VT Recipe, Basket o' Yummy, and Springtime Delivered to Our Door!

This month's Veg. Times has a recipe for a tofu based meatloaf that uses soy crumbles as a main ingredient. I'm not one to use too many fake meat products (I honestly rarely like 'em...much less wanna consume half of the stuff in 'em), but I usually keep some Boca Soy Crumbles in the freezer to add to tomato sauce when I'm in a hurry and need to add some extra protein. Intrigued, I made this...and it was actually VERY good! In fact, I ate this sandwich every day for lunch until it was gone...and happily! Here you see it with some leftover mashed cauliflower but most days I enjoyed it with a big, juicy navel orange.
Funny, I was never one to like eating oranges. I LOVED orange juice but never quite got comfortable with the pulp factor when trying to eat oranges cut into sections. Until, that is, a recent lunch outing with my sister at an Asian restaurant served veeery thinly sliced orange on the side. viola! instant orange-eating love! now i eat one almost every day and can't believe I went so long before figuring that one out.
And here's a beautiful basket, chock full of amazing vegan things from my amazing friends who knew we needed an easy way to nourish ourselves the last few days. there are even treats for the kitties and the dog, a couple vegan Indian entrees, some super yummy sesame bars, vegan dark chocolate bars by Sunspire, green tea, this wonderful calming elixir that truly did wonders for me and, my favorite, Rescue Remedy. we always used this while rehabbing wildlife (I was a wildlife rehabilitator for a few years outside of Orlando. i miss it every. single. day.), and it worked like a charm in getting stressed out critters to calm down. it really works.

Speaking of three of the best years of my life spent rehabbing Florida's displaced, orphaned, and injured wild children....check out this gorgeous array of springtime loveliness sent to my from my friends at Back To Nature Wildlife Refuge.
They're the perfect bit of Spring to cheer me up the last few dreary, rainy days we've had.

Those of you who have been around this blog a while know of my love for that place and my time working there. For those of you not familiar with Central Florida's largest wildlife rehab facility, check 'em out here or at their myspace!

So thank you, to my wonderful and amazing friends who knew just how to say they loved us without saying anything at all. thanks Carrie and Jon! thanks BTN gang! we miss you!