Creole Okra Corn Soup + The Easy Vegan Cookbook blog tour

Welcome to today's stop on The Easy Vegan Cookbook blog tour! I'm not sure when Kathy Hester finds time to sleep, because every time I turn around, she has another beautiful cookbook being released. If you've spent any time on my blog, you probably know that I'm not a vegan—but that doesn't mean that I don't eat meatless and vegan meals and snacks. And while my husband is very much a meatatarian, over the years I've been able to convince him that even vegan meals can be hearty and satisfying.

This Creole Okra Corn Soup from Kathy's new book totally supports my case. It may not contain any animal products and have a brothy base, but it is packed full of seasonal vegetables and a nice little spice factor (which always wins his heart in the end). A couple of days before I received this book in the mail, my old neighbor dropped more than 6 dozen freshly picked ears of corn at my doorstep. I knew without a doubt that this recipe would be the first I would make from the book.

Cherry Buttermilk Popsicles

Did you know that there is actually an "official" time period for the dog days of summer? I've always considered them to be the hottest, stickiest days of the season and for the most part, I was right. But according to infoplease:

"Dog Days is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun."

Kinda cool, right? It also says that the days can vary a bit due to a difference in latitude since the movement of the equinoxes changes gradually over long periods of time. So, give or take. I always feel like they extend well into August in these parts.

Savory Tomato and Zucchini Pie

It's the last Friday of the month, and you know what that means - Friday Pie Day! But really, where did July go? I blinked and somehow here we are. Summer "vacation" seemed so much longer when I was a kid. Now we're just a few weeks away from my own kids heading back for another school year.

But aside from that pending doom, what other two things can you count on when the last day of July is staring you in the face? Tomatoes and zucchini, that's what! It's funny, because I've gotten pretty lazy (busy really, but I could have carved out some time somewhere...) and haven't planted a garden in about 4 years. Yet, my kitchen is still overrun with zucchini thanks to my neighbors. And personally, I don't think one could ever have to many fresh from the backyard tomatoes.

So, I thought this would be a good time to combine the two and make one savory pie. I also added basil, another thing that just screams summer. I should have just called it Summer Pie!

Fruity Popsicles in Moscato

Aaaaah, the lazy days of summer. What are those!? I vaguely recall, but can't remember the last time I had any. Sadly, I think it's a bygone term in the rushed, plugged-in world of today. Since lazy days are rare, I try to recognize and embrace the lazy moments instead; celebrate down-time!

I don't live extremely far from my mom, brother, and two sisters, but I do live far enough that we don't see each other often enough. One or two of the "big" holidays each year, and then once or twice beyond those, if we're lucky. Needless to say, when we do finally get together, we try to make the most of it. We don't meet up at theme parks or campgrounds, we chill out at home, sit around and talk, and maybe hit up the market so we can make and enjoy some food together. If the mood strikes, we may hang out at a nearby beach or park. We're a fairly laid-back bunch when it comes down to it.

Blueberry Peach Pie w/ Cornmeal Streusel and Crust | #FridayPieDay

'Tis the season to snatch up all the ripe, juicy fruits and berries I can get my hands on! Seriously, I go a little nuts when I hit the farmers market and see stacks and cartons piled high with beautiful jewel-toned orbs, big and small. My thinking switch turns off, and my impulse switch gets stuck in the on position. That's all fine and dandy until I get home and realize what I've done.

We do our best to eat that bounty before it gets too ripe, but oftentimes, I still find myself wondering how to use it all. Kidding! I'm making pie every time. Fruit pies put smiles on people's faces and sunshine in their souls. Duh.

And, since today is the last Friday of the month, that means it's time to celebrate Friday PieDay here at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but I neglected to share a pie with you last month; don't even get me going on May again (aka hell month). I think this blueberry-peach pie will make up for that.

Grilled Corn Salad w/ Honey Lime Dressing

For me, corn on the cob is the epitome of summer.  I could eat my weight in it.  And it's always that way.  There are photos of me in our old family albums with golden sun-kissed skin and sun bleached hair, going full-out typewriter on some corn.  It's like a rite of passage.  Summer is not truly summer until there are sweet corn stands and signs on every other block.

I have some awesome neighbors who love food almost as much as we do in our house.  I'm often handed buckets full of maitake mushrooms that they've spent the day foraging for in the woods.  Sometimes it's an armload of ginormous cucumbers, or a grocery bag with tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeños, habañeros, and zucchini all tumbled in and vying for their spot.

