A Summer Picnic

It is called ACTING. Or pretending. Or using your imagination to it's fullest.

Basically, I have had enough of this winter. And cannot stop daydreaming of the warmer days ahead.

Wearing a sundress, no shoes, and running through a field of wildflowers.

Except for I would never do that. It would probably hurt my shins. Plus I cannot run without wearing a sports bra. And let's face it... a sundress with a sports bra underneath?

That sounds like something I did in my awkward middle school years.

So, until the temps start to climb, we are having to pretend that it isn't winter any more with our dinner.

Which is why I made this dressing the other night....


It is a balsamic vinegar based dressing. With shallots and garlic and olive oil and spices. I got the idea from a Paula Deen magazine ( yes, I have a million of them) but just changed up a few of the ingredients and whipped it up in two minutes in my food processor.

It is very vinegary and healthy and would be yummy on a regular green salad. But her recipe was for a potato salad.

A non mayo based potato salad. I had never heard of such a thing.

And you know how much it excites me to take an "unhealthy" dish and turn it in to a healthy one.

( It excites me a little too much actually... which is one of the reasons I write this blog. As an outlet for my excitement. There is only SO much that Kev can take of my constant blabbering about food before he holds his hand up in the air and says "Hold that thought" and then leaves the house forever)

So, I roasted some red potatoes and leeks in the oven. Let them cool. And then poured the dressing over the top and mixed it all together. Added some green onions for fun. And this is what I got.....

But you can't just have potato salad without a burger.

Which brings me to my high light dish of the week. The black bean burger.

I came across this recipe a couple of months ago. It is from Emily who writes The Daily Garnish.

She is an amazing chef and is always coming up with delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes. I have to admit that I have been a little intimidated to make some of them. Fearing that the dish just wouldn't turn out quite right. But as I am always up for a challenge ( as long as it doesn't involve sky diving or something wacky) I decided to give these burgers a go.

The thing about Emily is that she doesn't just throw things together. You can tell that lots of thought and love go in to each recipe... not to mention good ole fashioned "hidden" nutrition. For instance, one of the ingredients was pepitas.


Chinese Pumpkin Seeds to be exact. At least that is what it said on the bin at the health food store. And yes, this was my very first time to actually buy some thing that I had to measure from a bin. It was exciting and scary all at the same time. I just knew that I was going to spill seeds all over the floor and be banned for life.

Where is Kev when you need him?

But the addition of the seeds didn't so much add a certain flavor ( that I can tell) but they added an extra nutrients and made me feel good while I was eating the burger.

Especially because I got them out of the bin without spilling.

A real highlight in my life.

And the burgers themselves were really not that hard to make. They were quite fun actually. And tasted AH-MAZING! They kind of reminded me of Mexican food ( probably because of the black beans). And so I think that next time I make them I will add some avocado and hot peppers and perhaps some salsa as toppings.

And yes, I discovered this Coca - Cola plate during the (ongoing) kitchen reorganization. Once again, it is not ours. And probably should not be in my cabinet. But I felt like it went with the picnic theme. Even though we do NOT drink Coca - Cola. :)

It has been a weird week around the Snyder household. We are like ships passing in the night. So, other than me cooking and Kev eating it later by himself, there hasn't been much else going on.

But don't you worry! Thursday is a big day for us! And I can't wait to tell you all about it!