recipes

"Very Simple Israeli Couscous Salad"

Couscous: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) Israeli couscous, sometimes called pearl couscous 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups packed baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped 12 ounces grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or baby heirloom tomatoes of assorted colors, halved (about 2 cups) 4 ounces (about 1 cup) feta, coarsely crumbled or chopped into 1/2-inch pieces a handful of basil (optional) 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/3 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper -------------------------- Directions For the dressing: Whisk the oil, lemon, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. For the couscous: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Cook the couscous, stirring frequently, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the couscous is just tender and the liquid is absorbed, 9 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Mix together the tomatoes, cheese, parsley, almonds or toasted pine nuts and mint in a large bowl. Add the couscous and the dressing then garnish with fresh chopped basil. Toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Saddys Very Banana cake" ___________________ FOR THE CAKE: 1 stick unsalted butter (preferrably organic) 1 11/2 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 cups Flour (you can use any healthy flour organic preferrably) 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup vegan sour cream 1 tsp vanilla 3 large organic bananas (mashed *optional, add 1/c olive oil (because I like it extra moist) -sift all dry ingredient, combine all wet ingredient separately. using a mixer mix butter, then sugar then add all the wet ingredients then dry. transfer to baking pan lined with butter or baking spray CRUMBLED TOPPING 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/2 tsp cinnamon 4 tbsp butter softened -just use spatula and combined to get that looks like would form a crumble. Then crumble on top of the batter Bake 350 degrees for about 50 mins _______________________________________________________________ "GARBANZO/CHICKPEA/BLACK BEAN BURGER"

Ingredients 1 cup hot water (for Tahini Sauce) 1/4 cup Tahini (Seasame-see paste) 3 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice 1 pinch of salt 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1 can (15.5oz) of chickpeas/blackbeans 1/2 cup chopped red onion 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp salt 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs, divided Directions -To prepare sauce, combine first 5 ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth. -To prepare the patties, combine all of the patty ingredients except for the breadcrumbs in a food processor and mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. - Transfer that bean mixture into a large bowl; stir in 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. - Divide the bean mixture into four equal portions, shaping each into a patty. -Place remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. -Dredge patties in breadcrumbs. -Heat 2 teaspoons vegan margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. -Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Note: once the bean mixture is in a bowl you can add any veggies you want