Last week I took a rather typical jaunt through the health food store. I was just there for the usual stuff, so I wasn’t expecting to leave with anything new.

Walking through a health food store is a little like being in a familiar museum. You know where your favorites are and you navigate to them, as if drawn by some unforeseen force.

But sometimes being in a health food store can be a little like a treasure hunt…where you don’t know what the treasure is.

Last week I found one of those unexpected treasures. Daiya Foods has come out with a new style of vegan cheeses called wedges. My hand reached out over each of the packages and lingered over the one that read, “Jalapeño Garlic Havarti.”

I didn’t know what “havarti” was. I’m from Missouri where the corn grows tall, the cows stand firmly grazing in pastures, and cheese? Well, it’s sold in white or orange wedges. That’s that.

I just finished reading These is My Words (the latest assignment in my book reading club) and so my internal dialogue is filled with romantic descriptions of the land around me. But whatever “havarti” is, I figured it had to be pretty darn good to be coupled with garlic and jalapeño.

On the drive home I went through the motions of wondering what to make with my newfound treasure. Nachos? Bean dip? It obviously needed to be something with a southwestern flare to it. But to be completely honest, I already knew what I wanted to make. I had a sandwich forming in my head. (I know, sounds like a medical condition).  I decided to call it Southwestern Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Salsa-infused mashed beans with grilled sweet potatoes and Jalapeño Garlic Havarti. A perfect balance of flavors, taste, and health to keep you happy…and full!

I thought about making these after I was inspired by the Baker’s Royale version. Just take a look at their photos and tell me you wouldn’t be inspired too.

To be completely honest, I was more than inspired. I was on a mission. There had to be a vegan version of that recipe in this world. And I was just the person to make it happen.

I had something else giving me some motivation too. Could it be Mr. Coco waiting to snarf down the crumbs that comes his way every time I’m in the kitchen?

Sorry, Coco. No crumbs for you today. Dogs and chocolate don’t mix so well.

Oh, I hate it when he gives me that look. Don’t worry, there’ll be other crumbs in your near future.

So, what was I saying? Oh yes, motivation. Earth Balance was featuring a recipe contest recently and I wanted to create something extra special. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars. Yeah, that’s the ticket!

Here it is. A vegan version of a fantastic recipe so you can make it yourself. I’m even providing a gluten-free option for all you Gluten X-ers® out there. By the way, I’m totally trademarking that! It’s pat of my scheme to make millions.

Or at least I can finally use some of those cool, little symbols WordPress offers. You know, you gotta keep learning new skills.

There were others on the bush, waiting to bud out. It was as if I was seeing a tiny miracle in my yard. A green thumb on my own hand emerging.

I promise not to let it go to my head. I don’t have visions of grandeur. Martha Stewart’s job as grand mistress of gardens and kitchens is still in tact.

She must be relieved.

There are many gardeners in my family. My mother has her own garden of flowers. My cousin is a certified Master Gardener. My suegra might as well be – she knows nearly every plant by name and how to care for it!

What’s a suegra? I’m working on my Spanish, and suegra is a much more pleasant sounding Spanish word for mother-in-law.

I realized this rose bush beside my house has helped me see the importance of the women in my life. It’s perfect timing too, with Mother’s Day just around the corner.

So here’s a nod to my miraculous flower garden and early thoughts of thanks to the amazing women in my life, including those named here and others not.

And so our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see – or like a sealed letter they could not plainly read.  — Alice Walker

I’m on a quest. Well, to be completely honest, I’m on several quests. It can make life complicated, but I get bored easily. I do the same things with books – I usually have several going at a time.

So, one of my quests in life happens to be sharing recipes that involve Chickpeas. I’m constantly thinking how to include them in unusual ways…and to share them with my unsuspecting family. My poor family. Good thing they’re stuck with me – I don’t like eating alone!

This recipe can begin like this, but it means you’ll need to start the night before.

Or you can just grab one of these. It “can” make life easier.

The funny thing is, I didn’t even used to like these little legumes when I was a kid. I think that’s because my mom always called them garbanzo beans. It just didn’t do it for me. Now, as an adult, I call them chickpeas and I like them. Who knew. Sorry, Shakespeare, but I guess the name does matter!

Of course, who wouldn’t like chickpeas when they’re smushed all together with peanut butter and a little agave nectar?

