Raw Shaved Asparagus salad with Avocado

So here’s a little something’-somethhin’ from the “no-cook-vegan” part of our cookbook. Raw Shaved Asparagus salad with Avocado. The asparagus was getting kinda hairy, so we shave it. Just kidding. Super easy & tastes like a grassy knoll. Looks pretty on a plate though! 1 bunch (about 14) thick asparagus stalks makes 5 servings. Trim about 2” of the tough asparagus ends, and shave each stalk into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler. Squeeze 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and add olive oil to a large bowl, add asparagus, salt & pepper to taste, mix and let marinate in the fridge for about a hour, mixing occasionally.  Serve with few slices of avocado, and enjoy your pee as a bonus. 

Rice Crispy Treats on steroids

Is it possible to develop objectophilia (...a pronounced emotional and often romantic desire towards developing significant relationships with a particular inanimate objects (Wiki)) towards a desert? Apparently it is.

I don’t know what it is about me and marshmallow-based deserts lately, must be that time of the month…. anywho…These pieces of goodness will make you love them at first bite, or at the very least put you into a sugar coma. 

 To make about 16-18  2x2 squares yee shall need:

2 heaping cups marshmallows, large or small

2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup dried cherries or cranberries

½ cup crushed thin pretzels

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup grated coconut, divided into 2 equal parts.  

Toast the coconut in the oven on 375 until golden brown, about 3-4 mins. Reserve ½ cup for later. While you are saliva-ing over the smell of toasted coconut, crush pretzels into small pieces; I like to do that by putting the pretzels into a zip lock bag and beating the crap out of them with something heavy. Pretzels crushed, I feel better, and 7 calories burned. Win-Win-Win.. Melt the marshmallows over medium/low heat stirring often for about 7 min.until fully melted, then incorporate vanilla extract. Remove from heat, add rice krispie cereal, ½ cup toasted coconut, dried cherries, crushed pretzels, and mix everything until evenly mixed. Working quickly, dump the whole sticky mess into a 9 x 13 parchment paper lined pan. When lining the pan with parchment paper, do yourself a favor and have enough there to close the parchment over the pan once the contents are in the pan. Press down over the parchment so the rice crispy mixture is of uniform thickness. You’ll need to let it cool completely, which  - you eager beavers - takes about 30 minutes. You can put in the fridge to cool faster if you must. Once the rice sheet cools, cut it into squares.(I hope you removed the parchment first). In the mean time occupy yourself by melting the chocolatechips in a bowl set over a simmering pot of water until fully melted. Dip one side of each square into the melted chocolate, then into the remaining toasted coconut. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy your objectophilia!