A few weeks ago, I came home to find a couple dozen ears of sweet corn stacked on the table next to my side door.  And a week or so later, they brought over another bag full of the slender green-husked, plump-kerneled corn.

Turtle Cheesecake Popsicles {#SummerOfThePopsicle Guest Post: Barefeet In The Kitchen}

Who's Holding the Stick: Rah-rah-sis-boom-bah...it's Wednesday!  My favorite day of the week all summer long, because I invite one of my talented blogging friends to take over my space...and they come in full-force.  Bearing popsicles!  So today, please help me welcome Mary from Barefeet In The Kitchen!

When Heather from girlichef invited me to guest post for her Summer of the Popsicle series, I immediately had visions of popsicles running through my head. I couldn't resist the chance to come up with a truly indulgent treat.

I started with creamy cheesecake ice cream, swirled caramel into it and then froze the mixture into popsicles. Once frozen, they are dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with nuts. I loved this combination and the kids have already requested that I make these again.

If you don't happen to have a popsicle mold lying around the house, grab some dixie cups next time you are at the store. A small square of foil over the top will help support your sticks. Of course, if your kids have used every popsicle stick in the house, you'll need to be a bit more creative. Find some plastic spoons and break off the spoon portion. The handles will work just fine on their own.

Turtle Cheesecake Popsicles

by a guest post from Mary Younkin of Barefeet In The Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes (+ time to freeze)

Cook Time: 2-3 minutes (to melt chocolate)

Keywords: dessert snack vegetarian soy-free chocolate cream cheese sour cream frozen popsicles summer

Ingredients (varies)

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 - 1 cup caramel sauce, cooled (I'm sure store-bought would be fine as well)
• 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
• Optional: 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions

Combine the cream, sour cream, cream cheese sugar, lemon zest and salt in the blender. Puree until completely smooth. Add the caramel and pulse to combine. Adjust the caramel amount to taste, depending on how rich you would like the popsicles to be.

Pour into your popsicle molds and freeze 6-8 hours until firm. In a small, wide mouth jar or glass bowl, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Warm the chocolate and the coconut oil in a glass bowl in the microwave at 50% power. Start with 1 minute and then add 30 second intervals, stirring to combine. It should take 2-3 minutes for the chocolate to soften. Stir to combine. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature.)

Let the chocolate cool and place the chopped pecans in a shallow dish. Line a small tray or baking dish with wax paper or parchment and set next to the chocolate and nuts. Remove the popsicles one or two at a time from the freezer. Carefully peel the cup off of the popsicle. (If you are working with a full mold of popsicles, I'd recommend removing all the popsicles from the tray. Then set them on the prepared lined tray and put them back in the freezer while you dip each one.)

Dip the popsicles into the chocolate as much or as little as you like. I made all of mine different, just because I could. Place each coated popsicle on the lined tray and keep the tray in the freezer as you are dipping the rest of the popsicles. Store in the freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy!

*note:

I prefer refined coconut oil for this recipe, because there is no coconut flavor or aroma at all. However, refined or unrefined will work equally well.

As usual on Wednesdays...my heart feels full, but my hands feel empty!  Yes, much like Garth Brooks, I want "one for each hand"!

So, while I go check my fridge and pantry for the ingredients, why not visit Mary at her blog, Barefeet In The Kitchen.  You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+!

Thanks so much for being here today, Mary! 

Cherry Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles (#SummerOfThePopsicle guest post: Javelin Warrior}

Wait.  What?  It's Wednesday again?  Already?  I'll take it!  This past week has flown by in a whirlwind of preparation and enjoyment for and of the Food and Wine Conference in Orlando.  I'm just now shaking off the jet lag from Monday, and beginning for form cohesive thoughts.  Thank goodness I have one of my ridiculously talented and kind blogger friends dropping by to share a post with you today.

Who's Holding the Stick:  Today, I'm so excited to welcome the creator of Made with Love Mondays, Tuesday Tutor, and Food Fetish Fridays, Mark of Javelin Warrior's Cookin w/ Luv!  Please help me welcome him...and his gorgeous popsicles today.

Fear Conquered: Cherry Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

I almost never eat popsicles.

When I want something cold and frozen, it's almost always ice cream. Typically, I prefer scoopable ice cream. Although I'll never turn my nose up at a Klondike bar. (And I really need to learn to make a suitable ice cream bar replacement so I can stop buying Klondikes entirely!)