Then I recently found a new product – Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips. Come to mama!

Not only are they mini, the flavor is amazing.

So combine all this together and what do you get? My new best friend, that’s what. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Dip.

How do you eat a dip like this? I’m glad you asked. This is great to serve with sliced apples, crackers, animal crackers, or my favorite, rice cakes.

I’m always trying to give up sugar. You may know by now that I do more trying than succeeding. But the thing is, I like a little something sweet after a meal. This peanut butter dip served on a rice cake is a perfect little after-meal sweetness, while still keeping the calories in check.

So, here’s to new best friends…especially when it involves peanut butter, chocolate, and a little bit of healthy!

I blame it on the honeysuckle releasing that sweet smell in the spring breeze. It follows me everywhere I go, reminding me that spring is a time for fresh smells, fresh days…and even fresh starts.

Why not start with the blinds I asked myself. I got out the bright, red duster and whisked one side of the blinds and then the other. It happened to be a eastward facing window and the early morning light was peeking through causing the newly-freed dust to dance in illuminated light around me. I sneezed. Twice. And then I grabbed my camera. I had to stop and take a picture.

Besides, I’m hoping to improve my photography skills. Dust in the bedroom is a new subject in a different setting. Clearly I need more practice, which, of course, would require more dusting.

This is my problem with cleaning. I’m too easily (and readily) distracted. Dancing dust in the early morning light? Fascinating.

It reminded me a of a quote.

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. — Pablo Picasso

Sometimes I think I’m always waiting for the dust to settle. It’s the conflict avoider in me coming out. I like peace.

But maybe there’s a point to be taken from lightly dancing dust; cleaning both the blinds and the soul.

I’ll let you in on a little secret about me. I love salads. I could eat one every day…and I usually do!

Believe it or not, there are some salads that I gave up when I became vegan. I know what you must be thinking. That is some hardcore diet…when you can’t even eat a salad!

But before you get all crazy on me (thanks, Heart!), just take think about some of today’s salads. The base is all good, but the toppings don’t always weigh in on the healthy side.

Take for example your typical Wedge Salad. This one-time favorite found its way on my “forbidden” list because it usually includes blue cheese, bacon bits, and a dairy-based ranch type dressing.

It was easy to imagine this salad without the blue cheese. Pardon my bad French manners, but I never really liked blue cheese all that much anyway. I have a thing against mold I guess.

But no bacon? No ranch-type dressing? That means you’re left with just a hunk of iceberg left on the plate. What’s the point?

But recently I felt motivated to give this salad a makeover. It was a challenge.

Then again, lots of things can be challenging to me.

I wanted a healthy alternative to bacon, not just the processed version, bacon bits.

That’s when my secret ingredient came to mind.

Here’s a little something about me. I can’t keep a secret for too long. That’s why I wait until the last minute to by presents. Otherwise I just can’t stand the suspense of it all.

I feel the same way with you. I can’t keep my secret ingredient to myself, so I’ll just show you.

Yes, it was that simple. I chopped up an apple into bit-size pieces, sauteed them in a skillet with a little bit of maple syrup and smoke sauce, added a little salt and there you have it! Smoky Apple Bits.

The texture is not crispy like bacon, but I didn’t mind that at all. Maybe it was because the iceberg lettuce provided the crunch I was craving.

Or maybe it’s just because I was so in love with eating this Spring Wedge Salad. Yep, that was definitely it.

And now I have another “secret” I want to share with you. It’s not a secret really, but I’m so excited it feels like a secret! Pull over a chair and I’ll whisper the tantalizing news in your ear.

Earth Balance Recipe Contest

Earth Balance^® is celebrating its second annual Spring to Life Recipe Contest featuring plant-based recipes. The competition began on April 9, but don’t you worry…it’s not too late to enter. Dust off your favorite recipes and spring into action by submitting your own. Earth Balance’s online community, Made Just Right, provides an easy platform to submit your recipes and to check out other tasty ones too.

Throughout the four weeks of the contest they’ll be picking two recipes per week for prizes such as a year’s supply of Earth Balance^® products. Can you imagine! There’s even a grand prize that will include a glamorous trip to San Francisco.

