birthday eve

The scene began as it does

in many homes:

the five o'clock hour and 

nothing had been started for 

dinner.

My sister Sue mentioned

how her friend made

her a 

chickpea noodle soup.

She raved.
So did her 3 year-old grandson
and that's what really sold me!

I began my search at

that 5:05 hour

and found this in the process.

Chocolate Yogurt Bundt Cake

(Post Punk Kitchen)

oh yeah...

it's vegan.

Yeah, yeah...

I have all the ingredients.

A pre-birthday celebration

began to form in my 

wee little conniving mind.

Back to the soup.

Ran a search 

and there it was...

so many.

Turns out this is the vegan's

answer to

Chicken Noodle Soup

with promises to cure 

EVERYTHING!

"See those footprints in the snow? Now notice where one set disappears?

That was when soup was carrying you."

Isa Chandra Moskowitz PPK

She had me at hello!

One problem

kind of a big deal...

no chickpeas...

and no, I will not run to the store

or send Joey (love those new drivers)

because somehow that is beneath me.

I will.

I can.

I know I can

"make do."

Went to many sites before deciding on

Vegweb's rendition

because I had most of the ingredients.

Well,
 2/3rd's anyway. 

Cannellini Bean and Rotini Pasta Soup

This was a slam dunk!

Best Rockin' Vegan Soup by far!

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 mini (but large-ish for mini) peppers, chopped

red, yellow, orange

1 32 oz. vegetable broth

1 T tamari or soy sauce

1 t cumin

1 t paprika

1 t Italian seasoning

salt and peppa to taste

1 can diced tomato

1 can cannellini beans

1 cup rotini (broken in half as added)

Saute onion, carrots, and celery in a little water

in the bottom of your soup pot

add garlic and peppers

until softened a bit

add broth and soy and seasonings

let simmer until tender

add tomato and pasta and beans

simmer until all is done and

delicious!

Served with a sweet kale and vegetable

complete salad in a bag from Costco

and a slice of Ezekiel 4:9 Bread.

Rudy told me to make another batch

right away so we would have it for

lunches all week--

that good!

Let us not forget what brought me

on this path...

chocolate.
(oh yeah...and a birthday)

(tee-hee.)

Setting the scene:

The eight o'clock hour.

Bellies full.

Watching Live Free Die Hard

on a very large screen.

Anyone want a piece of cake served with fresh sliced

strawberries?

I was being praised as

a hero in my own home.

I had three

count 'em...
yep, three pieces.

Need I say more?

Today

as I packed my hubby's lunch

of leftover soup and PBJ

I added a slice of cake...

only this time I added the chocolate ganache
(PPK again)

that I whipped up this morn

for a birthday

surprise.

Dang...

I don't know if you know

But...

I'm kind of a big deal.

(around these parts anyway!)

Happy Birthday, Babe!

XO