Simplest Red Fruit Salad ever & some of our favorite Summertime recipes!

Life, our book and travel to foreign lands have kept us away. We have a guest post and several recipes waiting to be posted and shared with the world but today I need to work on the book -- so I'm posting a 4 ingredient treat in time for all those picnics, potlucks and BBQs coming up this weekend. This one is dedicated to that friend who always brings beer and salsa. This is a recipe* that even they can make.

But if you're more of a superstar than that -- you can click here to see a list of some of our favorite Summertime recipes and potlucking tips or you can check out some of these:

Cherry Cola BBQ Vegan Chicken Wings
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Curry Vegan Chicken & Potato Salad
Burger & Veggie Packet
The Cruelty-Free Crawfish Boil
The Chicago Beer Dogs
Apple Churros
BLT Crostinis
Vegan Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Sesame Teriyaki Beef-less Skewers


Of course, if you are firing up the grill this weekend we can't encourage you enough to try The Beer Can Tofurky! I know it seems a little intimidating but I hope this appetizing post by The Redundant Vegan will encourage you to take this vegan wonder on!

I have a great post lined up for tomorrow that I still need to edit the photos for so until then... enjoy this simple pleasure!

Baked Buffalo Tofu Steaks with Ranch Dressing Dip

Can you think of anything more kick-ass American than ranch dressing? I mean, maybe pick up trucks or eagles... but you shouldn't eat those.

A while back we veganized Betty's Buffalo Wings and Ranch dressing. This was back in the beginning when The Betty Crocker Project was still new. We were still considered "newlyweds" then, and doing the best we could in our little submarine kitchen with a junky stove. Even though both those recipes turned out pretty awesome, I always kinda wanted to do something else with them. I've been playing around with today's recipes for a while in my head. They're super easy. The tofu is hot in all the ways people use the word "hot" in a non-ironic way, and the ranch dip has completely won me over to The Cult of Ranch.
 
I know you're all dying to see the photos of delicious food and sharp-dressed vegans at Vegucated's NYC premiere, and all the sexy superhero costumes from Comi-Con... but I haven't gotten around to going through them and posting things. I know this is a huge blogger faux pas, but sometimes faux pas just happen and you just have to roll with it. I mean what would the world be like if every little faux pas stopped us from enjoying awesome things like Buffalo Tofu Steaks? Bad -- and not in the Bad means Good way -- that's what. So please accept these easy and delicious all-American recipes as my apology for being a bad blogger and for actually leaving my apartment for a few hours.

This weekend I also worked a bit on a gluten-free seitan recipe that will be coming soon... so if this isn't enough to win back your hearts... hopefully I can bribe you with that.

Ready to buffalo some tofu?

Vegan Rock-toberfest & The Betty Crocker Project!

I'm not German but I love love love Oktoberfests! I mean what's not to love? Polka dancing, pretzels, cheap random imported beers, sauerkraut, beer brats (vegan of course) and all kinds of other awesome-ness. When we were in Budapest we hid out from a biblical thunderstorm in a German-fest tent (not an Oktoberfest but it had the same vibe) and watched some pretty amazing accordion* accompanied karaoke. Of course in Budapest around May Day festivals aren't hard to find but it was one of the best nights we had there during one of the best weeks ever. This month we're going to be Deutsching it up with a handful of vegan recipes to help you rock-toberfest!

In America, we're used to our potato salad chilled and with more mayo than potato but in Germany there is a very popular dish called Kartoffelsalat that is actually a potato salad served warm and with bacon.We made our own tweaks of course on Betty's Recipe to make it our own vegan noms and so you can add this side to your party with some Roasted Vegan Black Pepper Beer Brats (recipe also included)! I know! two recipes in one day! It's OK to say "Hölle ja!" right now.

You would think in Germany they would call this "Das Gutes" but they don't. Silly Germans.

