Perfect Brown Rice

This post came out of desperation. What I mean by that is that I was scrambling to get dish together for my class this week. And, of course, I was wanting to do a dish for Cinco de Mayo and was failing terribly. Then I remembered how much I L-O-V-E the rice that Chipotle's serves. It is their cilantro lime rice. And I know there are variations on a theme, so I began to Google away. I found this truly simple recipe and thought how could I not try this and see how ti comes out. The worst that can happen is that I do not make it again. Best case scenario, it is a hit.

Trust me (I do say that quite a bit in my recipes) when I tell you that I will never make any style of brown rice any other way but this way. So let's quit with the chit-chat and get down to this recipe....shall we?

1 cup long rain brown rice (basmati, jasmine, or regular)
1 t oil or vegan butter
1/2 t sugar of choice
2&1/2 cups water
Juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
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Heat frying pan to medium heat and add oil or butter. Add the rice and sugar and stir constantly until the rice is thoroughly coated. Add rice to cooking pot or rice cooker and cook as you normally do until rice is tender.

Once rice is finished cooking add lime juice and cilantro. Serve hot.

I loved this dish, but I know in my house we would add more lime juice and cilantro. But if you are not a lover of cilantro then cut it in half and substitute the other half with parsley. If you ABSOLUTELY have not lime juice then I guess you can you lemon juice, but I would not recommend it unless you have no option. Please make this and you will see, as I did that each and every rice grain falls off thee other ones. And remember, make...eat...enjoy!

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

There is only one reason I made this, and that is for my husband. Five days a week he gets up at 3:15a.m. to got work. So making something for himself is pretty much out of the question. We both love oatmeal and I am the one who likes to experiment with each and every recipe. I like adding nuts, spices, fruit. But he seems to like plain ole oatmeal. Just a bit of brown sugar and vegan butter and he is good to go. Not me. I want my oatmeal to be a party going on. Not that I do not like plain oatmeal. It is fine and dandy, but nothing wrong with adding a little zip to your breakfast.

The recipes I initially searched for all used steel cut oats. And those things are grand, but I don't have any in my cupboard. I have may own bucket of oat groats and then I roll them with my machine. I figured out after a few searches that I had to redefine the search to include 'rolled oats'. Once that was done I got to about the third recipe and Whamo, we were ready to slow cook.

This is one of those recipes as with pretty much any oatmeal recipe that is very flexible. you can add spices, change the fruit and so on and so on. Make this recipe first and then start playing with different ingredients. But trust me when I say that this one is perfect as is. Now, on to the recipe.

2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 t cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar (I misread that and used much less and it was still fine)
2 cups rolled oats (but not quick)
4 cups water
dash of salt (I did not use this)
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In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Add chopped apple to the bottom of the slow-cooker/crock pot. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the apples. Add the oats and water. This is going to be the difficult part, DO NOT STIR!  It will be the most difficult thing for you not to stir it all together. But trust me when I say that the cooking process will do that for you overnight.

I stared my crock pot on high for a few hours, then before I went to bed I checked on it and saw that it was doing very well. So I turned it down to super low and by the time my husband got up to go to work, he was good to go. I love this option so now he can have many more morning with a healthy start to his day. And as I always say, make...eat...enjoy!!

It's Corny

With summer upon us and in full swing, I know we are all doing BBQ's and are learning to readjust how we grill. Well i have a wonderful stand-by in case you can't reach the grill.

I love corn, but detest throwing it in a pot of boiling water. How cliche. But I saw a fellow coworker recently, make corn in thee oven. So, I inquired and viola, I got me a new way to make corn.

I take the corn, shuck and clean it as best possible. then wrap it in tin foil, with nothing on it what-so-ever. Bake it at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Done.

You can, if you want, add some melted, salted, vegan butter on it if you like, but trust me when I say that it is not necessary. Make...eat...enjoy!

Bulgar Breakfast

I figured I was sitting at the computer waiting for the delivery man to bring me my new dishwasher, I might as well catch up on my blog. So here come some new recipes.

If you think that bulgar is only for Tabbouleh, then think again. Most grains that are used in savory dishes, can double into the sweet realm, hence the breakfast mode. This is very simple dish to make, however, you will need a bit of time. So do not attempt this one if you are trying to rush out the front door, it will be a disaster.

