Dear summer, thank you for the beautiful bounty of sweet, juicy peaches... Seriously, this summer has produced an incredible crop. They are so tender and lush I can literally just peel the skin right off. They are the kind of soft, ripe peaches that when you eat them by hand you pretty much need a bib to catch all the drippings. This is when I am glad I don't eat the sugar load that too many of us do. It really allows me to savor and appreciate the natural sweetness of fruit. Each mouth-watering bite can be credited to dew filled mornings, sun drenched days, and the perfect balance of rain... and of course our local farmer that tends to them so carefully. It's truly harmonious. I haven't even delved into the pretty blushing fuzzy skins that each peach seems to proudly wear. They really are little globes of happiness perched on my counter top. Sigh... it's good to be vegan This is one of those recipes I dreamed about. Between alien attacks, solving some bizarre crisis, laughing with long-gone friends and relatives, etc (I have weird dreams) I manage to dream up recipes. Usually it's a recurring dream that I'll keep having until I finally break out the measuring cups and start bringing the recipe to life. Hence, we have peach and pecan backed oatmeal. I made mine with white peaches because they are my absolute favorite. You really could change this recipe up and use different fruits, or whatever you have on hand. This truly is one of those recipes that causes instantaneous moaning. You know what I mean. You could even drizzle some warmed maple syrup on top if you like things a little sweeter, or gulp, add some vegan whipped cream. Maybe tonight, when you drift off to sleep, you can dream about sweet summer peaches. I know I will be

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a glass 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, oats through nutmeg, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla until the maple syrup is dissolved. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until well mixed. Add the chopped peaches and pecans, again stirring gently to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and use a spoon to make sure everything is evenly distributed. The mixture will be fairly wet so it's easy to move peaches and pecans around. If desired, add the sliced peach to the top in an artsy pattern. Place onto middle rack in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden and the oatmeal is firm (no more liquid in the dish). Remove from the oven and let cool at least 15 minutes. The longer the oatmeal sits, the better it gets. You can cut it into squares or just spoon it out. I like mine with a little almond or coconut milk on top, my hubs prefers his without. If serving to a bunch of guests pour some milk into a pitcher and each guest can easily add milk if they like. This serves 6-8 people.

We have this great produce market pretty close by that not only sells amazing fruits and vegetables by the armful, they also sell huge bags of dried chiles for a steal. This my friends, is an ideal situation for my hubs and I to add happiness to our marriage. What?!?!? Just hear me out... I love a bargain. I mean, I really, really love a bargain. My hubs likes anything spicy and anything he can experiment with. So together it ticks all the boxes for marital bliss, hey after almost 12 years of marriage you have to appreciate even the little things. So we bought 2 huge bags brimming with dried chiles. Anchos and Guajillos to be exact. The hubs took it as his mission to make some glorious spicy sauces that we could pair with almost anything. This one is a huge success. I love it because it has really good kick, but also real depth and richness of flavor. Oregano and garlic is magic when paired with chiles, and if you have Mexican oregano where you live, by all means please use that instead. This sauce is also incredibly easy to make, so it can be whipped up easily on a weeknight. We use this sauce to smother our burritos, bake our enchiladas, pour onto our tacos, dip our fried tofu into, and scoop up with tortilla chips. It would even be fabulous spooned onto pasta, polenta, or corn bread. Oh the possibilities! Just had to post this one... it truly was created out of love and harmony, and those are the very best recipes to share. Peace!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, remove from heat, add dried peppers and let sit with lid on for at least 30 minutes. Ideally you want to keep the peppers submerged in the water, so add a heavy bowl or even a plate on top of the peppers if needed. After peppers have soaked for 30 minutes, remove stems and place into a food processor (you may want to remove the seeds too if you want a little less heat). Add tomatoes, garlic, reserved juice, oregano, and salt. Process until everything has been pureed into a smooth sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed. This can be used as is at room temperature or heated, either way it's bliss. Makes about 2-1/2 to 3 cups of sauce.

One of my all time favorite things to talk about is food. Shocking, I know. So I tell people every chance I get that I absolutely cannot wait for grill season and am practically jumping up and down when the conversation comes up. I grill about 80 percent of our summer meals outside (ok, the hubs does most of the actual grilling - thanks hubs!). Fortunately, I get the inevitable question, along with the confused expression from all the carnivores out there... What could I, as a vegan, possibly have to grill? I love this question. I am giddy inside when I start to see that tell-tale facial expression coming to life. Ah yes, what could possibly be left to grill when one does not grill death (apologies to all you non-vegetarians, this is a vegan blog after all)? Well let's see...I wish I could set this to music and sing it for you, alright, I am actually listening to "these are a few of my favorite things" as I type this list, for inspiration, and of course because it's an awesome song. Here we go: There are pizzas, burritos, and vegan quesadillas, fresh summer peaches, and ears of corn, avocados, and french fries, and oh let's not forget sweet potatoes. Veggie burgers, tempeh, lettuce wedges, and lots of bruschetta. Jalapenos, tofu, and yes even kale, these are a few of my favorite grilling things I could go on and on, and guess what?!?! I'll be sharing so many grilling recipes with you this summer you may never want to go back inside! You're welcome. Go scrape those grates, put on a sexy apron and get your grill on! Peace

Ingredients:

Jerk Marinade:

• 1 - 14oz package of extra firm tofu, drained
• 1 TBS garlic powder
• 1 TBS cayenne pepper, use less if you don't like your jerk spicy
• 1 TBS agave syrup, I used light
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 10 allspice berries
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 TBS water
• 2 TBS canola oil
• additional canola oil for pan frying and grilling

Pineapple & Coconut Salsa:

• 2-1/2 cups of fresh ripe pineapple, diced
• 1/2 cup of red or orange pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup of red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup of dried shredded or flaked coconut, unsweetened
• 2 TBS cilantro, minced
• 1 tsp jalapeno, minced
• 3/4 tsp fresh line juice
• 1/4 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/4 + 1/8 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Directions:

At least 5 hours before grilling time, pat the tofu dry with a paper towel and cut crosswise into 8 equal slices (about 1/2 inch thick each). Heat a thin layer of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu slices in a single layer (making sure they are patted dry first to avoid splatters), cooking a few minutes on each side until golden. Transfer to a large rectangular casserole dish. Next, create the marinade by combining the garlic powder through 2 TBS of canola oil in a small bowl (all the ingredients listed in between), whisking to fully incorporate. Again, making sure the tofu is in a single layer, brush on the jerk marinade, flipping to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight. I usually do this step first thing in the morning and then they are ready to throw on the grill for dinner.

While the tofu is marinating, combine all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. If your pineapple is not super sweet you can add a bit more agave. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

After the tofu has finished marinating, preheat the grill to medium. Brush the tofu with a little extra canola oil and place on the hot grill. Let cook a couple minutes on each side. If you don't disturb them too much while grilling you will get nice hatch marks. It looks fancy that way and people (me) start salivating when they see the tofu presented like that. To serve, place 2 or 3 steaks on a plate and top with a healing spoonful of pineapple salsa. This serves 3-4 people, and this recipe can easily be doubled to serve more