On Valentine's Day, we attended the OUTReach Denton fundraiser at Banter. We had a great time eating awesome food and chatting with friends.  But let me tell you, we had no idea what kind of treat we were going to get when dessert came.  Look at this cake!  It's a chocolate layer cake with a raspberry filling.  And it tasted even better than it looked.  So we had to know who made this!  My husband went to ask while the kids and I tried to be polite and not lick our plates.  

It turns out that local musician Bonnie Norris is the talent who created this magical cake. I contacted her to find out more about the vegan treats she offers.  She kindly sent me this lovely flyer.  So give her a call or an email sometime when you need some vegan baked goods in your life.  Thanks, Bonnie!

This is my dear friend, Christina.  She has been such a trooper with the whole vegan lifestyle thing.  You see, we weren't anywhere close to eating vegan when she and I met about ten years ago.  The transition has been bumpy at times, but lucky for me she is willing to navigate this journey with us and support our choices.  Her family isn't vegan, but they are definitely mindful about including lots of vegetarian and vegan meals in their daily lives.  You don't have to be vegan to enjoy vegan foods, after all.

So recently Christina was looking for a cooking class to broaden her menu options, but the one she saw didn't work with her schedule.  We decided to cook a meal together, doubling the amounts, and I would show her some of my favorite recipes.  Here's what we ended up with after about an hour and a half:  black bean burgers, roasted cauliflower, and mac and cheese.  (Seriously, click those recipe links.  They are keepers!)  We started after lunch and had dinner ready to reheat.  This was a good thing, since we both had hectic evenings waiting for us.  As you can see, I rounded out the meal with canned green beans.

In exchange, Christina brought us an amazing white bean, veg sausage, and kale stew with homemade bread and a blueberry apple crisp for dessert a couple of days later.  It was so lovely just heating up that meal.  Whether you exchange food or cook it together, this is a great way to build community and share recipes with friends.  I can't recommend it enough!