Chocolate-covered cookie dough bites & Peanut Butter Chex Cookies

Chocolate-covered cookie dough bites

1 batch VWAV cookie dough, minus the chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup soy milk

In a double boiler (or in my case, a metal bowl set on top of a pot of boiling water)


Chocolate-Peanut Butter Chex Cookies

1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ricemellow creme
2-3 cups Corn Chex

Warning: I have no idea if these proportions are correct, since I totally eyeballed this one.

Open-Faced BLTs w/ Chipotle Remoulade + Zucchini Patties with Corn Relish

The chipotle remoulade in this was divine. It also made a good dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, which we had alongside this dish.



several slices sourdough bread, toasted
leftover zucchini patties (optional, recipe below)
several slices tempeh bacon, cooked to a crisp
1 heirloom tomato, thickly sliced
chipotle remoulade (recipe below)

Assemble in listed order and serve while the bacon is still hot.

Chipotle Remoulade
2/3 cup vegan mayo
2 tablespoons capers, with brine
1/2 chipotle chili in adobo
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 tsp sweet chili sauce

Blend with a stick blender until smooth.

Zucchini Patties
1 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 cup refried beans (or hummus)
1/4 tsp cumin & chili powder
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup masa harina (corn flour), as needed
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil for frying

Mix the grated zucchini, beans, spices, corn & garlic together. Add the masa harina until the mixture can be formed into patties. Fry in the olive oil over medium heat, 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Top with corn relish:

Corn Relish
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 Tbsp lime juice
4 Tbsp chipotle salsa
1 Tbsp garlic jelly (optional, but very tasty)

Heat all ingredients until hot and steamy.

Tamarind Tofu-Potato-Onion Roast

This is one of those perfect make-ahead meals... assemble the night before, let marinate in the fridge, and bake the next day.

1/2 block extra-firm tofu or tempeh, cubed
3-4 potatoes, diced
1/2 largish onion, cut into crescents
1/2 tsp each salt and fresh ground pepper
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp each paprika & garam masala (or curry powder)
1 tsp saffron (optional)
1/4 cup Pickapeppa sauce (or other tamarind-based sauce)

Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. Let marinate for 30 minutes or up to overnight (in the fridge). Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Note: You could easily change up the sauce/spices here for a different effect. I've used barbecue sauce to good effect.

Mexican Zucchini Soup

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 potato, diced
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 bottle of beer
1 veg bouillon cube
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes, then add everything else and simmer for 20 minutes.

Biscuits and Gravy

Adapted from the Vegan Brunch Navy Bean Gravy recipe.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 package Morningstar Farms sausage patties, thawed & diced*
3 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off the stems
1 tsp dried sage
several dashes black pepper
1 veg bouillon cube
a few shakes liquid smoke
1-1/2 cups water
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup plain or unsweetened soy milk

1 package biscuits**

Bake the biscuits according to package directions. Dissolve the bouillon cube in the water.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and diced sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, sage, pepper and liquid smoke. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well for a minute or so, then add the water+bouillon mixture. Stir to incorporate. When the gravy thickens, turn the heat off and stir in the soy milk.

Split the baked biscuits and spoon the gravy on top.

* Morningstar's sausage patties are not vegan, so you can substitute their sausage crumbles if you want it to be totally vegan.
** Hy-Vee's Texas-Style biscuits (in the red tube) are surprisingly vegan.

Zucchini Enchiladas

1 small zucchini, grated
1-2 cups frozen hash browns (or grated potato)
1/2 small onion, diced
diced bell or hot pepper to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup Northern Prairie Chevre Summertime Salsa goat cheese (OR hummus)
1 hefty glug olive oil

flour tortillas
1 cup enchilada sauce

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine the grated zucchini, potatoes, cheese/hummus and onion in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Dip the flour tortillas in enchilada sauce to coat. Put a little filling in each tortilla and roll it up. Place the rolled tortillas in an oiled glass baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, covered. (If desired, you could also top these with grated cheese.) Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.

These can be frozen for quite a while, too.

Probiotic Mango-Hemp Drink (a.k.a. I Am Such a Goddamn Hippie Smoothie)

So I buy up all these weird these at local natural foods stores and whatnot, and sometimes I mix them together. Because I can. This turned out kind of like a dreamsicle. Delicious.

1 shot Peach Mango GoodBelly Probiotic Fruit Drink
1 cup Naked Mighty Mango juice
1/2 cup vanilla hemp milk

Mix together and drink!

Ingredient Notes: I got the GoodBelly at Gateway Market, the Mighty Mango at Costco, and the hemp milk at New City Market.

