Spicy Vegetable Salad

When I say spicy, I mean it. If you can't take the heat in this dish, top it with some yogurt, extra cukes, or have some cool water on hand. Also - this is my entry for the Living La Vida Local blogging even over at Muffin Love. Check it out & wish me luck! Sorry abou the not-so-appetizing picture...I didn't realize I hadn't captured "the perfect photo" until after I'd eaten it. A star (*) next to the ingredient means that it was purchased at my local farmer's market. A side note - I am now on the Foodie Blogroll!

SPICY VEGETABLE SALAD
This easy dish goes great with any kind of grain. Makes good leftovers, too. Serves 2-3.

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized piece*
• 1 onion, sliced into spears*
• 1-2 small pickling cucumbers*
• 2 large carrots, peeled & sliced into circles
• olive oil
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tumeric

Sautee the onion and carrots in olive oil and seasoning until the onions are slightly brown. Add the red bell pepper and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate, top with pickling cucumbers & enjoy.

Carrot Cake Pancakes & My Vegan Dilemma

Finally - I am starting to get the hang of vegan cooking. Which, in my eyes, is pretty awesome, giving that I'm not vegan. For instance, when I was making these pancakes the other morning, my first tester didn't stick together. Xanthan gum! I thought, almost instantaneously. And guess what? It worked!

I have been thinking a lot about veganism, and here is my dilemma. I know that at some time I will try going vegan. I also know that I am going to be an avid traveller throughout my life. Realizing that travel can put a lot of stress on the body, I can easily see myself doing fasts and cleanses after my travels, and living a high-raw, gluten-free vegan lifestyle at home. However, when I travel in the future I am going to be a local. That means meat, dairy, eggs. (Gluten, too.) All things non-vegan. So...what are your thoughts? Is part-time veganism okay?

OK, I know that these are more fitting in autumn, but I was craving carrot cake and I needed something for Pancakes on Parade - A Sweet & Savory Event.

CARROT CAKE PANCAKES
These hearty pancakes are great with real maple syrup, cream cheese, or both. Makes 8-12 pancakes.

• ¾ cup sorghum flour
• ½ cup + 1T quinoa flour
• 3 heaping tablespoons of gluten-free rolled oats
• 2T agave nectar
• 1T baking powder
• ¾ tsp. cinnamon
• 1½ tsp. xanthan gum
• ¾ cup grated carrot, packed
• 1¼ cup + 1T unsweetened almond milk
• ¼ cup + 2 heaping tablespoons of raisins

Mix the dry ingredients together with a fork. Stir in wet ingredients, adding the grated carrot and raisins last. Pour the batter onto a griddle and cook on medium heat until one side is brown. Flip and cook the other side. *When pouring the batter, you might need to flatten out the pancakes a little bit because the carrots make it pretty dense.

Easy. Vegan. Sorbet. For. Real.

So this is my entry for the You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Frozen Desserts blogging event. What do you think?

BANANA PISTACHIO SORBET
This sorbet is - believe or not - absolutely vegan & absolutely delicious. Serves two.

• 3 frozen bananas
• 2¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2½ T pistachios, shelled
• 1-5 dried black mission figs

Get out your juicer or heavy-duty blender, such as a Vitamix. (I have a Champion Juicer.) Put the bananas into your juicer or blender and juice or blend them until they have the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Stir in the vanilla and set aside. Get out your food processor and finely chop the pistachios. Stir them into the sorbet. Freeze for 15-30 minutes. Serve with dried figs, as many as few as you desire.