sabich

It is my husband's birthday week and, in our family, the birthday person gets to pick all the week's meals. And that means that some members of the family have figured out that they can take great advantage of this tradition. Which in turn means that I mostly get to cook meals that they love, with no room for new recipes. So, the blog suffers as no new content gets made.

This week's menu choices have been, among other things, Benedict (recipe in Everyday Vegan Eats) Cajun SteaK, Twice-Baked Crispy Gluten, Chickpeas and Dumplings (another one in Everyday Vegan Eats), Mama's Bean Soup (in Everyday Vegan Eats), Corned Cabbage (another in EVE! - I told you it is our family's favorite meals), Seitan a la King,  Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce, etc. Yes, hubby loves seitan!

But I did manage to squeeze in this Israeli sandwich, which happens to be a traditional breakfast sandwich! I love to discover breakfast meals from other parts of the world because they tend to be more than just sweets or variations on bacon and eggs.

Now that I said that, I do have to clarify that the original does come with hard cooked eggs. We'll disregard that part, though.

Most cultures will take something that is leftover and transform it into a breakfast meal and this shows to be true time and time again. Take this sandwich for instance. The eggs are cooked beforehand. The hummus is made before, as well as the eggplant, being leftover from another meal. Maybe the salad is made fresh, but the rest is just from some other time, all stuffed into a fluffy pita bread.

Most of the rest of the world doesn't have roasted eggplant leftover or hummus, for that matter, although the hummus aspect is coming true in most households nowadays.

Whether you have this as a breakfast meal or for lunch or dinner, let's try to make this as pain free as possible.

Because I have omitted the eggs I wanted to replace it with something carb and protein rich and because ful medames are already a Middle Eastern breakfast staple, I figured that cooking fava beans with the eggplant made sense.

The fava beans you are looking for are these:

They are not the large fresh favas, but instead younger beans that are cooked and canned so you don't have to blanch and peel them individually.

You cook the eggplant first to soften before adding the fava beans and then continue to cook it until tender and broken down. This is a nice compromise between having leftover fried eggplant and cooking it fresh separate from the beans.

If you don't have hummus, whip up a fresh batch, otherwise use any store-bought or homemade hummus you have. 

The salad is an essential component consisting of basic ingredients such as cucumber, parsley, tomato, onion and lemon juice.

The most intriguing part of this sandwich is the mango sauce (Amba) which was originally brought to the Middle East by way of India's mango chutney. In addition to the mango sauce, there is typically tahini sauce on the sandwich (a rip on toom sauce). 

I love toom sauce (there is a cashew-based toom in Vegan Bowls and an authentic one in Aquafaba) and I love mango chutney and the easiest way to make the two is to combine them. Best of both in one sauce. I have to say that this is an amazing sauce so if you make nothing but the sauce you are still a winner. 

After all those components are done, make your sandwich and eat it, too. 

Short cuts: hummus, salad, sauce. Make the eggplant-fava bean ahead or the same day, either way it'll be delish.

Sabich - Israeli Sandwich

Serves 4

Sautee:

1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped

1/2 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/4 jalapeno chile, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

1 (15-ounce) can fava beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup vegetable broth

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Salad:

1/2 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped or shaved

1/2 small onion, shaved or sliced thin

1/4 cup parsley, minced

Fresh lemon juice, to taste

Sauce:

6 garlic cloves

4 tablespoons tahini

3 tablespoons mango chutney

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Other:

4 pita breads

1/2 cup shaved cabbage

Hummus

1. Sautee: Combine the eggplant, tomato, onion, jalapeno, cumin and paprika in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until the eggplant softens, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fava beans and broth and continue to cook covered until the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until there is no more broth left in the pot. Season with salt and black pepper. 

2. Salad: Combine the tomato, cucumber, onion and parsley in a medium bowl. Season with lemon juice, salt and black pepper. 

3. Sauce: Add the garlic to a food processor or blender and process to mince. Add the tahini, chutney, water and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Add a little more water if needed. The sauce should be pourable but still thick. Season with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, warm the pita and split. Spread with hummus and add the bean mixture. Top with the salad, cabbage and the sauce. 

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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pantry+ thai bbq cauliflower

I adore cauliflower and whoever it was who first thought of making them into "wings" needs a gold star in Hollywood. 

I wanted to throw my spin on this with a Thai flare. This recipe is almost like a red curry, but in crispy appetizer form. Bonus: this is a Pantry+ recipe, requiring only a limited amount of ingredients: 5 pantry ingredients and 6 fresh ingredients. 