I know I promised news to explain my bad blogging habits lately so here ya go : I recently resigned from my job to focus on this blog and our upcoming book full-time. This is going to be my last week balancing working a full-time (plus) job and busting through The Betty Crocker Project! It's been a bit of a challenge wrapping up a job I've had for 6 years but it's time. I'm sure you don't want to hear about that though... you want to hear about the contests and guest posts we have lined up this month for Vegan MoFo but this isn't a time for spoilers... Now is when you need to open a bottle of your favorite Bier, put on some Hasselhoff and get on your Pleiderhosen**!

You ready to Rock-toberfest?

Real Vegan Feta & the first 2 recipes we tried it in...

Sometimes dreams come true.

Vegans are a clever and industrious people. Even after all these years, I continue to be impressed by the creativity and dedication vegans put into cruelty-free living. But even all that creativity can't give us more hours in the day, and sometimes it's nice not to have to make everything from scratch. One of the reasons we started this blog was to introduce new and old vegans to compassionate products they can use to cut corners on days when we just want to watch a bunch of Paul Rudd movies and enjoy a nice dinner with our favorite someone.



I grew up eating Italian and Mediterranean food. I can't remember the first time I had an olive or feta cheese because I'm pretty sure it was around the time I got my first tooth. I've been one of those folks making their own vegan 'feta' using tofu and herbs for years--or just substituting tofu when I'm too lazy--but the truth has always been that tofu doesn't really have the same texture as feta cheese. No matter what you do to it, it just isn't gritty enough, for lack of a better word. So when Dan came home one night with a surprise he found at Whole Foods, I freaked the frak out! 

This stuff is perfect vegan feta in every way! I have a huge vegan cheese crush on this stuff. No, it isn't like the super pungent imported stuff you get at places like Dean & Deluca, but it really is like the stuff you'd find at like a pizza joint for their Greek Pizza--and the texture was spot on!



We decided to start out simple with our first test run, and to be honest it's been freaking hot in Brooklyn. It's made me dread baking, even though I have new kitchen gadgets I have been longing to take out for a spin. Remember the end of Point Break when Swayze heads out into this epic '50 year storm' at Bell's Beach knowing he's not coming back. That's how I feel about our kitchen in this heat, but unfortunately I'm no Swayze. So we started with a chilly Greek Salad using the Greek Salad dressing recipe from The Betty Crocker Project's early days and an Artichoke Bruschetta recipe I found on Betty's website.

You'll have to hit 'read more' to see the pictures and get easy to follow recipes!

Curry Vegan Chicken & Potato Salad Inspired by Kittens!

At this point in the summer, you probably have a few BBQs and potlucks under your belt. You've fired up your grills and eaten a few meals outside in the sun. I have no doubt you've also enjoyed a few pasta and potato salads... the vegan's loyal summertime friends.

If this salad were in the Olympics, it would be the triple axel triple toe loop that would have brought the 80s Eastern European judge to tears. We combined two summertime favorites, Chicken Salad and Potato Salad, and added a warm seasoning twist to this classic and often overlooked chilled dish. We're taking this "side" out of the shadow of those showy pies and veggie burger headliners; just like how Star Trek: The Next Generation began as a spin off of a wildly popular cult classic, but with some tweaks here and there came into its own, and some would argue is superior to the original*. You know what I mean... don't act like you're too cool for Star Trek.

You know what else is cool? Kittens with blogs! Many of you already know Aggie from her many appearances on Facebook and Twitter, but now she has her own tumblr! Yes, my loyal lurkers and dearest friends, that tumblr I started months and months ago has finally found a purpose**... to bring more cat wisdom and adorable cat photos to the internet masses. You can find this much-needed resource in our right hand column: just click on the cat. We're just getting started, so that wisdom is still kinda bare, but give it time and be sure to check back to see what crazy cat adventures Aggie has. I feel pretty confident in guaranteeing they will be ridiculous***.

OK. Let's do this. To the veganaise!

The Betty Crocker Project : Egg-less Egg Salad

Most of the year I enjoy soup for lunch. I actually look forward to it all morning. A nice bowl of soup with a slice of whatever whole wheat multi-seed bread I've stumbled across that weekend on the side is pretty much the highlight of my day. But it's too hot for soup. So today we're having a vegan classic : The Egg-less Egg Salad Sandwich!

