Roasted Veggies, Halloumi and Bulgar

This is one of my favourite dishes, and better still, it gets the husband approval. Its also healthy, which is great, lots of whole grains. Although I'll try and tap out a recipe, its extremely adaptable to whatever you have on hand. I make a variation most weeks based on some sort of grain, eg rice, bulgar, pearl barley, quinoa, random roasted veggies, some sort of bean, and lots of flavor.

This time I used a delicious bulgar wheat product that I found in north park produce. It cooked up pretty quickly, maybe 15 minutes. I put a teaspoon of better than bouillon in there for flavor. Meanwhile, I had some diced veggies which I roasted up. This time there were red peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini and onions.

I fried some cubes of halloumi cheese(also available at north park produce, somewhat similar to paneer, doesnt melt like regular cheese), chopped olives an avocado and some parsley.

I dumped everything in a bowl, then deglazed the roasting pans with a little white balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to balance everything out. mmmmm

Healthy appetites, soba noodles

I was shopping in Trader Joes and I came across this interesting package, I'm really having trouble coming up with ideas for delicious healthy meals, so this looked perfect!

It comes with a package of noodles, sauce mix, sesame oil and a sprinkle mixture of sesame seeds and seaweed, a healthy sized portion for around 4 people.

I stir fried some veggies in the sesame oil, added some marinaded tofu, and then prepared the noodles as per the package instructions. Tasty and filling! I was left with another 3 lunches for work, or a dinner for us on a weeknight, so it was cheap, cheerful, healthy and delicious!

I added some crunchy lettuce mixed with a little dressing that I whipped up with low fat mayonnaise, wasabi, honey and rice vinegar on the side.

Much as I'd love for Trader Joes to hand me free stuff, I actually went and paid for this, I just thought I'd mention it as many of us are trying to lose a little weight, and

looking for healthy, quick options.

Super Quick and Easy Dinner! Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Since my dinner looked so crappy, I thought I'd share a photo of my pretty cat! I've decided to take part in the 365 project and take a picture every day. I'd love to take loads of time over them, but I think a lot of the time it will be a quick snap with my phone. Here is the set if you'd like to check them out! The lovely barbara got me started on this, thank goodness for twitter!

Anyway, what with all this faffing about with photos, you'll need a quick idea for dinner, this is also super healthy and delicious!

Spaghetti Squash with meatballs -serves around 4

1 large spaghetti squash

1 large tin marinara sauce (I love trader joes low fat version)

meatballs (I used trader joes meatless meatballs)

grated cheese

Timing will vary depending on your microwave.

Microwave or steam each half of the squash until cooked, about 2 x 4 mins each half.

Place the frozen meatballs into the squash, cover with sauce and microwave for another 2 x 4 mins.

Cover with grated cheese and grill until bubbly.

If you dont have a microwave you can steam the squash, then put the meatballs and sauce in, cover with cheese and then pop in the oven at around 350f for around 45 mins.

Crab cakes, hubby cooks!!

When my husband announced he had found a recipe he'd like to try I was so excited, he hates cooking and its really nice when he makes something for me!

We are big fans of sam the cooking guy, and he saw this recipe on the show and decided it was easy enough to try.

Its also really healthy and tasty, which is a bonus. Especially without the biscuits, although I'm sure they are delicious! I paired it with a wasabi coleslaw, which played off the spicy crab cakes perfectly.

Wasabi Coleslaw-serves around 4

These ingredients are just a guideline, you can just throw in a bunch of coleslaw mix. The dressing should be to taste, since some of us feel differently about wasabi!!

1/2 cabbage, shredded

1 red bell pepper, shredded

2 carrots, grated

4 scallions/spring onions chopped

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise (hellmans is the only one I will use!)

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tsp wasabi

1 tsp brown sugar

Whisk together the mayo, rice vinegar, wasabi, sugar. Mix the veggies and the sesame seeds and add the dressing. Serve immediately. If you're having it later keep the coleslaw separate from the dressing and combine immediately before serving.

Mexican Rice Salad

I had some leftover rice to use up, then I realised I had cilantro, peppers, lettuce from my CSA, and some sour cream and mozzarella that needed using up. Mixed up with some black beans this made a delicious and healthy lunchtime salad.

