Rice, Black Beans and Corn Salad

All ingredients are approximate:

Mix the following in a bowl:
Rice (brown or white), 2 cups cooked -
it is best one day old so it is firm, but I usually warm it in a pan before I toss it together with the other ingredients so it isn't so chewy
Black Beans, 1 can drained and rinsed well
Corn, 1 can drained and rinsed well OR two cups fresh or frozen
Avocado, 1 diced (or more)
Red Onion - Maybe 1/8 - 1/4 cup - just eyeball it, some onions are much stronger than others and less is needed
Garlic Salt - I sprinkle a little in, but usually just put it on the table so others can add their own

Put the following on the side for people to add as they wish:
Tomato
Romaine Lettuce
Cilantro
Tortilla Chips OR tortillas to make burritos

Salsa is good too...

Indian Spiced Chickpea Soup

Ingredients
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
• Warm pita, any flavor or variety, toasted

Directions
Heat a medium pot with extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions, cook 2 to 3 minutes. Grind the chickpeas and onion and garlic in food processor. Place mix to pot and cook 5 minutes. Season the chickpeas with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Stir in stock, then tomatoes. Simmer soup 5 to 10
minutes to combine flavors. Serve with warm pita for dipping.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Merry Christmas!!! This is the perfect side dish to your yummy holiday dishes. Enjoy!

Salad
Spinach
Lettuce - red leaf, green leaf, and/or Romaine
16 oz. strawberries, sliced thin
1/2 cup Candied pecans (recipe below)
Strawberry Dressing (recipe below)

Candied Pecans
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
2 TB butter (I use Earth Balance)
2 TB Brown Sugar (I use Succanat)
Brown on Med-Med High til Pecans seem caramelized. Careful not to burn.

Strawberry Dressing
1/3 cup Strawberries
3 TB balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 TB sugar (I use Turbinado/evaporated cane juice)
Sea Salt, dash
Pepper, dash
Blend in Vita Mix til creamy

Banana Pumpkin Bread

Tastes best the second and third days...

2 ripe bananas, smashed
Equivalent of 2 egg replacer
1/6 cup Sunsweet Lighter Bake (buy at WinCo)
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins or dates(optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans (I actually got three small loaves out of this).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, egg replacer, Sunsweet lighter bake, pumpkin, honey and turbinado sugar. Combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the dates or raisins if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fajita Bean Dip

Absolutely delicious dip for veggies or spread for burritos!

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 c. cashews
1/3 c. sundried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lemon juiced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 Tb. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
2/3 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt

Process or blend until creamy.

CREDIT GOES TO: Tandi

Whole Wheat Rolls

I never thought I'd find a home-made roll where I liked the taste and texture. I was wrong. These rolls are so soft. They are perfect - and don't have any oil or animal products OR high fructose corn syrup OR hydrogenated oils. Amazing! They are perfect veggie sandwich rolls too or they fit in just right with a savory Sunday meal comprised of mashed potatoes and gravy.

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup Sunsweet Lighter Bake (you can find this at WinCo - it an oil/butter substitute - if using butter, use 1 cup)
2-3 egg replacer substitute - I like flax meal - use 3 heaping TBSP flax meal, 6 TBSP water and allow to sit for 5 minutes
2 Tablespoons yeast
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 cups whole wheat flour

In a bowl, pour boiling water over honey. Mix and allow to cool. Soften yeast in 1/3 cup water, then add to bowl along with Sunsweet Lighter Bake and the egg replacer mixture. Add baking powder, sea salt, and one cup of flour, and beat with a spoon. Stir in remaining flour and let rise for two hours.

Shape into rolls and put in greased pans. Allow to rise until light. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400*F. This makes 3-4 pans of rolls depending on the size. We like larger rolls for sandwiches, so it makes 2 pans for us.

Chicago Chocolate Cinnamon Cake

I served this cake tonight in cup cake form and was asked if they had coconut in them. They are delicious and very moist. Thanks Megan!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Turbinado raw sugar/organic evaporated cane juice
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup plant milk with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar - to make a buttermilk substitute
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon real vanilla
Equivalent replacer for 2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour and sugar. Bring Earth Balance, cocoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over flour mixture and mix well. Add buttermilk substitute, soda, cinnamon, vanilla, egg replacer, and salt. Mix well. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350.

CREDIT GOES TO: Megan