Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

While “the times” have made gatherings difficult, celebrations should continue.

Friends have “distantly” made my husband’s birthday special, like when the religious study group showed up on the patio with a basket of wine. We had been on video meetings for weeks, but Linda and Bryan Reising’s hospitality goes beyond the screen.

They also set up asparagus tart, eggplant/basil bites and a blueberry crumble with a hint of cardamom. The weekend also included a veggie burger on Ezekiel sprouted bread and gin with ginger concoction on another patio that I call “An Evening with Paul Thomas.”

The musician concluded with a classical guitar bit of “messing around.” Friends are a blessing, and culinary/musical friends can’t be beat. If you have any of these skills, please share them with friends and multiply the blessings!

Unbelievabowl Paleo

If kale could marry anyone, it would be bacon, Kelsey Preciado writes in the cookbook she wants you to love.

Garlic-Bacon-Kale Bowl is how she sees these soul mates in the book she basically asks us to fall in love with. I have obliged.

“Unbeliveabowl Paleo: 60 Wholesome One-Dish Recipes You Won’t Believe Are Dairy- and Gluten-Free” gives us Chicken Egg Roll Meatball Bowl and plenty of stuff she says makes her husband’s eyes roll back in his head because they are soooo good. If we can’t sit at her table, we can duplicate the dishes from her fun book. She’s founder of “Little Bits of Real Food” and her book is “Unbelievabowl.” Here’s a colorful quickie:

 

Creamy Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Hummus

• 1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• one fourth cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt
• For serving: sliced vegetables and Paleo crackers

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cauliflower florets to the pot and cook for 8 minutes, or until both are fork tender. Drain the veggies, then add them to a food processor.

Add the tahini, oil, lemon juice and garlic to the food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste. Scoop the dip into a bowl. Serve with veggies and Paleo crackers.

Prep ahead: Make this dip up to 5 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

 

PBFIT Chocolate Peanut Powder

I know you can get beyond smoothies and French toast batter with PBFit Chocolate. But it’s just so easy to get in a delicious “rut.”

This powder has less fat and fewer calories than peanut butter straight up. When you look at the pbfit.com for recipes with oatmeal and pancakes, you’ll mosey over to sections using the original version in dishes such as Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad, jar lunches, cobblers and even a bacon and cheeseburger.

You can go through a few jars without ever duplicating an idea and coming up with your own in the process. This week: Overnight oats; PB balls.

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie chilling out at a social distance. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com