I feel bad for people in Europe and on the East Coast, as we sat in our t-shirts on the patio eating this and it was just glorious, but then we pay the price in sunshine tax!

Mexican Rice Salad
Serves 2 for a hearty meal, or 3 for a lighter meal
1 cup brown rice
1 tin black beans, rinsed
2 peppers, diced finely
1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
5 spring onions chopped finely
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small avocado, diced
1 tbsp Penzeys Taco Seasoning
2 oz mozzarella or mild cheese, chopped finely
dollop of sour cream
handful of salad leaves

Combine all the chopped ingredients with the seasoning and serve on a bed of salad with a dollop of sour cream.

Apple Butter

I had a wonderful trip to Julian on Saturday, then on Sunday I took the delicious apples I had, a mixture of red delicious, pippin, some unknown little bewise apples, and cooked them up slowly over an entire sunday with a little apple cider and made them into a delicious rich apple butter.

There isnt really a recipe, I just peeled and chopped the apples, poured apple cider to cover and simmered them on a really low heat all day until they were completely uniform, then blended them to make them silky smooth. I sterilized the jars with boiling water and voila!!

You also get to see our crazy looking synthetic lawn. Its a bit odd, and looks a bit like a carpet, but I think we made the right choice. Its wonderful to walk on, nice and neat and doesn't need any water. Good stuff.

Veggie Sausages

I recently saw the recipe for veggie italian sausages and they looked absolutely delicious, I tried making them and I really didnt care for them. Whether it was that there was too much seasoning or that I didnt use 'Bills best Chik'nsh Seasoning' it was just nasty. They will be sliced very thinly in sandwiches or chopped up tiny in soups.

I came to my buffet class and we were doing sausages, so it was my perfect opportunity to try them again with some adaptions to my taste.

Chick pea flour wasnt available, so I subsituted soy flour, and I had to omit nutritional yeast. I would add this in with the dry ingredients if it was available.

Veggie seitan sausages-makes 12. Adapted from everyday dish TV

1/4 cup onion chopped very finely

6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup soy flour

2 tbsp granulated onion

1 to 2 tsp fennel seed, optional

2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground

2 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional

1 tsp ground smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground allspice

3 cups very finely minced veggies (we used tomatoes and peppers)

cold water if necessary

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp better than bouillon

Preheat the oven to 350f

Combine all the spices, grind them in a spice grinder, mix with the other dry ingredients and set aside

Fry the onions and garlic, mix with soy sauce, bouillon and veggies

Mix the wet and dry then knead until combined. Add water if too dry.

Shape the mixture into sausages and wrap in foil then bake for around 30 mins, or steam. I prefer the 'crust' from baking.

PS DONT FORGET TO VOTE PEOPLE!!

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

When I heard it was world vegetarian day, I had to mention it! I've not eaten meat for more than half my life, its just second nature to me now, and while my principles are a little bit foggy, I still dont feel the need to eat meat.

Studying more about nutrition has reminded me that most people eat far too much meat/protein and that maybe this is a good day to assess your diet for what you really need.

I wanted something delicious to do with my lovely leeks from Bewise, so started searching for a quiche. I had every intention to make a big, buttery quiche with lots of eggs, but heidi had such a delicious vegan one that I was interested enough to give it a try. This has a delicious oaty, sesame seed crust, and the tofu is delicious and creamy as a filling. I'd go as far to say that I prefer it to eggs, as they are so temperamental, sometimes being rubbery and overcooked, and sometimes weeping uncontrollably in a most unappetizing manner! If you dont tell people its tofu, they'll probably never realize.

I did make quite a few changes, I doubled the crust recipe to make mini quiches in a muffin pan, and reduced the oil. I tried a filling of leeks and onions instead of spinach and mushrooms. It didn't take anywhere near 3 hours, as suggested, I'm sure it was under an hour before it was tucked away in the oven.

Vegan Leek and Onion Quiche -adapted from 101 cookbooks
For the crust:
1 cup rolled oats
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
2/3 cup unflavored soy milk or water (more if necessary)
1/3 cup light sesame oil or pure olive oil plus more for brushing the pan

For the filling:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely diced red onion
4 large leeks, washed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dry white wine or water
1 teaspoons coarse sea salt
3 garlic cloves, slice crosswise into 1/8-inch rounds
10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 pound firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Preheat oven to 350f
Toast the oats in the oven for 5 mins. Place the oats in a food processor, pulse until fine, then add other dry ingredients and pulse until combined. Add olive oil and water and pulse until dough comes together. Press into greased muffin pan and set aside.

