bud's vegan cookies and beaches

I have been neglecting to post yummy recipes recently and short on time to prepare anything tasty. Last week my mother and I took a trip to see a friend of hers who moved to Fort Myers. I'll have to post a photo of a beach on Sanibel Island. We enjoyed the time with beautiful Sandy and her husband. She is a card and enjoys a great laugh!

I have had time to prepare and deliver lunches twice this month and will be making a mango chicken salad and black bean soup this week. Both recipes will be from scratch and rather simple. I just put the dried bean on to soak for the soup. Did ya know when you cook dried beans you should never cook them with just plain water? I read this in one of my Italian cookbooks. It is true and makes a whole lot of sense. The house has a wonderful scent from my cooking beans ... was lazy this time ... dried garlic, cilantro, pepper. I love to use rosemary especially for chickpeas when making hummus.

Long and short of this post I am crazy excited to visit with Dan's mother's cousin's wife in law ladeda. She is going to teach me to make a family recipe. Her father loved cookies but had to modify a recipe for health reasons...and modify he did into vegan cookies. I am stupid with excitement! These are the soft, fat sugar cookies that are slicked with icing...mmmm.... I've had a week from ... and been eating poorly so this will be the perfect way to close the chapter on this torturous week.