2 cups of water
1 cup bulgar wheat
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1-2T vegan butter
1-2T sweetener of choice
sprinkle of cinnamon (or any spice you prefer) (optional)
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Bring water to a boil. Add bulgar, cover and turn down and simmer for 20 minutes (or until it is tender enough to eat). Add applesauce, sweetener, and butter. Stir well. Add cinnamon or spice of choice. Serve. Make...eat...enjoy!

Blender Waffles

I love waffles. To say that I do would be an understatement. With that said, a dear girlfriend of mine had introduced me to Sue Gregg a few years back. It is her recipe that I use to bake my bread from scratch. This woman also has many a books when it comes to baking. Visit her website and see.


I had long wanted to make waffles, but had relied entirely on my daughter to make them, for she made them so wonderfully, that I did not want to mess with perfection. But of late her schedule has not allowed her to laze around in the morning and willy nilly make waffles. So, while making bread the other day I thought I might take a gander around my bread making book and just see if this woman had a generic waffle batter recipe. Low and behold she did. Thee only thing I have altered was that I eliminated the usage of an egg. But it was optional to begin with and they came out fine and dandy.


Now, I do know that she has specific books about baking specific things, so I just may have to purchase those books. But in the mean time, I will use the recipe I found until said time. 


A word of warning for this recipe. If you do not have a high powered blender, you will not be able to make this recipe. I am sorry for this for I try to make eating healthy, something that everyone should have access to, but this will not apply here. Again my apologizes. With that said, let's get down to business...shall we?


1&1/2-1&3/4 cups buttermilk (fruit juice or water can be used)
2T olive oil (or any oil you have on hand)
1t vanilla extract
1 cup uncooked RAW brown rice + 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2t baking soda
1t salt
2t baking powder
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Heat your waffle iron to its highest setting. Place the first four ingredients into the blender and run on high for 4 minutes, until smooth. The secret to this batter is its thinness. When it is in your blender, the batter should be forming a tornado/hurricane style vortex. If it does not, then your batter is too thick.


After you have blended then add the last 3 ingredients just before you begin baking your waffles. Pour just enough batter to fill each well in the waffle iron. Set the timer for 4 minutes and then perfection will ensue. 


These were very crisp on thee outside and tender on thee inside. We will make these again for sure. A definite keeper. Make...eat...enjoy!

Breakfast Quinoa

Well I will openly admit that for the longest time I was not a huge fan of quinoa. Yep, I will openly admit it now. And I know what the problem was. In the beginning I was not cooking my quinoa long enough. Now I know better. With that said, let me inform you that if your quinoa has not opened up its little tail and separated form the grain itself, then you have not cooked your quinoa long enough.

I was looking for some new breakfast cereal (not boxed) and I am so over all the tried and true we have here. In walks quinoa. I was looking through Sarah Kramer's book, 'La Dolce Vegan' and looked through the breakfast section and out pops this quinoa recipe. I had all thee ingredients ( a big one in my home) and viola, 15 minute later we were eating breakfast.

So let's make this dish and you can thank me in the morning.

1&1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 cup quinoa (remember to rinse VERY well)
1/4 cup raisins (I would add more next time)
1/2 cup fresh fruit (your choice)
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Ina medium saucepan on high heat, bring the milk to a boil. Reduce heat immediately and add the quinoa and raisins. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remember, once the tail has separated from the grain, you are good to go. Add a touch of sweetener (if you like) and maybe a dab of vegan butter and or some nuts of your choice.

This was beyond scrumptious. I would make this again in a heart-beat. And now I have one more hot grain I can add to my already lengthy hot cereals for my morning food. Make...eat...enjoy!

Lemony Lentil Soup

I love soup. And for many different reasons. First off, I did not find my love for soups until I lived up north way back in the day. Yes, this native Floridian was transplanted to the great white north for about 3 & 1/2 years. And I loved it tremendously.

You have to keep in mind that I only knew of snow and the such through movies and post cards. So for me to see it first hand was just an incredible experience. I think everyone should experience snow. It is truly amazing.