You still have time to enter. This week they’re looking for your favorite entree recipes. Next week? Desserts. Heaven help us! To qualify, recipes must be plant-based, contain at least one Earth Balance^® product, and feature one or more vegetable, fruit, whole grain, bean, nut or seeds. To learn more about the contest and how you can enter check out the Made Just Right page for more details.

Don’t ya just love contests with plant-based recipes? Me too!

Serve this salad with a tall glass of iced tea out on your deck or patio…because that’s the best way to eat a Wedge Salad. Enjoy!

I’m obsessed.

I can’t stop thinking about green beans.

My whole life I only ate the kind that came from a can. And I was quite fine with that, thank you very much.

Sure, I saw the long, stemmy looking bagged ones sold in the produce section. But I was a dedicated canned bean green kind of girl. Yes, it’s true that I grew up in smalltown USA, but I swear I’d never seen green beans sold in a bag when I was growing up.

Maybe it’s some sort of repressed memory.

But there’s something I have to tell you. It happened about a year ago. I finally broke down and bought the fresh variety. Here I was with some fresh green beans in my cloth grocery bag. I have to admit, it felt kind of cool. I was urbane. Swanky even. Me and my fresh green beans walking out the store and heading for the car.

What could be better?

The problem was, I didn’t know exactly what to do with them once I got home.

So I ate them raw.

They’re tasty in their natural state. I chopped them up and put them in salads. Not too bad.

But then one day I decided to steam them. It took me a while to get it just right, but once I did? Well, that’s when the first spark of obsession began.

Then I started experimenting with different glazes. I tried dairy-free margarine with a little bit of sea salt on top. Next came the olive oil with a dash of garlic powder.

That leads me to an important question. Is there anything that doesn’t taste absolutely divine with olive oil and garlic?

Then one day I threw together this Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing which I lightly drizzled over the top of the freshly steamed green beans.

And there you have it. Like a baby robin escaping the nest; my obsession was now fully-fledged. There was no going back.

The ease at which a thing goes from thought to reality sort of tips it over the edge from indulgence to obsession.

A couple of minutes of steaming time and glaze preparation and voilà! That mound of green beans is transformed to a visual, edible and obsessible feast! I know, “obsessible” is not technically a word, but it works.

That’s it. My favorite obsession of the moment. Stay tuned. I’m sure I’ll find something new to fixate on soon!

I’m not usually a night owl. Caffeine was required!

This was a perfect gift because I love the Indigo Girls. I have a very selective list of My Favorite Music…and they’re at the top.

The other night I had a dream that Amy Ray stopped by. I guess she was in the neighborhood and wanted to say hello. Don’t you love it when things like that happen in your dreams? I was a bumbling fool telling her how much I loved their music.

Good thing it was just a dream. I hate looking like an idiot in real life.

For those of you who haven’t met me yet, that’s a joke. I think I spend half of my time looking like an idiot and the other half either trying to explain or accept it.

My hubby  helped me expand my previously monolithic taste in music. Now my musical horizons include some soulful blues like Catherine Russell, or folsky rock like Brandy Carlile, and even some harder stuff like the Foo Fighters and Rush.

But I always find my way returning to the Indigo Girls. Maybe it’s because I was introduced to their music at an age when I was looking for something more in my life. The guitar-toting duo showed me through passionate lyrics and intertwining harmonies about caring for the people around us and finding our way through grief and love.

I don’t think it’s possible to hear the Indigo Girls without wanting to pick up a guitar. So I credit them, along with my brother, for inspiring me buy my first guitar.

I think it’s understandable that the thing that attracts you to your first guitar would be its color. I loved the variation of blue hues in this Ibanez and the price was just right for a beginner.

Most professional musicians you see singing and strumming make it look so easy. The Indigo Girls are no exception. What’s amazing about learning guitar for yourself, is getting past how utterly hard it is. No one tells you that the strings bite into the tips of your fingers like a a two-year old with new teeth. You have to work to develop callouses, and those don’t last forever.

But it’s a great excuse to not do the dishes. Water and callouses don’t mix well!

I met my hubby over a guitar, and it didn’t take him long before he introduced me to his favorite brand, Taylor. That’s what we both play now. That means my old blue guitar isn’t getting played much these days. Adee plays it sometimes, but she’s usually busy with her cello.

