Anniversary Dinner

Well, I avoided flaking out on our anniversary.  :)  In spite of my stressed self, I was able to get something together.

The Saturday before, I had class most of the day, but I did get this nice home-cooked dinner from "The Ukrainian."  Those sausages are vegetarian ones from Trader Joe's.  I thought they were tasty with a good amount of kick, but is there any way they can make that chewy skin on the outside?? :$  Even the garlic bread was made with Earth Balance "buttery" spread.

I didn't document the making of the "anniversary dinner" very well, as I was exhausted and took a nap sometime during this process.  But my efforts were cenetered around this "quiche"...

...and these brownies ("The Ukrainian"'s favorite, and I also honestly think these brownies are the best ever).

This "quiche" was purely experimental (mainly an attempt to clean out "The Ukrainian"'s fridge) but came out beautifully.  If you want to give it a shot, here's what went into it:

Tortilla "Quiche"

5 corn tortillas

1 oz vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

1 chopped tomato (mine was on the vine)

1/2 c. diced onion

a dash of ground cumin

1/2 tsp lime juice

1 zucchini, cut into strips with a vegetable peeler

1/2 c. sliced white mushrooms

5 eggs, beaten

salt + pepper to taste

2-3 Tbsp. non-dairy milk (I used hemp)

1/2 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese (optional)

1) Line the bottom of a pie dish with the tortillas, leaving some of them sticking up on the sides.  Spread vegan cream cheese on the tortillas.  I found this gave it a little creaminess -- hummus might also work.

2) Place mushrooms along the bottom, and then the zucchini shreds.  Combine tomato and onion in a small bowl and add lime juice and cumin to create a "salsa."  Add the "salsa" mixture on top of the zucchini.

3) Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour over the veggies as evenly as possible.

4) I topped half of the "quiche" with the shredded cheese.  Bake for 30 min at 375 degrees or until tortillas are a little brown, cheese is golden, and egg is no longer jiggly.)

I got a little crafty....

Here's the close-up of the meal.  I whipped up some wheat pancakes in heart-shapes (well... I TRIED).  The pancake is topped with homemade strawberry sauce (recipe below).

Strawberry Sauce


1.5 cups fresh whole strawberries, stems removed (I suppose frozen might work)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp (or to taste) pure maple syrup


1) Puree strawberries.
2) In a small saucepan, cook on low/medium heat until it reduces (10-15 min -- stir periodically).
3) Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup.

"The Ukrainian" brought home this whole wheat chocolate sponge cake from Whole Foods.  The small piece that I had did me in.  It was actually really good for chocolate cake (which I normally don't like)... the whipped frosting was amazing.