Raymond's Birthday!

Raymond turned eight years old on August 30th. This is him blowing out the candle on his gluten-free cupcake :-) That was made from a box, but I did wrangle together a homemade frosting. Don't try this at home, because it was just "aww-iight!"

I used 1 box of silken tofu, some carob powder, brown sugar, and Brazil nuts to thicken it. Put the Brazil nuts in food processor with a little olive oil and blend until the nuts look like a butter. Add the other ingredients and blend until smooth. That was it! I only made 6 cupcakes because I'm not eating yet. So I'll make more today.

And Raymond's wish was the sweetest: "I want to live the greatest life ever." (insert Mommy's tears!) That's the plan, baby. That's the plan.

And Jona wanted to get in on the birthday action. He blew out a candle too!

Raymond's favorite movie is Ratatouille, and he's been asking for some since the day he saw it. I made him a Ratatouille Pasta for his birthday!

Adapted from Pure and Simple: Delicious Whole Natural Foods Cookbook, Vegan, MSG Free and Gluten Free by Tami A. Benton.

I added more seasonings than Tami had in her book.

Cook spiral rice pasta according to directions (use Tinkyada brand)

In a pan, saute 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add 1 cup sliced thin green bell pepper and 1 chopped small onion until onion is clear. Then add 2 cups of diced eggplant and 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini. Saute for another 5 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta, at least 1 teaspoon of salt (I used more), Italian seasoning, black pepper (both to your taste), and spaghetti sauce of your choice. This is so easy and good for you. Let me know how you like it! ◦

Raymond's Birthday!