Back to food. Soups. Ahhh, yes, these lovely little concoctions can be a meal in and of themselves. You got that right. If you have enough goodies in them, all you need is a beverage to wash it down and lest we for get thee ever popular bread on the side. Pick a bread...any bread and you are good to go. There may be more than a few who feel that this is just a precursor to an entire meal. Hogwash I say. If you look at some soup recipes, you will see for yourself that that are a meal in a bowl Alllriiight, serve it over some noodles or rice, which ever suits your fancy. But know this. It is not necessary. And as of late, I found this one on VegWeb.

1 cup green or brown lentils (dry)
4-6 cups veggie broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 t salt
1/2 t curry powder
1 medium onion, about 1/3 cup, finely chopped
olive oil as needed
1/2 - 1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 - 2 lemons
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Pick through lentils, clearing out all debris. Then rinse thoroughly. In a large soup pot, add your broth along with your lentils, bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to a low steady full boil, but not a full rolling boil. Add the bay leaf, oregano, curry powder, pepper, and salt. Cover and cook for 25 minutes.

While the soup is cooking saute the onion and rice in your olive oil. Coat your pan with enough oil that the rive and onion do not stick, but not so much they are swimming in thee oil. About 5-6 minutes. Once your timer has gone off, add your rice/onion mixture and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Serve hot and with a dash of lemon. If you think lemon sounds odd in this soup. Put your wrinkled nose aside and trust me on this one. Once you have had this soup, you will not be able to eat it without the lemon. Now go make this and name your first born after me as thanks.

Lentil Loaf

I recently had an event at my health food store where I work. We were given organic, free range turkeys to cook up and sample out. I was the designated vegetarian who made all the side dishes, showing people that you did not have to have a slab of dead flesh in the center of your table in order to have good food.



We were given samples of pre-packaged, instant gravy to use for our mashed potatoes. They were, luckily, vegan and gluten free. What I loved was the recipe on the back of one of the packages that was for Lentil Loaf. And I am always trying to perfect a mock meat loaf. Yeah, yeah, yeah, i know I will never completely achieve the same exact flavor, but I will keep on trying. And I have to say, this one is not all that bad. I will tweak it a bit, and it is not as close as our Skinny 'B' recipe, but not bad for being 100% non packaged foods. One for the naturalist in me.

I took the little package home and gave it a whirl. And moreso because I had all thee ingredients. So many nights i am flying by the seat of my pants. And luckily for us we do not need to thaw out any meat. And for the most part I have beans cooked in bulk and in the freezer. So for me to throw some frozen cooked beans in a pot of hot water while I get dinner ready is nothing. Shazam, we have dinner on the table. So let's get this recipe up and see how it rolls.

1 onion, diced
2T water
2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1 cup ground rolled oats
1 cup cooked barley or brown rice
1/2 cup pureed tomatoes
1/2 t each, garlic powder, rosemary, and basil
2T soy sauce
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Cook onion with water for about 5 minutes in a saucepan until onion is tender. Combine cooked onions and all other ingredients in a large bowl. Pat mixture into an oiled loaf pan. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with gravy and enjoy.

I found this a tad bland, but could be easily remedied by adding a bit more spice. And, I could taste the walnuts, don't know how to fix that one, but I will get it. This held together quite well and would make this again without evening thinking about it. try it, you will like it.

Teff Banana Pancakes

Well here is the second recipe I made at the gluten free event I attended. So many people find pancakes to be a comfort food...and they are. I could eat pancakes every day, that is how much I love them. And there is no one style I like better than others. So when I needed to find one that could satisfy and still be good enough for gluten free folks, I knew I had a challenge in front of me.

Usually I make all my dishes at home before releasing them onto my unsuspecting public, but this was one of those dishes I knew(hopefully) that I would not mess up. It paid off. The recipe was a hit and turned out picture perfect. I think there was one person in the back that cried, for he had not had pancakes in such a long time. So this is for all those folks who have had to give up a very important comfort food.

2T flax seeds, ground
2 bananas, ripe (or ripened, frozen and thawed out)
1&1/2 cups vanilla milk (soy, almond, hemp, rice)
1T vanilla
1T honey
1&1/2 t olive oil
1&1/2 cups teff flour (Teff is a grass grown in Ethiopia)
1T baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t cinnamon
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Grind flax seed (or use pre-ground flax seed, more commonly known as flax meal) in a coffee grinder, until powdery. In a medium bowl add banana, vanilla, milk, honey, and 1/2 oil. Blend well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine teff flour, baking powder, sea salt, and cinnamon. Stir in banana-milk mixture.

