Monday, May 18, 2009

Food on the Table

I’ve been doing lots of fun foodie things lately, but what I’m most excited about and will post tonight is that I finally got to have my son and his girlfriend over for Sunday dinner last night! These few pictures may not be beautiful to you, but it’s been a long time since I set out food on the dinner table and I was happy to be able to take them. (I don’t mean to say that I don’t sit at my table to eat by myself. I always eat at my table, but I only take my plate of food.)

I only had two hours to scour the pantry and fridge to come up with a dinner. I always have bags of salad greens and fresh broccoli on hand, so the side dishes were taken care of. The broccoli was steamed and dressed with balsamic vinegar and minced garlic. I don’t remember what I mixed up for salad dressing. But I got to set it out on the table and it felt great!



The quickest thing I could think of to make for a main dish was pasta. At first I could only find 3 partially used bags of different kinds of pasta, but then I finally found a full bag of spaghettini. A tomato sauce wouldn’t really have time to develop good flavor, so I decided on a cream sauce. I used Yellow Rose Recipes alfredo sauce recipe. I made it with coconut milk, and for my herbs used fresh parsley, dill, and oregano and it was super delicious. This is the only shot I got before the ravenous diners dug in.

I just happened to bake something that morning, so we had dessert too! This was an experiment done in one hour. It was meant to be a dozen drop style breakfast cookies. I was running short of time, so I decided to make bar cookies. But the loaf pan I put the batter in was too small, so I ended up with cake. Chase went absolutely nuts over this, especially after I told him it was full of beans! I asked him to please leave me one piece to photograph and taste test.


It is sooooo yummy! I need to bake my Beans for Breakfast Cake again and get the recipe sorted out before I can post it for you. It is gluten free, low sugar, low fat, and the best part about it is that it’s not gooey like the blondies and brownies recipes that abound now. It really is cake you can pick up with your hands and eat! If you want to experiment with baking with beans, remember that pureed beans can replace nearly all the fat in a recipe and it will still turn out beautifully.

Now I have to go find out what happened to my copy of Vegan Brunch that the post office says it delivered but I don’t have – grrrrrrrrr! I will be by to visit you all soon!

30 comments:

Andrea said...

Sunday dinner looks scrumptious, and I'm so glad you got to share it with your son and his gf. Sure hope you find your copy of vegan Brunch. I've been pouring over the recipes but haven't decided what to make yet.

Macie said...

Aww! I'm glad you had a nice dinner with your son & his girlfriend. I love entertaining friends and family. Family style dining is so nostalgic and sentimental :)

Ricki said...

Lovely dinner! And I'd say amazing that you whipped that all up in only 2 hours! Can't wait for the bean breakfast cake recipe.

Rose said...

I can't wait to see the Beans for Breakfast Cake recipe! It sounds so interesting!

Catherine Weber said...

Hooray for Sunday Dinner! I'm glad it finally happened!

That cake looks fantastic, by the way!

cherrybombpie said...

do you have the recipe for the Beans for Breakfast Cake? It looks heavenly and can't believe its gluten free too.

Lisa said...

Oh, that pasta looks so good. I haven't tried that recipe yet! And my Vegan Brunch has arrived, I hope you get your copy sorted out soon!

jd said...

Yum!

It looks like you, your son, and his girlfriend had a fantastic dinner together! Very nice...

Also, I've had my eye on that Vegan Brunch cookbook so you'll have to let me know how it is when you finally get it!

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

a blondie you can pick up and eat like cake sounds perfect! please do post a recipe soon if you have one! :)

Anonymous said...

Silly post office losing very important things like that - shame on them!!! I hope you recover your copy soon.
How wonderful that you could eat together. I really miss Sunday dinners with my close friends and/or family. They really are special.

Vegan Nutritionista said...

Beans! I love that idea! Do you replace the fat 1 for 1?

Tami said...

You really know how to pull a great dinner together in a hurry. And I'm fascinated by your dessert!

Sunday dinners are so much fun.

Bianca said...

Ooh, I'm still eagerly awaiting my Vegan Brunch too. I used the free shipping method on Amazon and it's taking FOREVER!

The meal looks delish, especially that pasta. I love a good vegan alfredo sauce.

Erin said...

That's a great family meal, especially for being scraped together last minute-ish. Glad you enjoyed it!

A_and_N said...

You must be proud of yourself for hosting your son and his GF. It sure looks looks like you all had a good time. I am hesitant to try out sweets with beans in them. But i am seeing an increasing number of food blogs making them and testifying their deliciousness. I think I'll have to give it a try soon too :)

aTxVegn said...

Vegan Nutritionista - I used almost all beans to replace the fat. I'm going to try to make the recipe again tonight so I can post it soon.

CherryBP - I think I have a recipe and will post it soon.

A & N - I SWEAR you can't taste the beans!

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Ooh. I can't wait for the cake! And hooray to having the son over!

Hannah said...

Bean baked goods are awesome! Very excited for the recipe... it looks fantastic!

jessy said...

hooray for finally having Chase & his lady over for dinner! you did an amazing job – and all in just 2 hours to prepare?!? you’re the best, Diann! wow! i’ll have to try the yellow rose alfredo sauce recipe – your pasta looks so goooood! i love the broccoli, too – it’s my fav! oh my gosh, your breakfast cookie bars look so awesome – and they sound rock’n! i am soooo looking forward to your recipe! i cant wait! i hope you can find out what happened with your vegan brunch!

Anonymous said...

Your whole meal looks good! I bet the cream sauce was delicious with the coconut milk. I can't wait for the "beans for breakfast" cake!

urban vegan said...

Does Chase know how LUCKY he is?!

Ruth Donnelly said...

Yum, the pasta looks delicious! I'm looking forward to the bean cake recipe too.

Oraphan said...

What a wonderful dinner you came up with!!! Great pics as always and I can't wait for the bean cake recipe. =D

Amy said...

Yay for having your family over for a meal :D

And yum, I love that pasta AND the dessert!!

Jen Treehugger said...

That meal looks scrumptious and it's so cool you had your son and his girlfriend over. I'm looking forward to your Beans for Breakfast Cake recipe - they look super scrummy too.

A.M. said...

O, I can't wait for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Everything looks so good.

Anonymous said...

I'll be interested to see your beans for breakfast cake recipe. Cookies or cake for breakfast sounds good to me.

Also, bravo for eating at the table when you eat alone. When I'm alone, and sometimes with the family now that my daughter's grown, we usually plop down in front of the tv in the living room. Really a bad habit to get in.

Steph (I am Bee) said...

that cake looks delicious (i can't believe they are beans in it either)!

Unknown said...

Please do post the Breakfast Bean Cake recipe - it sounds wonderful and I love beans. Never knew pureed beans could replace fat in cooking - thanks!