Anti-Vampire Soup

This served two VERY LARGE portions for me.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 can, drained)
garlic powder (optional)
1 head garlic
2 cups (16-oz) veg broth
½ diced small onion
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 diced potato
¾ cup (6-oz) soy or almond milk
crackers {60 calories per serving}

Directions:
To Roast Chickpeas:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Spread chickpeas in an even layer and sprinkle with garlic powder. 
4. Bake until crispy and golden, about 10-15 minutes.

To Roast Garlic:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Peel away all loose, papery, outer layers, leaving the head intact and cloves connected. 
3. Trim ¼-inch off the top of the head to expose cloves. 
4. Wrap entire bulb in foil and bake 20-35 mins, or until center clove is completely soft. 
5. Let cool.

To Prepare Soup:

1. Peel and mince roasted garlic. Set aside. 
2. Sauté onions until translucent. 
3. Add broth, cauliflower, and potatoes. 
4. Cover and bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 15-20 minutes. 
6. Transfer half of the soup to a blender with roasted garlic and puree until creamy OR use an immersion blender. 
7. Add milk as necessary to thin out. 
8. Season with salt and pepper. 
9. Spoon into bowls and top with garlic roasted chickpeas.
10. Serve warm with crackers.

Snickers Bar Oatmeal

Super yum! You need to plan the night ahead so that you can freeze the tablespoon of agave. 

Ingredients:
½ cup dry rolled oats 
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp vanilla almond milk 
2 Tbsp cocoa powder 
1 Tbsp agave nectar FROZEN 
1 Tbsp peanuts 

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil. 
2. Stir in oats and cook until you have oatmeal at the consistency you prefer. 
3. Turn off heat and stir in a splash or two of milk to cream it up. 
4. Add cocoa powder, stirring to combine. 
5. Transfer to your serving bowl and swirl in frozen agave nectar. 
6. Top with peanuts and serve.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 296 calories, 9g fat, 51.3g carbs, 9.3g fiber, 16g sugars, 9.8g protein

Baked Beans

Tis the season for baked beans. This can be made as a main meal or it can be a side. They'd be great to bring to a potluck.

Ingredients:
1 tube prepared polenta, cubed (optional) 
1 onion, diced 
2-3 minced garlic cloves 
1 cup dry white beans 
1 cup dry kidney beans
1/4 cup water 
2 Tbsp ketchup 
1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap) 
2 Tbsp soy sauce 
2-4 Tbsp pure maple syrup 

Directions:
Optional if using polenta: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking  sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Bake cubed polenta for 10 mins. No need to flip. 

To make beans:

1. Cook beans using Instant Pot. Drain and rinse.
2. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
3. Add beans, water ketchup, molasses, soy sauce, and maple syrup. 
4. Bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until liquid reduces, about 20 minutes. 
6. Once beans are done, divide equally among 4 bowls. 
7. Optional: Top with polenta cubes or gently mix in.

Notes:

• Serves 4 (if as entree)
• You can sub  1 can each white beans and kidney beans.
• Pictured with a side of green beans.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another version of these same whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/4 cup applesauce
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

Cinnamon Buns

"Land of Nod" Cinnamon Buns. My daughter made these several times over her high school years to bring to classes as snacks and treats. They were always popular.

Ingredients:
20 Frozen Dough Rolls
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding
1-2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Spray a 10" Bundt pan withi cooking spray.
2. Add frozen rolls.
3. Sprinkle with brown sugar, pudding powder, and cinnamon.
4. Pour melted butter over everything.
5. Cover with a damp tea cloth, and leave out at room temperature overnight.
6. When ready in the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Remove cloth, put the Bundt pan with rolls in the oven.
8. Bake 25 minutes.
9. Let sit 5 minutes, and invert on a plate.

Paradise Breakfast Burritos

I decided to make my own breakfast burritos based upon the Sin City Breakfast Tacos. We still make "crispies" and our own fried potatoes for other things on occasion. Paradise Breakfast Burritos have fresh-made tortillas and are vegan. Paradise would also be someone else making them for you and cleaning them up, or at least it's paradise when you share them.

