TASTY DELICIOUS

("Tasty Delicious" is a phrase we've been using at the store lately . . . it is redundant, but oftentimes, appropriate!)

Beans and Rice:

I never use a recipe, so my beans and rice is never exactly the same, but it always hits the spot.

I received this rhubarb pie as a thank-you gift from one of my coworkers for picking up a shift for him very last minute. (He and his partner are buying a house, and they had emergency last-minute paperwork to fill out!) See how pretty:

The only bad part about the pie was that, due to the warmer weather, I lost three pieces to "the fuzz." A major bummer. (I suppose it was a sign that I didn't need to eat an entire pie by myself?)

Tomato and Parmesan Strata:

This recipe was pretty good -- not stellar, but pretty good. If I made it again, I would probably use sandwich bread, per the recipe's suggestion, as opposed to the week-old homemade bread that I used . . . the strata was far too bready for my tastes. The other flavors were spot-on, however, so I'll just have to play with the texture.

Barbecued Seitan:

A recipe from VT that I altered slightly and served with coleslaw, local sweet corn, and juicy, red watermelon, to appease Dan, who has been hinting off and on how much he'd like some vegetarian barbecue and sweet corn. (He ate this exact meal two days in a row!)

And lastly, Millet-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:

Believe it or not, this is the first time that I've enjoyed eating millet! Combined with garlic, green onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese, it made a delightfully rich, slightly crunchy yet slightly creamy, filling for one of my all-time favorite fungi. Kale on the side.

More to come in a couple of days . . . .