So why, of all things, am I sharing a popsicle recipe that doesn't even come close to resembling ice cream? Trust me, I'm scratching my head too. Because even though I made these, I'd still reach for that tub of ice cream.

But truthfully, these popsicles exist because I desperately wanted to participate in girlichef's awesome Summer of the Popsicle 2. Every Wednesday for the whole summer, different bloggers share delicious frozen popsicle (or popsicle-like) treats with Heather and I felt compelled to make an attempt. I mean really, I should be able to at least attempt making popsicles. Even if I rarely eat them. TA-DA! Cherry Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles!

But even if my admittedly inept take on popsicles isn't to your fancy, make sure to check out all the other possibilities over at girlichef's Summer of the Popsicle. Because there are some amazing combinations and nearly every one of them is easy to make.

And if you're not me, and if you have a hankering for something cold and frozen and sweet, you might just be happy to reach for one of these guilt-free indulgences rather than that Klondike bar. Which is probably a good thing, given I've already finished off the last Klondike bar...

Measure 8 ounces of strawberries and 8 ounces of pitted cherries (I used cherries I had previously pitted and frozen).

Transfer to a medium sauce pan and add 1/4 cup of purified water.

Add the juice of 2 lemons to the fruit.

Cover the sauce pan and bring the fruit to a simmer.

Simmer covered for 20 minutes until the strawberries have begun to break down and the cherries have softened.

Add the cherries and strawberries to a blender.

Puree the fruit until smooth.

Allow the fruit puree to cool, then pour into the popsicle molds.

Add your popsicle sticks, then freeze the popsicles for at least 6 hours (I freeze mine overnight).

To remove the popsicles, run the popsicle molds under hot water until the popsicles are loosened.

Cherry Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

by a guest post from Mark of Javelin Warrior

Prep Time: 10 minutes (+ time to freeze)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: dessert snack vegan dairy-free nut-free soy-free frozen popsicles summer

Ingredients (varies)

• 8 ounces strawberries
• 8 ounces pitted cherries
• 1/4 cup purified water
• juice of 2 lemons

Instructions

Place strawberries and cherries (I used cherries I had previously pitted and frozen) into a medium sauce pan and add the purified water. Add the juice of the 2 lemons to the fruit. Cover the sauce pan and bring the fruit to a simmer.

Simmer covered for 20 minutes until the strawberries have begun to break down and the cherries have softened.

Transfer the mixture to a blender. Carefully (hold the top down with a kitchen towel) puree the fruit until smooth.

Allow the fruit puree to cool, then pour into the popsicle molds. Add your popsicle sticks, then freeze the popsicles for at least 6 hours (I freeze mine overnight).

To remove the popsicles, run the popsicle molds under hot water until the popsicles are loosened.

Hungry for Tips?

• Sugar: Thanks to the sweetness of the strawberries, you really don't have to add any sugar to these popsicles. And no bottled juice is needed either. So all in all, this is a fairly guiltless snack.

• Frozen or Fresh: If you start with fresh cherries and strawberries, they will come to a simmer faster. However, you will also have to pit and hull all of your strawberries and cherries. So to make my life simpler, I buy cherries and strawberries when they're in-season or on sale, hull and pit the fruit and then freeze for later.

• Freeze-time: Unless you like semi-soft popsicles, make sure you plan on a good 6 hours of freezer time. I like to make these a day in advance, that way I'm not tempted to go searching for a treat a couple hours after popping them into the freezer.

• Alternatives: I originally tried these popsicles with cherry and rhubarb (and no lemon). It was a good combination, but Boyfriend Javelin wasn't happy with the flavor. I've also tried swirling in about 1/4 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt to the cooled fruit puree before pouring into the molds. This also works nicely, especially if you prefer a creamier popsicle.

Well Mark, I can hardly fault you for reaching for cool, creamy ice cream now, can I?  Hardly.  I mean, I'd never turn an ice cream treat down.  But me and my cold, refreshing, icy pop-lovin' self would never be able to resist grabbing the stick to one of these gorgeous garnet beauties!  You may not be a convert, but I'm so happy that you took a bit of time to explore and test so that you could be a (fabulous) #SummerOfThePopsicle guest host!

If you're not familiar with Javelin Warrior, I hope you'll take some time to drop by and say hello at his blog.  You can also find Javelin Warrior on twitter, pinterest, google+, facebook, and instagram!

Frozen Treats = Summer Eats {#IceCreamforUnilever}

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Unilever Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

SUMMER!  Okay, I've written a few posts over the years on the foods and memories that I associate with summer.  I've talked plenty about ice pops and fruit bars, popsicles and paletas, ice cream and ice cream bars - but always of the homemade variety.