Ingredients:
Tortillas
1 cup whole wheat flour + additional to form

2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup water
salt
Crispies
corn tortillas, sliced into strips

Filling
canola oil
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
30 oz tofu, pressed and crumbled
1 tsp turmeric
2-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
salt
pepper


Directions:
Tortillas

1. Mix all the tortilla ingredients together in a bowl until combined in a large ball. Add a tad more water if the dough is too dry. 
2. Divide into 4 smaller balls. Use additional flour on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them.
3. Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface and place the first ball on it.
4. Flatten the ball using your hand.
5. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a thin circle, about 6-8" in diameter.
6. Heat a large pan over high heat. Once hot, place first tortilla in the pan. Watch for it to puff up, about a minute or so. Using tongs or heat-resistant fingers, flip the tortilla. Watch for more puffing.
7. Remove from pan.
8. Repeat steps 3-7 for all balls.

Crispies

1. In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat.
2. Fry the corn tortilla strips until crispy. 
3. Put aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. 

Filling

1. To the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of oil and heat (if necessary).
2. Fry the potatoes until soft but not crispy.
3. Add salt and pepper. 
4. Scoop the potatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel. 
5. If necessary, add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the same pan and heat.
6. Add onion and tomato, and cook until onions are translucent.
7. Add crumbled tofu, turmeric, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stir to combine well, then continue to cook over medium-high heat until thoroughly warm.

Paradise Burritos

1. Combine crispies, 1/4 fried potatoes, and 1/4 tofu mixture on a fresh tortilla. 
2. Fold in half for a soft taco or wrap for a burrito.

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• Approximately, 370 calories per serving.
• Tortilla recipe adapted from Hurry the Food Up.
• For the filling, you can make any Tofu Scramble you like. 

Open Faced Sloppy Lentils

These are really great sandwiches. They weren't originally supposed to be open-faced, but I couldn't eat them in a traditional way. The other suggestion I have would be to serve the filling on hoagies.

Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, diced
3/4 cups green or brown lentils
1 diced green bell pepper
1½ cups marinara sauce

8 slices of whole grain bread (or 4 hoagies)

Directions:

1. Add lentils to a saucepan of water. Bring to boil, then reduce to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse when cooked.
2.  Sauté garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, until fragrant. 
3. Add spinach and tomatoes, continuing to cook until spinach turns dark green and tomatoes soften. 
4. Stir in cooked lentils, and marinara sauce until combined. 
5. Spoon onto bread (or hoagies) and serve.

Notes:
Serves 4 sandwiches
Per serving: 403 calories, 8.2g fat, 67.7g carbs, 20.6g fiber, 13g sugars, 18.5g protein

Maple Peanut Butter Pancakes

By now it is probably obvious our love of pancakes. When Veg News covered these, I had to make them. These pack a super flavorful punch. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
1/3 cup maple syrup 
1/4 cup peanut butter, just smashed peanuts
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Whisk the flours, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together he milk, syrup, peanut butter, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
4. Heat pan or griddle over medium heat.
5. Spray with cooking spray.
6. Scoop the batter in your preferred amounts (1/3 cup or less) onto the pan and cook until bottom is golden and stable.
7. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown and center is cooked.
8. Repeat with the remaining batter, taking care to re-spray the pan between pancakes.

Notes:

• You can sub all-purpose flour for the gluten free flour blend at a 1:1 ratio.

Spring Roll Noodles

This is a great summer pasta salad. Eating fresh with the noodles and veggies still warm is awesome, but if you eat as leftovers, just eat cold straight out of the fridge.

Ingredients:
1-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
8 oz thin noodles, ex soba or vermicelli
16 oz fresh asparagus
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 cucumbers, diced
fresh basil
fresh cilantro
lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 avocado, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. Trim ends of asparagus by cracking them off. Cut remaining parts in half.
2. Cook noodles according to package instructions.
3. Meanwhile, saute ginger, asparagus, and bell peppers. Once you reach desired tenderness, turn off heat.
4. Once the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. 
5. Add cucumber and noodles to the sauteed vegetables. Stir in basil and cilantro.
6. Squirt with lime juice (either from fresh lime fruit or bottled), and pour soy sauce over the vegetables and noodles. Mix thoroughly.
7. Top with the sliced avocado and green onions.

Notes:

• Serves 4

Ebelskiver (Danish Filled Pancake)

We've been having Aebelskivers for a long, long time. On the theme of making things I loved prior to becoming vegan something I will eat now, I found a vegan Ebelskiver recipe. 

