Pumpkin Pancakes

These delicious pumpkin pancakes aren't quite as fluffy as my plain or banana pancakes because the pumpkin makes them dense. That being said, they taste amazing spread with vegan margarine and dripping with maple syrup!

2 cups unbleached flour
4 tsp baking powder (measure generously or add a tiny bit extra for fluffier pancakes)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup agave
1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups plain or unsweetened nondairy milk (almond works well)
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree or canned cooked pumpkin
vegan margarine or oil for frying

Combine the flour, baking powder, and spices in a large mixing bowl and stir. Add the agave and 1 1/4 cups of the nondairy milk, stir until the lumps are gone, and then stir in the pumpkin. Add the extra nondairy milk as needed to reach pancake batter consistency, probably about 1/4 cup or so depending on your how much liquid is in your pumpkin (you will need to add some but not necessarily all so do this slowly, stirring in a spoonful or two at a time). Add a little bit of vegan margarine or oil to a frying pan at slightly below medium heat. Pour the pancake batter into the pan to form 3-4" cakes. Flip the cakes when a few bubbles form on top and the bottom is light golden brown. Cook on the second side for just a moment and then enjoy topped with vegan margarine and grade B maple syrup!

Dill-Glazed Beets *

This beet recipe is very easy and can be made in under 15 minutes.

I took another picture. This one is a bit more accurate in color ;)


2 15 oz cans whole beets, drained
1 TBSP Earth Balance margarine (I use soy free)
¼ cup agave
1 TBSP fresh dill, chopped and tightly packed

Combine the Earth Balance and agave in a frying pan over medium heat and allow the margarine to melt. Stir in the dill followed by the beets and cook for a few minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beets to a serving dish and cook the remaining liquid for a few more minutes before pouring it over the beets. Serve hot or cold.

Strawberry Smoothie *

I refuse to buy "fresh" strawberries when it isn't strawberry season because they are never actually ripe and taste either very tart or very bland. I get my off-season strawberry fix in the form of a smoothie using frozen strawberries!

You'll only need three ingredients:

1 cup frozen whole strawberries (it is okay to go slightly over)
1 1/4 cups vanilla coconut milk, such as So Delicious or Silk
1 TBSP agave

Place all ingredients in your blender. Pulse a few times to break up the strawberries some and then blend on low to medium speed until smooth. If the consistency is too thick try adding more coconut milk no more than a few tablespoons at a time until you get the thickness you prefer. Makes about 16 oz of smoothie, enough for two people or one very thirsty person.

For a treat with less sugar you can reduce or skip the agave but if your berries are tart it will affect the flavor.

NOTES: If you aren't using vanilla coconut milk and opting for plain or unsweetened instead you may need to add extra agave and little bit of vanilla extract.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake *

This recipe is gluten-free and optionally soy-free.

1/2 cup chocolate vegan ice cream *
3 TBSP smooth peanut butter (or more if you want a creamier shake)
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla agave **
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Place the ingredients in your blender - the cocoa should not go in first or last - and blend until smooth according to the directions for your blender. If you do not have directions try pulsing a few times, blending on low for 15 seconds, and then medium until it looks smooth and creamy.


* I use So Delicious coconut milk chocolate ice cream to make mine soy-free. You could use any kind you like but if it is very sweet you may want to omit some or all of the agave.

** The vanilla agave I used is Wholesome Sweeteners brand. If you cannot find vanilla agave regular agave, or another sweetener of your choice, will be fine but you may wish to add a few drops of (gluten-free) vanilla extract.

Peach Sorbet *

It was so nice out today that the sun and the warmth made me want peaches. Unfortunately, it is quite a while until peach season is here and any "fresh" peaches the rest of the year are always unripe and unpleasant. Luckily I have this recipe for peach sorbet and it uses frozen peaches, not fresh!

16 oz bag frozen peaches
2 TBSP agave
1/2 cup + 2 TBSP So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage

Combine the peaches, agave, and about half of the coconut milk in a food processor (use the metal blade for this). Puree the mixture until smooth, periodically stopping to add more of the coconut milk and stir with a spoon. It is best to serve the sorbet right away but it does alright when saved in the freezer for a few hours. If it happens to be too soft putting it in the freezer for a bit will fix that but try not to let it freeze solid or you'll have a large peach pop instead of sorbet.