So my old blue guitar has gotten good at gathering dust. But it’s still beautiful…at least to me.

Here are some of the lyrics that I consider to be The Best of the Indigo Girls!

• I’m up on an airplane, nearer my god to thee, I start making a deal, inspired by gravity
• I’m looking for someone who can take as much as I give; Give back as much as I need, you know, and they still have the will to live
• Oh how I wish I were a trinity, so if I lost a part of me, I’d still have two of the same to live
• There I am in younger days, star gazing, painting picture perfect maps, of how my life and love would be. Not counting the unmarked paths of misdirection, my compass, faith in love’s perfection, I missed ten million miles of road I should have seen
• And I say love will come to you, hoping just because I spoke the words that they’re true, as if I’ve offered up a crystal ball to look through, where there’s now one there will be two
• Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good laugh; start at the top go full circle round, catch a breeze take a spill; and ending up where I started again makes me wanna stand still
• Oh, you were so baroque, all of those words, just to tell me no
• Everything once up in the air has settled down, sweep the ashes, let the silence find us, A moment of peace is worth every war behind us.
• The best thing you’ve ever done for me is to help me take my life less seriously, it’s only life after all!

Now I’m off to find some new music to love, and to listen to some of the oldies that know me so well. Maybe I’ll dust off that old blue Ibanez and try to play along too.

“I have a friend who’s an artist and he’s sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say, ‘Look how beautiful it is,’ and I’ll agree, I think. And he says – ‘You see, I as an artist can see how beautiful this is, but you as a scientist, oh, take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing.’

And I think he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me, too. Although I might not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is, I can appreciate the beauty of a flower.

At the same time I see much more about the flower than he sees. I can imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside which also have beauty.

I mean, it’s not just beauty at this dimension of one centimeter; there is also beauty at a smaller dimension, the inner structure. Also the processes, the fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting – it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: Does this aesthetic sense also exist in lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which shows that a science knowledge only adds to the excitement and mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds; I don’t understand how it subtracts.       

— Richard P. Fenman, from the book The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

The balance between art and science. A nice thought to celebrate this lovely Earth Day.

I’ll start this recipe with a disclaimer. If you consider yourself a super-human vegan that eats only the healthiest of foods all the time, I’ll take a guess here that this recipe isn’t going to do it for you.

But if you’re interested in trying something dairy free that’s both delicious and more nutritional than your typical cake, you might want to check this one out.

Did I mention it was easy?

And delicious?

Well, how about cheap?

It’s true that some vegan recipes include ingredients that can weigh a little heavy on the pocketbook. But not this one. You can find everything you need in aisles 3 and 4 of my grocery store. At least that’s where they are today.

Is it just me or does it seem like grocery stores change things around sometimes just to mess with you!

I like making interesting and ultra-healthy vegan dishes with complicated ingredients. But sometimes I just enjoy a slice of something a little on the easy side.

Now, what about that secret ingredient? Chickpeas. Yes, that’s right, this cake has chickpeas in it. I’ve found using a store-bought cake mix and excluding the eggs leaves the cake too airy. It falls apart on the plate. I wanted it to be a little more dense and one can of whipped chickpeas (thanks, handy dandy food processor) and that problem was solved. The only thing left to figure out? How to avoid eating it all at one sitting!

This recipe is easy, vegan, delicious, healthier than the typical cake, and not so hard on the wallet. That’s a great list, but you know what else I love about it? I get to add it to my list of 100 Things to do with Chickpeas! Ahh, life is good!

My family accuses me of having an obsession with spinach.

Don’t tell them I said this, but I think they’re right.

I do try to find ways to pack “healthiness” into unsuspecting dishes. Chickpeas in cake? I’ve done that. You’ll see that recipe this week…it’s not one to miss!

Spinach in cookies? Yes to that one too. And now this poor hummus is my latest victim.

I added cup after cup of spinach and then hit the pulse button on the food processor. Those chickpeas didn’t know what hit ‘em!

Poor spinach. It’s not easy being green.

I know this spinach obsession makes me a bit weird. Not the Alicia Silverstone-feeding-your-infant-pre-chewed-food kind of weird. But still weird, nonetheless.

I guess I’m perfectly fine with my food being pulverized to a grainy pulp by kitchen appliances, thank you very much. It must be the small-town girl in me coming out.

