Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

recipe from David's Mom

preheat oven to 350°.

Ingredients You'll Need:::

For the Crust:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup organic *vegan* powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened

Combine ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Spread mixture evenly to cover the entire bottom of an ungreased 8x8 glass baking dish to form the crust. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.


For the Batter:

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-3 teaspoons lemon zest (adjust amount according to your affinity for lemon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl until the batter is light and fluffy. Pour over the hot crust and bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle rack. The top will brown slightly, but as long as it doesn't get darker than a golden brown, it's good. If it does, move to the bottom rack. Remove from the oven and sprinkle powdered sugar over the top while still warm. Cool completely before cutting & enjoy!

Banana Nut Muffins

My husband LOVES banana bread. I never used to like it, but this recipe has won me over. I found the non-vegan version in my recipe book from almost 10 years ago. So I veganized it and guess what? It's amazing! It's moist, fluffy and decadent. This is definitely not the most wholesome baked good, but really, it's not supposed to be... it's banana bread! Banana muffins, actually. And Vegan at that! Starbucks has nothing on these. Let me know if you agree, or not. :)

Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar ( I used Florida Crystals Organic)
1/2 cup Earth Balance, cold
1 flax egg
1 cup mashed over-ripe bananas
5 tablespoons original almond or soy milk
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts

Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350°. Prepare baking pan. You can make one 9x5 bread pan, 12 regular muffins or 6 jumbo muffins. I made 6 jumbo muffins. :)

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift or use a whisk and mix well.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and cold Earth Balance until smooth. Beat in the flax egg and bananas until creamy. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in milk and nuts.

Fill muffin tin 3/4 full, top with additional nuts if desired.

Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, about 45 minutes. If the tops start to brown before the muffins are baked through, move to the bottom rack.

pecan in the batter on the left, plain topped with walnuts on the right; both are incredible!

Enjoy!

Wacky Mac Veggie Pasta

This is one of our favorite lunch recipes. It's easy, quick, nutritious and delicious! You can customize it using your favorite ingredients, we hardly ever have the same version more than twice. Start with the foundation recipe and then add in whatever you have available! :)

Wacky Mac colored shapes are made from real, all-natural tomato, spinach and beet ingredients. They appear to be VEGAN and my toddler adores the purple wagon wheels.

Wacky Mac Pasta

Ingredients You'll Need:

Wacky Mac Veggie Shapes (or noodle of your choice), cooked according to package directions
 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon peppercorn pepper
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook until onion is caramelized, then add the salt, pepper, thyme, basil and walnuts. Add mix-ins and cook until texture preference is attained. Add Wacky Mac noodles, mix well, and serve! Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Our Favorite Mix-Ins:

Broccoli trees
Eggplant slices (skin removed)
Zucchini sticks
Yellow squash circles
Black olives
Bell pepper chunks
Mushrooms

Be creative & enjoy!