Double Berry Muffins with fresh lemon glaze

These are a spin off of my original lemon blueberry muffin. While those are delicious as they are, I packed these ones with two kinds of berries, and topped them with a fresh lemon glaze, which made them ridiculously good! There is no substitute here for the fresh lemon juice, you have got to go fresh squeezed for this one!!! Use whatever combo of berries you like and can get. I used raspberries and blueberries and it was perfect!

Double Berry Muffins with fresh lemon glaze

makes 12 muffins

What you Need:

1/2 cup earth balance vegan butter

1 cup evaporated cane juice sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp lemon extract

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)

1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened) mixed with juice of 2 lemons

2 cups of white whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup raspberries

Fresh Lemon Glaze:

Juice of 1 lemon

about 1 cup (estimate) of powdered sugar.

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

teeny tiny pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavors

Mix with a hand mixer or standing mixer using whisk attachment. Add enough powdered sugar until the mixture is slightly pale, and sweet. Somewhere between 3/4 cup and 1 cup of powdered sugar is what you will need to get the right consistency for the glaze. I know in the picture my glaze is still slightly wet looking, but it will totally firm up! It becomes dry to the touch, not wet, and is soooo good on these!

To Make:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.

With a standing mixer or a hand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until pale in color. Add the applesauce, extracts, and lemon zest. Mix until just incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and almond milk and mix until incorporated.

Very gently fold in the berries.

Fill each muffin almost to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow the muffins to fully cool before dipping in the glaze.

Once the muffins have fully cooled, make the glaze, and very gently dip the top of each muffin in the glaze. Hold upside down for a minute to let excess glaze drip off the top. Then let the muffins sit for a minute to allow the glaze to set.

California Cobb Salad with Miso and Herb Vinaigrette

This is my own spin on a cobb salad, and it was wonderful, and had so much flavor. Plus, I love that this could stand alone on its own as a meal, no side dishes needed! It's so nice when a salad has some substance to it. No itty bitty teeny tiny wimpy salads for me!
Baked savory tofu, creamy avocados, tempeh bacon, and lots of veggies with a healthy miso and herb vinaigrette, and you hardly have to dirty a dish making it! Pack up the leftovers for a quick and healthy lunch the next day...

California Cobb Salad

with Miso and Herb Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6

What you need:

1 full head of Romaine lettuce, chopped bite size

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pkg. Trader Joe's baked tofu, (savory flavored) or any other brand of baked tofu

1 pkg. Litelife organic smokey tempeh strips (tempeh bacon), or any other vegan bacon

1 avocado diced

1 recipe for Miso and herb vinaigrette (below)

Miso and herb Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup chipped basil

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. mellow white miso paste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients with a whisk. This vinaigrette is supposed to be kind of chunky with all of the fresh herbs going through it.

To assemble your salad:

In a saute pan, cook your tempeh bacon according to the pkg. instructions. Cool and crumble into smaller pieces.

Dice your baked tofu and your other vegetables. Drizzle your avocados with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning. Layer all ingredients on the salad and top with the delicious and healthy dressing!

Loaded Nachos with roasted peppers and smokey "cheese" sauce

Oh my goodness. You are in for a real treat! This turned out amazing! Satisfying, substantial, and bursting with tons of flavor. My husband said that it was so good he couldn't stop eating it, and my kids thought it was awesome too! In an attempt to try and think of a way to create a "nacho cheese" type of sauce with what I already had around, I ended up with what is sure to be a favorite for us now. What I love the most about this meal is that it is made from regular, easy to find ingredients. I know I could have thrown some Daiya vegan cheese on these (and that would have been yummy too) but lots of my readers don't have easy access to this product, so I wanted to use something that everyone could find and make. I decided to use creamy roasted red pepper hummus as the base to my "cheese sauce". It's healthy, easy to find at the store or make yourself, and lot's of us already have it sitting in the fridge. I added some spices and nutritional yeast to the mix, and was left with a vitamin packed, protein filled cheese sauce that added such an amazing flavor to the nachos. Trust me on this one, it may seem strange to put a hummus based sauce on nachos, but it was YUMMY! Make a batch of these for your next movie night and your friends and family will love you!

