Worth Making

Here are some recent successes worth both making and sharing. You will notice that we trend simple and big-batchy here lately (except for the smoothie, which makes one stressed-and-starving-mama-sized serving).

Best Veggie Burgers. These are vegan, nut-free, and delicious. They remind me of an old-school GardenBurger. They are made of primarily quick oats, onion, and mushrooms, but my mushroom-hater spouse nonetheless approves. We eat them on English Muffins with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and quick pickles. Tastes like '98 - a pretty great year.

Cumin Tofu Stir-fry. (Link will only work if you're a NY Times subscriber, sorry.) Crunchy tofu with a dry-spice crust, heady portions of fresh garlic, ginger, and cilantro, and al dente cauliflower bites. The leftovers were even better, heated up in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. A dollop of salted plain yogurt on top doesn't hurt.

Trail Mix Cookies. These are infinitely adaptable and invite experimentation and resourcefulness. I make them with seeds instead of nuts and have substituted cassava, tiger nut, and oat flours for the almond and they all work. No matter what flour I use, taste is earthy like trail mix; texture is soft like an underbaked cookie. 

Snickerdoodle Smoothie. Post-workout food of champions! I don't work out right now, so that was an inside joke with myself. (You crack me up, Self.) But it's delicious and has some vegetable in it, so obviously super healthy.

Peach Brown Betties. Heck yes I'm linking to my own blog! Perfectly-portioned pies without the fuss of pie dough (which, candidly, I have yet to master). 

And an array of vegan pancakes for the aspiring vegans and egg-allergic in our home:

Food52's Fluffy Vegan Pancakes. Makes hands-down the best diner-style fluffy pancakes I've ever seen without eggs. Graciously accommodating of any blueberries or chocolate chips that find their way into your batter. 

A Couple Cook's Nut-butter Vegan Pancakes. Still allergic to nuts here, so we use sunflower butter (though I bet almond or peanut butter would be even better). This recipe offers something a little different from the Food52 version; a little more depth. They brown beautifully albeit quickly - watch out with cast iron!

Banana-Oat Pancakes. These are amazing. Four ingredients plus pantry staples. Quick, quite filling, and - if you make silver-dollar-style ones - they are a good lunchbox addition. If you are feeding more than you or two, I recommend doubling the recipe. And you need a VitaMix or similar high-power blender.

I suspect we eat more pancakes than the average family.

Missing you all. Hope you're eating okay and finding occasional comfort in your kitchen.

xoxoE-N