is Easy!

I absolutely love the old 1934 song Summertime 🎵🎵 (written by George Gershwin and performed in the musical Porgy and Bess)—it perfectly captures the easygoing vibe of the season. 

There's something about summer that makes everything feel a bit more relaxed: simple dinners out on the deck, lighter meals, golden sunlight stretching well into the evening, leisurely evening walks, and casual get-togethers with friends, and even a lazy afternoon nap. 

see easy summertime recipes at end of post.

IN MY KITCHEN - JULY

At the beginning of every month, Sherry from Sherry's Pickings invites bloggers to join her in a blog post linky called "IN MY KITCHEN" where you can get a peek into many kitchens. Anyone can join in.  I like to join in when I can. 

The past week has been brutally hot and very humid here in Pennsylvania, so we've been eating a lot of salads! This is a red cabbage, cucumber and cherry tomato salad was delicious with a lemon dressing ! See what else has been happening in my kitchen!

Discovering Jicama: The Crunchy, Versatile Veggie You’ll Love

Is it a potato? A brown beet? a turnip? No!! It's a jicama!!

Have you even tasted jicama? 

It's a root veggie that you might have seen in your local grocery store or farmers' market, but never knew what to do with it. It's not pretty on the outside, but it is crunchy and delicious and slightly sweet on the inside. Like a carrot, it can be eaten raw or cooked. 

Grocery Store Shopping Ain't For Sissies

There is something new in our supermarkets/grocery store and it's really frustrating me!

Is anyone else having problems/frustration checking out at the grocery store ? Maybe it is only me BUT I'm beginning to feel like my 95 year old mother-in-law who couldn't learn to use her iPad  (she should rest in peace). 

Asian Cold Noodle Salad : Beat The Heat

It's going to be 98 humid degrees again this week here in Philadelphia area, which is feeling oppressively HOT!! Since it's too hot for me to want to do any real cooking, I'm started thinking about making an Asian cold noodle salad. 

12 of My Favorite Chickpea Recipes

Chickpeas are a great source of plant-based protein and are filling and delicious. They happen to be my favorite legume, and I like to use them in many of my recipes.

 I started publishing my blog over 12 years ago, so many of my recipes may have been seen and forgotten or never seen by my current readers. 

I decided to rummage through some of my older chickpea recipes and re-share them in one post.

Chickpeas are used in recipes from countries all over the world. They are versatile, inexpensive, low in fat, high in protein and fiber and are satisfying. 

Do you like chickpeas? Do you use them? 

Are you concerned with eating less animal protein ? Do you try to make more plant-based meals? 

Green Bean Salad

This green bean salad was totally enjoyed along with the more traditional Thanksgiving fare that it accompanied on the holiday table this year. It's easy to make and light and tasty!

Thanksgiving Recipes for 2024- Gluten Free and Vegan

As I sit on the beach in 85 degree sunny beautiful weather, watching the waves, and listening to the gulls, I'm thinking about my Thanksgiving plans and my Thanksgiving recipes. 

We usually fly home for Thanksgiving to be with our family, but this year we are remaining in Florida. We decided not to fight the crowds in the airport or deal with hustle bustle of traveling on a holiday, despite wishing to be with our kids and grandkids. Check out my recipes!!

Six Flavorful Quinoa Summer Sides -

Tired of rice? Try one of my 6 of my delicious quinoa recipes that I'm sharing today. These favorites are all light, easy, and fragrant and make a perfect side dish.

How To Get Basil Plants To Grow Full and Bushy

Want healthy full bushy basil plants that will produce all summer? 

 

If you would like your basil plants to get full and bushy, instead of tall and spindly, you need to prune them (not cut them). In this post I will tell help you understand the need for learning how to prune. I also included 6 wonderful summer recipes that include fresh basil.

Ten Easy Summer Recipes From Down Memory Lane

1. 

Strolling down memory lane with 10 of my previously posted favorite summer recipes! All Vegan and GF. Click on the title with the blue link for the recipe. 

Refreshing Creamy Strawberry Soup- perfect on a hot humid day when you've got strawberries and need to refresh. Enjoy it as a nutritious snack or a starter for a meal. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free 

2. Mango Peach Salsa Salad- wonderful flavors in this mango peach summer salsa. Delicious with chips as an appetizer, a side with any entree, a topping etc. Vegan/gluten-free

Hadassah Presentation Notes and Links

                                                                                                

This page is the notes and links from a presentation that I did for a local Hadassah group! Hadassah ladies, if you have questions, you can text me.. Remember to always check with your doctor before making any dietary changes. Each person is different.

 

_________________________________________

Link to the book on Mastering Diabetes - by Dr. Cyrus Khambata - new cutting edge onto on fat and insulin resistance and rising blood sugars. A great read..