The top photo shows some of the fillings I used this time around: strawberry jam, peanut butter, blueberries, dark chocolate chips, and the pumpkin cream cheese filling from the recipe linked above. I topped with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and soy whip.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp ground flax seed 
3 Tbsp water
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups vanilla almond milk 
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp agave
4 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla
cooking spray

Directions:
Making Batter

1. Prepare the flax egg by whisking the ground flax seed in the water and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Warm your Ebelskivar pan over medium or medium-low heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and lemon juice. Let sit for a few minutes. Whisk again, add the agave, butter, and vanilla, and combine.
5. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the flax egg, whisking to combine.

Making and Cooking the Ebelskivers

1. Spray the pan with cooking spray. If it turns brown, your pan is too hot. Lower the heat if need be.
2. Fill each well half-full with batter.
3. Add 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon of filling to the batter, then fill remaining well with batter. Be quick!
4. Cook until the sides are golden brown and the top is bubbling (like regular pancakes.) It takes a couple minutes.
5. Turn the ebeskivers over using special turning tools, two spoons, two chopsticks, or another device. Cook through. 
6. Remove from pan, cover with toppings, and serve!

Notes:

• Makes about 27 (just shy of 3 servings in my house).
• You need an Ebelskiver pan to make these. 

Chunky Cinnamon Bites with Cream Cheese Icing

I don't recall where I got the recipe I made in 2011, but it was easy and a keeper. I've been working towards making the stuff I love vegan. I've renamed this because, like the first time, it doesn't really hold together well, so you don't need to pull it apart. The bites pull apart, though. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
16 oz refrigerated biscuits 
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted and divided

4 oz Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp almond milk

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Separate biscuit dough into individual biscuits and cut each one into quarters.
3. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a gallon zipper bag. Shake dough quarters in the cinnamon sugar by batches, until coated.
4. Place half the biscuits in a greased 12-cup Bundt pan.
5. Drizzle with half the melted butter (1/4 cup).
6. Top with remaining biscuit quarters, and the remaining melted butter.
7. Top off the unbaked biscuit pile with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
8. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden.
9. While letting the cinnamon bites sit for 5 minutes in the bundt pan, make the icing.
10. Icing: Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. For a more tangy icing, use closer to 1/2 cup powdered sugar. For a sweeter icing, use 3/4 cup or more powdered sugar. 
11. Add 1-2 Tbsp milk as necessary, beating until desired consistency is reached.
12. Invert the bundt pan with cinnamon bites onto a plate. 
13. Drizzle the icing over the warm loaf.

Notes:

• I used Immaculate biscuits, as seen in the photo. 

Vegan Finnish Oven Pancakes

As adults, we often have to change our diets from the foods of our childhood. But those will always be precious to us. When I went vegan, I thought I would not be eating Finnish Oven Pancakes again. I was thrilled to find a vegan pannukakku recipe. It isn't quite the same consistency, but it is close. And the sweetness and flavor is pretty close. I've modified some of it to be more similar to the Finnish Oven Pancakes my mom made and I grew up eating. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup silken tofu (soft)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla 
cinnamon-sugar mix 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450^o degrees.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place tofu, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.
4. Slowly add milk while the processor is running.
5. Add the flour all at once then pulse a few times to combine.
6. Add melted coconut oil and vanilla. Pulse once more.
7. Pour batter on the baking sheet, being sure it is evenly spread.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until golden.
9. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mix over the top.
10. Serve with maple syrup and your desired toppings.

Notes:

• Makes 4 slices (which is really 2 servings.)

White Bean Zucchini Burgers

Burger season calls for yummy burgers. So many vegetarian and vegan burgers are so easy to make! I love collecting bean burger recipes.

Ingredients:
1 shredded zucchini 
¾ cup prepared white beans 
1 shredded carrot 
2 tbsp flour 
1 tsp garlic powder 
1 tsp onion powder 
dash smoked paprika 
2 burger buns
Burger Toppings (your choice) (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Place shredded zucchini in a colander and gently press out excess liquid. (Leave in the sink to continue to drip.) 
3. In a mixing bowl, mash beans with a fork or potato masher until no whole beans are left. 
4. Add zucchini, carrots, flour, and spices. 
5. Mix together well. 
6. Divide mixture and make 2-4 balls. (Regular burger or sliders.) 
7. Shape into patties using your hands and place on the baking sheet. 
8. Bake 15-30 minutes, or until patties are brown and crisp, flipping halfway. 
9. Serve on a bun with toppings.