Apple Salad *

When making fruit salad, I prefer to use only fruit that is in season and in fall that means apples. If you have fresh, ripe, local apples which taste delicious on their own it may seem silly to add a dressing. The dressing for this salad is important, however, because it keeps the apples from turning brown after being cut up.

1 very large or 2 medium red delicious apples
1 very large or 2 medium golden delicious apples (or other mild, sweet, gold colored apple)
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 English walnut meats, broken into pieces
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (roughly one lemon worth)
1/4 cup agave
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Wash, core, and cut the apples into 1/2" pieces. Place the apples, raisins, and walnuts into a bowl. Combine the lemon juice and agave in a separate container and whisk or stir until well blended. Pour the lemon/agave dressing over the salad and stir to be sure all the apple chunks are well coated. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and stir again to distribute it through the salad. Anything that will not be eaten the same day should be refrigerated in a sealed container.



This recipe is a part of the September 2010 SOS Kitchen Challenge hosted by Diet, Dessert, and Dogs and Affairs of Living

Banana Pancakes

These are light, fluffy pancakes I developed after my sister requested banana pancakes to spread with peanut butter and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour OR white flour (King Arthur white whole wheat is great for this!)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup agave
1 1/2 - 2 cups soymilk or almond milk
2 very ripe mashed bananas
margarine or oil for frying

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir. Add the agave and 1 1/2 cups soymilk, stir until the lumps are gone, and then stir in the banana. Add the extra soymilk if necessary to reach pancake batter consistency (you will need to add some but not necessarily all so do this slowly, stirring in a spoonful or two at a time). Add a little bit of oil or margarine to a frying pan at slightly below medium heat. Pour the pancake batter into the pan to form 3-4" cakes. Flip the cakes when a few bubbles form on top and the bottom is light golden brown. Cook on the second side for just a moment and then enjoy!

Don't have ripe bananas? You can still enjoy these pancakes. Just skip the bananas and use the whole 2 cups instead of 1 1/2 of nondairy milk to compensate for the lack of bananas. You can even stir chocolate chips right into the batter if you like; it just makes them a bit messier and sometimes a bit likely to stick in the pan mildly.

NOTE: If you use oil instead of margarine for frying you will want to add a pinch of salt to the batter. I do not recommend choosing hemp milk for your nondairy milk in this recipe as it leads to sticking in the pan; your best bets are soy or almond.

Sesame Tofu *

After missing out on going to my favorite Chinese restaurant for some vegan sesame "chicken", I decided to find out how to make my own. Instead of using fake meat, however, I went with tofu and skipped the breading. It works well served with rice & steamed broccoli or some string beans stir-fried with garlic.

Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu (not Japanese style)
safflower or other vegetable oil for pan-frying
4 1/2 TBSP agave
3 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP Ketchup
1 1/2 TBSP distilled white vinegar
sesame seeds

Drain and press the tofu, then cut it into 1" chunks. In a large frying pan, cook with the oil over medium heat until the outside gets golden brown or becomes slightly crispy. Place the tofu on paper towels to soak up some of the oil while preparing the sauce. Remove any crumbled tofu bits from the frying pan, then combine the agave, sugar, ketchup, and vinegar in it. Stirring frequently, heat this mixture of medium until it boils, then reduce heat and cook until it begins to thicken. Remove the pan from heat and replace the tofu, stirring to coat it with the sauce. Once the tofu is on plates or a serving dish, sprinkle it with sesame seeds. There should be some sauce leftover in the pan which can be drizzled on top of veggies if desired.

Peanut Butter Cookies

With only 6 ingredients, these cookies are extremely easy to make. They're a bit fragile until completely cooled but after that it is safe to drizzle them with vegan chocolate.

Peanut Butter Cookies


¼ cup soy margarine, softened
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup agave nectar
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda


Cream together the margarine and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar and agave until . In a measuring cup or small bowl, blend together the baking soda and flour. Add the flour mixture to the large bowl and mix thoroughly. Place TBSP size balls of dough 1 ½ inches apart on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with nonstick spray (or lightly greased). Use a fork to flatten them to just under ½ an inch thick and leave a criss-cross pattern on top. Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for about 11 - 13 minutes; they should look like cookies instead of dough but not be browned and will be still soft to the touch. Allow the cookies to sit on the tray for a moment to firm up before moving them to a cooling rack.