Quarry Splash Fun

Today we met up with my friend Jennifer and her girls at the Quarry splash pad. It was our first time there and I was pretty impressed. It is huge!

I was soaked by one of these water cannons within two minutes of arrival. You can't go to a splash pad and not get wet!

Jackson and Olivia spent about an hour just going down the waterslide, over and over.

"Again, again!"

My mom's neighbor gave us a bunch of plums from her tree, and they are Olivia's favorite snack.

Dinner was Sesame Soba with Tofu and Broccoli from One-Dish Vegan. The tofu had a great flavor, but the tahini sauce was a little heavy for the delicate soba noodles. I would make it again using spaghetti noodles.

For dessert we had homemade vegan ice cream. I used a recipe from The Vegan Scoop for cardamom-rosewater ice cream. Yay, a reason to use the bottle of rosewater that lingers in my fridge!

Vegan MoFo Day 16: Falafel Feast

Tonight I made a few dishes from The Garden of Vegan that seemed to go together. We had Extraordinary Quinoa Tabbouleh and Mo-Mo's Falafels with Mo's Tahini Sauce

The tabouli is chock-full of veggies. Cucumber, tomato, scallions, carrot, and radish. Throwing in some kalamata olives isn't a bad idea, either. 

Jackson gives a half-hearted thumbs up...too busy clearing his plate.

Swim Party

Today we attended a birthday party for a friend of Olivia's. It was a luau-themed pool party. Jackson and Olivia were excited to don their swim gear and take a dip. So was Mama -- if I'm going to be outside these days, I want to be in a pool!

Birthday cupcakes were served poolside.

When we got home, I blended up some mint lemonade. Just make lemonade as usual, throw in a handful of fresh mint, and whiz it up in the blender with some ice. So cool and refreshing on a hot afternoon.

For dinner I made a trio of recipes from Let Them Eat Vegan -- Quinoa Tabbouleh with Olives, Pan-Fried Falafels, and Smoky Tahini Sauce. If you've ever had bland falafel, or deep-fried falafel that's dry and crunchy, I'm sorry. I have, too. But this falafel is neither bland, nor dry. It's one of the best I've tried. The tabbouleh is also bursting with flavor, and the smoky tahini sauce is the perfect falafel dip/tabbouleh topping, especially if you increase the amount of smoked paprika called for. I can't get enough of that stuff.

Kale. Yep, Just Kale.

Sometimes, you just want a big plate of greens and not much else.

Hippie Kale

1 bunch kale, cleaned and roughly chopped
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Steam the kale 10-15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, whisk together the tahini, water, garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce. Drizzle sauce over steamed kale.

P.S., Check it out, Vegan Unplugged is giving away three different vegan cookbooks!