We've had a lot of different Egg-less Egg Sandwiches over the years, some much better than others. It's an easy thing to mess up. But I think this salad has the right amount of kick from the creole seasoning and good flavor from the nutritional yeast and tahini. It makes a nice sandwich when you pair it with some whole wheat bread... they're like BFFS. Like I'm sure if they weren't food, they'd buy each other little broken heart lockets and talk about boys over soy mochas.

Here's a little song from Whole Wheat Bread to this Egg-less Egg Salad to enjoy while you make lunch!




Let's eat!

The Betty Crocker Project : Antipasto Pasta Salad

So I made a huge batch of this for our friend Jack's BBQ, but I fell asleep and missed all the fun! It was mixed luck really, because that meant we didn't have to share any of this amazing salad. But this is not where I want to sing my sad songs or brag about my awesome lunch. Instead, let's talk about something random and kinda awesome.

As many of you who follow me on ye ol' social networking pages are painfully aware, I have recently fallen in love with Doctor Who. Don't worry, I won't bore you with nerd rants about Donna* and which Doctor is dreamiest... but instead I'm going to tell you about something else I think is cool.

Doctor Who has a spin off series called Torchwood. I would describe it as the BBC version of the SyFy TV show Sanctuary, but that's also not what I'm going to talk about today. I'm here to talk heroes. The dashing hero of Torchwood is a character named Capt. Jack Harkness and he is openly bisexual. He's probably the biggest flirt in any time or space, but he also talks fondly about past boyfriends, kisses men, and has a complicated relationship with one of his male teammates. In the sci-fi universe there have historically always been issues with a lack of ethnic diversity and women with more realistic body types, but let's be honest here.. there is almost never a hero who is not heterosexual**. Which is kinda strange, considering how many epic love stories are part of the sci-fi genre. So let's be honest: we are way overdo for Capt. Jack Harkness***.

Better late than never I guess. Which brings us back to this salad. I'm posting this too late to bring to a BBQ or picnic last weekend, but the great thing about summer is there's always another get-together coming up. Or you can always make this and keep it all to yourself. Either way... YOU WIN!

Come & Get It! Our Top 15 Favorite Vegan Recipes for Picnic & BBQ Season!

Howdy Partner! (Just kidding; I won't write this whole thing cowboy-style.)

Let's get serious here, because we're about to talk about something I take very seriously... POTLUCKS! See, planning a really amazing group dining event combines art with mathematics, originating in imagination but ultimately rooted in procedure*. There are relationships between the invitees and seating to take into account, and let's not forget making sure you have enough silverware and cups and all those basic resources. And of course, there's the menu. We've collected a few of our favorite Summery BBQ, Picnic, and Potluck favorites in time for this long weekend and compiled them here to make your menu planning easier. OK - maybe more than a few.

These vegan recipes are BBQ and Potluck Tested and Approved.

The Betty Crocker Project : Macaroni Salad with Peppered Baked Tofu

Peta2's Christina Freeman Approving.

This recipe is potluck tested and approved!

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day and so peta2 decided to celebrate in style... friendly neighborhood potluck style that is. As always there was a pretty impressive spread ranging from spring rolls to chocolate cake from peta2's Vegan College Cookbook. Now Betty's Macaroni Salad is made with Tuna and some different seasoning but we went with baked tofu because it's kinda the new trend around The Shannon Homestead these days. A trend that I hope will make the world a better place for potlucks and BBQs everywhere. Kind of a Act Locally - Think Globally thing.

There are lots of photos to go with this one - Are your vegan-senses tingling yet?*

The Betty Crocker Project : Crunchy Vegan Asian Chicken Salad

I woke up this morning with the echo of a dream and a lingering wisdom : "Don't let your boat turn into Charlie Brown." What does it mean? I have no idea.

