Happy New Year 2013!

Just a quick note, wanting to wish you all a 

*~*~ Happy New Year 2013 *~* !!!

 Hopefully you won't feel like this cat after the holidays! ;)

To finish this year off, just a few pics of dishes I've been making these past weeks! (Some are repeat recipes I've blogged about before.)

'Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites'

 My own 'creation' (cooking 1 c lentils & 1 c rice w/4 c water in my rice cooker, steaming some carrots at the same time. Adding some peas, salt & pepper, done!)

From 'Oh She Glows'

I honestly can't remember right now from which cookbook that recipe was! *eek*

I hope I'll remember as it was darn tasty too!!!

 My veganized version of Cleo Coyle's Doughnut Muffins 

And of course, for today on New Year's Eve, a black-eyed peas dish , thanks to Susan from Fat Free Vegan (click link).

Merry Christmas!

I know, I know... it's been too long since I've blogged the last time.. for Thanksgiving as a matter of fact.. and here we are, at the next holiday!

Life was very busy & stressful these past months and I just had no extra spare time or better say not the right calmness to blog.. Mea culpa!!!

I won't promise to get better -yet!- since we're about to face a big avalanche of action within those next upcoming months!  End of February we're [finally!] leaving Sicily, after almost 5 years of having lived here then, and return to PA with a short stop-over in VA. 

Before we're sitting in the plane for the USA we'll have quite a bit to do though, with our move etc. so please forgive me if this blog will be 'dormant' for a while! ;-)

[I will try to blog a few more times before that though! I'm just not promising anything, just in case... ;) ]

For now, let me wish you all a very 

and a wonderful & happy New Year 2013!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

 I'm a few days late wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving 2012, please forgive me! Life just got busier than usual...

Anyhow, I hope you all had a wonderful time with your loved ones and a great feast of vegan yummy dishes!? :) 

For us it was our last Thanksgiving here in Sicily, Italy, and we were truly in celebrating mood for that fact alone! (We've been here since late spring 2008, it's time to move on now!)
Next year at this time we're hopefully already in our own house, all settled in and setting roots for good! ;) [For anyone who didn't follow my intro, my husband is in the Navy and about to retire, so we're moving back to PA -Hubby's 'home turf'- and settling down!]

After having had various versions of lentil or bean loaves in the past for Thanksgiving or even Christmas, I originally decided to put Isa's Chickpea Cutlets on the table and prepped them actually already a day before.

Then, Thanksgiving morning I spontaneously decided to give Tamasin Noyes' Gobbler Slices a try and O.M.G. am I glad I did!!!

They were amazing and most shockingly Hubby was raving about how good it was and how he's not missing a turkey at all! (I think it's been a few years since he had one now anyway, but still! This kind of comment coming from an omni is huge! ;) )

So together with those Gobbler Slices we had roasted Brussel sprouts (which I used to hate up until being in my late 20's.. Can you believe it!? Now I'm loving them!!!), and roasted carrots, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, Hubby made his candied yams, stuffing, home made Miso gravy (for me) and last not least Lindsay's crustless Pumpkin Pie with coconut cream. We're for sure stuffed like birds at the end of the evening! LOL

It sure was a lot of food for 2 adults and only 1 child eating with us! The other one got his beloved (Annie's) Mac 'n Cheese! LOL

The 'sparkly' grape juice was the highlight for the kids! ^_^

They might not look appetizing in the pic, but the taste was seriously amazing!

I could have eaten the entire tray by myself, seriously! Sooo good!

(Just drizzled with a bit of coconut oil, tossed around and baked for ~30 minutes at 350F, afterwards sprinkled with some pink Himalayan salt and pepper, done!)

For sure *the* best pumpkin pie I've ever had so far!!! Love the fact that it's not such a calorie bomb either and together with the coconut cream just a perfect way to end a delicious dinner! ;)