Banana-Wheat Germ Muffins

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I started grad school last week. As of tomorrow, I will be working full time and going to school full time. Insanity is sure to ensue, and because of that, posts will be short and sweet until the end of the school year! June 17th can't get here soon enough!

Tonight I made a batch of banana-wheat germ muffins from Veganomicon. I was just looking for a new way to use up overripe bananas, and when I saw this recipe, I thought it was perfect. And prior to making these little babies, I didn't realize that wheat germ has a decent amount of protein in it, despite being a grain. Win!

I made half a dozen to get me through the next couple of days (depending on how quickly I eat them up; obviously one didn't survive the period of post-baking, pre-picture). I froze the other half of the batter, so I'll have muffins ready to go next week, too!

Edamame and Corn Salad

I wanted something easy and light to make for my lunches this week, because I've felt like a zombie lately and therefore want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. I'm also reading a terrific book (The Hangman's Daughter, if you're interested), so that, too, has consumed a lot of my time and interest. This recipe for Edamame and Corn salad, from Veganomicon, caught my eye because I love the namesake ingredients, and also have a weird affinity for sesame seeds... don't ask.

This recipe turned out fantastically. You might notice the peas in this picture, and, if you have the book, you might also notice that the recipe doesn't call for peas. I didn't have quite enough edamame as called for, so I threw in some frozen peas when I added the corn.

I'd also like to add that this recipe gets bonus points. Why? Because it uses some oils/vinegars that I don't use often, but they're handy to have because when you need them, well... you need them. I have a tiny kitchen with super limited storage, which I share with my omni mama. So yeah, picture trying to fit a well stocked vegan and non-vegan kitchen/cupboard in a tiny space. More than once, I've been asked, "Do you really need this oil? Do you need so many vinegars?" And the answer is always a dramatic, "Yes, mom." So, I was super happy to pull out the rice vinegar and sesame oil and say, "See? I use these."

Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Wedges

I'm on spring break, and I've been a real lazy body. I've basically spent my days thus far sleeping and counting down the days until I leave for New Orleans (tomorrow!). I did, however, get around to making real food over the weekend.

The days are getting warmer and longer, which means one thing: summer is on the way! Even though my summer will be jammed pack with grad classes and attempting to make some money some how (with the "how" part yet undetermined...), I love summer! I love making various vegan burgers, and lately, I've been craving black bean burgers.

I've tried a few different recipes for black bean burgers, and this is by far my favorite. Other recipes throw things like carrots, corn, and green peppers into the patties. And while I don't dislike these things - in fact, I love corn and carrots - they just don't belong in my burger! Instead of lots of veggies, this recipe features wheat gluten to give it a slightly chewy texture (much like these chickpea cutlets) and I love it!

You can top these with whatever you like, but sometimes I like just ketchup and mustard. I paired these with some simple sweet potato wedges and I could almost taste summer...

The recipe can be found here, and you can substitute the paste with ketchup.

That's it for the week, because tomorrow I'm bound for the Big Easy!

Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry Cookies

A friend of mine hosted a game night this weekend, so I thought making these cookies for game night would be a reasonable way to satisfy my craving for a chocolate cookie and also avoid the temptation of eating them all myself.

I love the combination of raspberry and chocolate, and these cookies have a different sort of texture. Someone said they had a texture similar to brownies, and so these were dubbed "crownies" and also "brookies." Either way, they're rich and delicious.

These come from Veganomicon, and the recipe can be found here. Just be sure to not overcook these, as doing so even just a bit can turn them into chocolate rocks.

Broccoli-Potato Soup with Fresh Herbs

Source: Veganomicon

It's no secret that I love potatoes. In fact, I'd say potatoes are the vegetable equivalent to apples, because they're pretty versatile, and also undeniably comforting and yummy. Broccoli has always been one of my favorite veggies, so this recipe was a no-brainer when I came by it.

My only concern with this soup was, "Is it supposed to be this green?" A Google images search revealed that yes, being this green was reasonable. And really, once you taste the delicious blend of herbs, color becomes a moot point.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find an online recipe for this, so you might just have to suck it up and buy a copy of this book, but I promise it will be money well spent!

Chickpea Cutlets with Mashed Butternut Squash and Corn

Source: Veganomicon

Reprinted: SparkPeople.com

My friend Mary has featured these chickpea cutlets on her blog more than once, and she always raves about them. Given my love of chickpeas, I cannot explain why I didn't try them until this weekend. And once I did, I realized how completely warranted Mary's praise is.

Aside from mashing the chickpeas, this required such little effort. I roasted the butternut squash while putting together and cooking the cutlets. Everything came together easily and quickly; these cutlets might quite possibly be climbing the ladder that is my list of favorite foods.