Thai BBQ Cauliflower:

Equipment:

air-fryer (or oven)

small blender [such as Magic Bullet]

large bowl

Pantry ingredients:

Coconut milk

Brown sugar

Cornstarch

Sriracha

Pepitas

Fresh ingredients:

Cauliflower

Garlic

Curry powder

Lime

Lemon

Rice

This recipe really couldn't be simpler: blend the marinade and add to the florets. Set aside for 10 minutes and then bake or air-fry. I used my air-fryer and it came out delicious and crisp.

Get your rice cooking right away if you want this as a meal. Or serve it with raw vegetables and the dip of your choice, if you want it as an appetizer.

Thai BBQ Cauliflower (a Pantry+ recipe)
Serves 4
Pantry list is HERE.

3/4 cup coconut milk
10 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Zest of 1 lime
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt
2 small or 1 large head cauliflower
1/2 cup pepitas
Hot rice, for serving
Raw vegetables, for serving (optional)

1. Combine the milk, garlic, cornstarch, curry, sriracha, sugar, zests, and salt to taste in a small blender. Blend until smooth. Cut the cauliflower into florets and transfer to a large bowl. Add the marinade and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Add half the cauliflower to the basket of an air-fryer (or bake in the oven at 375-degrees until tender). Bake at 360-degrees F for 15 minutes, basting every 5 minutes. Increase the heat to 390-degrees and continue to bake until crisp, about 5 to 8 more minutes, adding half the pepitas in the last 2 minutes. Repeat with the other half of cauliflower and pepitas.
3. Serve the cauliflower with hot rice or raw vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks. 

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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aquafaba round up

Since my new cookbook Aquafaba [Amazon, B&N, Book Depository] is out, there have been a few shares of recipes on the blog tour. Since we are mid-month I wanted to call attention to the places where these recipes are being shared.

Note that the first two are currently running giveaways for the book, so head there first!

Also, please note that this book uses oils, coconut oil, nuts, soy, gluten, and sugar.

Vegan Good Things shares the Chile Relleno Quiche recipe, which is eerily like eggs, so be warned. Leinana is also giving away a copy (ends October 16, 2016):

It is also one of the more challenging of the recipes since you have to have a good grasp on making vegan meringue. To that end, here is my video on how to whip aquafaba into perfect peaks:

Of course, knowing how to make stiff peaks will help you in making these Meringue Cookies, which Dianne's Vegan Kitchen shares (giveaway in progress: ends October 18, 2016)

And it will also help in making these Chewy Fudge Brownies, as shared by the Vegan Mos. These brownies have that crackly top that is so cherished! Here is a video on detailing that process:

If you want to start easy and simple, get my recipe for Latkes from Robin Robertson's site:

or make the Italian Dressing that is featured on Cake Maker to the Stars. This one has an accompanying video as well, because it is an emulsification:

And finally, in case you need a breakfast or a treat, Fran Costigan shares my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin recipe:

Huge thank you to all the bloggers who are sharing their reviews of Aquafaba and for all the recipe shares and giveaways hosted. Hugs to all!

pantry + brazilian black bean casserole

Baked casserole dishes are a fantastic way to have dinner on the table in a descent amount of time with a lot of hands off work. This recipe has about 10 minutes on the stove before it is assembled completely and placed in the oven to finish cooking. 

This dish is Pantry + and it is whole foods, using brown rice, beans and cabbage as the base of the meal. The cabbage serves as a delicious cooling accompaniment accented with roasted corn. 

This casserole is very flavorful thanks to the Latin all-purpose seasoning called, adobo, but here we will make our own. It really is a simple matter of combining a few spices to create a different flavor dimension. 

The casserole is rich and delicious and the salad is tangy and sweet, thanks to the roasted corn. All in all, it has all the flavor components of a great tasting meal: sour, sweet, salty, and spicy.

Brazilian Black Bean Casserole:

Equipment:

large oven-safe pot

blender

mandolin

oven

Pantry Ingredients:

Red pepper flakes

Jarred tomato

Black beans

White wine vinegar

Adobo

Fresh Ingredients:

Brown rice

Onion

Ginger

Thyme

Cabbage

Bell pepper

Frozen corn

First things first, let's make the adobo seasoning:

Either just mix together, or better, yet, blend the ingredients in a small blender to break up the oregano. If you have Mexican oregano, use that, but otherwise regular will work just as well. 

Using a large Dutch oven or just an oven safe pot with a lid (or use foil to seal the pot), cook the onions in a dry pan (use a lid to cover the pot to retain the moisture) until golden. Add the adobo and the tomatoes and mix well. Use an immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a standard blender and process until broken up. 

