The Non-Dairy Queen

Monday, May 16, 2011

Spring Flavors and Busy Days...

I baked nothing this weekend, but hear me out...the illustrator and I actually got out of the house on Saturday. It was a crazy two weeks and well, this week is going to be crazy too. So...we decided to get out for a minute on Saturday. I finally cooked dinner last night, but this was from my "no cook" day.

I'm seriously loving zucchini being in season. I discovered in this seasonal food challenge that May is a weird month for produce. The winter vegetables and fruits are gone, but really not much is in season until next month.

No worries though, this was a mix of fresh, frozen, canned and dried.

I had some cauliflower in the freezer, so I heated that a little. I put about 2 cups cauliflower in the food processor with a cup of some left over chickpeas, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, salt pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I chopped it pretty small, but did not puree it.

I layered fresh spinach and basil leaves with ribbons of raw zucchini. Then I piled on the chickpea cauliflower salad and finished it off with tomato sauce. I love tomato sauce on salads. This was light, refreshing and filling. Perfect spring time dinner!

This is going to be another crazy week! I'm organized though and my list is filling up. So, one day at a time. I'm loving the list thing now because I feel so accomplished when I get to mark things off! Do you make lists? Give me suggestions for organizing busy days...I need to learn to be better at it!

Labels: gluten free, main course, vegetables

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 7:47 AM

16 Comments:

At May 16, 2011 at 8:23 AM, Heather Iacobacci-Miller said…

I love zucchini and yellow squash. This dish looks really good. Glad you guys were able to get out a bit this weekend!
At May 16, 2011 at 8:28 AM, Christin@purplebirdblog said…

I've been eating zucchini lately too... it's just so good! I have no idea how to organize my busy days... I'm too busy to take a break for organization! ;) I do love lists though... crossing stuff off is really so dang therapeutic! I hope you have a great week, Sarena! xoxo
At May 16, 2011 at 8:43 AM, Madeline - Greens and Jeans said…

I am a list maker to the max! It's one of the few things that can calm my crazy mind when I have a full plate!
At May 16, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Amy B @ Second City Randomness said…

I just picked up a package of 3 zucchini at TJ's yesterday. There should be no problem in taking it all down before I leave on Friday morning! It's sooooo good!
At May 16, 2011 at 9:10 AM, Pure2raw Twins said…

Love zucchini as well! Excited for tomatoes and peppers and fruit to come into season here soon!
And yes we have a list to do always with us so we know what needs to be done! it really helps being able to cross things off the list :)
At May 16, 2011 at 9:12 AM, Averie said…

I love the HEIGHT of the food. I love big tall piles of veggie based food. Mmm, soo good looking Sarena!
At May 16, 2011 at 10:36 AM, MelissaNibbles said…

Whoa. That meal would make me very gassy. Hope the stress dies down a bit for you this week :)
At May 16, 2011 at 11:49 AM, Heather said…

Zucchini is my FAV!! This dish looks amazing - so creative, too!
At May 16, 2011 at 12:22 PM, Emily said…

Yum - this looks delicious! I'm so glad that you guys got out on Saturday. I'm a huge proponent of lists, also. Sometimes, I even right out a schedule with the time I'm going to get things done. It helps me organize everything in my noggin. :) Hang in there during this craziness!! XOXO
At May 16, 2011 at 12:38 PM, Unknown said…

I love zucchini for that reason too! its a cook/no cook kind of meal full of flavor!
At May 16, 2011 at 1:58 PM, brandi @ BranAppetit said…

i can't wait for our zucchini to come in! this looks so light and fresh :)
At May 16, 2011 at 2:19 PM, Holly @ The Runny Egg said…

That meal looks delicious Sarena.

I'm a list maker -- on Sundays I write out what I need to do each week, along with my workouts and planned dinners. That way when I get home from work I know exactly what I need to do. It helps me free up some time in the evening to read or go to bed early.
At May 16, 2011 at 4:40 PM, Kelsey Ann said…

i love zucchini and especially when its in season too! makes sense why you even added it to your fruit and quinoa breakfast parfait (which i still cant get over how creative that is!!) i definitely want to try it out now that i have some coconut milk :)

xoxo <3
At May 16, 2011 at 9:07 PM, Lisa said…

Salads always make my crazy weeks seem a little less crazy---they're quicker, but still delish! And yours looks so good!

I definitely make lists---sometimes the list helps a lot and other times it just gives me something to stare at :)
At May 17, 2011 at 7:59 AM, Lee said…

I am horrible at to-do lists. My mind just doesn't work in an organized fashion, I think.
At May 17, 2011 at 4:23 PM, gfe--gluten free easily said…

I do love lists, but have been known to stress myself out with them! LOL, but true. ;-) Love raw zucchini in salad. I make one with a balsamic vinegar dressing that is so good. There are so many variations. Yours looks great, Sarena! Oh, and you're right about May sometimes being a difficult month for fresh produce, at least the local kind we all like to eat.

Shirley