Meet my favorite homemade salad dressing!

I love salads, and there is no better time for a fresh, crisp salad than summertime. My typical go-to dressing is balsamic vinegar, but on a recent trip to my Mom's house she turned me onto the BEST dressing I've ever tried. And the most wonderful part? It's virtually calorie-free, yet tastes rich and delicious...annnnd, you can make it at home.
All you need?

• 1 delicious salad in a container with a top (my personal favorite: spring greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, avocados, and slivered almonds!)
• jalapeño mustard
• balsamic vinegar
• a little container to mix your dressing in


And all you do?

• Make that salad!
• Take the little container and add in a generous dollop of jalapeño mustard (about as much 'dressing' as you think you'd want).
• Add some balsamic vinegar to the mustard, put the top on...
• and SHAKE IT GIRL!




Finally, add your totally delicious salad dressing to your salad, put the top on that container and give it a few good shakes to disperse the dressing.


I can't wait to hear what you guys think- I bet you'll love it! Let me know! :) And happy salad-ing!




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a Sunday treat- vegan and delicious!

raw, vegan pie from the raw food festival last fall!

Lately I've really been enjoying the change in season. All summer I anticipated the first chilly night, green leaves turning gold, and the first day I could wear tights, a scarf, and have an excuse to bundle up a bit more. When I think of cold weather I think of comfort food, and when I think of comfort food I think of pie, which is one of my most favorite indulgences in the entire world. I love pie so much, especially in the fall and winter. An indulgence now and again is great, but often when the weather gets cold I find myself craving it a lot more often and daily pie probably isn't the best idea. The following recipe is one of my FAVORITE things to eat and a favorite treat my Mom makes for me when I come home for a visit. I think of it as a pie substitute- it tastes similar to the inside of a juicy apple pie but without any of the added sugars. It's super healthy and incredibly delicious. I could eat it by the bowlful, which I usually do! If you're looking to be even more health conscious you can omit the raisins, or if you want a little something different you could also add walnuts. Really, you could go crazy and add anything you could dream up. I think that some shredded coconut would be delicious too. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup raisins
• 6-8 apples peeled, sliced, and diced
Directions:

1) Put quarter cup of water into a pan

2) Add in fruit and put lid on pan

3) Turn the heat on until water is simmering, then turn heat to low

4) Cook for about 5 minutes on low (lid still on but taking off to stir occasionally)

5) After 5 minutes add about a teaspoon of cinnamon, stir, and continue to cook on low for another 5 minutes or until apples are done to your liking. 10 minutes is ideal for me.

...and wa-la! You have a quick, super easy, and tasty dessert (or great topping for oatmeal, or even vanilla ice cream, etc.!) I eat it hot, but I've had it cold before too. Enjoy, and let me know if you decide to try it. Here's a photo of the batch I ate today:



DELICIOUS!
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Summer deliciousness!

I am so addicted to Cuties. They are definitely my favorite warm-weather snack and Hank and I buy them by the boxful. I just snapped this photo, and this is the fifth cutie I'm working on at the moment. SO GOOD. I'm just a huge fruit fan overall and that's basically all I eat in the summer. When the temperature goes up, anything heavy just sounds gross, so fruit is really the best choice!

As far as unhealthier snacks go, I can't get enough of Italian Ice! I was just reminiscing about Rita's Italian Ice back East. I love love love that place, and it's such a bummer that we don't have one in Arizona...or anywhere close! Whenever my family and I take our annual trip to NJ and the East Coast we go there about a million times. I also get the cherry ice and vanilla custard gelati. It's seriously to die for and Hank, my sis, and I are addicted to it.



I also need to mention another favorite summer treat- Kohl's orange and vanilla swirl cone. Unfortunately this is also an East Coast-only treat, and it can be found on the boardwalks of NJ. This photo was shot last summer at Seaside during our time there. Sigh. Why must all my favorite foods be so far away?



I'd love to know what YOUR favorite summertime treat is! Are you an ice cream gal? Italian ice? Fruit? Do tell! :)Source URL: https://sweettattooforgirls.blogspot.com/search/label/yum
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Quick and easy dinner idea!

I love to cook, and my favorite kind of meals are easy to make. I know that not everyone has the time to plan and prepare elaborate meals, so this meal I am going to share is the quickest, easiest thing ever. First, I have to say that I usually like to cook large amounts of staples on Sunday- whole wheat pasta, baked tofu, etc. That way I can just throw these things in to my meals and it cuts down on a lot of preparation time and it's easier for me to pack Hank and my lunches during the work week. In this meal, for instance, I already had the whole wheat pasta cooked, so the total prep time was under seven minutes. Awesome.

Ingredients:

baked tofu (you can bake your own- if you'd like those directions I'd be happy to share)
*When I'm making a quick dinner I prefer to use frozen tofu steaks, and my favorite is featured in the photos below.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
raw spinach
whole wheat pasta (whatever amount you want)
tomato (or other bright colored veggie!)

All you have to do is reheat the tofu in a skillet. At the same time, sautee the garlic in the olive oil until browned. Once browned, add in a LOT of spinach- it shrivels up so the more the merrier! Let this simmer for awhile until it's to your liking. Heat up some of the whole wheat pasta you made earlier (or go ahead and make some before you start all of this), add another veggie (I chose tomato), and wa-la! You have yourself a SUPER healthy meal, with every type of food you need...fruit/veggie. healthy fats, whole grains, and protein. And, it's truly delicious.

the tofu steaks I mentioned earlier. They are about $4 at our local health food store and so worth it- they come in a pack of four!


my favorite whole wheat pasta- one of the only kinds I've found that doesn't fall apart and get gross! This one is from Trader Joe's.


Hank washing some dishes ;)


cooking...


and DONE!
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