Add the rice, thyme, beans, spice and liquid, mix well, and cook in the oven tightly sealed until the rice is tender, about 1 hour. 

In the meantime, use a mandolin to finely shred the cabbage and mix it with roasted corn (roast the corn in the oven during the last 25 minutes of cooking), bell pepper and vinegar and set aside to meld flavors. 

This is scrumptious and very healthy since there is no oil used and it is made with whole foods.
This makes about 6 to 8 servings, so leftovers are terrific.

Brazilian Black Bean Casserole (a Pantry+ recipe)
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Pantry list is HERE.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons adobo seasoning (recipe for homemade HERE)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 dried red chili
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, liquid drained and reserved
Water, as needed
2 cups long grain brown rice
Sea salt

Salad:
1/2 small head cabbage, finely shredded
1 small green or red bell pepper, diced
1 cup roasted corn***
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Heat a large dutch oven or large oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add a tablespoon of water if the onion begins to stick. Add the tomato and the adobo seasoning.  Blend using an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender. 
2. Add the drained bean water to a 4-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to reach 3 3/4 cups. Add the water mixture to the pot. Add the rice, red pepper flakes, beans and salt. Bring to boil and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Bake in the preheated oven until the rice is tender, about 1 hour. 
3. Salad: Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, corn, vinegar and adobo in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper or adobo. Set aside until needed.
4. Serve the casserole with the salad. Leftovers reheat well.  

*** Transfer the corn to a small baking sheet. Bake in the oven during the last 25 minutes of cooking of the casserole. 



© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

autumn panzanella

It is a common custom among cultures to invent recipes that use up stale bread and it makes complete sense. There is no waste of old bread that has lost its freshness and a new recipe is developed.

Panzanella is the Italian version of using up old bread in a salad and it usually uses spring or summer vegetables.  I wanted to reinvent the salad using autumn produce because, well, tis the season.

I made use of cauliflower, carrots, chickpeas, whole grain bead (I'm working on a whole grain refrigerator dough, so I had a loaf hanging around), parsley and scallions.

You could, of course, use whatever vegetables you have lurking in the back of your fridge and no one would be the wiser. That's part of the beauty of panzanella salads.

Roast the cauliflower, chickpeas and bread in the oven and then throw it all into a large bowl. Toss with Italian dressing and you are in the money.

The question then becomes, which Italian dressing is the best for this salad? Mine, of course! Kittee Berns of Cake Maker to the Stars (with the cutest blog *ever* and the best Ethiopian cookbook *ever*) is sharing my recipe from Aquafaba [Amazon, B&N, Book Depository]. Go get it! I promise, it is worth it!

That's all there is to this one. Lunch or dinner is served. 

Autumn Panzanella
Serves 4

6 tablespoons Italian Dressing (this one from Aquafaba is amazing!), divided
1 cup cooked chickpeas
3 cups cubed bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
Sea salt and black pepper

4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
2 medium carrots, julienned
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped fine

1. Add 1 tablespoon dressing to a small bowl and toss with the chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Transfer the beans to a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, stirring often. 
2. Move the beans to a quarter of the baking sheet and add the bread cubes to half of the sheet. Add the cauliflower to the remaining section and season with salt and black pepper. Continue to bake the beans and bread for another 25 minutes, until the beans are lightly crunchy, the cauliflower is golden and tender and the bread is dried out.
3. Transfer the bread to a small bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the dressing and set aside for 5 minutes. 
4. Add the lettuce, carrots, scallions, parsley, chickpeas, bread, cauliflower and the rest of the dressing to a large bowl. Toss well, season with salt and black pepper and serve. 




© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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seitan shawirma

Before we get into this recipe, which happens to be an authentic Middle Eastern shawirma sandwich (based on Holy Land's recipe - which, unfortunately, uses animals), that features seitan marinated in spiced yogurt sauce before air-frying to perfection,

I want to formally announce the release my newest cookbook, Aquafaba [Amazon, B&N, Book Depository]. This book is all about making and utilizing bean water to make formerly egg-based creations, such as macarons, burgers, whipped topping, ice creams and dozens of other sweet and savory items.

A few noteworthy sites to visit:

To find the table of contents of Aquafaba, go HERE.
To find the blog tour for Aquafaba, go HERE.

Back to the wrap:

As I said above, this is a marinated seitan sandwich, but, of course, with my twist on it; I added air-fried potatoes, and, of course, the requisite pickles. You can jazz this up even more by adding lettuce, tomatoes and hot sauce.

