I mixed the black beans and corn with a sauce of some softened Tofutti cream cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Tossed them all together and topped with some pepper and onion relish.
Buffalo Chikin Salad
Minimal effort required. Toss a cooked chikin patty in your favorite bbq sauce and hot sauce and slap it on some greens. Ta dah!
Granola & Strawberries
Breakfast this morning. Trail Mix Crunch with almonds, raisins & sliced strawberries in rice milk. Yum!
Camp Soup
I took my cousin hiking and camping in Elkmont this weekend. Thankfully, some of the old vacation cabins are being repaired and preserved. I’m not certain if it’s happened yet, but some groups in the area are fighting to have them zoned as an historical landmark. The history of Elkmont and the logging community is interesting and I would be happy to see these places saved from demolition by neglect.
We had an absolute blast…even through all the rain. This was our dinner Saturday night over the campfire. It was simple and DELICIOUS! If you are going for the campfire version, pre-chop and ziploc the ingredients so all you have to do is put it in the pot.
Minestrone Soup
1 1/2 cubes vegetable bouillon
3/4 cup pasta (elbow or shells)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 yellow squash, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups water (I used about a bottle and a half)
salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne (to taste)
Place the bouillon and water in a dutch oven and heat until dissolved. Add tomatoes, vegetables & spices. Let simmer until the vegetables are soft. Add the pasta and cook until pasta is tender. Voila!
We had the soup with baked potatoes that we cooked wrapped in foil in the fire embers.
Update
As I’m sure has been noticed, I’ve introduced small amounts of certain deathly dairy products back into my diet. Until I’m stable again, please don’t hate me or crucify me for it! 
) I’m currently looking into some imported organic cheeses for my purposes. To the best of my knowledge, European countries still ban the use of rbST in farming cattle.
There are also companies here in the United States that are trying desperately to stay mainstream and cater to the vegan and vegetarian crowds. They include very small amounts of animal product and I think it does more harm than good to altogether boycott them for trying. As long as we’re careful and continue to monitor what goes into us, we’re better off than some!
Chikin Casserole
1/2 bag Morningstar Chikin strips, cut into pieces
2 cups mixed frozen veggies (mine were carrots, broccoli and cauliflower)
1 can cream of asparagus soup
1/3 c. Veganaise
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
panko bread crumbs
slivered almonds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix chikin, soup, veggies, veganaise, mustard and spices in a medium bowl until blended. Spread in small casserole dish. Top with panko and slivered almonds. Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Turn the oven up to broil for 2-3 minutes to toast the almonds.
Chickpea Salad
I never thought to do this before I read Melissa’s interpretation. It’s delicious! I mixed about 1/2 cup coarsely mashed chickpeas with some diced pickles and red bell pepper, about a tbsp or 2 of Veganaise and some salt and pepper. It was almost exactly like eating a tuna fish sandwich.
Pancakes
Whole wheat apple cinnamon pancakes made a lovely breakfast this morning. Topped with some warmed apple preserves and with a piece of veggie sausage.
More from the Grill
Some grilled kabobs at work made the afternoon so much better! The veggie kabobs are marinated in a garlic herb seasoning and packed LOTS of flavor because I continued to baste them throughout a slower grilling process. I can’t get enough grilled corn, either. I love to drizzle it in olive oil and sprinkle with with pepper.
Sunspot
I’ll post this because it was pretty…it WAS NOT good! This is Sunspot’s Portobello Empanada. Although I applaude their creativity; portobello, spinach, pumpkin and goat cheese don’t blend well. I’ll go back again for their wine specials and try something else on their veggie menu because I believe in 2nd chances. I did enjoy the rice and beans and a donated portion of Lisa’s chimichanga (THANKS!). 