Loaded Nachos with Roasted peppers and smokey "cheese" sauce

serves 4-6

What you Need:

Chips (enough to cover the bottom of a regular cookie sheet)

1 roasted poblano pepper (leave this out if you don't like spicy food)

2 roasted red bell peppers

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 batch smokey nacho "cheese" (recipe below)

1 batch Mexican black beans (recipe below)

1/2 cup pico de gallo

1 cup fresh cilantro

Smokey "cheese" sauce

3/4 cup roasted red pepper hummus (or plain hummus can be used here)

1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1/4 to 1/3 cup water, depending on the starting consistancy of hummus.

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. The mixture may seem somewhat thin, but it is supposed to resemble a nacho cheese, kind of runniy and easy to drizzle over the chips, and it will thicken up when it bakes. Set the mixture aside.

Mexican Black Beans

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

juice of 1 lime

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all fo the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Roasted Peppers

You can do these on a grill, in the oven, or under a broiler. I chose to do mine under a broiler. Choose your method, and cook or roast the poblano and red peppers until the skins are charred and blistery. Remove from the heat and place immedietly in a large bowl. Cover the bowl to allow the peppers to steam. Once the peppers have cooled remove the skins and seeds and give them a small diced cut.

To Make the nachos:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover the pan with tortilla chips. Drizzle the hummus "cheese" sauce over the chips, then sprinkle the thawed corn, mexican black beans, chopped roasted peppers, and bake for 15-18 minutes, until everything is warmed through. Remove from oven, and squeeze 1/2 lime over the nachos. Top with 1/2 cup of fresh pico, and 1 cup of fresh cilnatro.

Raw Spiced Chocolate Truffles

These are my raw chocolate truffles that I make all the time, and they will totally make you happy! They are such cute little balls of fuel! I love to make a batch of these and keep them in my freezer so that I can grab them at a moments notice and have a very healthy "pick me up" snack made entirely of whole foods that will give your body great energy! If you have ever had a Larabar, this is really similar in taste. Raw food treats can be really expensive though, so why not make some yourself? These are as simple as it gets! And so delicious and good for you too!

Raw Spiced Chocolate Truffles

Makes about 35 truffles

What You Need:

3 Tbsp. raw cacao powder (pretty easy to find at health food stores, or purchase here)

1/3 cup unsweetened , uncooked shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups raw almonds

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

15 Medjool dates

3Tbsp. raw cacao powder (for the final dusting of the truffles)

To Make:

In a food processor, combine 3 Tbsp raw cacao powder and 1/3 cup shredded coconut. Process until the coconut is more finely ground up and mixed well with the cacao powder. Pour this mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

Next, in the empty food processor, add almonds, salt, and cinnamon, and process until the almonds are ground into pretty small pieces. Add the dates about 5 at a time while the processor is running, until all 15 dates have been added. The mixture may look dry and not sticky enough at first, but just give it a minute to continue to process. It will eventually become more sticky. Once the mixture starts to hold together well when you squeeze some between your fingers, it is done processing. Using a small cookie scooper or about 1 heaping Tbsp. start forming and rolling the mixture into little balls. Place the balls into the chocolate/coconut mixture and hold the bowl edges, wiggling the bowl to kind of toss the ball around in it to coat them well with the chocolate. . Continue this process with the rest of the almond/date mixture.

After all of the truffle balls have been made, place 3 additional Tbsp. of raw cacao powder into a separate bowl, and place truffles a few at a time in it to give them a final coating of plain cacao powder (this also makes them look pretty and more perfect).

Place in a storage container and store in the freezer.

See, I told you these were easy!

