Granola Nut Bars

Makes 12 bars

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup tahini, almond butter or peanut butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup roughly chopped or slivered raw almonds
• 1 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1 cup rolled oats or quick oats
• 8 ounces dried cherries, raisins, currants, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pepitas in an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake 5 minutes; remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl mash bananas. Add tahini, maple syrup and salt and mix well. Add nuts, seeds and fruit, and mix well. Grease the 9 x 13-inch baking dish, pour in mixture, press into corners and flatten top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Let cool to room temperature. Cut crosswise into quarters, then lengthwise into thirds. Wrap each bar in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Keeps refrigerated up to 1 week.

One-Pot Pancakes & Sausage

Egg-free vegan Bisquick pancakes are light and fluffy.

Bisquick is one of the foods on PETA's Accidentally Vegan list!

Makes 10 pancakes and 16 sausages; Serves 5

• Light vegetable oil
• 1 (14 ounce) package Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage
• 2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick (zero trans fat)*
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups plain or vanilla nondairy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract, optional
• Maple syrup or topping of choice

*Or make homemade Bisquick: 2 cups flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or non-hydrogenated vegan margarine

On a lightly-oiled dish, divide sausage into 16 even sections. Using oiled hands, form into links or patties. Heat a large, lightly-oiled, nonstick skillet and brown sausages on all sides. Transfer sausages to a dish. Keep warm if desired in a 200-degree oven.

Meanwhile, combine Bisquick, 1 1/2 cup milk and extract (if using) in a bowl and mix until blended. Add milk as needed only until batter is of a pourable consistency. After sausages have been removed from skillet, drop pancake batter by 1/4-cup ladle. When bubbles have formed in the center and edges are stiff, flip pancakes and fry until golden brown. Transfer finished pancakes to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

Serve 2 pancakes and 3 sausages per person, with maple syrup.

Tofu Scramble

Serves 2 to 3

• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, drained
• 2 tablespoons oil or non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon kala namak (Indian "black salt") for egg-like smell and taste, or ordinary salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Soymilk, if needed, optional

Combine granulated onion and garlic, turmeric and cumin, mix well and set aside. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Squeeze excess water from tofu and add to skillet in large chunks. Sauté and break up further to resemble scrambled eggs. After tofu has released its water, add spice mixture, kala namak or salt, and pepper. If tofu seems dry or sticks to skillet, add soymilk. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.

Frittata (Baked Tofu Scramble)

Serves 8

• 3 blocks extra-firm tofu, preferably frozen and thawed, well-drained
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon granulated onion
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon kala namak (Indian "black salt") for egg-like smell and taste, or ordinary salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 packed cups Daiya Cheddar Style or other vegan cheddar cheese
• 2 cups total of additional ingredients:
  Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (1 pound package = 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
  Chopped mushrooms
  Chopped cooked (leftover) vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc.
  Crumbled vegan sausage, homemade or store-bought
• Fresh herbs such as basil or dill, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. In a large bowl, using hands, crumble tofu until it resembles feta cheese. Add mustard in small amounts and mix well to distribute as evenly as possible. In a small bowl whisk together yeast, granulated onion & garlic, turmeric, salt, pepper and herbs. Sprinkle mixture in small amounts and mix well between additions to distribute as evenly as possible. Mix in cheese and additional ingredients. Transfer mixture to casserole and pack down firmly. Bake about 45 minutes until the top is firm and slightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Oatmeal

Old-fashioned oats and rolled oats are the same thing: whole oats that are steamed then pressed between rollers and dried. Quick or quick-cooking oats are pressed thinner and sometimes chopped smaller, so they cook faster but have less texture. The difference between the following recipes is the amount of water, the cooking time and the minimum bowl size required.

OLD-FASHIONED OR ROLLED OATS  (Serves 1)

• 1/2 cup “old-fashioned oats” or “rolled oats”
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener
• Dash salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
• 6 to 8 pecan or walnut halves, broken into smaller pieces, 
• about 2 tablespoons, optional
• To taste chopped apple, optional
• To taste nondairy milk, optional

In a 1-quart microwavable bowl mix oats, water, syrup, salt (and cinnamon, nuts and apple if using). Microwave* on high 2 1/2 minutes; stir. Microwave 30 seconds, stir; repeat until thickened to desired consistency. Serve as is or add a little milk to taste.

QUICK OATS  (Serves 1)

• 1/2 cup “quick oats” or “quick-cooking oats”
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Dash salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
• 6 to 8 pecan or walnut halves, broken into smaller pieces, 
• about 2 tablespoons, optional
• To taste chopped apple, optional
• To taste nondairy milk, optional

In a 2-cup microwavable bowl mix oats, water, syrup, salt (and cinnamon, nuts and apple if using). Microwave* on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds, stir; repeat until thickened to desired consistency. Serve as is or add a little milk to taste.

*Oatmeal may also be cooked in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes for rolled oats or 1 minute for quick oats, adding water if needed. Let sit off-heat a couple of minutes to allow oats to further absorb liquid.

Maple-Nut Apple Crisp

All the apple prep seems like a lot of work, but it's great having this in the fridge for the family to grab for a filling breakfast or a nutritious snack throughout the week.

Makes about 16 (1 cup) servings

• 14 Golden Delicious and/or Granny Smith apples
• 2 cups quick oats or rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, melted
• 1 cup agave syrup
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup pecan or walnut halves

Halve apples, then slice each half into 3 wedges. Using a paring knife, carve out the core from each wedge. Peel wedges. Slice each wedge into 4 or 5 slices on the diagonal. Place apples in a large (8-quart) mixing bowl. Add oats, mix well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set out a lasagna pan or large deep roasting pan.

Melt margarine in a 2-cup or larger glass measure. Pour in agave up to the 1 1/2-cup level. Pour in maple syrup up to the 2-cup level. Mix well using a whisk; set aside.

In a small bowl combine flour and cinnamon and mix well. Add to apples and mix to coat thoroughly. Add wet mixture to apples, scraping out measuring cup with a rubber spatula, and mix to coat thoroughly.

Spread apple mixture evenly into pan. Bake 1 hour, mixing once or twice to bring up liquid from the bottom and recoat apples, until edges are bubbly and apples are tender.

Banana Bread

• 2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup applesauce (1 store-bought single serving 9-ounce cup is fine)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl mash bananas well. Add applesauce and sugar; mix well. Add oil and keep 1/4 cup measure handy. Measure molasses using the same 1/4 cup measure used for the oil and it will slide out easily with no sticking. Add molasses to batter and whisk briskly to incorporate. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix until wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake about 1 hour until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and invert onto a cooling rack; flip right-side up and allow to cool.