Stewed Seitan, Carrots & Tomatoes

This is a pantry/freezer cleaner outer recipe. I have no idea how it's going to turn out. Film at 11.

1 can vegetarian mock duck, drained and rinsed
1 can vegetarian mock pork, drained and rinsed
1 largish tub frozen whole tomatoes (canned would also work, of course)
2 handfuls baby carrots
1 veg bouillon cube
1 tsp Better Than Beef bouillon
a hefty glug of soy sauce
a few glugs of steak sauce
a few sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 bottle of white wine
1 packet vegan golden gravy mix

Throw all ingredients into your slow cooker/crock pot and cook for 8 hours, stirring occasionally.

Asparagus-Dill Tofu Scramble

This recipe is based off one from Peter Berley's The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. It's still my favorite tofu scramble recipe. This week we added fresh asparagus and dill from the farmers' market.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 block firm tofu, drained
1 Tbsp pine nuts
2-3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice
black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 more minutes, until the asparagus is bright green and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, spices and salt and stir for a moment, until fragrant. Using clean hands, crumble the tofu into the pan. Add pine nuts, dill and lime juice and stir until heated through. Serve with toast and veggie bacon of choice.

Texas Caviar

I forget if I've ever posted this. A coworker brought it in last year, and we've been addicted ever since. I'm not particularly fond of any of these things on their own, but together they are magical.

2 cans black eyed peas, drained
2 cups corn, canned or frozen (I vastly prefer frozen)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green/yellow/orange/purple bell pepper, diced
1 bunch parsley or cilantro, chopped
1 smallish onion, diced
1 bottle Italian dressing (Kraft Seven Seas works best)
2 bags Fritos Scoops (normal chips will work, but these are really the best)

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Consume in vasty quantities. Lasts pretty much forever.

Super-Easy Tostadas/Tacos/Whatever Delicious Things

Sure, I can cook up beans from dried and make rice and all that, but sometimes, you just need a relatively healthy, cheap 10-minute meal. I always end up with leftover avocado, which I like to mash up with a little Tobasco and smear on chips. NOM.

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 hefty glug olive oil
1/4 tsp bacon salt (or normal salt)
a few shakes of cumin
1/4 cup chipotle salsa

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and puree with a stick blender. Heat in the microwave (5 minutes) or the oven (15 minutes). Smear on tostada/taco shells* and top with any combination of the following:

1 tomato, diced
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 avocado, diced
chipotle Tobasco sauce
Texas caviar

* If you don't have tostada shells, you can bake corn tortillas in the oven for 10 minutes or so at 400 degrees. Watch them carefully... you want them golden and crispy but not burnt.

Tamarind Lentils & Sweet Potatoes with Quinoa

Inspired by the Tamarind Lentils recipe in Veganomicon, but altered to what I had on hand.

1 large sweet potato, diced
1 cup French green lentils
2 cups water
1/2 cup tamarind sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1 veg bouillon cube

Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes

Tofu Puttanesca

This took no time at all to throw together, and it was delicious. Inspired by the Puttanesca Scramble in the excellent Vegan Brunch cookbook (which is almost convincing me to buy a waffle iron).



2 Tbsp olive oil
1 block extra firm tofu
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fire roasted salsa, or a few dashes of hot sauce
a small handful each fresh oregano, thyme and basil, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black olives, drained
1 tablespoon capers, drained

Drain and press the tofu by dumping it into a colander and pressing down on it with a can repeatedly. Cut the pressed tofu into half-inch cubes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and dump the tofu in. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes, then turn. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until golden.

Add the following ingredients in stages, stirring after each one: garlic (1 min), salsa, herbs, tomatoes, olives, capers. Stir until heated through, then eat!

Tasty Smoothie that I made tonight

1 frozen banana, in chunks
two handfuls frozen berries
3 handfuls blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2-3 scoops vanilla coconut ice cream (optional)
4-5 leaves swiss chard, washed & chopped
2 handfuls raw cashews
vanilla soy milk
orange juice

Combine and blend on high for 2-3 minutes, or until creamy.

Ingredient Notes: When my bananas start to get spotty, I chuck them in the freezer. When I'm ready to make a smoothie, I chop them up and peel the chunks. I get my raw cashews at the health food store in bulk and store them in the freezer. The ice cream is totally optional, but I like it. I add enough soy milk and orange juice to cover the frozen stuff, then add more as needed. You could also use kale or spinach in place of the swiss chard. When blended up, you can't taste the greens. They add vitamins.