But I do know that this salad is a quick lunch that has sunny mandarin oranges, crunchy ramen bits and is salty and sweet all at the same time. In less than 15 minutes you can be eating this and doing any of the millions of things that I should be doing. Why is this week so busy?

PS - Tonight is a big night for us -- more details to come. Wish us luck! Another thing you can do while you enjoy this salad.

The Family Album : Herbivore's Michelle Schwegmann makes 'Eating Taco Salad Like You Give A Damn' cooler than ever... SPOILER : There are Fairies involved.

This is what it is all about. Amen.

Many of you already know Michelle Schwegmann as the poster grrl for The Herbivore Clothing Company but did you know that she's more than just a pretty face? She's a pretty bad ass vegan chef who recently launched one of my favorite blogs Eat Like You Give A Damn, is working on a cookbook, raising an adorable vegan kid, has a sweet dog, runs one of the coolest vegan clothing clothing companies and is a pretty face. Yeah - She's pretty much a super hero - saving animals, making vegans cool not crusty and feeding faces with a single bound! Or maybe a few all combined into a one or something... Michelle Rocks is the point and one of those folks that makes Portland, Oregon the Vegan Utopia we all dreamed of when we were little vegans! We are so excited that she's our Guest Blogger today and to add her to our Shannon Family Album... You folks are going to love this Michelle's take our Taco Salad and not just because of all the pretty pictures.

Without further ado -- Here's Michelle!

"You sweet talker, Betty Crocker!" Remember that jingle?

When I first heard about The Betty Crocker Project, I had that immediate feeling "Why didn't I think of that first!" I was jealous and relieved at the same time. Somebody would do this important work, and it wasn't me -- but dang if it isn't a great idea!

So obviously I jumped at the challenge to do a guest post for the blog. Confession: I was slightly disappointed that we were to do the Taco Salad recipe! It's true, though I did not tell Annie. I thought Taco Salad was too easy! I mean, I wasn't going to have to drive across town to sixteen ethnic markets to find the exact ingredients....I wasn't going to need to make 5 items from scratch before I could even begin the taco salad recipe....but wait... what is that? DEEP FRYING? Now I was scared. Talk about foreign and exotic! I'm in over my head and I am deeply afraid. There is nothing like deep burning hot oil to put the fear into me. I am not a deep-fried vegan - I'm more of a saute or steam vegan. Turns out taco salad was going to be exciting after all. I was going to consume something, fried deeply, that was made in my own home. Pigs flew, I tell you.

I enlisted the help of my doting husband and some other deeply traditional friends on Christmas Eve to complete the mission.

The Family Album : Jasmin Singer from Our Hen House Meets The Shannons

Jasmin's Spinach & Bacon Salad Featuring The Vegan Hard-Boiled Egg

Our Family Album is one of our favorite segments on Meet The Shannons. Over the years we've been lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing animal advocates on the planet. I won't lie technology like Facebook has made it easier than ever for vegans all over the world to connect, learn from each other and build a strong online community that is promoting a more compassionate world for animals on a scale that has never been seen before. One of those marvelous and outstanding advocates I've had the privilege of  meeting is a lovely lady named Jasmin Singer. You may know her as 1/2 of the talented and dedicated duo at Our Hen House - a website and resource that is really leading the way in helping folks find their own way to change the world for animals. I know her as Kick Ass Activist All-Star Sista and am honored to have her as today's guest blogger! XO - Annie 


I'm not a cook. Which is why I was nervous (petrified?) when Annie asked me to guest blog and try out one of her and Dan's recipes. I won't admit to you how many months it took me to decide on what to cook. Most things just seemed too difficult for me, which is probably because my regular diet consists of really a lot of blender concoctions, the occasional stir-fry (no recipe, just going by the seat of my pants and the contents of my freezer), and the good old standby, tofu and broccoli at Suzie's Chinese Restaurant on Bleecker Street.

Now Annie wanted me to cook? Really? Me? Like, in a way that holds me accountable for my actions? Was this really a path I wanted to stumble down?