Sautee onions, garlic and leeks for around 10 minutes until clear. Add herbs and seasonings and combine then set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, put quiche shells in oven for 10 mins while working on filling.

Place Tofu, vinegar, lemon juice and salt and puree until smooth. Combine with leeks and onions and mix, then put spoons of filling into each quiche cup.

Cook for around 45 mins or until filling is firm and crust is light brown.

Summer Salads

I finally got around to making something with a mystery bag of grains I got from North Park Produce recently, I'd seen this delicious looking recipe in Gourmet magazine, and I made some veggie burgers with it. Unfortunately they were rather bland, but it sent me off in a different direction, wanting a warm salad with them and the pinto beans instead. I got some green beans in my CSA box too, so they went lovely with some roasted corn from trader joes. This was much tastier, and very wholesome too.

I also found a fennel bulb in there and have seen the shaved fennel salad everywhere on the web, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to throw them in the food processor, along with cucumbers and celery, to grate a little lemon zest, squeeze the juice and drizzle with olive oil then a dash of salt and pepper and parmesan. I think it would have been even better with something creamy like goat cheese or feta to temper the sour lemon taste with creaminess.

Kashi Salad
1 cup kashi
2 cups water
1 cup green beans, steamed
1 onion, chopped
Garlic, chopped finely
olive oil
1 1/2 cups pinto beans
1/2 cup roasted corn
Bacon Salt
Pepper
Chopped Walnuts

Cook the kashi in the water for 10 mins, or until al dente. Sautee the onions for a few minutes in the olive oil, add the garlic and cook a little more. Add the green beans and corn, stir and turn the heat off. Mix everything together, adding bacon salt and pepper to taste. Great for a packed lunch or a potluck!

Muhuruuuu er Walnut and Roasted Pepper Dip

Well, this was a real success! I was browsing the lovely Tigers and Strawberries and found a really delicious looking dip called Muhammara. I then saw the gigantic ingredients list and decided it would be more of an inspiration than an actual recipe. I threw a bunch of stuff in the food processor and in less than 5 minutes I had this delicious but healthy dip. Andy actually started eating it with a spoon and asked if I'd mind if he finished it! This is very uncommon with healthy stuff like this so I was happy! I think I'll go back and try the proper recipe as it was so wonderful its worth a try.

I took some of these and processed with garbanzo beans, breadcrumbs, eggs and leftover goat cheese to make delicious veggie burgers.

Walnut and Pepper Dip inspired by Tigers and Strawberries
1 jar roasted red and yellow peppers (or three freshly roasted peppers)
1 tomato
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup fat free yoghurt
3 tbsp harissa
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in the food processor and process until you have the desired consistency (some like more lumps than others!)

I love california!

What a great way to beat the heat! After an exhausting bike ride in record heat, this was a perfect recovery. My Bewise Ranch box this week had super sweet melon, luscious strawberries and beautiful blueberries(I didnt even get to the lettuce, oranges, apples, zuccini, bok choi, carrots, limes etc!), I also had some lovely cherries and super ripe peaches from Costco.

Healthy apricot peach bran muffins

When I saw that cookie madness had a new bran muffin I couldnt resist making myself a new afternoon snack. I've doctored this an awful lot from the original recipe!

I changed the fruit from pineapple to a peach apricot compote I had, and instead of just wheat bran I used a combination of wheat bran, oat bran and wheat germ. I also used mostly white, wholewheat flour rather than whole wheat pastry flour!


I really liked these muffins as a nice filling nutritious snack. They arent very sweet and they are pretty dense from the oat bran and wheat germ. I think I'd reduce the oat bran and wheat germ and increase the wheat bran for a slightly less dense muffin. I can now see how much the oil helps in the delicious pear muffins that farmgirl makes.

Bran, Peach and Apricot Muffins (adapted from Cookie Madness)

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups skim milk
2 scoops protein powder (2 oz?)
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
8 oz apricot peach compote (or tinned peaches, chopped, or fresh peaches with some sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

Combine pastry flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir very well to mix.