Heat your skillet or griddle to a medium heat. Using tablespoon measure, scoop up the batter and pour on to hot griddle. Cook pancakes for 3-4 minutes, or until holes appear, or a dry rim forms around thee outer edge of the pancakes. Flip and cook for another minute or two. Serve plain or with syrup or yogurt.

These were fantastic and I would be hard pressed for anyone to tell me these were not traditional pancakes. Make them and see for yourself.

Quinoa Tabouleh with Chickpeas

I suddenly realized how long it has been since I posted any new recipes and it is pitiful. this was a dish I found when I was asked to make a couple of dishes about gluten free. I know a little bit about gluten free issues, but not so much so that I could teach a class about it. However, I can talk about cooking.

The lady who puts together the calender at the health food store
I work in asked me to find a dish or two to make at a special event, and this one struck a cord, only because Tabbouleh is such a traditional dish in the Mediterranean diet but is made with cracked wheat. Not good if you are adhering to a gluten free diet. In comes quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). Other than changing the wheat to quinoa, this dish is pretty much like the traditional tabbouleh, but this was oh-so-good. So now, on to the recipe.

1 cup white quinoa, drained and rinsed
1&3/4s water, boiling
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1T lemon juice
1T white wine vinegar
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup canned chick peas (make your own whenever possible)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint (or 1/4 cup if mint is dried)(spearmint is preferable)
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Rinse and drain the quinoa. Bring the water and 1/2 t salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, and reduce the heat to low. Cover pan, and simmer until grains are dry, fluffy and tender and the white germ ring shows, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil (olive oil being added last) lemon juice, vinegar, 1/2 t salt and black pepper to taste. Stir into the hot, cooked quinoa(for better absorption flavor). Transfer to a bowl, and let cool. If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before adding thee other ingredients. Combine the tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, and mint and let stand for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Add to the quinoa and toss gently.

This was a wonderful alternative to the traditional tabbouleh. And can easily be served and for those with gluten issues they can still enjoy the best of both worlds and us traditionalists miss out on nothing.

Stephanie's Asteroids

I was looking for a new recipe for work. Since I cook at my new job at Nutrition S'Mart, our local health food store, I am always making one main dish, or side dish, and always have a dessert of some sort. But this week I was bamboozled as to to make for the dessert end of the dishes. I try to make something that is easy, quick, tasty and what people can recognize. Who wants a recipe with 18 ingredients, that they will only use once. So I go for the stick to your ribs kind of meals...dessert included.

With that said, please hold on to your hats, for this dish is simple stupid. Even my bachelors can make this. And want to know that kicker? You know you want to know. There is NO BAKING involved. You got it. All you have to do is melt down some ingredients and Viola! Dang it's good to be me.

I got this recipe form Sarah Kramers La Dolce Vegan book. My kids got this for me for Christmas last year. I had cracked the book but had not really gone through it. Big mistake on my part. This is a very eclectic book of recipes she has collected from friends and readers. How cool is that? Try these and tweak them where needed, I know I do.

1&1/2 cups quick oats (we used rolled oats)
1 t ground cinnamon
2 T shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup sugar (I would go 3/4 next time)
1/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/4 cup milk (can use soy, rice or almond)
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In a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, cinnamon and coconut and set aside. In a small pot on medium heat, heat the sugar, peanut butter, and milk until soft and smooth, stirring often to avoid burning. Pour peanut sauce into oats and stir until well blended. Form mixture into balls on a plate or cookie sheet. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Makes 8 large or 16 small Asteroids.

These are so yummy and with a taste that brings you back to your childhood of homemade peanut butter cookies, minus the heat of the oven. Make them, you will thank me in the morning.

Vegan Kibbeh

For those of you who may not be familiar with Middle Eastern food, may I make a suggestion? TRY IT! I was introduced to Middle Eastern cuisine way back in 1991 when my husband found some long lost relatives. If I had to choose one ethnic food to eat from, it would be the Mediterranean food. Their dishes are very vegetarian friendly. And I just discovered how I can veganize one of my favorite meat dishes of theirs. Man am I a happy camper now.