Truth is, I do know food. Aside from being a proud vegan food-lover (cliche', I know), back when I was a struggling actor, I decided that becoming a holistic health counselor would be a good field for me, allowing me to have my own business that promoted veganism, while maintaining the flexibility that allowed me to audition for plays (that I rarely got cast in). So I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, followed by pursuing an MA in -- ready? -- Experiential Health and Healing. I kid you not. Oh, to be 20-something and confused... (I'm allowed to say that, since I'm now 30-something... and confused.)

The Betty Crocker Project + My Favorite Souvenir from LA = Peach & Plum Salad

One of the highlights of our latest trip to Los Angeles was getting to visit one of the numerous farmer's markets on Sunday with my friend and fellow food writer, Anjali. If you've never been to a LA Farmer's Market, it really is a vegetable-lover and healthy-adorable-family mecca. Everywhere you look, signs say "Organic." People are smiling and carrying babies in Moby Wraps. Large, beautiful avocados for $1, homemade soaps, and baskets of colorful fruit. I'm not ashamed to admit it: I can't wait to live there!

My very favorite souvenir from our trip came from this market: adorable little jars of sugar-free Pomegranate jam from The Sherrill Orchards booth. I had planned on using this jam to combine 2 of my very favorite things: pomegranates & toast (the perfect fruit and the perfect vehicle for delicious sauces and spreads). But when I came home and started up this Betty Crockery again, I found a recipe that was waiting for the prefect jam* to come around. If you're following around in your own Betty Big Red, you may be confused, because this recipe is already vegan and I still changed it. What can I say? I can't help myself.

Peach & Plum Salad, here we come!

The Betty Crocker Project : The 24 Hour Pickle (also known as Refrigerator Pickles)

I still can't believe how many people I know made pickles this weekend. 

I had all these daydreams of posting these and everyone saying "WOW" and "I can't believe how easy those are". But much to my chagrin, when I started dropping teasers for these babies, the response was a round of "Me Too!" I guess I have too many talented and crafty while still remaining fashionable yet remarkably intelligent friends. SIGH. There are worse things I suppose. 

Now, I love pickles. I always have. When I was little my grandfather used to buy me one of those big barrel pickles from the shop on the corner to keep me busy for a few hours after school while I watched cartoons*. When I think of any kind of pickle, garlicy gourmet ones to crappy ball park chips, my mouth begins to water. No joke. I'm not trying to be poetic here. I adore them all. Sweet, Kosher, Tsukemono, Half -Sour, Gherkin - Whatever! They will always be welcome on my plate - Hell - in my hand. 

These pickles are not the traditional wait a month pickle. Anyone who knows me, knows I can't wait a month anyways. It's too hard on me. Some folks just aren't built for traditional pickling. That's why Betty - God bless her - has this recipe for folks like me. They only take 24 hours and are crisp with the old school zayern flavor. So if you weren't one of the many who already have a jar of homemade pickles waiting in their kitchen, you should try these out.  

Es gezunterheyt!

The Betty Crocker Project - Season Finale : Potato Salad and other BBQ & Potluck Ideas

Summer is wrapping up, and this weekend maybe the last time we light up the grill or pull out the picnic table until next spring. Of course, in Virginia we're suppose to be on the lookout for Hurricane Earl, so we'll see how these summer swan song BBQ plans turn out.

I feel like all the best Season Finales feature all-star cameos. So, just in time for Labor Day Weekend, here are our some of our favorite summertime recipes:

• Beer Can Chicken (Tofurky)
• Caesar Salad Burger
• Chicken Salad
• Chicken Thyme Penne Salad
• Coleslaw
• Crab Cakes
• Girlfriend's Mock Chicken Salad
• Key West Fruit Salad
• Lemonade
• Limeade
• Smokey Collared Greens with Bacon
• Spare Ribs with 3 Different Types of Glazes
• Three Beans Salads

Don't worry - we're throwing Potato Salad in too!

The Betty Crocker Project : Ranch Dressing with A SPECIAL BONUS!

