1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tbsp canola oil (or oil of choice)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or oil.
2. Whisk together chia seeds and warm water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and hemp seeds. Set aside.
4. To the chia seed mixture, add milk, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla and combine well. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine- don't overmix. Gently fold in the peaches.
5. Spoon batter into muffin pan. For mini muffins, bake for about 20 minutes. For larger muffins, check for doneness at 20 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the middle of a muffin (it should come out clean and the muffins should be golden brown).

• Get Natured tempeh recipes
• 101 Cookbooks tempeh recipes

1. Heat a dry pan on high heat.
2. Add about a tablespoon of amaranth and quickly move the pan in a circular motion (ala "Jiffy Pop") over the burner. The key here is to keep the pan moving in a circular motion until the amaranth has finished popping so that you don't end up with "snow" all over your kitchen!

*Note: This works well over my gas stove- I'm not sure how it would work over an electric burner.

(Updated from the original post, published May 2009.)

For the most part, vegetarian food is simple. We eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, beans and other legumes, etc. Nothing freaky there. Venture down the center aisles of your natural foods store, though, and you may find some things that you readily assume to be obscure and secret vegetarian items.

Enter the hemp seed. Sounds almost illegal, right? No! Hemp seeds are a great source of protein, iron, and omega 3 fatty acids. They taste a bit like tiny sunflower seeds and go great in oatmeal, muffins, pancakes, granola, bars, salads, grain dishes, smoothies, and more.

Hemp seeds are becoming easier to find. Whole Foods and other health-oriented grocers carry them as do smaller health food stores. They are also available online from stores like Vegan Essentials or even Amazon. Give them a try!

(Updated from the original post, published April 2008.)

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread (vegan)

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour works well)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 2/3 cup real maple syrup (this is a pretty sweet bread and this could be reduced to 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup oil (canola, coconut, olive - your choice)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds (optional, adds protein, iron, and omega 3s)

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C). In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the milk, syrup, oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and zucchini. Add to the dry mixture and stir gently to combine. Fold in the raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, and hemp seeds.
3. Pour batter into a loaf pan* lined with parchment paper (or lightly oiled). Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Note: You can also bake this as muffins. Reduce baking time to approximately 20-25 minutes.

1 small green cabbage (Savoy works well), thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 large potato, chopped (leave the peel on for extra fiber and iron)
1 cup French green lentils (I used truRoots sprouted green lentils which I found at Costco), rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice or other hearty grain (I used truRoots germinated Gaba rice from Costco), uncooked and rinsed  
1 cube of Rapunzel vegetable bouillon with sea salt and herbs (optional)
6-8 cups of water
Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion and potato and cook for a few minutes. Add the cabbage, water, bouillon cube (or 1 tsp sea salt), lentils, and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the lentils and rice are fully cooked*. Taste for salt and season with pepper.