I made the most satisfying salad for a few friends who came over to celebrate Easter. Of late, my culinary challenge has been sprouting beans. Today, I had a batch ready for eating: black eyed peas, red lentils, mung beans and adzuki beans. I love fresh sprouts because they satisfy my desire for eating crunchy foods. All foods have a texture and I find I am not alone with my love for crunch. Why do you think people eat so many potato or corn chips? Emotionally, I like to chomp. Ha-ha! Realistically, I need to give up my hankering for bags of chips, as that’s a lot of oil and salt to consume. Eating sprouts is a way to satisfy my crunchy texture desire. I mixed organically grown red oak lettuce with crispy romaine, (there’s a crunch there too.) Besides adding my sprouts, I threw in a few veggies: a yellow bell pepper, carrot and the last of some fresh dill. I made a dressing with a base of sesame and olive oils, rice vinegar and a touch of agave nectar. You’ll find a similar dressing inVegan Family Meals, my new cookbook that will be published in June.

For our Easter celebration, we had an Easter Egg Hunt in our front yard. Ten kids below the age of eight and 200 plastic eggs with a sweet surprise inside make for a fun ten minutes! All parents were in agreement that the kids must eat before they indulged in the candies Walker and I bought at the Co-op.  Jellybeans and gummy bears made without additives and artificial colors, sustainably grown organic chocolate and dried fruit like raisins and cherries!  See children are very happy eating quality foods; simple in flavor, they don’t need all the cheap sugar stuff.  I’m convinced it’s the parents who think they do. The most popular munch food on the table was a gigantic bowl of just-picked strawberries from one of the best growers in Southern California (yes, I know how fortunate I am.)