Notes:

• Per serving (without toppings): 314 calories, 3.2g fat, 57.9g carbs, 12.5g fiber, 7.0g sugars, 15.3g protein
• Serves 2

Peanut Butter Cookies

Looking for very peanut buttery peanut butter cookies? Look no farther. I modified these from a recipe we've been making since we were married. It's a very easy recipe. 

Ingredients:
½ cup softened Earth Balance butter
½ cup peanut butter (only nuts, no other ingredients)
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 Ener-G egg or flax egg (1 Tbsp flax meal)
water
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Soften butter as long as necessary.
2. Make the Ener-G egg or flax egg.
3. Preheat oven to 350º.
4. Cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, and Ener-G egg together.
5. Stir in dry ingredients. 
6. Roll into balls and distribute on cookie sheet. 
7. Dip fork in four and crisscross over each cookie ball. 
8. Bake at 350º for 10 to 12 minutes. 
9. Watch! These go from not-quite-done to overdone in less than 1 minute!

Note:

• Both the Ener-G egg and flax egg work. However, the Ener-G egg lets the peanut butter flavor shine through more.

Vegan Double Chocolate Cheesecake

I made this as a treat. It is super rich, which may only hit you after you've eaten too much. The original recipe from VegNews says it serves 8, but I think it is closer to 12, 16 if you are trying to be reasonable. This is a no-bake cashew-based cheesecake. Everybody loved this recipe. It isn't the easiest recipe to make. You'll need both your food processor and your high-speed blender. I also had a teenage son to make chocolate cookies into crumbs with a rolling pin. I've written the recipe here exactly as I made it.

Ingredients:

1¾ cups Newman's Chocolate Alphabet cookies, smashed into crumbs

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
cooking spray
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1½ cups raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, then drained
1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup coconut oil, melted

Directions:

1. Soak the raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain.
2. This is a good time to smash the cookies into crumbs.
3. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
4. Transfer cookie crumbs and melted coconut oil in a food processor and pulse to combine. The mixture needs to press into the springform pan and hold, so be sure that it sticks well together. If it is too dry, add more melted coconut oil. If it is too wet, add more crumbs. 
5. Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Press the mixture into the springform pan using your fingers to make a firm, even crust. Refrigerate or freeze while you make the filling.
6.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Be sure the melted chocolate stays fluid and does not harden.
7. In the blender, combine the drained cashews, coconut milk, agave, and coconut oil.
8. Blend until smooth. 
9. Add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
10. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. 
11. Release air bubbles by tapping the pan on the counter. This may be an art because every time I tapped and released air bubbles, more seemed to form. 
12. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. It may be left overnight.
13. Once set, run a sharp, thin knife along the edge and gently remove the sides of the pan.

Notes:

• Serves 12
• Top with your choice of berries, whipped cream, or chocolate curls. 
• Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week

Corn Bread Muffins

Please ignore the Halloween wraps; I thought we had a bunch of pan liners and these were the only ones I could find. Super tasty, it's very hard to eat just one. Based upon this recipe, I found appropriate mixes to make these.

Ingredients:
1 pkg Corn Muffin Mix
1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer 
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup almond milk
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375^o.
2. Mix 2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replaces with 1/2 cup warm water.
3. Blend all ingredients together.  Beat for 2 minutes.
4. Pour into lined muffin/cupcake pans.  
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.

Notes:

• Makes 20.

Butternut Squash and Sage Oven Risotto

My mother made this for me when I was in recovery from surgery. I liked it. It makes a lot, though. Short-grain is in bold because it really needs short grain rice.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 onions, diced
1 tsp sea salt
5 - 7 cups vegetable broth
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups short-grain brown rice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
3. Add onions and salt, stirring frequently, cook until the onions are translucent and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add a little broth if the pot becomes too dry.
4. Stir in the garlic and sage, cooking until fragrant.
5. Add the squash, rice, and 5 cups of the broth.
6. Stir well, cover, and transfer to the oven.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes, stir once and check liquid levels. If the broth is not still covering the rice, add 1 cup or so of the broth, then cover and return to baking.
9. Check every 15 minutes or so until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy and loose but not runny.
10. If the risotto seems too stiff, stir in a little broth to loosen slightly.
11. The risotto should cook for about 90 minutes.

Notes:

• Serves 8.
• You can pre-soak the rice overnight. Cook time will reduce to 60 minutes.
• Recipe was adapted from the Omaha World Herald newspaper recipe page.

