Time for a long-overdue Kitchen Library! This is a roundup of some recipes I loved and some pictures of things I ate. (I’ve been putting articles on Twitter and Facebook lately instead of in [woefully infrequent] Kitchen Library posts.) All of them are vegetarian or vegan!

This “Lemon Ricotta Strawberry Pie with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust” from Closet Cooking is delicious, easy, and has a lot of visual impact! All you have to cook is the crust, so it’s nice for summer, and since it’s a shortbread crust, there’s no fussing with rolling out pie crust in the heat. (Vegetarian)

If you’re bored of basil pesto or don’t have a lot of basil on hand (you only need 1/2 cup), “Asparagus Pesto” from Eat Already! is a great choice for a vegetarian spring dinner, and could be vegan if you skipped or substituted the Parmesan.

You can’t really see the asparagus in this shot, but this “Cilantro Salad” from 101 Cookbooks has a cilantro and asparagus based and has peanuts, sesame seeds, and soy sauce in it. The shallot oil dressing takes a bit of time to make, but it’s delicious. I’ve been using it as salad dressing and on other savory recipes that call for a drizzle of olive oil. Vegan.

Speaking of vegan, check out Naturally Ella‘s “Carrot Rice Noodle Bowl with Tahini-Sriracha Sauce”! I’d recommend starting with just 1 TBSP of sriracha–I like spicy food (but like to taste my food, too) but 2 was too much for me. If you don’t have a food processor attachment to julienne the carrots (welp), use a vegetable peeler!

Here’s a quickie shot from my phone for 101 Cookbook‘s “Ultimate Veggie Burger Recipe.” I used 4 cups of defrosted black beans leftover from tacos, and added another TBSP of panko. Forming them into patties by using a 1/4 cup measuring cup (two scoops each) helped with shaping them on the griddle.

Geeking around the kitchen: I made oatmeal with 1 cup of whole milk and 1/2 cup rolled oats, then decorated it like a katamari because I’m an adult and can do things like that.

My friends and I ordered a rainbow of beer at Brouwer’s in Fremont. Mine is the cloudy yellow one on the end–Reverend Hale’s Hallelujah Hopricot cider, a hoppy apricot ale with a yeasty nose and hint of vinegar. (I gave it a 3.5/5).

Finally, Happy Pride! The parade was a lot of fun and Seattle PrideFest was packed afterward! Before the parade started, I went to The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. since last year, they had rainbow cupcakes–something I’ve made before but not in a long time. I got a lavender and chocolate cupcake, since I love lavender and it seemed appropriate. The lavender brightens the chocolate, and the chocolate keeps the lavender from being overly floral.

I meant to write something clever about the cupcake as metaphor for the fluidity of the gender- and sexuality spectra (i.e., the place where I hang out),  but it’s been a long day. Suffice to say that, even though we have so much still to do, I was moved and proud to be at Seattle Pride on the 40th anniversary. Today, this food blog; tomorrow, the world.