Beanie Weenies: Vegan and full of tasty iron!

I've been trying to consume more iron in the foods I eat, so I've been a little obsessive about tracking amounts of iron in everything. I've been having either fortified cereal with soy or hemp milk or some warmed vanilla soy/hemp milk with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses stirred in for an iron-rich late night snack. (Hemp milk is higher in iron than soy milk, but it's more expensive... and not all brands taste that great. I like Living Harvest's Hempmilk the best.)

As I was stirring molasses into my vegan beans and franks tonight, it occurred to me to look up nutritional info for the ingredients. And lo and behold, this is a pretty iron-rich recipe, especially if you cook it in a cast-iron pan. The tomato paste in the barbecue sauce contains vitamin C, which helps you absorb the iron, too.

Pinto beans, 3 cups = 57% RDA iron
Sorghum molasses, 3 Tbsp = 45% RDA iron
Vital wheat gluten, 78 grams (.625 cups) = 23% RDA iron

Total = 125% RDA iron, or if you divide the whole recipe in 4 servings (we usually get 3), 31% RDA iron in each serving. Not too shabby, all things considered

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

I got this recipe from my local health food store (New City Market). It's both vegan and gluten free, and something about ricemellow creme just says 'Easter' to me. (Maybe it's a childhood Peeps association.)

1 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter (optional)
3/4 cup ricemellow creme
2-1/2 cups Erewhon crispy brown rice cereal

Grease an 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan. In a largish pan over medium heat, melt the Earth Balance and the peanut butter. Add the ricemellow creme and stir to blend. Add the cereal and stir until well coated. Remove from heat; pour into greased pan. Cool completely, then cut into squares.