My daughter and I agreed that sometimes hummus can be a bit too garlicky. It’s great while you’re eating it, but can leave your breath a little tangy. So this hummus is high on the spinach and low on the garlic.

Sure, making this Hummus may make you weird, but feel free to add more garlic if you want to balance out on the wild side.

That’s it! See? Another simple and delicious vegan (and gluten-free) recipe that will fancy your checkbook, waistline, and even your taste buds. Sometimes it’s good to be a little weird.

Today is Wednesday. I like Wednesdays. I know it’s commonly referred to as “hump” day because if you make it through Wednesday, you’re over the hump; closer to the weekend.

But for me, I’m in no hurry to get through Wednesdays. Maybe that’s because there are no expectations for Wednesdays. No victories to be won. No dragons to be slayed. It’s just a day like any other day.

Oh, who am I kidding. I like Wednesdays because they’re not Mondays (does anyone like Mondays?) and it’s still two days away from my TRX workout.

There. I said it. This TRX workout is a class I love to hate!

I hate it because it’s at 5:45 in the morning. Did you see that? The only kind of motivation I typically muster at that hour is to turn over to the other side. But that still keeps me well within the covers of my bed!

I also hate this TRX class because it’s so…dang…difficult! They say it was designed by Navy Seals and I don’t doubt that for one minute. Of course, I don’t actually know any Navy Seals, but I pretty much consider myself an expert on it anyway.

Of course, the reasons I hate that class are also the same reasons I love it. If I’m going to get up at 5 in the morning, it better be a seriously tough workout. You know, to make it worth my while! TRX never fails. Sometimes I can hardly walk out the door when I leave the gym. Of course, that can be true of me on most any day. My sisters didn’t call me Twinkle Toes when I was a kid for nothing!

Then the next day I usually feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck. I should take a moment to clarify that I’ve never actually been hit by a Mack truck, but again, I still consider myself an expert on it.

I’m finally starting to see the effort pay some dividends. Sort of like our Apple stock.

I use Michelle Obama as my model for best arms. Whatever side of the political fence you might find yourself, you have to admit she has great arms. Definitely strong; definitely feminine. Let’s just say I have a bit more work to do to get my arms in that kind of shape, but I’m on the right track.

The thing is, I like being strong, but I haven’t always felt it. In graduate school I was part of a team-building exercise with my classmates that required us to climb a 3-story tower of logs (shaped like a teepee) and then repel down. I got to a certain unnaturally high spot on one of the logs and became petrified. (A little like that log was going to be in a mere thousand or so years.) I was in a frozen panic. I needed to move to the next notch up the log, but it seemed too far away to reach. The coach yelled up to me, “Marly, you can reach farther than you think you can!”

I thought he was Nuts! But you know what? He was right. With a little encouragement I made it to the top. I could reach farther. I am strong! I just have to remember to send that memo to my brain from time to time.

And that’s why I do TRX classes at 5:45 on Friday mornings. And it’s why I try to develop my inner (well-hidden) Michelle Obama arms.

But today is Wednesday. This is another reason I like Wednesdays. It’s nice to have a day where I don’t have to be quite so tough.

This casserole, coupled with a side salad and a nice glass of wine, is perfect for a relaxed Wednesday evening dinner.

Let me begin by saying I don’t have anything against the Girl Scouts. They seem like a fine organization.

Yes, it’s true I was a Campfire Girl. The two organizations are like opposing universities. They have similar goals, but people are usually loyal to one or the other.

You see, I liked being a bluebird. It was fun being a bluebird.

Won’t you be a bluebird with me?

Sorry, only Campfire Girls will get that, but I had to say it anyway. Or sing it. I think I remember nearly every single song we sang – both the sanctioned and the “around the campfire” songs. You don’t even want to get me started!

We sold candy door-to-door, not cookies. Of course, I don’t know if anyone sells anything door-to-door anymore.

I guess we lived more dangerously in those days.

It’s not that I eyed with envy those girls in their little green vests selling cookies.

It’s not that now as an adult I feel like I’m betraying my Campfire Girl heritage by even considering buying little boxes of cookies from the Girl Scouts.

Thin chocolate, minty wafers dipped in chocolate? What’s to love about that!

It’s just the pure joy of making something yourself. (Yeah, that’s the ticket.)