Chocolate Nutty Brownies with Vanilla Coconut Whip

Helloooooo my fellow foodies and chocolate lovers! Thank you all so much for all of your emails and for all of your great feedback on my recipes! I love and appreciate all of your responses! I have received many emails expressing much love for the Chocolate Fudge Muffins. I decided that since so many of you have really enjoyed this recipe, I would give you another fun way to make something else with it. This one looks fancy and impressive and makes you feel like you are having something very indulgent and special!

Did any of you see our fellow vegan Chef Chloe Coscerelli kick some butt on Cupcake Wars on the Food Network a few weeks ago? Well, if you didn't see it, she most certainly did! She beat out her non-vegan cupcake baking competitor, and it was really cool to see a vegan win something on Food Network! So I have to say GOOD JOB to her. Speaking of Chloe, I was browsing her blog the other day and I found the most genius idea! She used coconut milk, chilled it, and used it to make perfect whipped cream! This is honestly brilliant if you ask me. I can't figure out why I didn't ever think of this myself! Since I loved the idea so much, I had to make something with it immediately. Of course when I want something sweet, my thoughts usually turn straight to my Chocolate Fudge Muffins. I added some walnuts, and made them "brownie style", then sprinkled the top with extra nuts and chocolate chips, and topped it off with the amazing vanilla coconut whip. It was a chocolate lovers dream...

Even though I love to cook and create things myself, I am also so inspired by all of my fellow food bloggers who have really awesome ideas and blogs to share, and I love to try your recipes too! So thank you for the whipped cream idea Chloe! I will be using this recipe again and again and again! I think it has endless possibilities and was so delicious! And thanks to the rest of you for all of your great ideas as well! Happy Cooking (and brownie eating!)!

Chocolate Nutty Brownies with Vanilla Coconut Whip

Follow the recipe for Chocolate Fudge Muffins, adding in about 1/4-1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but I looooove hazelnuts and think they would have been so good too!)

Place the batter in an oiled 8x8 inch square Pyrex dish. Bake the brownies at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, Take the brownies out 5 minutes before they are finished, and sprinkle a few Tbsp. each of chopped nuts and chocolate chips on top, then place back in to bake for 5 more minutes. This makes the brownies pretty! Set aside to cool.

Vanilla and Coconut Cream Whip topping:

From the blog of Chef Chloe

1 can or regular full fat coconut milk

about 1/3 cup powdered sugar (to taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chill the can of coconut milk for several hours. After chilling, scrape the "cream" from the top of the can. Beat or mix adding in the powdered sugar and the vanilla until it is sweetened to your liking.

Place a square of brownie on a plate, top with a nice healthy dollop of the coconut whip. Add some fresh berries on the side if you have them!!!

Delicious and incredibly simple!

Southwest Scramble over crispy Baby Potatoes

I haven't really experimented with tofu scrambles much. I don't really know why. I like tofu prepared other ways. But for some reason it just didn't really appeal to me in a scrambled form. Everyone seems to love these "scrambles" though, so I figured, why not?? I'll give it a go and try to come up with something tasty. And let me just say that I will definitely be making this meal again! It turned out wonderful! So flavorful and so delicious! I think one of the reasons why I liked it so much was that I made it heavy on the veggies and beans, and used the tofu as the accompaniment to the whole dish. Plus, I served it over one of my husbands favorite childhood dishes that his father would make him all the time, pan fried potatoes. So needless to say, I had a happy husband as well! It all felt like a Southwestern style breakfast inspired dinner to me. And I loved it!

Southwest Scramble over crispy Baby Potatoes

Serves 4

What You Need:

1 block of extra firm tofu, (drained and pressed in a towel for a minute to remove some of the moisture)

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
cracked black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
5 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

To Make:
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp earth balance vegan butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion celery, garlic, and corn. Saute for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened and the corn is slightly charred.
Add your black beans, tofu, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes to incorporate the spices well and gently cook the beans and tofu.
Add mustard, nutritional yeast, tomatoes, and cilantro, and stir to incorporate. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper if needed.

