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.

Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup water
4-5 ice cubes
1 large handful of raw spinach
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 orange, peeled
2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 heaping teaspoons of Vega Tropical Shake and Go Smoothie mix
1 inch piece of vanilla bean (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper. Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts (except chia seeds).
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted Earth Balance, chia (or flax) seeds, almond butter, applesauce (or pumpkin), molasses, maple syrup, and water. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well combined.
3. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle brown sugar lightly over the top (optional). Bake for about 35 minutes, until brown around the edges. Cool in the pan for a few minutes then use the edges of parchment to lift them from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut the bars into squares. If they seem crumbly, you can refrigerate them for 30 minutes or so before cutting them.

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, garam masala, amchoor powder, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes longer.
2. Stir in lentils, broth, and bulgar and bring to a boil. If you are using additional vegetables other than greens (e.g. carrots, bell peppers, etc.), add them now too. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes. Add water, if necessary, if lentils get too thick- you can serve this thinner as a soup or thicker like chili.
3. Discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro, lemon juice, and spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

• Pot of pinto beans with brown rice and avocado
• Vegetable soup with "Harvest Grains Blend" (grain and bean combo from Trader Joe's)
• Whole wheat pasta tossed with chard, sundried tomatoes, white beans, and a creamy pesto sauce (cashew-based)
• Pita pizzas with cashew ricotta (there it is again- love it!) and steamed green beans
• Veggie burgers and chipotle sweet potato oven fries
• Stir fried bok choy and turnip greens with tofu, wild rice, shiitake mushrooms, and toasted pecans
• Roasted turnips, carrots, and sweet potatoes with farro, tempeh, pecans, and shiitake mushrooms (this is a repeat- it was SO GOOD last week)
• Potato leek soup with white beans added for protein
• Breakfast dishes: Apple cinnamon crockpot oats and persimmon apple breakfast crisp

*A tip: Portion out leftover dinner meals into single-serving reheat containers and refrigerate or freeze for easy grab-and-go lunches.

I love these containers: link

I will share a few recipes from this list as I cook these meals. Today, I'll share a super fast split pea soup recipe that I made last week.

Did you know...? Split peas area fantastic food- they don't require pre-soaking and they are loaded with iron, fiber, and protein!
Simple Split Pea Soup
1 1/2 cups split peas (green, yellow, or a mix), sorted and rinsed
6-8 cups of water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1-3 tsp liquid smoke (to taste, optional)
Sea salt (about 1 Tbsp) and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the onions and carrots. Saute until the onions are lightly browned.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, partially covered, for about an hour. Serve the soup topped with homemade croutons.

To make croutons, I chopped up the heals of a few loaves of bread that were lingering in my fridge for just such an occasion. I tossed them with olive oil, salt, fresh chopped parsley, and minced garlic and baked them at 300 degrees until they were crunchy (about 25 minutes, turning once or twice).

• Split pea soup with added veggies and warm bread
• Baked penne with cashew ricotta and sauteed green beans
• Butternut squash and leek gratin (also with cashew ricotta...I'm hooked!)
• Roasted root veggies with tempeh and farro

Farro is a hearty grain that lends itself well to combining with all kinds of foods. It will make a great vehicle for my roasted veggies this week and leftovers reheat well for a healthy and filling breakfast (just add a little milk of choice and top with fruit, nuts, seeds, etc.). One serving of farro contains 5 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 10% of the RDA for iron.

To cook: soak the farro in cool water for at least an hour. Bring fresh water to a boil and add farro (1 cup of water for every 1/2 cup of farro) and simmer, partially covered, for 25-30 minutes (or until all liquid is absorbed).

What are some of your favorite fall meals?