Combine milk, protein powder, wheat bran wheat germ, oat bran , brown sugar, pineapple and vanilla in a large bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix egg whites into bran mixture. Add flour mixture and stir just until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Harissa soup

Well would you believe it, memorial day weekend was just chilly and miserable. A perfect reason to use up an enormous amount of tomatoes in a soup. I've had a moroccan soup a couple of times recently and I thought I'd give it a try for myself.

This seemed like a perfect entry for a worldly epicurians delight(AWED), its a very simple soup, but also wholesome and healthy.

I took the tinned tomatoes and roasted them to intensify the flavor, added chickpeas, onions and garlic. I'd been for a wonderful trip to our middle eastern market, north park produce. I found all kinds of wonderful things, pomegranate molasses, rose water, wonderful eggplant and vegetables and harissa, which was the major flavor for this soup.

I wanted to try making harissa myself, but decided this time that it would be a bit of a hassle, so I bought it. I think it would be better home made. I had to add some pomegranate molasses to counteract the bitter/acid from the vinegar.

This was a lovely warming soup and I boxed it up in the freezer for a great lunch to take to work.

Harissa Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups tomatoes
2 cups veggie stock (I used better than bouillon)
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2 tbsp harissa (add more or less if desired)
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
Yogurt and cilantro to garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions in the olive oil for around 5 mins, then add garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the other ingredients and boil for 10 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with cilantro and yogurt or sour cream if desired.

Hearty Lowfat Brownies

These are one of my go to snacks, really hearty and indulgent, but somehow healthy too! I took them to my bike team for my final prep before our ride around Lake Tahoe next weekend and they disappeared very quickly!

The recipe suggests to bake them in a 9 x 13 baking dish, but I took most of the batter and put it in a mini muffin tin and then had enough to pour the rest into a loaf tin with about 2/3in of batter. I really like these mini muffin bites as they are quite hard to cut and this eliminates that hassle. My estimate is that there would be at least 30 brownies, 2 per serving.
Heart -y Lowfat Valentines Brownies-Shape Magazine Feb 2004
Makes 15 brownies
Prep time 15mins
Cook time around 20mins.
Nonfat Spray
3/4 cup white sugar (143g)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (143g)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsps unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups prunes (250g) pureed in a food processor with
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup white flour (70g)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (70g)

Preheat oven to 325f
Spray a muffin tin or 9 x 13in baking pan with oil
Combine sugars, cocoa, eggs and egg whites and beat until light and creamy, around 5 mins
Add pureed prunes and beat until mixed in, add vanilla and salt and beat, then sift baking soda and flour and add to the batter and mix just until combined.
Optional-add walnuts as a topping
Put into pans and cook for either around 20 mins for mini muffins or 35-40 mins until a knife comes out clean.

Nutritional score per 2 muffin serving, or 1 brownie (15 per recipe)
148 calories, 8% fat (1.41g, 0.6g saturated), 82% carbs (33g), 10% protein (4g) 15mg calcium, 1 mg iron, 2g fiber, 127mg sodium. Add more for walnuts!

I also made my favourite carrot cakes by delia and they were all gone but two, these are always very popular!

Curried Quinoa Salad

This seemed like a perfect lunch today, its so hot you could probably fry eggs on the patio! Its a great salad to make a big bowl of, then have for lunch at work. The flavor only improves after a day or two, the delicious creaminess of the goat cheese, and the lovely curry with the crunch of the nuts, quinoa and chick peas. Mmmm.

It also seems like the perfect dish for the 'foods to combat cancer' with the curry, and all those tasty veggies, chickpeas and quinoa. Please visit mele cotte to see others!

I'm not sure where the recipe is from, I got the original recipe 'curried cous cous salad' from a friend, but this has been adapted quite a lot, I used quinoa instead of cous cous, just cos I like it more, and I didnt have broccoli so I just used the veggies I had. This goes nicely with my loquat chutney that I made the other day!