Crispy Baby Potatoes:

4 heaping handfuls (4 heaping cups) of thinly sliced baby potatoes, any variety, I love fingerling!
season salt (to taste)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tsp earth balance
Cut the potatoes into thin rounds. Heat the olive oil and earth balance in a saute pan. Add the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-high heat. During the cooking process, stir often, and add season salt to taste. Continue to taste and season until they taste just right! The potatoes are done when they are golden and a little crispy, and tender.

To Serve:
Place about a cup or so of the potatoes on a plate and top with the Southwest Scramble. Garnish with a little extra cilantro. Sooooooo yummy!!!

Stuffed sub with herbed "cream cheese" and vinaigrette

OK, if you can't tell from what I post often on my blog, It's safe to say that I am a sandwich and wrap girl. Those are the types of meals I love. They are always so satisfying to me, yet still really simple and easy to make. I mean, does a really delicious sandwich ever let you down??!

For the spread, I used Tofutti vegan cream cheese. It works wonderfully for this! I loved the mixture of the sauteed warm veggies along with the fresh veggies for crispness. And I topped it off with a very simple and quick vinaigrette to add a little extra moisture to the sandwich.

Wrap this in any type of bread, wrap, or sub that you like. I used a whole wheat french bread type of loaf, and it was really fun to serve it that way. I stuffed everything into it, and served it family style in the center of the table sliced into individual portions so that everyone could grab a sandwich to have with a side of vegetable soup. I have a family of 5, so it is fun to serve things more family style at the table, but if you are just feeding one or two, than this would be equally delicious rolled up in a whole wheat wrap. It was another meal in sandwich heaven for me!

Stuffed sub with herbed "cream cheese" and Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6

What You Need:

1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks

1 large purple onion, thinly sliced

1/2 large English cucumber, thinly sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

romaine lettuce, or spinach, about 2 small handfuls

1 recipe for herbed "cream cheese", recipe below

1 recipe for quick Italian vinaigrette, recipe below

Herbed "cream cheese" :

1/2 container (4 ounces) of Tofutti vegan plain cream cheese (make sure you get non hydrogenated only)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

juice from 1/2 lemon

2-3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup fresh basil

Pinch of salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Quick Italian Vinaigrette:

In a bowl, whisk together 2 Tbsp. Olive oil, 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Whisk well and set aside.

To Make:

Heat 2 Tbsp. Olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the peppers and onions with a pinch of salt and pepper for about 5 minutes until softened.

Spread the cream cheese on one side of the bread or in your wrap. Then add the sauteed veggies, fresh veggies, lettuce, and drizzle with just a touch of vinaigrette on top. Add a little extra fresh cracked pepper, and then dig in and get your face messy!

Greek infused salad with Quinoa and Sun Dried Tomato Basil Dressing

This salad struck the perfect balance of feeling substantial, yet also leaving you feeling light and energized after. It is full of vegetables, with the addition of hummus and nutrient packed quinoa. I topped the salad off with a fat free sun dried tomato and basil dressing that I made. It added the moisture and fresh flavor I was looking for without overpowering the Greek infused flavors of the salad. This is what I call a healthy dinner!

Greek infused salad with Quinoa and Sun Dried Tomato Basil Dressing

Serves 4-6

What you Need:

Romaine lettuce a few cups per salad being made

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 English cucumber, peeled and diced

small handful of Greek black olives

small handful of green olives

1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced

2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 cups artichoke hearts packed in water

plain hummus, or use your favorite flavor (probably about 1/2 cup total)

1 batch Fat Free Sun dried tomato basil dressing (recipe below)

Fat free sun dried tomato basil dressing:

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil, just dried) soaked for about 10 minutes in 1 cup hot water, reserve the water

1 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1-2 tsp salt, add a little a a time and taste as you go to achieve the right flavor for your liking

pinch black pepper

2 tsp agave nectar

soaking liquid from the sun dried tomatoes

Soak the sun dried tomatoes for about 10 minutes in hot water, reserving the soak liquid. Add all ingredients except the soak water in a blender and blend well. Add the soak water and blend. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper to your liking.