This is a bit on the time consuming part, but trust me it is well worth it and your friends will be impressed. Here is the original recipe for the meat version of Kibbeh. And if you have not visited the Middle Eastern recipe site I have on this blog, then please do so. these are the real deal and looks like it could have come from someones kitchen. I know for I have witnessed their food making first hand.

Thee only thing I changed was I used Gimme Lean Ground Beef style meat substitute. And man was it a winner. But the real critic was to be my son. He is not a vegetarian and my mother-in-law brings him a few kibbehs when she does make them for she knows how much he loves them. So when I made mine, I hoped he wold like them so I could make them at a family dinner. Well low and behold he actually loved them. So I now have another veggie dish I can serve my son. I will convert him yet.

You can add some Hummus to the table along with some Arabic Pickled Turnips. We had some carrot salad and away we went. It was a delicious meal. You could also have some yogurt, vegan or not on the side to dip your kibbeh in. I dipped mine in my hummus. Good times at the Cooking Lady's house.

Corn Fritters

I have no clue how I found this young woman, Vegan in Louisiana, but I am loving her recipes. They are simple and for the most part, easy to make. And even though I love being in the kitchen, there is nothing like a simple yet delicious recipe. Well here you have it folks. So dig in and try these. You will not regret it one little bit.

And before you say it, yeah, I know they are not super healthy, for they are fried, but hey, I don't smoke, I don't drink so I fry foods once in a while.

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t Tony Chacheres or Old Bay Seasoning (I had neither so I used a Mrs. Dash blend)
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t paprika
1/2 cup soy or rice milk (we used almond)
1/4 cup water
1&1/2 -2 cups fresh corn(I had bough a bunch a while back and cut it off the cob and froze it. I am a genius)
1-2T oil for frying
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Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, Mrs Dash, cumin and paprika in a bowl. Add milk and water to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
Fold in corn.
Heat skillet with oil to med-high heat. When oil is hot, spoon out fritters, about 1 T at a time and flatten with the back of a spoon. Cook until golden brown. (Edges will turn brown and bubbles will form on top, similar to pancakes)
Flip and cook again. Drain on paper towel and enjoy.

These are a keeper for sure. They were simple, easy and a wonderful comfort food.

Supposed To Be Poppyseed Muffins

I swear I had poppy seeds in my pantry, but low and behold...I did not. So, these muffins turned into raisin muffins. But they turned out great all the same. Just no blinking poppy seeds. Pffft!

I needed a pick me up, for we had not made any new recipes in quite a while, but I found this one in the first vegetarian book that was ever given to me. The New Laurel's Kitchen. That was back in 1992. Stop counting!

This is one of those comfort books that you find on your Nanny's bookshelf after she has passed away and you find out this is where she kept all her tried and true recipes. this is a book that can be handed down form generation to generation. I love this book. Now, on to the recipe.

1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup boiling water
2&3/4 cups rolled oats (about)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2&1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
2 eggs (I used applesauce)
2T oil or butter (I used coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey(I used honey...that was meant to be funny)
1 cup milk (we used almond)
2 T poppy seeds (WE HAD NONE)
2 t grated lemon zest (we had dried so we cut it to 1 t)
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. (We used our jumbo tin so we made 6 instead of 12)
Soak raisins 5 minutes in 1/4 cup boiling water. Chop coarsely in a blender or by hand. ( left them whole.
Make the oats into a coarse flour in a blender or food processor(if using a blender, do it 1/2 at a time). You will need 2 cups of coarse flour.
Put oat flour in bowl and sift in the other dry ingredients. Beat eggs, oil, and honey together, then stir in the milk, raisins and water, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.
Add dry ingredients to liquid ones, stirring just enough to mix well. Spoon into muffin pans and bake for about 15 minutes.(my oven was 18 minutes) The muffins will be a sunny yellow (mine were not) on top and a delicate brown on the bottom when done.

These were great, even without the poppy seeds. But they just went on the list for next week.

Grape-Nut Bars

Another recipe under my belt. sha-BAM! I seriously hope I can keep up this trend. I love experimenting with foods. I love being in the kitchen and seeing the looks on peoples faces when they bite into that dish and savor the flavor. When I am in the kitchen, I am in my element. That is not to say I am by any means a chef. I am a cook and one that is still not comfortable with either winging it or flying by the seat of my pants. That was my mothers strong point. She could open a refrigerator and make something out of a supposed nothing.

