Memorial weekend was especially memorable this year. The weather was absolutely perfect and we got to spend time with lots of our favorite people and animal friends! And, of course, we enjoyed lots of great food, too. Because the weather was so great, there was lots of outdoor grilling going on. Here is a little pictorial tour of some of the highlights, thanks to my friend Elissa, who always seems to have her camera ready to capture the moment. (Thanks, Elissa!) We finally got a new grill. These spice-rubbed skewers featured Ray’s Seitan (the best seitan in the world!), fingerling potatoes, and lots of other great veggies. The secret to getting everything to be done cooking at the same time is to partially pre-cook the harder vegetables, such as the potatoes. I also like to partially cook the onions, since I don’t like raw-ish onion.
The asparagus in the photo below was actually found growing wild nearby! (It was given to a friend who shared some with me.)
For dessert, we had brownie sundaes made with Amy’s vegan ice cream. If you don’t know the story of Amy’s ice cream (and it’s origins at Plant restaurant in Asheville NC) read all about it here.
Another highlight was a visit to our friends who live nearby where she shared a great meal and visit on their lovely property.
The food was outstanding and featured a wonderful freekeh pilaf. Freekeh is a fabulous grain that cooks up in 15 minutes and tastes so good.
And my favorite Nicoise salad:
We also enjoyed this gorgeous fruit (the berries were so sweet!) and lots of other good food.
It was also super-fun to spend some quality time with these fantastic animal friends.
Aren’t they gorgeous? If the rest of the summer is even a fraction as good as this past weekend, it’s going to be terrific! Hope you all had a great weekend too!
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Are there recipes for your pilaf and Nicoise salad or at least what cookbook they are from? Thanks.
Geni, Here’s a link to the salad recipe. I’ll post the one for the pilaf in a bit. Thanks for asking!
http://veganheritagepress.com/2014/05/roasted-nicoise-salad-vegan-cashew-goddess-dressing/
Looks like a wonderful weekend with lots of great food.
Thanks, Susan. It really was!
Hi, Robin, it’s Ray from Ray’s Seiten. I’m down here in Naples, FL, getting some rest and browsing the web, and I must say that I am truly humbled by the great comments you wrote on my product. It’s people like you that make us feel like we are doing something right. Thanks again – Ray.
Hi Robin, it’s Ray from Ray’s Seitan getting some rest in Naples Florida, browsing the web when I noticed the beautiful comments you posted on my product. I am truly humbled and grateful for people like you that make us feel like we are doing something right. Thanks again – Ray.
Hi Ray, How great to hear from you! It’s easy to say wonderful things about Ray’s Seitan because it truly is the best seitan I’ve ever had (and I’ve been eating and making seitan for over 25 years!). I actually seek out restaurants that use your product and, since I can’t buy it where I live, I often beg friends that have access to it, to bring me several containers to keep in the freezer! Thanks for taking the time to write and also for making such great seitan! — Robin