Jamaican Red Bean Stew

This morning before rushing off to work, I threw all this stuff into the crock pot. We'll see how it turns out. Adapted from Robin Robertson's 'Quick Fix Vegetarian'.

1 sweet potato, diced
2 cups sliced carrots (I chopped up a bunch of old baby carrots I had on hand)
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can light coconut milk
1 can water
1/2 veg bouillon cube
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Enchilada Pie

Adapted from 'Quick Fix Vegetarian', by Robin Robertson. This took maybe 10 minutes to throw together, and we had plenty of leftovers.

1 package polenta
1 can pinto beans, drained
16 oz salsa (I used half salsa, half homemade enchilada sauce from Kelli's Amazing Enchilada Adventure)
1 veggie sausage, diced (optional)
1 can diced green chilies, drained (optional)
1 cup frozen corn (optional)
a few dashes cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup soy or regular cheddar cheese (optional)
3 or 4 handfuls crushed tortilla chips

Slice the polenta 1/2 inch thick and lay the slices in the bottom of a baking dish. Top with frozen corn. Mix the beans, salsa, sausage, chilies, cumin and chili powder together and spread that on top of the corn. Top with cheese, if using, and top that with tortilla chips. Bake for 30 minutes and 350 degrees.

Note: I buy polenta pre-packaged at New City Market, where it's relatively cheap. To make this recipe even cheaper, you could microwave your own polenta and/or sub more crushed tortilla chips or corn tortillas for that bottom layer. The sausages can also get expensive, but you could always roll your own.

Spinach-Mushroom-Artichoke Turnovers

2 tsp olive oil
1/4 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
10 marinated artichoke hearts, diced
1 handful pine nuts
10 oz fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg (2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Saute the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are soft, add the pine nuts, artichoke hearts and spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted.

Slice each puff pastry sheet into four pieces. Roll each piece out until it's roughly 6-7 inches on each side.

Put two-three tablespoons of filling on one half of the pastry. Wet the edges and fold the pastry over to form a triangle. Crimp the edges to seal.

Bake the pies for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Curried Tomato-White Bean Soup

This almost doesn't qualify as a recipe, it's so easy. You can sub any kind of white bean here... I even think red lentils would be good. Go go gadget five minute meals!

1 container Imagine foods creamy tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
1/2 to 1 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 dried chipotle pepper (optional)
1 head roasted garlic, mashed (optional)
1 tsp curry powder
hummus (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot or crockpot. Simmer until hot. Serve with hummus as garnish and crusty bread.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

We had this for Thanksgiving. Super-easy and delish.

1 can pumpkin puree
2/3 cup Mexican hot chocolate mix (or normal hot chocolate + 1 tsp cinnamon)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cornstarch/arrowroot
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 Oreo crust
1 handful chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients except crust and chocolate chips in a bowl. Taste and adjust sweetness as desired. Pour the filling into the crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Chill overnight to set.

Eat with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Bread

Original recipe:
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?RecipeID=234

1-3/4 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cups brown sugar, raw sugar or Sucanat
1/3 cup light sugar
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan.

Combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, coconut milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir very gently until combined.

Bake for one hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Spicy Pinto Bean Sausages

Originally from The PPK. Makes 4 big sausages. My boy loves these as protein-rich midday snacks.

1/2 cup pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water (or bean broth)
1 tsp 'Better Than Beef' bouillon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 dashes liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
Several dashes fresh black pepper

Put a steamer insert in a large soup pot with a lid and add a few inches of water. Bring it to a boil.

Combine all the wet ingredients (beans, water, bouillon, olive oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke and garlic) in one bowl and all the dry ingredients in another. Blend all the wet ingredients together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and knead for 3 minutes, or until the dough starts to get a little elastic.

Split the dough into four parts. Roll each section into a log shape and wrap tightly in foil, twisting the ends like a Tootsie Roll. Steam the foil-wrapped sausages for 40 minutes, then remove from the foil and let cool completely.

Tortilla Beer Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp chipotle powder
1 large dash cumin
2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
1 bottle lager
1 cup water
1-1/2 cup frozen corn
1 flour tortilla, cut into long strips

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic, chipotle and cumin and saute for a minute or two more. Add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

Crazy Good Vegan Calzone

1 batch pizza dough (we get ours from Gateway Market)
1 Tbsp cornmeal

1 block firm tofu, crumbled
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 heaping teaspoon country-style grainy mustard
salt/pepper to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder
2 Tbsp vegan cream cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp capers (optional)
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, mashed (optional)

4 oz. sliced shiitake or oyster mushrooms
2-3 cloves garlic
1 small onion, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 package veggie pepperoni, diced
8 oz. black olives, smooshed
1 large handful each sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts (optional)
1 largish bunch of swiss chard, stems removed and leaves torn into bits (optional)

1 can pizza sauce

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle a pizza stone liberally with cornmeal.