Curried Quinoa Salad
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 veg oxo cube (can sub a bouillion cube, but dissolve in the water)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used penzeys sweet curry)
2 cups grated carrots
2/3 cup chopped peppers
1 cup snap peas
2/3 cup edamame
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1 can garbanzo beans
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup cashews, chopped
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Cook the quinoa in the water for about 10 mins, or until tender. Crumble the oxo cube over it, and mix with the curry, raisins and snap peas and cover.
Mix up the remaining ingredients, then add the quinoa and mix. If you can wait a little while for the flavors to develop it will taste better, but serve immediately if you're hungry!

Sweetheart Succotash

Since we're so close to valentines, and my valentine isn't too fond of his veggies, I'm always looking for a nice preparation that is delicious and nutritious. As a veggie, I dont add bacon, but I do add some smoky flavors with a dash of 'bacon salt' and a little bit of smoked paprika. The mixture contained some beetroot, and mixed with some creamy greek yoghurt turning it a valentine pink.

This is a very adaptable recipe, one could add green beans, lima beans instead of edamame or any number of mixtures. I like the creamyness of the greek yoghurt and smokiness from the paprika and the bacon salt.

I served these with trader joes soy nuggets and I'd say save yourself a trip, they are really grim.

Sweetheart Succotash
1tbsp Butter
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 cups cooked beetroot (I microwaved them for a total of about 4 mins)
1 cup cooked diced carrots
2/3 cup edamame
1 1/2 cups sweetcorn (I used a mix of regular and the trader joes smoky sweetcorn)
1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
1 veggie oxo cube (dry veg boullion cube)
1 tsp smoked paprika
red pepper flakes
pepper
bacon salt
1/2 cup greek yoghurt

Sautee the onions with the butter and sundried tomatoes until cooked. Add all the other ingredients except for the greek yoghurt and stir until heated through. Stir in greek yoghurt and serve.

Quinoa Curry-Another ugly but tasty supper!

This curry went down very well in our house, and is another of those dishes thats great the next day, which is good now things are busying up again with my culinary classes, and joining a new bike team.

I switched out a lot of things and it was still good. Hubby says he'd like it with sultanas in, which is a bit of a surprise, I guess then it would totally be an old fashioned curry. Maybe I should add chopped bananas on the side like granny used to!

Nutritionally its absolutely fantastic, lots of protein, some complex carbs, lots of veggies and the fat free greek yoghurt to make it creamy is full of calcium.

This made enough for 5 dinners for us.

Vegetable Quinoa Curry adapted from Redbook February 2008
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water with 1 tsp better than bouillon or 2 cups stock
1 head broccoli
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tsp veg oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 1/2 tbsp penzeys sweet curry powder
1 baby bok choi
1/2 cup snap peas
2/3 jar roasted red peppers
1 12 oz block roasted marinated tofu
1/2 cup fat free greek yoghurt
handful of chopped cilantro
handful of chopped roasted cashews

Cook quinoa according to packet instructions, adding broccoli and carrots for last 5 mins.

Meanwhile, sautee onions for 2 mins, then add garlic, ginger, curry powder and cook for a further 2 mins. Add bok choi and snap peas, cook for a further 2 minutes, then mix in quinoa mixture, red peppers and tofu. Heat through, then add yoghurt, cashews and cilantro.

Comforting 'Cassoulet'

This is one of my favourite wintertime warming recipes. I know its not exactly freezing in San Diego but we do get a little chilly and enjoy some comfort food here too! I found this recipe in my favourite cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites, its healthy, warming, nutritious and delicious.

It also seems like a great entry for Meeta's monthly mingle.

This is called a cassoulet, but I think its quite far removed from a traditional cassoulet. The real version contains copious amounts of meat, but this vegetarian casserole is delicious, if a little misleading. Unfortunately its not the most photogenic meal, but it tastes great to make up for it!

Its a pretty flexible recipe, I dont think you need to be exact with the quantities of veggies. I also put a whole big tin of Trader Joes Marinara sauce in, and I think it would have been just as good with some nice fire roasted tomatoes. I do think it does well with more than 1 cup as was suggested in the recipe. I love the seitan from fatfree vegan kitchen and use it in sandwiches, pizza and all kinds of things but its really great in this.

Be aware that this is quite time consuming, more of a sunday afternoon project than a late night after work!

