Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

No, this isn't about a wedding. It's Vegan Mofo! The challenge for Day 10 is: Something blue. I'm sure I'm not even going to be original here, because I went with the most obvious - blueberries!

I'm not an avid smoothie maker/drinker, but I do enjoy them. Recently when I was having issues with my freezer that wasn't defrosting, I had to take everything out and store in a cooler for a few hours, to let the freezer completely thaw. Back in a corner of my very snowy freezer, I found a bag of frozen blueberries. Not one to let anything go to waste, I decided to make a smoothie.

My smoothies are ultra simple. I add a handful of organic spinach leaves to a blender, and top it with 1/2 c. or more of blueberries. I added a pretty ripe banana and about a cup of cashew milk. Blend it well, pour into a tall glass and sip to your delighted heart's content!

Seriously, it's delicious!

Blueberry Melon Salad

July is National Blueberry Month, among other things. I tend to associate blueberries with August (specifically August 1), but I will never turn down blueberries any time. They are just so good!

When my family went on a picnic the other day, I had already made a fruit salad, but when I came upon this one, I thought, what the heck? I was already making two pasta salads, why not two fruit salads as well? You can never have too much food for a picnic, after all.

Blueberry Melon Salad with Thyme

1 c. stevia
1/4 c. water
Juice from one lemon
4 sprigs of thyme
3 c. each cantaloupe, honeydew melon and watermelon, cut into chunks
One pint of blueberries

Mix the fruit together in one large bowl. In a small pot over low heat, mix the stevia, water and lemon. Stir until the stevia has dissolved. Remove from heat. Once cooled, pour over the fruit and mix well to coat. Refrigerate.

Enjoy!

National Picnic Month

One of the designations for July is National Picnic Month. Pretty much any month that isn't cold is well suited for a picnic. I mean, do you really need an excuse to go on one?

The hubby took a week off for some vacation down time, and decided we would all go as a family to a water park. He and I had never been to this one, so barring rain, we were going. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Despite the delay in getting our food, due to someone (I won't mention any names...) shutting the keys to the car in the trunk and having to have someone come out to unlock the car for us, it was a great day and the food turned out fantastic!

I like to shop the food section at Marshall's because I always find the coolest pasta. I was originally only going to make one pasta salad dish, but the recipe on one of the packages just sounded too good, so I decided to make both.

Walnut Chick'n Salad

1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
One container plain soy yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
3 green onions, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 c. cooked vegan chicken, your choice
One apple, cored and diced
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Add some vegan mayonnaise if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto your favorite slice of bread and enjoy!

Sesame Pasta Salad

1-1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/3 c. water
3 T. soy sauce
1-1/2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. white vinegar
One package of pasta, your choice (mine looked like margarita glasses), cooked and cooled
1 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. radishes, chopped

Mix everything together in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fishy Pasta Salad

One package of pasta, your choice (this one was shaped like lobsters), cooked and cooled
3/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. hot sauce

Again, mix everything in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fruit Salad with Mint

2 nectarines, pitted and cut into small pieces
3 kiwi, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces
One pint of strawberries, hulled and quartered
One pint of blueberries
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
3 T. lime juice
1/4 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, lime juice and mint leaves in a food processor until well blended. Add all of the fruit together in one large bowl, pour the sugar sauce over it and mix well. Refrigerate.

Add some iced tea and you've got a great picnic meal!