To begin with, make the yogurt-based marinade and let your seitan sit for however long you like. Minimum is 30 minutes, but overnight is just fine. You can even use chickpeas in this recipe or just in the marinade - it makes terrific roasted chickpeas, which you can just eat alone or toss into wraps (like this one) or on salads.

When you are ready, just drain the seitan and air-fry it. If you don't have an air-fryer then bake it or saute it, but the air-fryer puts a nice crust on the seitan without drying it out.

Although I grouped the seitan pictures together (marinating the seitan and cooking it), because it makes sense visually, when it comes time to actually cook it (and you are using an air-fryer; if baking you can bake them at the same time), fry the potatoes first because they take longer. Just keep them warm.

The marinade acts as double duty. Once it is drained, mix it with the rest of the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. No waste and no extra sauce assembly required.

I love shawarma prepared in any way and this shawirma recipe is unique because of the marinade. It is a bit easier than other shawarma recipes and comes with a built in sauce. Not to mention delicious.

Seitan Shawirma 
Serves 4

Marinade:
1/4 cup unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, grated
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups chopped seitan

Sauce:
6 tablespoons unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt
Black pepper

Other:
3 medium red or yellow potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Fresh lemon juice or oil spray
4 large tortilla wraps
Pickles

1. Marinade: Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, worcestershire, onion, garlic, garam masala and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk well to combine. Add the seitan and mix. Set aside to marinade at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. 
2. Bake the potatoes while the seitan is marinating. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and spray with oil or drizzle with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an air-fryer and bake for 15 minutes at 360-degrees and then another 10 minutes at 390-degrees. Stir or shake the basket every 10 minutes. Alternatively, bake the potatoes on a pre-heated 400-degree oven until tender and golden, about 40 minutes. 
3. Drain the seitan well, reserving the marinade. Transfer to the air-fryer basket and bake at 390-degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir after every 5 minutes. Alternatively, bake in a preheated 375-degree F oven for 30 minutes. 
4. Sauce: Combine the reserved marinade with the 6 tablespoons yogurt and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Warm the tortillas.
5. Add potatoes to the tortilla, along with the seitan and a few slices of pickles. Roll up and serve with the sauce.


© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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warm spinach salad with barley bacon

Barley Bacon. Why not? Barley is nice and chewy when cooked and lightly crispy when cooked in some oil; it's actually a delicious bacon!

My husband asked me to make him a warm spinach salad and the other week we had a dish with barley. The chew of the barley gave me the idea to make it into bacon - as long as I could achieve a crunch on them.

I loved how these turned out! They were smoky, salty and just crunchy enough to make passing by the bowl without snagging a few a near impossibility.

A pressure cooker is really the best appliance to cook barley and barley that is whole grain is the best grain for this. Pearled barley cooks faster but isn't a whole grain and might not give that distinctive texture.

The black cardamom is the smoke (but you can use liquid smoke) and the sun-dried tomatoes offer a complexity. Once they are done cooking in the pot, it's time to cook them in a pan. I add porcini mushrooms to the pan, which brings its own set of texture and flavors. Working together, these ingredients are perfect to offer that bacon-y experience.

Of course, I had to add some other veggies to the mix! I sauteed leeks and zucchini, but cauliflower or kale would be equally delicious.

To clean your leeks, cut them in half lengthwise and slice them into 1/2-inch pieces. Fill a large bowl with water and add the leeks. Swoosh them around, breaking up the clumps, and set them aside for a few minutes. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl and you can scoop out the leeks with your fingers. Water your plants with the water.

Keep the vegetables warm while you heat up your dressing and toss all the hot ingredients with the spinach.

Serve immediately with the barley and pepitas. Pepitas are extremely high in protein, are delicious and offer another satisfying crunch.

Warm Spinach Salad with Barley Bacon 

Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup hull-less barley, rinsed

2 small black cardamom or 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

2 sun-dried tomato halves

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari

1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large leek, white part, sliced in half and cut into 1/4-inch slices 

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Sea salt and black pepper

2 bunches (about 8 cups) fresh spinach

1/4 cup toasted pepitas

1. Combine the barley, cardamom, tomato, bay leaf, water and tamari in a pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Remove and discard the cardamom and bay. Drain the barley, reserving the tomato and the broth. Set aside.

2. Combine the mushrooms and the reserved broth from the barley in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to rehydrate, about 10 more minutes. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the broth, and rinse the mushrooms lightly. Strain the mushroom/barley broth through a coffee filter or reusable tea bag. You should have about 1/4 cup. Rinse the pot and add the broth. Bring to boil and reduce by half. Add the vinegar, sugar and plenty of black pepper. 

