Yesterday I attended my first Kentucky Derby party! It was a lot of fun and great to see some old college friends. While I have never been a hat person, I have to say it was so fun to get one! It even looked pretty good, if I do say so myself!
The only down side to a great time was the amount of food (and wine) I consumed. I took a vegan dip with me to the party, but I didn’t eat just that. 🙂 I indulged in several things with cheese, cream cheese, mayo… Not a vegan night at all. I enjoyed the great foods (spinach dip and artichoke dip are two of my all time favorites!) but I am paying the price a bit today.
But hey, it’s a new day and it’s time to get back on the proverbial Kentucky Derby horse! A much better day of eating today.
Speaking of eating… I have a few new recipes to share!
- Tonight I had some baked potatoes with the world-famous Klunker Crockpot Mushrooms. Ethan and I are both huge fans of mushrooms, so I was anxious to try these after reading wonderful reviews in the McDougall Friends Facebook group. They did not disappoint! Since I’m always looking for ways to top my baked potatoes that don’t require butter, oil or sour cream, these will definitely be part of the ongoing rotation. You can use this same recipe for other veggies as well.
- Also from Klunker’s Kitchen, I tried the Quick Gnocchi and Mushrooms in a Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce. I was looking for something quick to prepare after returning from a few days of business travel and these gnocchi did the trick. Since the gnocchi only cook for one minute, the only time involved here was in sautéing the mushrooms, onions, and garlic, and then heating with the tomatoes. Super easy and yummy. Ethan discovered he loves gnocchi, so we’ll be eating these again.
- My vegan Kentucky Derby Dip was a Mexican Seven Layer Dip from Brand New Vegan. I enjoyed this but I think I would have enjoyed it more if a) I had been able to find fat free refried beans and b) I tried the cheese sauce that was part of the recipe. Due to time constraints, I used a different cheese sauce recipe that was mostly almond milk and nutritional yeast. It was a little easier to make but, while good, I think the nutritional yeast was a little overpowering.
- Four Corners Lentil Soup – We all completely loved this recipe. It was easy to make, and the touch of lemon reminded me of a delicious lentil soup I had at a local Lebanese restaurant. My only regret? That I didn’t make a double batch! There wasn’t a drop left for work lunch!
- From the new The Campbell Plan book, I tried the Pineapple Stir Fry. I really enjoyed it, and added a few more veggies… some carrots and broccoli to the onions and peppers… and omitted the tofu. I liked the sweetness of the pineapple and the sweet red chili sauce, mixing with the hot sauce, but apparently stir fry is not Ethan’s “thing”. He mostly ate rice with a bit of the sauce, but the stir fried veggies were not a hit.
- Isa’s Wild Rice Soup from Isa Does It was great! A hearty and delicious soup, everyone in the family loved this one. Will definitely make again, although I will likely save it for the Fall. I did not make the seitan strips and didn’t think the soup was missing anything without it. We served with some crusty Italian bread. Yum!
I think that’s all the latest new recipes! Enjoy!
IMDb: My Old Kentucky Home (1922)
lights cancer action! 
Love the hat xx
Thank you, Helen!