I was never a big Ranch dressing lover before I went vegan. I didn't grow up dipping my pizza or hot wings in it. There were no Ranch dressing fountains at parties I went to. To be fair, there are probably a few Ranch dressing enthusiasts who have never enjoyed one of those, though.

Then one day I discovered Naysoya Vegan Dressings. Creamy Dill, Garden Herb Ranch and Wasabi Ranch were some of my favorites from my days of experimenting. I made dips, sandwiches, and fancy mashed potatoes. There were a few months there when I may have gone a little "Ranch Crazy". I was the most popular gal in town at potlucks and parties. People I knew (vegan or not) with always trying to scam a few bites of my lunches and hinting at ranch dressing dips they wanted me to bring on road trips. Those days are over though; Nasoya doesn't make those babies anymore. Yes, there are other Vegan Ranch dressings on the market, but they never really spoke to me like those Nasoya dressings did around 2002.

When I was flipping through Betty's Salad Dressings, I was drawn to her Ranch dressing. Seemed easy enough to veganize and kind of a novelty; like ordering a drink with a baby umbrella. Something new and different than our usual herby olive oil & balsamic vinaigrettes. I even bought a bag of baby carrots just for the occasion.

It's a little thinner than the store-bought stuff, but it doesn't have the buttermilk and milk fat that solidifies when it gets cold. I don't mind it being a bit thinner, though. This is a pretty good salad dressing- actually pretty great with those carrots. I may even try to make another batch of Ranch mashed potatoes with it this weekend. Who knows... I might even make another batch of Hot Wings...

Herbivore Meets The Shannons Contest!

It's been almost a year since Dan and I invited a handful of friends and family to Lynch Park to witness us make a public, lifelong commitment to each other. I could rattle on about the how the dresses, shoes, ties, suits, whatever were all cruelty-free. No wool or silk in anything, and my dress was second hand. I made my veil myself, to look like one I saw Sophia Loren in. I also won't bore you with the details that went into flowers and wine bottle centerpieces. I won't brag too much about the spreadsheets and budgeting and other nerdotechnics* that went into planning a wedding in Massachusetts from Virginia. I'll also skip over how excited I was to marry my best friend, and how much fun we had dancing at the wedding to old school Chuck Berry and rockabilly music. You probably don't even want to hear about how our buddy Josh Hooten over at Herbivore Clothing designed the best wedding invitations ever for us. You guys aren't here for any of that.

What you want to know is how you can win a $25 Gift Certificate and a stash of buttons and stickers from Herbivore Clothing**. I know how you guys think.

So here's the contest! Our wedding had exceptional food - I mean really good stuff. Since Dan and I are both half Italian, the food at our reception was a 100%-vegan take on classic Italian dishes. Some the dishes were a bit harder to make than others, but they are all worthy recipes to add to a vegan resume. So please VOTE below in a comment for which menu item from our wedding reception you want to see featured as a Meet The Shannons recipe. We'll randomly choose one follower (sorry to be so strict, but we have to have a way to contact you) to win a $25 Gift Certificate and some awesome stickers and buttons from Herbivore.
We'll announce the winner and recipe on Monday, August 2nd.

Here are the contenders:

• Italian Wedding Soup with Focaccia Bread
• Fig & Apple Summer Salad
• Tofurky Sausage & Peppers
• Gnocchi with Marinara
• Pesto with Bowtie Pasta & Vegetables
• Coconut Vanilla Cupcakes
• Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
• Almond Biscotti

So let's get this vote on!

*Yeah that is a made up word.
**We were trying to think of a prize that we'd want to win, and this was at the top of the list. I mean, besides the clothes, there's a wide variety of cookbooks and other cool stuff you can get from Herbivore. You want to win this.

The Betty Crocker Project : Bacon & Spinach Salad featuring The Vegan Hard-Boiled Egg

It does seem a little silly to make tofu look like an egg. But what's wrong with silly?