To assemble the salad:

Place 1-2 cups of romaine lettuce on the plate. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of quinoa on the lettuce. Dollop about 2 Tbsp of hummus on top of the quinoa. Add 3-4 Tbsp of each vegetable to the salad, just depending on how you want it. Top the salad with fresh cracked pepper and drizzle with the dressing.

Enjoy this super healthy nutrient packed meal and feel great!

Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet and Savory sauces

This meal could possibly be my very favorite lunch! Sometimes food in its most simple form tastes so good and is just what I need!The rolls are entirely raw aside from the rice paper, which means they are full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that will make you glow and feel great! I grab these all the time while I am out and on the go from stores in my area, but I have actually been making them for years, and they are so easy to make. The cutting takes a little time, but once you have everything in a nice little assembly line for yourself, its pretty quick and easy. I always feel so refreshed, light and energized after these. I love to have a sweet sauce and a savory sauce to dip in, so I get a different taste with each bite! You can really use any vegetables you want, these are just some of my favorites! Rice paper wrappers are found at Asian Food Markets, and I like to use the larger size. They are so much easier to work with! Enjoy these alone for a nice light lunch, or make them for dinner with a side of brown rice, or my very favorite fruit salad.

Fresh Vegetable Rolls with Sweet and Savory Sauces

What You Need:

Rice Paper wrappers (found in Asian food Markets)

Carrots cut in matchsticks

zucchini cut in matchsticks

Cucumber, peeled, seeds scraped out, and cut in matchsticks

Red Bell Peppers, cut in matchsticks

Baby spinach, or shredded cabbage

salt and pepper

Agave lime and mint sauce( recipe below)

Cilantro lime peanut sauces(recipe below)

To Make:

In a large skillet, heat about 1 inch of water until pretty warm, and then turn off the heat. lay a damp kitchen towel out on your work surface. One paper at a time, dunk into warm water and let sit for about 10-15 seconds (do not over soak). Lay the paper on the damp kitchen towel. Place a little of each vegetable on one end of the rice paper. Roll up the bottom, then fold in the sides, and continue to roll up like a burrito. Place on a separate damp towel. Keeping the rolls on damp towels will keep them from sticking and drying out When ready to serve cut the rolls in half, dunk in the delicious sauces, and enjoy !

Agave Lime and Mint Sauce:
adapted from a sauce that I watched Giada de laurentiis make

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 small handful (1/4 cup) of fresh mint
a few drops of Japanese Chili Oil or a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until mixed well. Pour into a small dish for dipping.

Cilantro Lime Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unsalted all natural peanut butter
1/2 cup hot water
1 inch piece of grated fresh ginger
1 small clove minced garlic
2 Tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Japanese chili oil or red pepper flakes to taste and desired amount of heat

Mix all ingredients with a whisk well in a bowl. lace in a small dish for dipping.

To keep the spring rolls fresh while waiting to serve, place a damp cloth underneath the rolls and also lay another damp cloth on top of the rolls. This will keep the rice paper soft.

We served this with my very favorite fruit salad! Its amazing!! And pairs perfectly with this meal. I could eat this all day, everyday! You can get the recipe here! My kids love it too, and it is so healthy! Or, you can serve with a little brown rice which I also love.


Pineapple, Mango, Coconut and Mint fruit Salad from
The Veggie-Full Kitchen

Morgan's Amazing Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Anyone who says that you can't have an amazing, delicious cookie that is not only vegan, but also made with healthier ingredients, needs to eat one of these! I spent a very long time developing this recipe. I wanted it to be perfect. Tweaking it ever so slightly here and there each time I made them, adding this, taking out that, until I had what I thought was the perfect chocolate chip cookie, both in taste and texture. Well, many many batches of cookies later, I am happy to finally be sharing with you my amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe! If you didn't tell someone that these were 100% whole wheat, they wouldn't know. If you didn't tell them that they were void of all animal dairy products thought to be essential in making cookies, they wouldn't know. What you will taste is a cookie that is slightly crispy on the corners, soft in the middle, sweet, and oozing with melted chocolate chips. What could be better than that! To add to this recipe, you can throw in your favorite nut for a little extra crunch! YUM!

