Nut fruit balls, version 2

These vegan snacks rely on a mix of dates & nuts. I made these to use up what was in my pantry.

Blend in food processor, then knead and shape into golf ball sized pieces.

- 1/2 cup raw almonds

- 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

- 3/4 cup pressed pitted dates

- 1/4 cup dried cherries

This yielded 8 balls for me, about 125 calories each.

Nutty Chicken Salad

My family called this "peanut tasting" even though it has no nuts. Must be the sunflower seeds.

This isn't my best chicken salad, but the nutty flavor made it a little different. I prefer a fruitier chicken salad.

- 1 can chicken breast, which my husband mashed into shreds with a fork

- about 2 tablespoons light blue cheese dressing 

- about 3 tablespoons raisins

- about 3 tablespoons dry roasted sunflower seed kernels

- about 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper 

- about 3/4 teaspoon paprika

Yogurt and honey

In Yemen, we had yogurt and honey for breakfast.

I bought plain yogurt here in the States. I have never had much luck weaning my taste buds from all the sugar in commercial flavored yogurt. But in Yemen, the honey was so delightful and the yogurt fresh. So I decided to try again.

I made yogurt with honey and topped with honey roasted sunflower seeds. Imagine my excitement when I determined I had used too much honey.

Maybe I can ween those taste buds.

Today's Garden Pesto

I'm sure I've made pesto before and posted it, but the great thing about homemade pesto is when you made similar but different batches. It's just as good in vegan style, omit the cheese.

Combine in food processor:
- 2 cups basil from the garden, packed tightly, plus a couple handfuls
- 1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup parsley, from the garden
- 1/2 tomato from the garden
- more than 1/3 cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan/Romano
-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Yield: 1 cup

Mine will be sauce for tortellini tonight

Salad

We're having salad for lunch since we plan on filling our bellies with rhubarb cobbler. :-)

Daughter wanted chicken soup, but we didn't have any but I found canned spaghetti and meatballs from when I could not chew. Gave her a side of romaine with cowgirl ranch dressing and my rye croutons, but she didn't like the dressing.

Husband and I are having big salads with croutons, sunflower seeds, broccoli and hot bacon dressing from his mom that I had in the freezer.

Zaatar foccaccia

Ever since my bout with anemia last summer, making bread has become a chore. Because of this, gradually I have made less and less bread. But, today, with zaatar spices in hand, I wanted to make bread again.

Among my first summer entries, you can find a garden herb pesto/fresh tomato foccaccia that is a family favorite. I adapted this from a recipe from VegList, a veg*n email loop I belonged to in the dark ages before Yahoo groups.

Today, I have transformed that basic foccaccia into a zaatar and sunflower seed variation.

The DOUGH
About 1 teaspoon yeast
1.5 cups warm water
Mix and let rest 15 minutes.

Add:
1 pinch fresh ground salt
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup unbleached white flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour

Stir with a wooden spoon.

Add another cup white flour and a little wheat flour.
Add a handful of flax seeds
Add a handful of roasted sesame seeds

Kneed.

Coat with olive oil and let rise abot 1.5 hours until doubled.
Lightly oil and flour a big cookie sheet.
Press out the bread.
Brush with oil. Coat with liberal zaatar and sunfloer seeds.

Let rise another 45 minutes. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

Vegetarian Provolone Garden Club Wrap

I made yummy vegetarian garden wraps today with Morningstar breakfast strips (bacon) and extra sharp provolone. I layered in them:

• Romaine lettuce
• carrots
• cucumber (from the garden)
• one strip Morningstar vegetarian bacon
• extra sharp provolone
• sunflower seeds
• organic ranch dressing

Asian inspired salad

Tonight my husband started and I finished these Asian-inspired salads. Bagged salad with carrot, cabbage and lettuces. Cashews. Sunflower seeds. Dried pineapple. Wegmans Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette. Green pepper from the garden. These would have been vegan, but my husband added cheddar and extra sharp provolone.