This morning, I watched Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead while I drank my coffee. I was enjoying some deja vu with my Richard Dreyfus and Gary Oldman. See, a few years ago, I wrote a simple little blog entry on another blog (posted below). It's really just a blip about drinking coffee, this movie, death, and boats. I'll try not to ruin the end of the movie for you, but I think we all remember what happens to everyone at the end of Hamlet. And yet this movie/play is exceptionally silly for something with such a lurking and impending doom to it.

Thursday, September 11, 2008 : Rosencrantz and Guildenstern didn’t drink coffee.

Rosencrantz: Do you think Death could possibly be a boat?\ Guildenstern: No, no, no... death is not. Death isn't. Take my meaning? Death is the ultimate negative. Not-being. You can't not be on a boat. Rosencrantz: I've frequently not been on boats. Guildenstern: No, no... what you've been is not on boats. Today, I watched the Movie Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead while I drank my morning coffee and updated my schedule/planner ... Throughout the movie I kept stopping to dwell a bit on their reoccurring thoughts on death ... I think death is a excel spreadsheet with no color coding

So on to my point. There's nothing wrong with silly. In fact, in this case it made a simple salad actually kinda noteworthy. I've included both the fancy "eggs" recipe and the not-so-fancy version in this blog post. I'll let you decide how silly you want to be.

The Betty Crocker Project : Caesar Salad Burger

A while back, I kinda freaked out about the vegan version of Betty's Caesar Salad Dressing. I mean, I talked about it for days. When people came over for Passover, I talked their faces off about how much I loved this salad dressing. Seriously - no faces! I publicly broke up with Paul Newman because of this salad dressing. This salad dressing is that good.

So, I was sitting there looking at this package of Match Vegan Ground Burger and my heart began to skipping around my chest. Caesar Salad Burgers? I'm in!

Was it all I dreamed it would be? Yeah - I think it was.

Does this recipe make a lot of food, so much so that Dan and I will eating leftover burgers today? Yes. Yes, we will be eating burgers for the next few days. Not that I'm complaining. I just ran out of quesadillas.

I think this burger could doll up a BBQ and bring something new to the traditional veggie burger. This week, IDA featured a bunch of Meet The Shannons 4th of July BBQ ideas. If you haven't seen it yet, take a minute to read it. I contribute to the newsletter and blog a lot, so be sure and check them out!

OK. Enough chatter. Let's eat!

The Betty Crocker Project : Chicken Thyme Penne Salad

This is a really nice recipe. There's no scorching spiciness, no rich and creamy fake cheese, no hot kitchen afterwords - nothing to put a dent in a perfect summer afternoon. This recipe just makes you feel good about spending your Saturday watching The World Cup with loved ones and gets along with everyone: Triscuits, Iced Tea, whatever.

I have to admit: I'm a sucker for "nice".

Exhibit A: This weekend, Dan found a $50 bill in our parking lot, and spent almost an hour trying to think of ways to return it to the unfortunate butterfingers who dropped it. How nice is that? He's good people.

Exhibit B: My favorite part of the Word Cup is watching the players and fans from all over the world being so happy to be there. After each game, they're hugging and shaking hands and at least appearing to be sincerely "nice" to each other. We watched the England vs. USA game in a bar full of drunk British Naval officers in town on their way to the Gulf of Mexico - we were outnumbered 5 to one. The whole game, we were out-cheered, heckled and out-sung (they had nice little soccer ditties that we could only respond to with chants of "1776" and the chorus from "Born In The USA"). After the game, we bought each other shots of American Jack Daniels and Scottish Johnnie Walker (closest they had to a good English drink). They shook our hands and said "good game". They called us mates and there were hugs all around. Such a far cry from the fist fights outside the Yankee/Sox games.

Exhibit C: I'm vegan. What could be nicer than living a lifestyle that is nice to your body, the environment, and of course, animals.

Nice is just not appreciated enough. Nice is what we call the people we are too young and dumb to realize we should be dating. Nice is what dudes say when something isn't quite "sweet". But I'll be honest - I love nice. Nice, you are my very favorite, and so far this is my very favorite of the Betty Chicken Salads.