3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the barley. Chop the porcini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and add to the barley. Cook until the barley is slightly crunchy, but don’t over cook. Remove, leaving as much oil as possible in the skillet, and set aside. 

4. Add the leeks and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until golden, about 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

5. Warm the dressing if it has cooled. Add the spinach to an extra large bowl and top with the vegetables and dressing. Toss well. If it isn’t wilting, warm the bowl slightly (stainless steel only!) on the stove while tossing the spinach. When lightly wilted, divide among 4 bowls and top equally with the barley and pepitas.  Serve.

 

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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september wrap up

No doubt about it, Fall is here. Well, according to the calendar, anyway; in San Diego it is hot as dirt - hitting into the 100-degree by the beach. I don't think it got that hot the whole of summer, but sure enough, as soon as Autumn hits... as my friend Susan would say, quit the whining already! She's probably just grumpy because she has a whole mess of snow to look forward to in Idaho.

It is the last day of September! I know, already. And it is time to see what mischief I was up to all this month. As you may know, my new cookbook, Aquafaba [Amazon, B&N, Book Depository], will be releasing in a few short days and I've been busy making videos detailing some aquafaba recipes.

If you haven't seen my videos, yet, head over to my YouTube channel.

This month was mainly about getting in the mood for fall and getting ready for Halloween. I offered you treats for both kids and adults, using aquafaba as an amazing ingredient. Chocolate sugar cookies turned into skeletons and caramel apples flipped into cupcakes - why not?

That doesn't mean that healthy food was off the table. Far from it! I even made a few Pantry+ recipes and made sure that whole foods plant-based recipes were also featured.

1. Bean Boulangerie started off the month. It is French potato gratin that is baked until the potatoes melt in your mouth and the top develops a crispy, golden brown crust. Serve it with a salad and dinner is complete. This is a Pantry+ recipe, using only 5 pantry and 6 fresh ingredients, including the salad.

2. Pumpkin Waffles with Cider-Maple Syrup was my first recipe using aquafaba that isn't in my new cookbook. It is a holiday original, complete with a video. Aquafaba makes this extra crisp and fluffy.

3. Caesar Kale Chips are made with a wet marinade and they still come out crispy and crunchy. This is a perfect take on the standard kale chips. So, so good!

4. Katsu Banh Mi was an instant hit in the house! I had just procured my air-fryer (a refurbished model that I snagged for half the price from Seattle Coffee Gear company [of all places] - thank you in2insight and Becky Striepe!) and was able to make this crusted tofu without oil-frying it. And that was just the beginning of the good news with this sandwich.

5. Refrigerator Dough is a must make and have in the fridge at all times. Because it last for up to 7 days, can be frozen and makes a ton of different breads, there is all the reason in the world to have this convenient dough prepped and waiting.

6. Green Pea Toast with Cayenne Caramelized Onion. Because green peas are readily available in the freezer section all winter long, these toasts are a wonderful way to beat the winter blues and bring some sunshine into the short days of the season. This is a whole foods plant-based recipe, if you opt for whole grain bread.

7. Late Summer Burger Salad reminded us that the summer veggies are about to go bust until next year. Round up those last stray summer veggies and whip up a batch of these delicious mini burgers. The salad is a bonus. This is a Pantry+ recipe that is also whole foods plant-based, if the burgers are baked.

8. Caramel Apple Cupcakes is an aquafaba recipe (with a video tutorial on the making of caramel) and they are rich and moist and screaming of apples and fall. Must make for your holiday table or an afternoon treat before the apples are gone again.

9. The Southern Hot Mess was my take on a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives featured recipe. Out with the cruelty and in with the chickpeas and compassion. These really look a mess, but it is a truly delicious mess. This is a Pantry+ recipe, too!

10. Bulgogi Spring Rolls were a definite favorite! I love spring rolls because they are easy to make (once you get the hang of it) and easy to transport. Great for lunchboxes, but what was truly great about these rolls is that they are very different from your ordinary spring rolls. These are also whole foods plant-based approved, if you use whole grain wrappers and noodles. (Yes, the brown rice wrappers are a reality!)

11. Chocolate Sugar Cookies is an aquafaba recipe. These adorable cookies are a great way to celebrate Halloween. Use cookie cutters to shape them and icing to draw on skeletons. Cute enough to eat.

12. Roasted Garlic Pizza was definitely a favorite and I was crushing on garlic big time. Check out #minimofo for more info on the "crushing" part. This pizza features garlic everywhere! In the tomato sauce, in the toppings and in the cheesy-sauce.

I had a really delicious month of food! I hope you will get to try some of these and maybe find a new favorite. Until next month!