Well here I am making a sweet dish and this fits the bill. Now, you have to remember, that with McDougall, his goal is to cut down on extra fat and sugar. So your taste buds will definitely need to get use to this line of cooking. Even though I do not have a sweet tooth, I am finding that I feel the need to sweeten up some of these dishes. But that just goes to show you how we have become accustomed to thee extra sweetener that the companies out there have gotten us use to. I want to break that habit. I am on a mission.

3 cups Grape-Nuts (we do not buy anything from the Post company, so we purchase generic)
1 cup low-fat soy milk (I don't do anything low-fat, so it is full flavor milk for us and we used almond milk)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup raisins
2 t vanilla
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all of thee ingredients together. Pour into a nonstick 9-inch square baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until firm. Cool and cut into 12 squares.

This one came out picture perfect. However, thee only thing I may do differently is to use only a 1/2 cup of applesauce and use either agave , molasses or honey to take up thee other 1/2 cup. But other than that it was perfect. And, I added a 1/2 t cinnamon, for in my book, if a recipe has raisins and vanilla, then you must add cinnamon. It was a great addition.

Overnight Porridge

I love oatmeal. Always have, always will. And I am always looking for ways to bring it to the next level or spruce it up a bit. So, with my new found love for John McDougall and having found one of his cookbooks at a flea market about 1 year ago, I am beginning to dive in.

Now I openly admit to not liking every recipe we make. Some of them are downright garbage worthy. So I will not say I like a dish, just because it is a healthy one. If I don't like it, you will hear about it for sure. With that said, I tried a new twist one oatmeal. One of the things I look for in a new recipe , is mostly whether or not we have all if not, most of the ingredients, then we move on to the making process.

This one I was a bit skeptical about and for a couple of reasons. 1) There was only 1 tablespoon of sweetener for the entire dish. That is not to say I slather sugar in my food, but by making this dish, I realize just how much I came to depend on any sweetener to make our food palatable 2) I was not going to add my usual dollop of butter.

Yep, today was my first day of my venture into being vegan. I openly admit that I may fall off the wagon, and trust me when I say it was extremely tempting to dive in at work and grab a few pieces of cheese, but I did it, I left the liquid meat out of my mouth and I am still here to type about it...who knew.

So on to the recipe. Very simple, common ingredients and you just prep it the night before and viola!, you have a new recipe in the morning.

1/2 cup bulgur
3T rolled oats
1T molasses or brown rice vinegar (we used molasses)
1/3 cup mixed dried fruit pieces or raisins (we used raisins)
1&1/2 cups water
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Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to a saucepan. (It has microwaveable directions, but since I no longer use a microwave, I am not going to offer those instructions)

Stove method: Cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently.

I served this as is, no added sugar or sweetener and it was to die for. Next time I will change the fruit and maybe add some nuts. A definite keeper for sure.

Serves 4

Black Bean Brownies

Every now and then you come across a recipe that piques your interest. This is one such recipe. And for more than one reason. I love brownies, but not chocolate. I love brownies, but not sweets. I know I am a wealth of oxymoron's. I still prefer salty over sweet, but once in a while I get a hankering for a little bit of sweetness. Insert Black Bean Brownies. When I first saw this recipe I knew right then and there I was going to make them. Now, you have to remember, that I am not one of those people who crinkles their nose up at unusual ingredients. And I think that is because I have moved away from the conventional way of thinking about food. And once you do that, your possibilities are endless. Open your mind.

I found these lovely little treats at Happy Herbivore. But I had no idea just how easy and good they were. Plus thee ingredient list is something we can all recognize and pick up at our local grocery store. Yes, even thee agave is now in every grocery store I visit. Who knew.

I am going to have to tweak them a wee bit, but not too much that I will post about it. I think that mine were just a bit too soft. So insert more oatmeal or black beans. You see, black beans are not just for Latin Cuisine.

15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed (we make our own)(in bulk so we have them ready to go)
2 whole bananas
1/3 cup agave
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1T cinnamon
1t vanilla
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup instant oats (we flake our own)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan (we use coconut oil) and set aside. Combine all ingredients except oats, in a food processor or blender until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes (we needed a bit more), or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing...if you can.