**** If you don't want to read the book, go on Youtube and look for his videos that are free and give lots of the information too... 

(same link to Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes

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Coleslaw Macaroni Salad -Vegan, GF, and Oil-Free

 I love coleslaw and I love macaroni salad. This is two great summer salads combined in one!!

Need a side dish for your next BBQ or pot luck get-together that everyone will love? This crunchy coleslaw and macaroni salad is easy to make, very tasty, healthy, and can be made up to 2 days in advance. 

Mango Coleslaw- oil-free

Coleslaw is one of my favorite salads.  

You can imagine how excited I was to find this mango coleslaw recipe. With hues of orange, purple, and light greens from vegetables, this tasty vegan slaw is beautiful to serve for any occasion. The addition of slices of fresh mango adds a delicate sweetness that enhances this vegan and gluten-free side dish. 

A splash of lightly sweetened honey/lemon dressing (recipe below) is very tasty in this oil-free recipe.  

A friend made this salad for a pot luck dinner and everyone loved it, including me. I was delighted with how easy it is to make and how good it tastes. With summer weather around the corner, coleslaw is a welcome side at BBQ's and picnics. Since it does not contain any mayonnaise, it is not as perishable. 

It does contain purple and green cabbage which are cruciferous vegetables which are known to help protect against cancer. I try to eat something from the grouping of cruciferous vegetables everyday (broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, watercress, etc.) In addition, I just like the taste and the crunch of cabbage. 

My friend Vicki makes a mango and peach summer salad which is  outstanding and also serves as an appetizer.

Vicki's mango and peach salad

Mango Coleslaw Recipe

Ingredients: 

4 cups of sliced green cabbage strips

4 cups of sliced red cabbage strips

2 cups of shredded carrots 

1 medium California red mango, sliced into strips

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro or parsley

Optional: 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Optional: 1/4 cup of chopped jalapeño pepper 

Optional : Two Ingredient Dressing: 

Juice of 1 lemon ( about 1/2 cup)

2 Tablespoons of honey or maple syrup

Blend Well 

Directions: 

Toss all ingredients together and then toss in the simple dressing.

Personally, I don't think the dressing is needed.

Sharing on Deb's Souper Sunday 

Peek At My Week 8/1/2020

                                                                                    
                                My Week                                     

Book review, Prime Video review, 2 salad recipes

Peach Caprese Salad with Cashew Basil Dressing- Vegan

Seasonal fresh farm produce such sweet peaches, red juicy tomatoes, and aromatic basil are the perfect fixings for this beautiful summer peach caprese salad with a delicious creamy plant-based dressing.

A Peek At My Week 7/26

This has been a really hot week with temperatures rising to the mid-high 90's all week. I haven't felt much like cooking, so I've been making salads. 
We are still sheltering at home and my routine is pretty much the same: walking in the morning, reading, blogging, watching Netflix, and cooking, and having my older son and his family for dinner on the deck on Friday nights!  The hydrangeas are definitely thriving in this weather!

What I'm Watching:

Hamilton: On Disney+ through July 
They are showing an actual live performance  of the Broadway Play- Hamilton filmed in New York City prior to Covid. It is excellent and so worth taking the opportunity to watch it if you have Disney+: It's through July. 



Also Watching a Netflix Series:   

Quantico

Quantico is a fast moving action packed series about a woman training to work for the FBI. She finds herself victimized by a terrorist group. It is fascinating to see the way she works her way out of the mess and the long tangled story of her life before she joins the FBI. I thought it was a new series, until my son told me her watched it on television at least 6 years ago. Regardless, I'm enjoying it and recommend it!

What I'm Cooking: 
Corn, Cucumber and Olive Salad (Recipe Here)
This is a really different and tasty summer salad made with freshly cut off the cob raw crunchy kernels of corn, whole pitted black olives, red onion, celery, cucumber and spices. Summer corn is in full season here in Pennsylvania now.

Add caption

Red Cabbage Potato Salad  (Recipe Link)

This photo was taken before I mixed the salad

Another very tasty salad that is made with potatoes, red onion, red cabbage, and parsley. This hearty salad is vegan so there is no mayonaise, but it is dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. It's kind of like two sides in one- the starchy potato and the raw salad veggies.


Sharing this post on Sunday Salon 

How to Store Fresh Basil - doesn't turn dark!

Have you ever bought fresh basil only to have it turn dark after a day or two? 

I love to keep fresh basil in the refrigerator, but I am so disappointed when it doesn't last that long. 

I just learned a way to make it last. In fact, the friend who shared this tip with me says her basil and other fresh herbs last and stay fresh for weeks in the refrigerator with this method. 

Roasted Fennel, Shallot, and String Bean Salad

Roasted Fennel , shallot and string bean salad is one of my favorite warm salads to serve to company. It is flavorful, kind of exotic, and makes a lovely presentation.