Last Saturday, I invited my friends Carol and Deborah over for dinner and Scrabble. I tend to only invite one friend over a time so it was a nice change to invite two different friends over on the same evening. Since I am a vegetarian and Deborah eats vegan, I decided to make a vegan meal for all of us. I was concerned about the salad since it seemed unusual but I loved the combinations of everything in the meal. It was also my first time making vegan truffles; it will not be the last time! They were easy and delicious.

Cucumber Pineapple Salad Thai – I used some chives instead of spring onions and only a few fresh basil leaves that I served on the side. I used cashews instead of peanuts. I did not use the coriander, garlic, red chili, brown sugar, or shrimp paste. For the dressing I simply used 2 TBS soy sauce and the juice of a lime.

Thai Peanut Sauce over Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Rice – I used maple syrup instead of honey, and did not use the garlic or red pepper flakes or bell pepper or any of the garnishes

2 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Truffles – I used a Loving Earth Bean to Bar Dark 2.5 oz chocolate bar (it is made with coconut sugar) and did not use vanilla. I rolled the truffles in cocoa powder. (I made a third of this recipe).

My critique of the meal: Everything was delicious. After dinner, I felt very satisfied with the flavors and how my body felt. It was not a spend the whole day in the kitchen meal. The only thing that was make ahead, was the chocolate truffles. I did struggle with how to plate them and asked my friends for help. Deborah came up with the idea of using the orange. We think the problem was too many round things on a plate and at first I only had 2 truffles on the plate (the serving I gave us). Also maybe another time I will try a cocoa powder stencil on the plate.