Corn salsa with cilantro and lime

We usually make this salsa to put on burritos, but we almost always have left-overs and end up eating it with chips.  It is delicious on its own and tastes great on a burrito, so eat it whichever way you please!  But if you are eating it on its own, I recommend also adding black beans and chopped avocado.  They are not included here because we add them as separate components on our burritos.

Hand-held burritos

Every family has a go-to meal that everyone likes and doesn’t take long to prepare.  Burritos are that meal for us.  This meal has a lot of components but it is well worth it, and you can leave some parts out and still have a delicious dinner.  We like having some hot, cooked components (veggies, beans) and some cold, raw components (corn salsa, avocado).  It actually doesn’t take too long to make these, especially if you prepare the corn salsa ahead of time.  They are so satisfying and have all the fiber and protein that you need to fill up and all the healthy fats from the avocado and olive oil to feel wonderfully satiated.

Roasted poblano-chipotle hummus

I love a good hummus.  Before going vegan, Harlan and I gorged ourselves on cheese and crackers everyday when we got home from work.  After giving up dairy, I was in need of a different go-to snack to help hold off the hunger in between meals.  Like all good snacks, it needed to be something quick, easy to have around, and delicious.  Chia seeds, fresh fruit and almonds are all nice choices, but hummus and dips are definitely my favorite.  I try to make a few every weekend and have them in the fridge throughout the week for easy snacking.  They can be eaten with crackers, pita chips, pretzels, apples, baby carrots, cucumber or any other raw veggie, or they are great to spread on sandwiches or wraps.  This recipe is one that came about when Harlan and I were going through a chipotle phase and were adding it to just about everything.  Hey, at least it was less offensive to our olfactory glands than when we went through our garlic phase.

Blue cornbread blueberry pancakes

This recipe evolved from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Cornbread Waffle recipe in her cookbook “Vegan Brunch”.  That woman is a genius.  I have not yet found a cookbook or recipe of hers that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, so definitely check her out.  Her Cornbread Waffle recipe looked good but our waffle iron leaves a lot to be desired, so we decided to turn her recipe into pancakes.  Then Harlan decided that breakfast would be a lot more fun if it was blue, and the rest is history.  This is a breakfast staple when we have guests visiting.

Cranberry apple crisp with orange and coconut

As I was reaching into the depths of our refrigerator, trying to find provisions from which to make a dinner despite being in desperate need of a grocery trip, I discovered that we had done it again.  We had overbought cranberries for Thanksgiving and they had subsequently gotten lost in the back of our fridge.  We had one full and one partial bag begging me to use them in something delicious before they spoiled, so I happily obliged.

Cumin-paprika garbanzo beans with cashews and dinosaur kale

I love greens and beans.  I make so many combinations of greens and beans that I could fill a cookbook.  This recipe uses garbanzo beans and dinosaur kale, although you could easily substitute with cannellini or great northern beans and basically any other dark leafy green.

Celeriac and potato salad with cashew-miso dressing

Celeriac, or celery root, is a classic case of you-can’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover.  Although it lacks aesthetic appeal, it is delicious when eaten both raw and cooked and is incredibly nutritious.  Its flavor is often described as a cross between celery and parsley and its raw texture reminds me of turnips crossed with jicama.