Cinnamon Rolls

These have absolutely no nutritional value, but they are definitely tasty! (shh, I've made them twice this week...)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls:
3/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs vegan margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbs soy milk

Directions:

1. To make Cinnamon Rolls: Preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat, sprinkle with yeast. Set aside.
2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and salt in bowl. Rub butter into flour mixture with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk until soft dough forms. Transfer to well-floured surface and dust with flour. Press into 12x6-inch rectangle.
3. Combine brown sugar and remaining cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle over dough, and press in lightly with palms of hands. Gently roll dough lengthwise into log. Cut log into 16 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheet, reshaping into rounds if necessary. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until rolls begin to brown.
4. To make Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and soy milk. Glaze will be very thick. Bush glaze on cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.
   

Fresh Black Bean Salsa

Ashlee gave me this recipe and since I had made it recently, I thought I'd post it here. It truly is so yummy and you can add anything extra to it if you'd like, too!

1 can black beans (or equivalent dry beans cooked and cooled)
1 cup yellow or white corn
1 avocado chopped
1 small red onion diced
1 tomato diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes drained + 2 Tbs reserved juice)
2 jalapeno (or small can diced green chiles drained)
Pinch of paprika, cumin, black pepper, chili, cilantro

Mix it all together and chill for at least 1 1/2 hours.



Serve with tortilla chips or pack in your favorite veggie burrito or fajita... Enjoy!

Falafel with Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients for Yogurt Sauce:

1 pint plain nonfat yogurt (we prefer Whole Soy and Co.)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cucumber, chopped into small cubes
1 Tbs. fresh dill, finely chopped
Juice from lemon
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions for Yogurt Sauce:

1. Place all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well with a fork
2. Drizzle over prepared Falafel
   

Ingredients for Falafel:

1 cup dried chickpeas (or canned equivalent, rinsed and drained)
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons flour
Oil for frying
Chopped tomato for garnish
Diced onion for garnish
Diced green bell pepper for garnish
Diced cucumber for garnish
Whole wheat pita bread


Directions for Falafel:

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.
3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets.
5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Stuff half a pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and cucumber. Drizzle with yogurt sauce or tahina thinned with water.*

* You can also broil for your falafel balls. After setting, roll into 1 inch balls flatten slightly, brush each side with olive oil and broil 2-3 minutes per side.

Photo: Getty Images

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat gemelli pasta, uncooked
2 1/2 Tofukey Italian Sausages
1 pkg. (5-6oz) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, crumble sausages into a deep skillet and cook through stirring occasionally
3. Add spinach and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally
4. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm
5. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl and toss with sauce mixture.
   

White Bean 'Hummus'

This is a great variation of hummus- if you need something new!

1 can Cannelini beans, drained
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1 tsp cumin
1 lemon
1 clove garlic

Chop garlic fine in food processor. Add beans, tahini, cumin, & juice from lemon. Mix in food processor on high until creamy. Add a little water or olive oil if mixture is too thick.

Serve with fresh veggies like red pepper & cucumbers, and warm pita bread, pita chips, etc!

*This is a recipe that I like to use 'whatever I have on hand' and sometimes will put in a little rosemary, parsley, etc. I also add more lemon, tahini, salt as needed to taste! It's great to experiment and delicious every time!