Summer tacos

These are delicious with fresh summer corn! .

Filling:
Sauté 4 cloves garlic, 1 onion chopped, 1 yellow summer squash, and a handful sliced grape tomatoes. Meanwhile simmer 3 corn on the cobs until tender. Cut kernels off corn and add  to sauté along with one can black beans and one an black eyed peas.  Salt lightly

Avocado Sauce:
Blend in a cuisinart until smooth: 3 avocados, 2 cloves garlic handful parsley, handful cilantro, juice of a lime, tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and some hot pepper flakes.

Use warmed corn tortillas and fill with the filling above,  some shredded cheddar (optional) and the avocado sauce. 

Eat many!

Crunchy, Sweet Granola

As with all granolas, this is infinitely changeable depending on what is in your cupboard. You can play with the sweeteners, such as more maple and less honey for a maple flavored granola.  You can also cut the sugar by a lot for a less sweet granola.  But for now,  here is the basic recipe:

Preheat oven to 325 or Convect 300

In a big bowl combine:

8 cups oats
3 cups of some combination of wheat germ/wheat bran/oat bran/flax meal
3-4 cups of chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, cashews...)
1 1/2 t salt

In a sauce pan combine:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2-3/4 cup honey (preferably raw local)
1 T vanilla
1 T cinnamon
1 cup oil (canola works well, but any will work, even olive oil)

Bring to a bubbling boil and then pour wet over dry and mix thoroughly to coat all the dry.

Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper and pour the granola onto the trays.

Bake in the oven 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and watching that it doesn't burn.  It will continue to harden as it cools, so take it out as soon as it starts to look toasted.

Enjoy!!

Banana Ricotta Muffins

Adapted from The Chubby Vegetarian:

2 small bananas mashed (or 1 1/2 large)
1/2 cup ricotta
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup canola
3/4 cup sucanat
2 t vanilla

1 3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 t salt

wet, dry, wet into dry...throw in a handful of chocolate chips if you want

Put in muffin tins.  Top with topping:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 T brown sugar
pinch salt

Cook 25 min at 375.

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Adapted from Cafe Brenda

For two 9 inch round cakes (I like to divide it in half and make one)

Mix together 1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Melt 2 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate chips in a bowl  (I do this in the microwave)

Meanwhile beat 3 eggs with 1 cup honey/agave/brown rice syrup
Add 2/3 cup canola oil
Add 2 tsp vanilla
zest of one lemon

Stir in the melted chocolate

Add 3/4 cup Kefir (or yogurt or buttermilk) to the wet

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Fold in 1 cup+ grated carrots

Pour into buttered and floured pans. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes

Frosting: Melt 2 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate with 2 T of milk (or so) in the microwave.  Stir until smooth. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency.  Add more milk or powdered sugar until it is to your liking.  Spread on COOLED cake.

Delicious!

Squash Tacos with Avocado Sauce

Saute onion, zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomoatoes, black beans, and black-eyed peas. Boil 3 ears of corn, then cut off then cob and add to saute.

Blend until smooth 1-2 avocados with parsley, cilantro, lime, and raw garlic.

Serve the veggies and the sauce (with cheese, if you want) with warm corn tortillas.

Hint: put 6 tortillas in a stack with wet paper towels between them and microwave for 30 seconds.

Vegan Corn Chowder

Chop up and boil 4-5 small potatoes (skin on) (save 2 cups of potato water). Boil 5 ears of corn. Saute 1 onion, 2 stalks of celery, 3 cloves garlic, teaspoon dried thyme, 1 red pepper (preferably roasted!). Cut corn off cobs. Combine veggies, potatoes, and half the corn with the potato water. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Blend. Add rest of corn. Add a cup and a half of unsweetened soymilk. Warm and serve. Top with fresh minced basil at the table.

Crispy, Buttery Granola

Dry:
8 Cups oats
1 cup flax meal
1 cup wheat germ
sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are optional

In a saucepan, heat up:
1 stick butter with 1 tsp salt until melted.

Stir in:
a few cups nuts (like 3 cups plus or minus). I like almonds and pecans.

Cook for a few minutes and then add:
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup or less brown sugar

Cook until melted and combined. Turn off heat and add 1 tsp vanilla

Pour over dry ingredients. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Stir and then bake another 10.

Add fruit bits and cherries or any other dried fruit that suits your fancy!