I just discovered a great way to enjoy a day in the city of roses: Portland, OR. To save our nerves, parking fees, gas and planet earth, we took the Tri-Met Max train right into downtown Portland. We walked a few blocks to Living Room Movies on 10th St SW to enjoy a 3D film in a small theater sitting in lounge chairs with foot rests and plenty of leg room. Many lunch entrée choices and a full bar are found in the lobby including vegan pizza and a vegan chocolate truffle, all of which can be enjoyed while watching the film.

Fresh strawberries are abundant and delicious right now in May. Try the vegan strawberry pie from my book Vegan Recipes from the Heart for a real treat!
1 Bottom Pie Crust (Vegan)
1 Quart Fresh Strawberries
1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
3 T cornstarch

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Prick bottom of pie crust with a fork several times. Bake crust for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Remove stems from strawberries, wash, sort and drain.

In medium saucepan, simmer 1 cup strawberries in 2/3 cup water for 3 minutes. In a bowl, blend cornstarch, sugar and 1/3 cup water. Stir into boiling strawberries and boil one minute, stirring constantly.

Arrange remaining strawberries in baked pie shell. Pour cooked mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate for 2 hours to cool. Cut and enjoy!

News about my book Vegan Recipes from the Heart

Josie Cowden wrote a nice article about my book Vegan Recipes from the Heart in this week's Aptos Times. I will be signing the book and offering tasting samples from the recipes at the first Friday Open House at Seascape Sports Club this Friday May 7 from 6 to 7 PM. Come on down if you are in town.

Picnic and Wine Tasting in Santa Cruz

A wonderful way to travel while wine tasting with friends in the Santa Cruz Mountains is ABC Limo (abclimos.net). With a driver we could all taste wines and not have to worry about the curvy mountain roads. Burrell School (burrellschool.com) was our first stop where the “Detention” Zinfandel stood out as a hearty favorite. Next door at the beautiful new Tuscan style Regale Winery (regalewine.com), we found the Chardonnay to be light, buttery and delicious. ABC even brought a gourmet picnic lunch for us to share while sitting at a picnic table in the lushly landscaped grounds (mine was veggie per request). Our last stop was up to the top peak at Silver Mountain (silvermtn.com). This organic winery uses sustainable methods. The solar panels provide power, and the roof will soon collect rainwater while also providing shade to cool the wine barrels below. This small family winery is not always open to the public, so call ahead to make an appointment. Crackers and Swiss cheese were served along with the wines. We all liked the Pinot Noir the best here.

All of these excellent wineries charge a tasting fee that is refundable upon purchase. It was a beautiful day in May for my friend’s birthday, and such a nice treat to be out in the sunshine seeing views from the mountain top and not having to worry about the ride home.