This morning Hugh was telling me about Xsite, a summit on innovation, technology, and entrepeneurship being hosted by Babson College.  Imagine my mini nervous breakdown when he told me that Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, was one of the speakers!

For the record, I LOVE EVERNOTE. I think that’s probably my favorite productivity app (not to mention the most useful).  During SXSW I had the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the app and to learn quite a bit from the Evernote people.  But that’s not enough.  I have to admit that I would love to meet Phil Libin and pick his brain about what’s in the horizon for Evernote.

That’s okay, you can say it…I am a tech groupie.

Anyway, we were planning to have a barbecue a few days ago with our dear friend Catherine.  Sadly, my allergies have been out of control.  As it turns out, the air conditioning filter in our apartment hadn’t been changed for like a year so I’ve been suffering.  I changed it Monday and got one of those fancy 3M filters and it’s made a huge difference. After we replaced it, I just had a regular cold 🙂

But today we are back in grilling mode and since we are going away this weekend, we need to make sure all our veggies get eaten so they don’t go to waste.

On the menu:
Sauteed Collard Greens
Strawberry mediterranean salad
Chile-Rubbed Corn on the Cob
Veggie Kebabs
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Ingredients:

6 large portobello mushrooms with stems removed and cleaned out completely
2 cups of Syrah red wine
1/4 cup of chopped shallots
1 clove of garlic chopped
8 black peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Focaccia bread (optional)

Preparation:

1. Using a fork, gently poke holes all over mushroom.
2. Combine wine, shallots, garlic, peppercorns, and thyme in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Pour wine mixture over mushroom caps and stir to coat. Cover and marinate for 2 hours.
4. Preheat grill.  Remove mushrooms from marinade, and discard liquid.  Grill mushrooms until brown and juicy (about 5 minutes on each side).
5. Serve on toasted focaccia bread with tomatoes, onions, and roasted garlic.

** I like to spread them with pesto, avocado, and Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella cheese.  This is a matter of taste.

Naturally, we will also be having some yummy wine 🙂

As you’ve probably noticed, God hasn’t made me hate cheese yet. But after doing a lot of reading, I’ve decided that it’s about time I make an honest effort to be a good vegan and as a result I’ve been dairy free for about a week.  Let’s see how long that lasts!

In any case, I will be posting pictures on my facebook page later tonight.  I share a lot of useful information there so if you don’t already, you should go like it!

It’s now time to head to the gym. Until next time.