Drink to Your Health This Spring!

OK, so this pizza doesn't really fit the title of this post (although the glass of red wine I had with it would, right?) but I didn't take a picture of my first spring 2009 recipe because it just wasn't photogenic. The Drink Your Greens Smoothie, from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (ED&BV), was certainly yummy enough to write about here. I was inspired by one of Dreena's latest blog posts to make it, especially as I had most of the day off and had time to enjoy a refreshing drink. I wanted to have something fresh and raw, to celebrate this beautiful new season! But the color (after adding raspberries to the spinach- I didn't have cantaloupe or kale) was not a pretty spring green, but really the color of ... mud! Spring-like enough I guess, but just not enticing enough to post here. Still, it earns four stars from me! **** I can't wait for real smoothie weather.

This pizza was not the first spring dish we made either, but it certainly would be good in any season! I had time today to make Isa's Pizza Crust, from Vegan with a Vengeance (Vw/aV) and also to roast some red peppers for the top. Hubby returned from playing paintball in time to slice the rest of the veggies and put the whole thing in the oven. I couldn't get it really nice and circular-shaped, but it looks rather rustic, doesn't it? The pizza itself was fabulous, if not a bit underdone (that was our fault). Of course, hubby ruined his half with mozzarella cheese ;) Alongside a springy salad of greens, baby spinach, black beans, corn, grape tomatoes and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette from Vive Le Vegan (one of my favorite dressings!), it was a beautiful dish on this gorgeous day.

I made the dressing and salad last night to accompany fajita night with our monthly potluck group. I marinated some homemade seitan (recipe from Vw/aV) and some Morningstar Farms Chick'n Strips (vegan- yay!) in the Baja-Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos marinade from Veganomicon. Wow! What awesome flavor! Most of the marinade is Mexican beer, along with soy sauce, garlic, chili powder and several other ingredients that slip my mind at this moment (it's the red wine...). It made the seitan and Morningstar strips tender and juicy and perfect! I can't wait to try this entire recipe out for real! Four stars ****. Even hubby wasn't tempted by the meat fajitas also served that night, this was so good :)

And now, another episode of "Make This Now!"

These Ginger-Roasted Winter Veggies (or were they Root Veggies - whatever) from Vw/aV were simply phenomenal. The sauce took some rather old parsnips and carrots, an anemic-looking butternut squash, and an average sweet potato, and turned them into hunks of heaven!! They weren't too sweet or too spicy - just simply amazing. I had to use ground ginger, since I couldn't find my piece of fresh ginger in the maze that is my freezer (I found it today, gone bad in my veggie drawer - yuck). Fresh might have been even better. At any rate, you have to make this dish now. Quick -while it's still cool out and winter is not a (happily) distant memory. I served this atop a bed of baby spinach, alongside some Lemon-Herb Baked Tofu from Vive Le Vegan. MMmmmmmm....Four stars **** and happy days for me, because I was using up more things in my pantry.