Mock Chicken Salad

I've been meaning to give the various mock tuna/chicken salad recipes a try and finally did today.  There are many variations depending on your preferences...this one closely resembles our old favorite, minus the chicken/tuna, and it received three of four thumbs up (the 8 year old wouldn't even taste it, of course).




Ingredients :

2cups garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon fat source,  your choice, or eliminate this if desired
     ...options are olive oil, mayo, tahini, etc.  or none.
1/2 cup finely chopped onions or green onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon relish
1 tablespoon mustard, your choice
Pepper, garlic powder, dash of cayenne

Mash half the chickpeas with a fork, add all other ingredients and toss well.  Serve on a whole grain pita or crackers or on top of a bed of lettuce.  It's also good just eaten out of the bowl, with a fork.

Zucchini bars

The garden is prolifically producing zucchini now, and when I miss one, it grows until it's impossible to miss.   We're eating zucchini many nights, grilled, baked, or sautéed, and now, as zucchini bars. 





Recipe:

3 cups shredded zucchini
2 large bananas, very ripe
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups oats
1/2 cup flour (oat flour, whole wheat, etc).
1/2 cup raisins
1/4-1/2 cup other sweetener (dates, date sugar/syrup, etc.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs or 2 flax eggs

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven.  Ours were a bit moist when we took them out, but they firmed up as they cooled. 

They got a thumbs up from the kids - an easy way to eat your veggies

Graduation party - Alice in Wonderland

Party Setup -

The dance floor being installed

Pool set up

The cake !

Table setup



Welcome to the party .... the signs are staggered down the driveway as you arrive...

 The above sign reads:

Cosette-

You are so EXTRA special to us

Congratulations on earning your WHATCHAMACALLIT

We can't afford to give you a 100 GRAND shopping SPREE to new YORK

but you can take a FAST BREAK and have a LAFFY TAFFY summer

(but don't CRACK UP)

We could go to the ends of the MILKY WAY

and not find a daughter as SMARTIE and SWEET TART as you.

We hope you have MOUNDS of ALMOND JOY in your future!

Love, Mom, Dad and Ryder

PS - Sorry you work with a bunch of NERDS and CRYBABIES and AIR HEADS and CRABBY PATTIES! 

YUM - cake!

Goodbye and thanks for helping us make it a great time for all!