Fruit Flowers

I saw these in a magazine and thought Taylor would have fun making them. These aren't the best pics but this was a fun thing to do with a 5 year old and some fruit.

• 1 cantaloupe
• 1 kiwi
• grapes
• cookie cutters

Peel and slice the cantaloupe so you have slices between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Not too thick or the cookie cutter won't get through. Peel and slice the kiwi. Lay the fruit on cutting board and cut out with a flower cookie cutter.

The cantaloupe needs to be 1 size bigger than the kiwis.

 Lay the cantaloup flower on a platter, top with a kici flower, then add a 1/2 of a grape.

These a delicious and fun.

Enjoy!

Coleslaw

I love Slaw Dogs and slaw on the side when we have cook-outs. You know you need slaw when you have watermelon, baked beans, corn on the cob, etc. This is my vegan version of the dressing I have always made. Yes, I take the short cut and buy the bags of slaw mix - it saves me lots of time, but I always make my dressing from scratch.

• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bag coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)

Put everything except the slaw mix in a large bowl, you'll need lots of room to stir.

Mix well until it's completely blended.

Add the slaw mix and stir well (I add 1/2 the bag and get it all stirred well and then add the other 1/2)

This may seem a little dry, but trust me, refrigerate it and come back in an hour or so and stir again. You should notice that it seems more moist. You can always add more mayo or even a little sour cream if it still seems to dry when you get ready to serve it.
Enjoy!

Gazpacho

Although I'm not usually a fan of cold soups (somehow in my mind soup = hot.) I do enjoy Gazpacho every now and then. I got a great price on some local tomatoes and decided this weekend was the time. Especially since I had my little helper around. This made a very thick, slightly chunky soup. If you want it thinner add more V8, tomato juice, whatever and if you don't want chunky put everything in the blender. I like a little texture to mine.

• 2 pounds tomatoes (approximately)
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 cucumber
• 6 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 cups V8 (approximately)

Roughly chop all the ingredients to put into a blender (big dice). As I chopped each ingredient I minced some and set it aside since I wanted my soup a little chunky.

Add veggies to blender in batches and blend well. Remember to add the balsamic and V8 to the last batch.

After all the blending is done add the remaining diced veggies to the pot. Be sure to give it a good smell and enjoy all those fresh veggies.

Stir well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (the longer the better). Serve cold.

Enjoy!