Spicy Walnut Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp ground flax meal
6 Tbsp water
1 1/3 cup sugar 
1/3 cup vegetable oil 
2 cups flour 
1 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
Dash salt 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ginger 
1/2 tsp. ground cloves 
1 grated zucchini (grocery store size)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions: 

1. Add flax meal to water, whisk, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Beat sugar into flax meal. 
4. Add oil and mix well. 
5. Sift together dry ingredients. 
6. Stir dry ingredients to wet.
7. Stir in zucchini. 
8. Beat until batter is very smooth.
9. Stir in walnuts.
10. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. 
11. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle turns out clean. 
12. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Notes:

If you have home grown zucchinis, use 1 cup grated zucchini.

Spicy Zucchini Bread

It's zucchini season. Time for some zucchini bread!

Ingredients:
2 eggs 
1 1/3 cup sugar 
1/3 cup vegetable oil 
2 cups flour 
1 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
Dash salt 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ginger 
1/2 tsp. ground cloves 
1 grated zucchini (grocery store size)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat eggs. 
3. Beat sugar into eggs. 
4. Add oil and mix well. 
5. Sift together dry ingredients. 
6. Add wet ingredients to dry.
7. Stir in zucchini. 
8. Beat until batter is very smooth.
9. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. 
10. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle turns out clean. 
11. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Mediterranean Hummus Pasta

This is a nice, light spring dish. This got an approval from the family omnivores. You may not think the flavors will go together, but it's amazing.

Ingredients:
12-oz linguine
1 zucchini, half-moons
10-oz cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1 cup plain hummus
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
dash dried oregano
¾ cup olives

Directions:

1. Cook noodles via package instructions, adding zucchini, tomatoes, and bell pepper to soften and cook a few minutes before noodles are done cooking. 
2. Drain, reserving ½-cup cooking water. 
3. Return noodles and vegetables to pot. Set aside. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk hummus, basil, and oregano with hot cooking water. 
5. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables. 
6. Stir to coat.
7. Serve with a side of 1/4 cup olives.

Notes:
Serves 4

St. Patrick's Pasta

I'm not sure how this is St. Patrick's Pasta, except that there's green in it. But, it sure is tasty! I got this recipe through Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
4-oz dry noodles, ie rotini, macaroni, smaller pastas are better 
¼ cup (2-oz) vegetable broth 
oil
½ small onion, diced 
1 garlic clove, minced 
15-oz can white beans
salt
pepper 
garlic powder 
onion powder 
3 cups fresh spinach 
vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast (optional) 
smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta via package instructions. 
2. Drain, reserving ¼-cup cooking water. 
3. Rinse pasta under cool water, set aside. 
4. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until translucent. 
5. Add beans (with their liquid), stirring to combine.  
6. Turn off heat and mash the beans partially with a fork, or leave whole. 
7. Season with salt and pepper, plus onion and garlic powder as desired. 
8. Stir in pasta water to thin as needed, then toss with cooked pasta. 
9. Turn heat to low and add fresh spinach.
10. Cook, using tongs to stir around and incorporate, until spinach is soft and combined. 
11. Top with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast and a dash of smoked paprika.

Notes:

• Serves 2.
• Per serving: 401 calories, 2.9g fat, 75g carbs, 17.8g fiber, .9g sugars, 22.9g protein
• Add pine nuts to the pasta. Omnivores  might enjoy some chicken added in.

Irish Soda Bread in a Mug

For St. Patrick's Day, serve yourself a treat: Irish Soda Bread for breakfast. This bread doesn't get crusty in the microwave, although maybe you could bake it to make it so. I also removed the raisins, which is probably a definitive component of Irish Soda Bread. But, raisins ruin everything. I got this recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp white vinegar 
1 cup oat flour 
2 tbsp raw sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt 
1 cup applesauce 
12-oz yogurt 
¼ cup jam, flavor of your choice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk milk with vinegar so it curdles. Set aside. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk oat flour, raw sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and a tiny pinch of salt. 
3. Stir in milk mixture and applesauce.  
4. Spoon batter into 4 microwave-safe mugs and microwave each separately for 90 seconds, or until firm. 
5. Top with a dollop of yogurt and jam. 
6. Eat remaining yogurt on the side.

Notes:
Serves 4
Per serving: 274 calories, 2.7g fat, 54.4g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 33.4g sugars, 8.0g protein

If you want the raisins, you can add 1/4 cup raisins after the applesauce step.