We have tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes. So beautiful. I have made tomato-everything the past few days, sauce, soup, and the list goes on. I can't help but feel a bit motherly over them since we grew them from seed in our basement. They are our little babies that grew into beautiful plants and gorgeous tomatoes. They are so ripe and fabulous that I could not go back to buying tomatoes from the grocery store that sells them from far, far away. These fresh ripe tomatoes remind you of how wonderful real food can be. If your tomato eating experience lacks flavor or reminds you of eating a plastic toy tomato slice, then friend, you must plant your own tomatoes or buy from your local farmer. You will be converted just after one slice.

It's almost funny to me when I think back on my life of eating vegetables. I used to hate tomatoes, onions and most green things. Maybe I was just a child and lacked mature taste buds, or maybe I was just raised a part from fresh local produce, or maybe I was just so disconnected from where real food came from. Either way, I have seen how fresh real food does make the healing difference for your body. You feel more alive, because the food you are eating is in fact, alive. Not processed in a machine, or genetically modified... these foods that pretend to feed you are only flashy convenience. Maybe you wonder why people that eat fresh food and vegetables seems so happy? Well, it's in the food. It really is. All those vitamins and minerals feed your mind, body and soul and make you happy. True food comes from the ground my friends, and when you decide that fresh food is they best way to eat, then you will be craving more and more of simple dishes like this garden pilaf.

1 cup of chopped sweet onion

3-4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 cups of chopped zucchini

1 heaping cup of chopped sweet or bell pepper

1 heaping cup of chopped fresh tomato (skins on is ok)

1 1/2 cups of dry quinoa

3 cups of vegetable broth

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

handful of freshly chopped basil and parsley to serve

This dish I have made again and again this summer. So simple, fresh and easy. I love how a dish like this will go with most anything. I think it will once again be on my Labor Day Weekend Menu and I love how the fresh tomatoes add so much flavor and depth. I will put together a few recipe ideas for Labor Day weekend in my next post. Can you believe we are here already??? Crazy!

Much love to you today!

Can you believe this is the start to the last week of "official" summer? It is just crazy how fast summer flies. I always think we have more time to go to the beach or pick more berries, but then before you know it, summer winds down and it's back to the fall routine. So much to savor about the summer months; long days of sunshine, campfires, and my all time favorite...homemade ice cream and berries. When the long hot days of summer got you sweating and ready for something cool, it's time to make a batch of ice cream.

I think it is pretty obvious how much I love blueberries, and even so cobbler, pies and such, but what about mixing up a blueberry pie into your homemade ice cream? Would is be yummy as one dish? I have tried and proven this answer to be, YES! Just add a touch of cinnamon and some crunchy graham crackers or granola and you have frozen blueberry creamy pie.

The base of this vegan ice cream is frozen bananas and full fat coconut milk. They are a perfect mix to making a soft serve type ice cream, and if you want it to be more solid, then just let it hang out in the freezer for a while and you will have hard serve in no time. It is really so easy to make dairy-free ice cream at home on your own, especially for a group of people. I made a similar ice cream a few years ago about this time of summer. Kinda like the last hurrah before we settle in to more routine. Of course, for me, I am just looking forward to apples, pumpkins and cider...I truly fall in love with each season for what it brings.

6 cups of (or 6 rough chopped) frozen banana pieces

And after the evening chores of dishes, sweeping and taking our evening walk around the neighborhood. The babe got a bubble bath and went quickly to bed to leave me and the hubby with a quiet night at home. At last. The hubby and I settled in for some reading... and some cobbler. Cobbler bars that I made earlier in the day. So they are a bit less decadent that a bubbling cobbler in the oven ready to eat warm with some homemade vegan ice cream, but still amazing none the less. They are hard not to want more. It's like a fruit cookie, or pie. So you must stop yourself to savor the goodness and enjoy it while the bountiful fresh fruit is in season. A perfect ending to a gorgeous summer day!

I have been trying to come up with a cobbler-fruit bar that would stick together for years. And this one is a bit crumbly, but holds together quite nicely. I am pretty excited about this recipe, and hope to make it again and again in the future. It was also baby-approved. He really loves blueberries, and I love his jam covered face. So yummy to kiss!

So, here is my newest favorite bar recipe.... I promise it won't disappoint...

3/4 cup of gluten-free oat flour (grind oats in a blender to make your own)

1/4 cup of rolled gluten-free oats

1 cup of sweet sorghum whole grain flour

1/2 cup of tapioca flour

1 ts. of baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

1/2 ts. of sea salt

1 ts. of ground cinnamon

1/3 cup of slightly ground raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of organic coconut palm sugar 

1 TB of flaxmeal

3 cups of washed fresh blueberries

2 cups of thinly sliced fresh peaches

2 TB of tapioca flour (starch could work here too)

2-3 TB of maple syrup or more coconut sugar

squeeze of fresh lemon or add a splash of vanilla

Well friends, that is it... a new favorite summer fruit recipe that will have you coming back for more. I hope you enjoy and have a fabulous weekend. It is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous weather here (maybe squeeze another beach day?).... yet, as we watch the national weather sending out much love and prayers to those preparing for the hurricane on the east coast. Praying for safety and strength for all.

Much love to you!

My kitchen is overflowing with freshness this morning.

So thankful for God's gifts!

So, I went into the backyard garden this morning. It stormed pretty hard last night and I wanted to make sure there wasn't any damage or craziness going on back there. And, there wasn't any damage, but there was some craziness going on... You see, I am a first year gardener, and I planted 3 zucchini plants not knowing that they are seriously nuts. My whole garden has been taken over by zucchini and squash. Funny, kinda. But mostly crazy. So this morning, because of the rain and storm I was able to look under more of the zucchini plants and to my surprise I found one ginormous zucchini that must have been hiding from me for days (maybe weeks?) and then after laughing out loud, I decided I better search for more in case there were a few others. I haven't dug too deep recently because I have been scared of their leaves because they like to bite you with a silly itch that will have you scratching for hours. So, I braved it today and decided to dig. I ended up finding 3 more huge zucchini that are as big as my arm. Crazy plants. They have a mind of their own. I know next year I will know how to plant and control them better. But for now, they are taking over the Laidlaw's yard.

I was also able to pick around 30 peppers the other night. Those have been diced and blanched to enjoy this fall and winter. Pretty excited about that. No more buying week old produce from another country!

And, did I mention I picked another 10 pounds of blueberries? (Not from my backyard...but hope to someday!) Well, I did and they have been getting washed, dried and packed into the freezer. They are so beautiful, and yummy. You can't help my munch on them while they are drying on the counter. Hopefully, we will have enough to freeze :) just kidding, I think we will have more than enough.

And the tomatoes. Ah, they are just gorgeous. I am so excited to pick more and more of these over the next few weeks. Today I was able to get a few more to rest on the counter and turn juicy red. These babies have been our pride and joy, and with a little help they grow so much more organized compared to those pesty zucchini. I feel like these beautiful fruits bring hope for a better future. So amazing and their stunning color stops you to just admire.

Well, that's what I got for you today....To be inspired and thankful for God's gifts of fresh food. And, I hope to return later to post a yummy recipe... I have a few ideas and dreams brewing in my head. Yes, I do dream about food.

Much love and light to you today!