Raw Oatmeal Cookies

I snagged this recipe from Ani Phyo . I do not remember how I stumbled upon her, but I am guessing it was about raw food or from another cooking blog. Suffice it to say she is wonderful. She is down to earth and someone I would easily invite to my home and feel comfortable around.

I also subscribe to her on Youtube. She is just so cute to watch and see how she does things. She does have a few recipes on her website, but the majority of them are in her cookbooks. I will eventually be buying her books, but for now I just keep googling raw food for websites and blogs.

Watch her in action at a festival.

I tried to upload the video of her, but I could not get it to do so, so please check her out and make these scrumptious little devils.

1&1/2-2 cups rolled oats
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup of raisins
1 t cinnamon
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Place oats in glass bowl with cinnamon. Stir together until mixed. Chop dates into a semi-fine mush. May I suggest that you oil your knife. We use coconut oil. Add dates to oatmeal mixture. Toss in the raisins. Oil your hands with coconut oil or with warm water. I used coconut oil and it lasted a good amount of time. Keep on mashing together by hand. It will take about 5 minutes, but oh the biceps you will have.

Once the mixture is to a dough-like consistency (you will know) then start forming them into golf ball sized rounds then flatten them into cookie shapes. Bada-Boom, bada bing you are ready to eat these puppies.

My son, who is the pickiest eater I know, tried a small sample then asked for a bigger cookie. Who's your momma now son? Yeah, I thought so!

Best Ever Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I have no clue where I found this recipe. I always try to give credit where credit is due. So I scoured my cookbooks, blogs and found nada. So whoever I snatched this form...there is place for you in the cosmos.

This recipe took all of about 10 minutes to put together, save for the freezing part. And they were perfect in my opinion. My daughter thinks they needed more sweetener, but I disagree. But then again she has a sweet tooth.

This is so close to raw it is scary. And putting raw into my diet is definitely becoming something I am enjoying. So give these a try. You will not be sorry.

1/4 cup soy milk (we used what was in the frig)
2T cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2T sugar (we used raw sugar)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup uncooked oats
2t olive oil
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Add soy milk, cocoa powder and sugar in a small nonstick saucepan over low heat and stir often until sugar dissolves and all ingredients mix nicely.

DO NOT BOIL (soy milk will curdle and that is ICKY my friends), but make sure it gets very hot. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir into mix until melted.

Stir in oatmeal and oil.

Drop with a greased tablespoon into 16 balls onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper, or spray with non-stick spray. Freeze (covered, if desired) for a minimum of 4 hours. They are better the next day after you make them (This is true)

And yes my friends you eat them frozen. Forget Hagen-Daz, this rules the freezer.

Preparation time: Fast. There is no baking. Hello summer cookies, this is Florida we are talking about.

Carrot-Raisin Muffins

I love muffins. Always have...always will. So when I got Vegan With A Vengeance for Christmas, I knew I would be searching for some new muffin recipes. Now keep in mind that I got a jumbo muffin tin at my AVON holiday party as a Chinese gift exchange. Who better to get such a gift. We have used it a few times already.

Before I got so healthy, I loved muffins just the same, except they were laden with sugar, on thee inside and out. But I am now exploring some great recipes with so much less sugar added. And my first reaction still is to say, 'Hey, these are not sweet enough.' But then I realize what I just said and move on. These are definitely a keeper, except I will need to alter the time they are baked. We need to extend our time, for the time given is not long enough for my oven. Try these, eat these and make these again.

1/2 cup raisins
1&1/2 cups flour (we used half spelt and half soft white. Remember we grind our own wheat)
2t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground or freshly grated nutmeg (I was able to use freshly grated. Thank you microplaner)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2t salt
1 cup rice or say milk (we used almond)
1/4 cup canola oil (we used olive)
1t vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or lightly grease. ( we use coconut oil) Soak the raisins in a bowl of hot water and begin preparing your batter. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Create a well in the center and add the milk, oil, and vanilla; mix with wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the grated carrots. Remove the raisins from the water and fold in. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, (we need at least 25 for our oven) until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Let cool on a cooling rack.

They are healthy and taste good, a concept most folks who are not vegetarians or are poor esters cannot understand. Make them and sit down with a cup of java or tea, they deserve that much at least.