Cassoulet (Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites)

1 teaspoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced potatoes
1 large tin tomatoes
3/4 cup diced pepperoni seitan (I used this recipe)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cups cooked beans (I used some trout beans and 'jumping jack' beans, kidney, canneloni, black beans would all be great
salt and ground black pepper to taste (I didnt add salt as there was plenty in the tomato sauce)

Preheat the oven to 350f

Sautee the onions in the olive oil for 2 mins. Add the garlic, herbs and heat for a further minute, then add the red wine and simmer with the potatoes for 5 mins. Add the celery, carrots, tomatoes and simmer for a further 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients, stir gently until heated through, then transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 45 mins. This can be heated on the stove for a further 10 mins if you dont have time to bake it, although the flavor is better when baked.

Spinach Balls-healthy fare for holiday potlucks

I had these at a recent bookclub and they seemed a perfect thing to have in the fridge for mum and grandma to snack on or make into a little lunch without too much trouble. They'd be great for a potluck or a holiday party and its always nice to have something healthy around this time of year with so many temptations! Lots of wholegrain goodness, spinach for vitamins and cheese for a bit of calcium.

Be very careful to carefully remove as much water from the spinach as possible, and use lots of seasoning as some of the ingredients are a little bland. Mine could have done with lots more flavour and I forgot to add lemon juice. I had a lump of cheddar cheese in the middle but they'd make a great vegan snack without it.

Greek Spinach Rice Balls adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favourites

Makes 36 balls

2 pounds fresh spinach
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked bulgar wheat (or any grain on hand thats a bit mushy)
1 tsp dried dill
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz low fat cheddar, cubed into 36 pieces
1 1/2 cup plain or herbed bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350f

Steam the spinach, drain carefully and set aside.
Fry the onions with the sundried tomatoes gently for 5 mins, then add scallions for a further minute.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix together, squishing the ride up a bit with a fork. Taste for seasoning, remembering that a lot of the flavor might dissipate into the rice.

Take a piece of cheddar, wrap some mixture around it and roll in breadcrumbs. Place in an oiled baking dish. Once all the balls are formed, bake in the oven for 25 mins until the balls are heated through and crispy on the outside.

Home-made power bars for busy days and long bike rides.

I'm so glad I caught Alton Brown on his granola bar episode. These bars have powered me through long afternoons at work, and very long bike rides and they actually taste pretty good too. I get that funny after taste with some bars and all the strange additives dont seem good either. I can also have the right amount, which is around 150 calories on a relatively sedentary afternoon, or I can have little bite sized chunks when I'm powering up Palomar Mountain. I've just made myself a new batch, to keep some in the fridge and freezer, and to help me on my way around the beautiful El Tour De Tucson in a couple of weeks, that I'm riding in to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I'm told they taste a little like moon cakes, although I dont really see the similarity, some say they are a little like bread pudding. They are nice and filling, not overly sweet or fatty and I like they are moist instead of dry and crunchy like some bars.

The only down side to these is you need to keep them in the fridge, they cant really languish in a drawer or bike bag for weeks as they will be gross!

Recipe-Alton brown 2005

Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Yield: 24 (2-inch) squares

4 ounces soy protein powder, approximately 1 cup

2 1/4 ounces oat bran, approximately 1/2 cup

2 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately

1/2 cup 3/4-ounce wheat germ, approximately 1/4 cup

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 ounces raisins, approximately 1/2 cup

2 1/2 ounces dried cherries, approximately 1/2 cup

3 ounces dried figs, approximately 1/2 cup

2 1/2 ounces dried apricots, approximately 1/2 cup

1 (14-ounce) package soft silken tofu

1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice

2 large bananas

4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/2 cup packed

2 large whole eggs, beaten

2/3 cup natural peanut butter

Canola oil, for pan

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat with canola oil. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the protein powder, oat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ, and salt. Set aside.

Coarsely chop the raisins, dried cherries, figs and apricots and place in a small bowl and set aside.

In a third mixing bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth(hand blender very handy here).

Add the apple juice, bananas, brown sugar, eggs, and peanut butter, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine after each addition. Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit.

Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for a month.

Notes: I switched around some of the fruit, added 2 thawed frozen bananas and had 14oz tofu rather than 12 but it still was lovely. Figs and bananas go wonderfully together in this recipe. I usually just use whatever dried fruit I have to hand and almond butter subs for peanut butter just lovely. Its a very forgiving recipe!