Mash the tofu and add the nutritional yeast, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice, onion/garlic powder, capers, artichoke hearts and cream cheese. Mix well and let sit.

Heat the olive oil in a largish pan. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms and pepperoni; saute for a few more minutes, or until the mushrooms are softening. Add the swiss chard and stir until wilted. Add the tofu mixture, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, olives and mix well.

Stretch/roll out the pizza dough on the pizza stone until it forms a large circle. Dump half of the tofu mixture onto one half of the dough, then fold the other half over the filling to create a half-moon. Crimp the edges of the dough to seal. Shake off any excess cornmeal and bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Note: This recipe makes enough filling for two calzones. I usually bake one, then save the filling for another easy meal later in the week.

'Feta' Bean Pie

This is a veganized version of a favorite from our meat-eating days. The original has diced chicken, sour cream, feta cheese and lard-filled pie crusts. This version is still tasty, but much healthier.

12 oz. extra-firm silken tofu
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp each garlic & onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp umeboshi vinegar

1 cup soy sour cream / plain soy yogurt
1/3 cup soy cream cheese

2 cans butter beans, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp each fresh (or 1 tsp each dried) basil, dill and oregano

1 package crescent rolls

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mash the tofu. Add the mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and umeboshi vinegar and stir well. Stir in the sour cream and cream cheese.

Mix the beans, tomatoes, and herbs together. Put in the bottom of a deep baking dish. Spread the tofu mixture on top. Unroll the crescent roll dough and lay it on top of the tofu mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown.

Super Amazing Enchilada Adventure!

My good friend Kelli posted an amazingly easy enchilada recipe on YouTube, and I decided to give it a try the other day. I've veganized her recipe and, since I didn't have time to make the chile sauce, I used some store-bought substitutes. But these turned out amazing -- the best enchiladas I've ever attempted!



I used:
Cascadian Farm frozen hash browns
1/2 zucchini, shredded
1 small green pepper, diced
1 tsp onion powder
Galaxy Foods monterey jack/cheddar 'cheeze' shreds
1 can Old El Paso enchilada sauce + 2 tsp adobo sauce

After rolling the enchiladas, I baked them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. They came out nice and crispy on the top and melty and gooey inside... delicious! I topped mine with a quick fresh salsa made with chopped cherry tomatoes, lime juice, minced garlic, salt and cilantro. We happily ate the leftovers for days afterwards.

Thank you, Kelli, for making our bellies so happy!

Roasted Summer Vegetables

Tonight was a very Naked Chef kind of night. Chop up some veggies and tofu, throw on a little marinade and loads of fresh herbs, then roast. No real recipe, but it turned out beautifully.

1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 medium eggplant, cubed
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow or zucchini squash, cubed
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
Italian dressing
olive oil
salt & pepper
fresh herbs (I used basil, thyme and oregano), torn into bits

If you have time, marinate the tofu in the Italian dressing (overnight is best, but 10-20 minutes will do, too). Preheat the oven to 400. Toss all the veggies and tofu together in a 9x13 pan, then coat with dressing, a swig of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and the herbs. Cover with foil and roast for 30-40 minutes. Serve with extra fresh herbs, or over polenta.

Food tonight (5/6)

BBQ seitan 'ribz'
sauteed garlicky kale
pesto oven fries
Mexican brownies

Biscuits & Gravy

Cassie made these for her awesome pre-Easter brunch last month, and I've been thinking about them ever since. (My boy has a deep-seated yearning for biscuits and gravy.) Cassie used the gravy from The Chicago Diner plus a package of Morningstar Farms veggie sausage crumbles, but when I went to make mine last night, I didn't have enough nutritional yeast. But I did have some flat oatmeal stout. Thus this recipe was born.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 veg. bouillon cubes
1 bottle stout + enough water (or plain soy milk) to make 4 cups
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp. mellow white miso
fresh black pepper to taste
1 tsp dijon/country style mustard (optional)
1 package Morningstar Farms vegan sausage crumbles
a pinch each of marjoram and sage

Whisk the flour and nutritional yeast together in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Turn on the heat to medium for a few seconds, or until fragrant, then add the bouillon cubes and stout+water/soy milk mixture. Whisk well and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until thickened. Stir in everything else and simmer on low until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve over homemade or tube biscuits.

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.