Tasty Testing, Ambrosia Salad, & upcoming trips!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

Thank you everyone for the well wishes on my last post. I am finally feeling better, I'm back in the kitchen & ready to share my culinary adventures! Lately, I have been devoting time to recipe testing for two of my favorite people, superstar cookbook authors, Isa & Terry! I've mentioned the upcoming Vegan Latina book from Terry before & trust me, it's going to be phenomenal (check out The Sisters Vegan post), but did you know Isa has another book coming up as well? Hot off the heels of Vegan Brunch, will be a whole foods, weight conscious cookbook, low on fat, but high on flavor! I've made quite a few dishes already like the Caribbean Black Eyed Pea Curry with Plantains, a Potato & Corn Salad that gets a kick from Chipotle Peppers & other dishes all varied & delicious! In the photos are a Quinoa Salad with beans, veggies, & toasted Cumin Seeds, plus some chewy & delicious Scarlet Barley topped in Mushroom & Cannelini Paprikas! Trust me, you would never know this was a low-fat book, everything has been fabulous!

In a previous post, I mentioned I had made vegan Ambrosia Salad for a potluck at my house. Well, based on the comments & emails it seems people want to make this trashy treat for themselves! There's not much of a recipe, much like the original, it's all about opening processed food containers & pouring them in to a bowl, but hey, you asked for it, so you get it! I used organic canned fruit, but if you want to stick to the classic version, go for syrupy fruit cocktail & maraschino cherries!

Vegan Ambrosia Salad
1 box of Soyatoo Whipped Cream
1 Vanilla Bean or Vanilla extract (optional)
1 can of Fruit Cocktail, drained
1 jar or can of Cherries, drained & sliced
1 bag of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows
1 cup of shredded coconut (optional, I served mine on the side, as an add-in.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine Soyatoo Whipped Cream & vanilla. Whip for a few minutes, until it reaches a fluffy consistency.
Combine the fruit in a large bowl, fold in the whipped cream mixture, then the marshmallows & coconut (if using).
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. (Yes, it's that easy.)

In travel news, Ryan, Strummer, & I are off to Southern California this weekend to see relatives. Hopefully, I'll have some tasty food to report on when I get back! Also, in late September, I'm headed to Austin, TX & would love to meet up with my Texas vegan pals, so get in touch!

In uber exciting news.. we're going (back) to JAPAN! Ryan & I recently celebrated 11 years as a couple & to reward ourselves, we booked a flight to Tokyo in October. Calling all vegans in Japan! We want to meet you! Of course, suggestions on where to go are very much welcome. We went to Japan on our honeymoon 4 years ago in October, as you can see in the photo from a Purikura booth, but we'd like to see new things this time. We will likely be in Tokyo, Kyoto, & Nara, but are open to suggestions! Bring 'em on!