Oatmeal Energy Bars

These are packed with protein and plenty of goodies to keep you going when you need a snack.  You can combine any combination of dried fruits, nut butters, and chocolate chips.  Be advised:  Using some kinds of chocolate chips will add milk to your bars (unless you buy a vegan type.)  My favorite combo is apricots, peanut butter, and white chocolate chips. :)  Sometimes I add a bit of cinnamon.  They are not overly sweet so if you think you might like them sweeter then you could always add up to 1/4 cup or so of a granular type sweetener.

Oatmeal Energy Bars

2 cups oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried fruit-raisins, chopped apricots, craisins, chopped dates, coconut, etc.
1/4 cup chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips, etc.)
1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, etc.)
1/4 cup liquid sweetener-agave, maple syrup, or honey
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds + 6 Tbsp. water

Combine flax and water.  Set aside.  Combine all dry ingredients in mixing bowl.  Stir in dried fruit and chips.

In a separate bowl, combine liquid sweetener, nut butter, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  Add flax and water mixture and combine.

Add wet to dry ingredients and mix well.  It will be on the dry side but keep mixing.  Press into a sprayed 8x8 pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cool for about 10 minutes then cut into bars.

Avocado on Toast

This is hands-down my favorite thing for breakfast but I usually save it for every once-in-awhile.  We grew up with this.  My grandparents, who lived in California where avocados are plentiful, introduced it to us and it's been a favorite ever since.  Best on some great whole grain bread.  So yummy!

Avocado on Toast

4 slices of bread, toasted
1 avocado, peeled and slightly mashed
lemon juice
salt

Butter warm toast.  Earth Balance works great.  Spread avocado on toast.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt.  Enjoy!

Lemon Teasecake

This is sooo good!  It's unbelievable creamy and fresh and you won't believe what makes it that way!Cashews and millet!  Oh, and did I mention it is REALLY easy?  This is a recipe from a vegetarian restaurant  in Seattle called Cafe Ambrosia.  (I'm not sure if it is still there.)  It is one of their signature desserts.  Both the crust and the filling are free of eggs, dairy, wheat, and soy so it's great for people with allergies.  If you think you can't make it because you don't have a fancy blender...you're wrong! I just have a blender I got at Target and it works great!  (A fancy blender is still on my "wish list".)  It wasn't quite ready to eat by the time my kids went to bed so I promised them I'd save some for them for the next day.  My husband and I seriously had a hard time stopping once we tasted it.  We had to keep telling ourselves, "Remember the children!"

Lemon Teasecake

Oatmeal Cinnamon Crust
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown rice flour (I just run brown rice through my wheat grinder)
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/4 cup safflower oil (I didn't have any so I used half canola and half olive oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.  In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, combine vanilla, maple syrup, and oil, and stir well.  Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients; mix to incorporate liquid.  Press firmly into an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool about 30 minutes before filling.

Filling
1/2 cup uncooked millet
2 cups water
1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract

In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring millet and water to boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat for about 50 minutes, until water is absorbed and millet is soft.  While millet is cooking, place cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup, and extracts in a blender.  Process on high for 3 minutes or until perfectly smooth.  If necessary, scrape down sides of blender with spatula and process for another minute.  While cooked millet is still warm, add to blender mixture.  Process on high for another 3 minutes until creamy.  Pour into cooled crust.

Cool filling and crust at room temperature for 1 hour.  Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.  Place plastic wrap over surface to prevent excess cracking.  Teasecake will keep for about 3 days, refrigerated.

Topping (Optional)
8 ounces cherry preserves (fruit-juice-sweetened jam)
2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced thin into rounds

Place cherry preserves in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until barely softened.  Spread evenly over filling that has chilled and set.  When ready to serve, garnish with slices of kiwifruit.

Red Pepper & Onion Quinoa

My mother-in-law passed this along to me last week.  It was great!  I had everything on hand and dinner was planned by 10:00 am.  I think that's got to be a record for me!  The only thing different that I did was use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken and the only quinoa I had was a pilaf mix that had green, yellow, and red lentils mixed with the quinoa.  I'm sure it didn't change the taste and only added some extra protein and nutrients. :)

Red Pepper & Onion Quinoa

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

4 finely chopped onions (I used green)

sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp.)

Rinse quinoa well under running water to remove bitter outer-coating.  Drain in mesh strainer.  In large pot combine quinoa, water, and bouillon cubes.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes.  While quinoa is cooking, saute red and yellow peppers with garlic and seasonings until tender crisp.  (You don't want mushy veggies!)  Add green onions right at the end. Stir into cooked quinoa to combine.  Serve warm. 

Warm Sesame Noodles

We tried this new dish yesterday.  It was good but I think I might do something different with the sauce next time.  I love tahini and I love balsamic vinegar but it seemed like a little much with this dish.  Maybe I'll reduce the balsamic vinegar to 1 Tbsp. next time or maybe switch it out with a tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce.  It wasn't bad though, and by the third bite or so you kind of get used to it.  I will definitely break the noodles into thirds or fourths next time.  I think all of the veggies will mix in better that way. This is best served at room temperature or warm but chilled leftovers can be great for lunch the next day.

Warm Sesame Noodles

1 pound dry whole-wheat, spelt, or brown rice noodles (linguini, fettuccine, or spaghetti)
3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil (I only used 1 Tbsp. at the most)
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
1/2 cup sesame tahini
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. sweetener of your choice
salt and cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup water, more or less as needed
1 English cucumber, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente.  Drain in a colander, refresh under cold running water, and drain again.  Transfer to a large bowl and toss with sesame oil to keep noodles from sticking together.  While pasta cooks blanch snow peas in boiling water for 1 minute.  Drain, cool, and cut into thirds or quarters.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, cream together tahini, vinegar, garlic, sweetener, salt, and cayenne pepper to taste, if using.  Beating with a fork, add just enough water to make a thick but pourable sauce.  Pour over cooked noodles, add reserved snow peas, cucumber, and onions, and toss gently but thoroughly.  Adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Serve warm or at room temperature.