Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin Filling

This is my salute to hot lettuce wraps, to which my family loves, but to which I am not a particular fan. I like my lettuce wraps cold and refreshing or a bit offbeat, as in Thai lettuce wraps, composed of toasted coconut, peanuts, chilies, and other toppings. However, this is far less time consuming, is perfect for a weeknight meal (or a snack), and can be varied in many ways. If you happen to have baked tofu, as I did, this meal comes together in about 15 minutes. The sauce is assertive, so if you don't have any baked tofu lying about, pan fried tofu, steamed tempeh, fried tofu, or even chickpeas would work here. If you are not vegan, I imagine...

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Cassoulet with Baby Limas, Potatoes, and "Buttermilk" Biscuits

Cassoulet is my version of lazy food when I have almost no fresh veggies in the house, have very little time and when I'm hungrier than heck. My love of cassoulet began in my vegan years (I can't say I've ever had a meaty version) when it took a million fresh veggies and over an hour to get into the oven. Needless to say, I've shortened the process and in my house, one cassoulet is never the same as the next. It's the kind of meal based on a formula and not on actual ingredients. For me, the only things that say the same is the thickened thyme gravy and the biscuits baked on top. Other than that, it varies depending on what I have in the fridge...

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Perfect Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes are easy. For regular gluten eating people and for gluten-free people. You see, my theory is that gluten-free people over think the humble pancake. They start messing with a bunch of different flours and add eggs and then they begin to wonder if they need extra leavening and before you know it, the uncomplicated meal becomes way too complicated. First rule--you don't need a lot of flours to make pancakes work. You just need a relatively high starch ratio (I use my own semi-all purpose mix). Second rule--don't mess around with eggs. Go vegan here even if it's not your inclination. Vegan pancakes are beyond easy and don't require any egg...

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Lemon Blueberry Muffins

The pressure of January has officially hit: everyone is telling you to exercise, eat properly, and of course, they offer you some magical way to disappear the extra pounds you've gained over the holidays. So I just wanted to put my opinion out there...while all of that may be good (I know I indulged over the holidays) I'm still going to "indulge" in a muffin or two. While some may claim that carbs are evil and that baking is making you fat, these muffins are loaded with good grains like sorghum, quinoa and millet (with very little starch). They're also (almost) vegan and while I wouldn't eat a ton of them, we can all feel pretty good about a...

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Mac and Cheese to Die For

This is neither healthy, nor cheap, nor particularly quick. In fact I'm pretty sure that it's quite possibly the most unhealthy thing you can eat and one of the most expensive things I'll ever make. It is however dangerously tasty, so be careful who you share this with! Naturally, it makes enough to feed the entire Russian army. If the arms wants to fall into a serious food coma, that is. If you, however, are smarter than I am, you could halve this recipe. Please halve this. This made enough sauce for at least a pound and a half of pasta, if not two. And trust me, you do not want to make that much. I ended up freezing the remaining sauce, dubbing...

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