sometimes the simplest food can be the most delicious and appealing. take advantage of tomatoes in the summertime - when winter comes around, you’ll be missing them!

this simple salad is one of my favorite food staples. fresh, light greens, chopped herbs, thin-sliced cucumber, grape tomatoes, and some crumbled spiced tofu make for some tasty summer eating.

i usually crumble some super firm (not extra firm, super firm, the kind by wildwood) tofu and shake it in a bag with some salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and sesame seeds.

finish it off with a quick dressing of one part vinegar, two parts oil, and your fav herbs and S&P.

enjoy!

peanut butter banana coconut-shake

in a blender, (i promise no more blenders for a while after this!) blend until smooth: 1 large banana, 3 tbsp sweetened peanut butter, a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk, and 6-10 ice cubes.

to make it extra cold, chill all of the ingredients for a couple of hours or overnight. i wouldn’t suggest adding extra sugar to this - there’s already plenty in the banana & PB. for a lower calorie drink substitute half the coconut milk for rice milk.

serve very cold to 4 people. (a small serving goes a long way!)

rich chocolate peanut butter cream

this makes a great dessert or breakfast that you can serve all at once or keep it throughout the week. consider it a mix between a mousse and a pudding - thick, creamy, and very chocolatey. serve with fresh fruit and/or nuts at the end of a big meal with friends - perfect!

1. blend together until smooth and creamy: 1 package firm silken tofu, 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup unsweetened chocolate chips, 2 tbsp dutch-processed cocoa powder, 2-3 tbsp sweetened peanut butter, a dash vanilla extract, a small pinch sea salt, and a scant dash of cayenne.(make sure to read labels for milk ingredients when buying cocoa/chocolate chips, as always.)
2. chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
3. serve very cold to four to eight people, or store in your fridge for 1-2 weeks.