Morgan's Amazing Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 16 cookies

What You Need:

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Earth Balance whipped Butter

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Evaporated Cane Sugar (Trader Joes carries this by the regular sugar. Im sure whole foods does as well)

1/2 tsp. Blackstrap Molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. Arrowroot powder mixed with 1 Tbsp of water and set aside

1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 cup oats

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Chopped nuts of choice (optional)

To Make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a standing mixer or in a bowl, mx the butter, sugar, molasses, sugar, and arrowroot/water mixture until mixed very well.
In a seperate bowl, mix your dry ingredients and add to the wet. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Stir in your chocolate chips and nuts if using.

Using a small cookie scooper (about 1 Tbsp.) place cookie dough on baking sheet, and bake for about 8-10 minutes. Take out and do not touch the cookies until they have cooled for 2 minutes. Then remove from baking sheet and allow to cool fully.

Important Side Note: This dough may seem more "wet" than usual cookie dough to you, but this is how it is supposed to look. Don't be decieved. They will turn out great! Do not add extra flour to the mixture. It will result in a hard crunchy cookie.

Falafel Pitas with Tahini Sauce

My family loved this so much we had it twice in one week! It was so good! I know traditionally falafel is deep fried and really crispy on all sides, but this is my healthier version of the original. I just pan fried mine on two sides with a few Tbsp olive oil and it worked great and tasted really great. I also tried baking some of the falafel, which also turned out really good! If you live near a Trader Joes (man, I love that store!) they have an awesome tahini sauce for this sandwich. If not, just get your favorite hummus and that will work great also. Another bonus, it's so kid friendly! We served it to the kids in a deconstructed manner, so that thy could dip everything. It was almost like chicken nuggets for a veggie kid! They loved them, and the chickpeas provided them with lots of protein, the herbs are packed with nutrition, and the tahini sauce is loaded with calcium! Also, my secret ingredient for these is the Panko Japanese breadcrumbs. Get some made from wheat flour, and they add a nice crunchiness. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did!

Falafel Pitas with Tahini Sauce

serves about 4 comfortably

What You Need for Falafel Balls:

1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 small yellow onion

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

3/4 tsp salt

pinch of black pepper

small handful (about 1/2 cup) parsley

small handrul (about 1/2 cup) cilantro

1 Tbsp arrowroot powder

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. whole wheat flour

1/2 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs (try to find wheat flour Panko)

Fresh lemon wedges for squeezing over cooked falafel

In a food processor, mix all ingredients except Panko Breadcrumbs and lemons until very smooth. Add the Panko breadcrumbs and pulse to incororate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scooper (about 1 healping Tbsp.) scoop up balls and place onto the parchment. Place the baking sheet with falafel in the refrigerator to chill for a frew hours if you have time.

Cooking the Falafel:

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add a few Tbsp. of Olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place your falafel in the pan and cook for several minutes on each sie to create a brown crispy crust. When done cooking, place on a towel or baking sheet to cool off, and sqeeze a few lemon wedges over them.

If baking your falafel, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and bake for about 20-25 minutes until the falafel balls become crispy on the outside. Squeee fresh lemon wedges over the top when finished baking.

For Falafel Sandwiches:

You need:

cooked falafel balls

Whole wheat pitas

Sliced tomatoes

sliced cucumbers

microgreens, or sprouts

Tahini Sauce, or your favorite hummus

Cut the pita in half. Sread hummus or drizzle tahini sauce into the pita. Add tomatoes, cucumbers, microgreens or sprouts and 3 falafel balls. You can drizzle a little extra tahini sauce on top if you want. Serve with an extra wedge of lemon on the side.

If serving this to young children:

Serve the sandwich deconstructed. Put some tahini sauce or Hummus in a small dipping container. Serve with all of the ingredients that would go into the sandwich on a plate for them to dip. Kids love this!