Grandma Susan's Birthday Dinner

Well, yesterday was Grandma Susan's birthday, so we had her over for dinner to celebrate! (Grandpa Jake had to work, so he couldn't join in the festivities.) I was super excited about the menu, and the scents emanating from my kitchen were nothing short of glorious. I've been trying not to make so many soups lately, but I just couldn't resist this Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup. "Vegan and creamy," you ask? Well yes, the creaminess comes from cashew cream, not scary processed vegan dairy substitutes, which means this soup is so packed with nutrition it's not even funny.

Now a good soup is certainly nothing to scoff at, but let's admit, you're not going to win any beauty awards with  plain bowl of blended mush. But these Curried Lentil, Spinach, and Brown Rice Balls are another story. Impressive, eh? They're actually not difficult to make at all and are full of nutritional goodness as well! The only suggestion I would add to the original recipe is to pop them into a warm oven for a few minutes before serving. By the time you finish forming them they're almost to room temperature, and a lukewarm dinner isn't very appetizing.

And finally, the birthday dessert was Lemon Cheesecake Cups. I rarely post recipes that have no nutritionally redeeming value because I want to spread health and spur others on in making better choices, not spread sickness and disease, but I'm also not against a completely superfluous treat now and again! And birthdays are perfect times for these treats! So, let me share with you this completely delectable dessert. If you love lemon and you love cheesecake, you're in for a real treat!

These are actually better the next day, so it's a great dessert to make ahead! This made 11 muffin cups for me. It would have made 12, but I had to test for quality control along the way :)

Lemon Cheesecake Cups
Crust:
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1/8 cup sugar
1/6 cup butter, melted

Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

• In bowl, combine crumbs, nuts, and sugar. Stir in butter. Press into muffin tin and set aside.
• Beat together cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Add eggs, beating on low speed just till combined. Add lemon juice and vanilla; beat just till blended. Pour into crust.
• Bake at 335 degrees for 30 min or till center is almost set. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Combine topping ingredients; spread over filling. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Cool an hour and refrigerate overnight.
• (Next time I would probably line my muffin cups with parchment paper or something. These didn't come out very cleanly. I'm not one to turn down cheesecake just because it's a little rough around the edges, but it would have been more presentable with a cleaner release from the muffin tin.)