Of course, there’s also the vegan thing.

And the vodka.

I have this thing for adding vodka to cookies. I don’t think that’s something the Girl Scouts would embrace too readily. All the more reason for making them myself.

So I put my Bluebird vest aside, and decided to take a walk on the thin, minty side of life.

I expected these cookies would be a chore to make, but I found the process to be actually kind of enjoyable.

Maybe it was the smell of mint in the air.

Or maybe it was the anticipation of eating these delicious cookies. All I know is that I don’t have anything against Girl Scouts. Especially now that I get to enjoy my own version of their delicious cookies!

Enjoy!

My nephew, Phillip, married his long-time sweetheart Aubrey recently. Don’t you just love the name Aubrey?

The wedding, like her name, was so sweet.

What’s a wedding photograph without an adorable discussion between the flower girl and the ring bearer?

Phillip and Aubrey were married in the same small town I grew up in.

I’ve felt a calling toward my past lately; like an undeniable tug to connect with days gone by.

I reunited with an old friend. How I lived without her in my life for so long, I do not know.

Another friend from my childhood recently celebrated her parents’ 60th wedding anniversary. That gathering included so many people I hadn’t seen in many years.

And then there’s the Bee Gees.

I used to love the Bee Gees when I was a kid but really hadn’t listened to them in years. My hubby and I were doing some shopping recently when “Staying Alive” came piping out through the store’s sound system. After a few rounds of my dancing in the aisles, my hubby was thoroughly embarrassed. Of course, he’s often embarrassed when he’s out in public with me.

So you know what he did? He equipped me with not just one but several Bee Gees CDs. I wonder if he was hoping this will prevent any future in-store toe twinkling.

Silly boy. He should know by now that breaking out into spontaneous dancing is something I do, even when the Bee Gees aren’t in the background. Oh well, I’m now living my days in three-part falsetto harmony heaven. It’s quite a place to be.

This walk through my past has been interesting, and not all entirely bad. But capping it off with a wedding? Well, that was just icing on the cake.

Speaking of cake, my sister, Susan, made all the food for the reception. I don’t know how she did it, but I’m so glad she did. She made everything from trays of baked beans to banana pudding and everything in between. And, of course, she even made a vegan version for us, including this Easy Pasta Salad. She sent the vegan leftovers home with us. With every bite we remember that fun day spending time with family  celebrating Phillip and Aubrey and wishing them the best as they build their life and family together.

Sure, you could put the Easy Pasta Salad in the fridge and let it chill out for an hour or so. Or you could do like my hubby and add a little steamed broccoli on top and eat it slightly warm. It’s a tasty dish either way. Tasty…and did I mention it’s also so easy?

Spring is here and it’s time to celebrate. Daffodils, lilacs, azaleas. They’re all in bloom. All this color outside made me think it would be nice to have some color inside.

Besides, each spring my mom makes the best Strawberry Cake. The only problem is, they’re not vegan. Although I don’t eat them now, it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the work she puts into them. And she always makes a special vegan (or even gluten-free) cake for us. I just have to confess, I miss her strawberry cakes.

Maybe that’s why I continue to fiddle with recipes to make the perfect Vegan Strawberry Cake.

I’ve experimented with a few. First I made this one: The Best Vegan Strawberry Cake Ever!

I might have been a little premature with that title. It’s what I was thinking at the time, but little did I know I would continue to come up with others.

Note to self: don’t start out of the gate calling something “the best.” Leave yourself room to improve!

Then recently I presented this Neopolitan Gooey Brownie recipe. Yes, it’s not technically a strawberry cake, but it’s a big part of this recipe. My oh my, was that one deliciously sweet recipe!

And here I arrive today with this Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake. I think that makes today just a little bit extra special.

I like special days. They make me feel like something amazing is about to happen. You know, like when you’re reading a really good book and you can’t wait to turn the page to see what happens next? That’s what today is all about.

If I may, I suggest a healthy and delicious dinner followed by night cap and this cake. It’s easy to make, vegan, and comes with lots of good joo joo for spectacular days!

I may have reached the pinnacle of Vegan Strawberry Cake recipes with this one. Maybe my next big task will be to make a Gluten-Free Vegan Strawberry Cake. So many fabulous cakes to make, so little time!