Mediterranean with a Lemon Twist

After an evening walk in the heat, we dined on a Mediterranean-inspired meal. I made the sun-dried tomato and kale hummus from VeganYumYum. Yum yum it was indeed, and a great way to get some kale (John is always skeptical when I add it to something but always ends up loving it). My only additions to the recipe were lemon juice and cumin. I served the hummus on toasted ciabatta bread. Alongside, we had a childhood favorite of John's, a simple salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes (from the farmer's market), avocado, artichoke hearts, and hearts of palm. Plenty of basil, finely chopped roasted red peppers, some salt and pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar are all that's needed to top it off.



Here's the simple fruit salad we had on the side, Texas peaches and pluots (more plum than apricot and I prefer these over apriums). Not fancy, but I liked the color contrast in the photo.

And for dessert, I tried my first recipe from Damn Tasty Vegan, the Lemon Almond Torte. This was fun to make, and a nice change up from all the chocolatey desserts I usually make. I thought it was so neat how the lemon filling gelled! I topped the torte with some farmer's market blueberries and toasted almonds. John claims this is now his new favorite dessert. It is also a great one to showcase for company, so fancy looking!