The truth is, growing up, the only type of frozen treats that I ever remember making at home were frozen Kool-Aid pops.  You know the kind I'm talking about, don't you?  You pour the liquid into an ice cube tray, then you cover the tray with plastic wrap (or foil if you were out of plastic wrap), and then you stick a toothpick through the plastic and wait for them to freeze.  Please tell me that you made those, too.

But the frozen treats we always looked forward to were the ones preceded by the strains of tinny music echoing down the street.  Or the boxes and cartons lined up and beckoning from behind glass doors at the grocery store.  And if I'm being entirely honest (which I totally am), I still supplement with these pre-made treats today.  Because as much as I'd like to say different, I am not superwoman, and I cannot make every single meal, snack, treat, and dessert all by myself.

Growing up, we always had Breyers Ice Cream in the freezer because it was my dad's favorite.  And it was almost always Vanilla Bean or Neapolitan.  I still have a soft spot for Breyers, I mean, isn't that the way it goes?  We get all nostalgic about the things we ate often as kids.  Now that I'm the grown-up, I get to choose the flavors.  In our house, you can almost always find two types of ice cream in the freezer at all times.  Vanilla Bean being one.  Because vanilla goes with everything from hot fruit pies and cobblers to birthday cake to hot fudge and sprinkles.  But we also get a "flavor".  It always changes.  Usually I let the hubs or one of the kids choose it.  If it's the hubs, it'll be strawberry.  The kids choices range from Cookies 'n Cream to Mint Chip to Cookie Dough (and beyond).  My favorite is Blue Moon, but I have lots of other "close favorites" - one of them being the new Breyers Blasts! Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mints.  Two of my favorites in one.

Now, let's just say that setting 3 kids loose in the freezer section with the only direction being "pick whatever you want", you get a good laugh.  But you also get some delicious frozen treats.  My daughter is a HUGE York Peppermint Patty fan, so when she spied the Good Humor York Ice Cream Bars (peppermint ice cream dipped in dark chocolate), they went straight into the cart.  They were the first pack to vanish completely!  So good.

Next up was a box of Fruttare Mango Frozen Fruit Bars, which were also a hit with everybody in the house.  Basically, pure, luscious, mango taste.  And a box of Popsicle Scribblers, chosen by my youngest son.  They're pretty cute...thin, crayon-shaped popsicles.  The kids loved them and they made a great anytime snack (while they lasted).

Now, my oldest loves the classic goodness of a Klondike Bar (another thing that I grew up with in my childhood freezer).  A thin chocolate shell surrounding a thick square of creamy ice cream.  He's got good taste, I tell ya.

And then on to my absolute favorite treat of them all, Magnum Ice Cream Bars.  In our house we call them "Mommy Bars".  Because mommy gets livid if you try to take one.  Mine, mine, mine!  ALL MINE!  Luscious, silky vanilla bean ice cream encased in a blanket of Belgian chocolate...mine.  Commercials that feature Alcide Joe Manganiello...MINE!

So, how about you?  What are your favorite frozen treats? What do you like to fill your freezer with ?  Since I was lucky enough to receive one free coupon for each of these Unilever Brand products (Fruttare, Magnum Ice Cream, Klondike, Breyers, Popsicle, Good Humor), I thought that maybe YOU would like to receive the same!  That's right, Unilever provided me with an extra set of coupons.  How about it?  Do you want to ponder the frozen treats aisle with 6 free coupons in  your hand?

GIVEAWAY

If so, here's what you'll need to do:  Leave a comment on this post telling me which of these Unilever Brands of Ice Cream that YOU would like to try, and why!?  That's it!  Plus, you'll have a few more chances to enter to win once you've completed this mandatory entry.

This giveaway is for one winner of 6 coupons (delivered via postal mail) good for free Unilever Brand Ice Cream products.  These coupons expire in February of 2014.  This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses in the USA only.  Submissions will close at the end of the day on July 24, 2013.  Winner will be notified via email within 48 hours of the close of the giveaway, and given 24 hours to respond.  If I do not receive a response in 24 hours, I will draw a new winner.

You have many chances to enter to win, but the first and mandatory entry is to leave a blog post comment below letting me know which Unilever Brand Ice Cream product that you would most like to try, and why.  Entries are being collected in the Rafflecopter widget below, and will be verified. Good Luck!  
a Rafflecopter giveaway