Because I Like To Say "Salsa"

Bug's Salsa

Unfortunately I can't take credit for this one.  It's from my sister in law.  Her name is Bug.  Actually her name is Rachelle.  But I've called her Bug for so long that it feels weird to call her Rachelle.  She's beautiful and very un-insect like.  And her kids?  Well, I'll just show you. 

See?  Told ya.

I'm also suddenly acutely aware of my brother's chewbacca chest.  Must be all the salsa.

Bug's Salsa

1 can drained corn

1/2 - 1 can pinto beans, rinsed

1 can black beans, rinsed

2-3 tomatoes diced

1 bunch green onions

1 bunch cilantro

2-3 large avocados, diced

1 pkg zesty italian salad dressing mix (use distilled white vinegar and grapeseed oil to

        make dressing)    

Place all beans and vegetables (except avocados) in medium sized bowl.  Mix dressing.  Dice avocados and add to bowl.  Add dressing a little bit at a time until you reach desired flavor and consistency.  I use maybe 1/2 of the dressing.

This salsa is AMAZING on baked potatoes.

*Special thanks to the McMullin family for being so dad-gum cute.  And for letting me show off my nieces and nephew.

Spinach and Onion Millet Cakes

Oops.  Sorry.  I meant to post this with the pesto recipe.


Spinach & Onion Millet Cakes


1 1/2 cups millet (ground up in food processor or blender)
1/2 cup wheat berries (ground up in food processor or blender)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon parsley
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or grapeseed oil)
1 1/2 - 2 cups almond milk or hazelnut milk
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 cup spinach, chopped


Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a 9x9 inch pan.  Grind up the millet and wheat berries to a fine flour in blender.  Add all other ingredients and mix on high for 1 minute.  Pour into mixing bowl.  Add onion and spinach.  Mix well with large spoon.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or until top looks lightly browned.

1 Pesto 3 Ways

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Spinach Onion Millet Cake With Pesto Sauce (personal favorite)

Spinach Garlic Pasta With Pesto Sauce (husband's personal favorite)

I bought a basil plant over the weekend.  It's been staring me down for several days with it's menacing delectable-ness that has been hard to ignore.  I finally succumbed (succambe, succumed, did succumb - Wikkopedia is also torn).  Immediately I instructed my 8 year old to take some over to Jenny.  No less than 5 minutes later she called.  I believe her initial words were, "I love you".  And I was like, "I know my dear, I  know".  

It's fantastic as a dip, dressing, or sauce.  

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

1/2-3/4 cup tightly packed sun-dried tomatoes (I used the kind from Costco)

1 cup water

1/4 cup almonds

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil (if your tomatoes weren't packed in olive oil)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

*Original recipe from Vegan with a Vengence

Banana Peach Green Shake

The other day I purchased first-of-the-season organic peaches at the store. I was excited for my kids to try them becuase we don't eat peaches very much. So we got home from the store, I made my kids' lunches with sliced peaches, and they didn't like them! A couple of days later, I was left with some shriveling peaches, and knowing that no one would eat them before they went bad, I decided to throw them into the EASIEST green shake I've ever made. And let me tell you...it was a WINNER! My kids sucked down about twice what they usually do, and my husband LOVED it! So I made it again today to take some pics so I could share it with you all.

Banana Peach Shake

1 large handful of baby spinach

2 small peaches (sans pit)

1 banana
Enough water to liquify


Blend :)

Sesame Carrot Dressing

I LOVE salads.  L-O-V-E them.  But I didn't always love them (even though I still ate them), mainly because I got sick of the same old store bought dressings.  And when I started to make my own, it was really hard to find a healthy recipe that tasted good. This has all changed thanks to a couple of recipes I've created in the past couple of months.  The dressings are so good they make me CRAVE salad..which is never a bad thing...with one exception. 

I originally created the dressings using raw tahini, which contains wonderful nutrition and adds a "creaminess" that resembles dairy-based dressings.  However, tahini is about $10 a jar, and I eat a lot of salads with dressing.  So I thought.  Tahini is ground up sesame seeds; a sesame butter, if you will.  If I use my blender to grind sesame seeds to a powder and then add water/oil to blend it, it should work the same.   And guess what? I just so happened to have 5 lbs. of raw sesame seeds on hand and it worked perfectly! So the following recipe calls for sesame seeds, but if you want to add the same measure of raw tahini, go for it...Same dif.

Sesame Carrot Dressing

1 c hulled, white sesame seeds, ground in blender on high
1 c water
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. Real Salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne

Blend thoroughly.

This dressing is even better after refrigeration, but due to the olive oil which partially solidifies in cooler temps,  it will be less flowing. I actually prefer it thicker, but if you don't, just stir it a bit to get it a little warmer, which will help it flow easier.

It is also great as a dip or spread in a wrap!

*This recipe was inspired by Kristen Suzanne.