I hardly ever bake from scratch, because I’m too busy doing other things. But I have mastered the art of vegan mixes, which I highly recommend.

My brownie mix secret? Use any vegan brownie mix, and instead of whatever they recommend, make the brownies with 1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme, 1/4 cup melted vegan chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons of ground flax soaked in 1/4 cup of water. You may need to add more water to the mix, depending on what mix you use.

These brownies come out rich, wonderful, and no one would ever guess they are vegan!

I made Tofurkey for Christmas eve supper, and of course, I have a ton of leftovers. Here are a few ideas I found for getting rid if it:

Tofurkey and Brown Rice Soup

Tofurkey and Green Chili Enchiladas

My two personal favorites:

Tofurkey chopped salad with cranberries, celery, carrots, and pomegranite seeds. Top with a vegan mayo.

Tofurkey sandwiches on a really grainy / nutty bread with cranberry sauce and greens.

This definitely isn’t an authentic moussaka (hey, it’s vegan) – but it’s very healthy and tasty. The sauce is a tomato based sauce, with some spices (basil, fennil, thyme, and parseley), ground up falafel, onions, and mushrooms. The white sauce or cheese (more like a cheese) is made with mashed tofu, tahini, lemon, agave nectar, and a ton of parseley. And the eggplant was roasted in garlic oil to give it a little extra punch. I just layered it like a lasanga, and then I cooked it at 350 for 30 minutes.

This ended up tasting very very awesome. And it’s packed with all sorts of healthy stuff.

I love a hearty chili, but it hasn’t quite been cold enough for me to really get in a chili mood. That all changed today, and I had some Lightlife Smart Chili on hand for a quick fix. It’s pretty healthy too. 210 calories for a huge serving, with a lot of protein, iron, and fiber.

Homemade chili is a favorite of mine, but I am sometimes too busy to make it. I think Smart Chili is plenty good when compared to other fast vegan meals. I make it extra special by adding a ton of toppings – like avocado, vegan sour cream, red onions, fresh salsa, and peanuts (seriously!). Great stuff, and it really fills me up.

This is a healthy, iron rich meal I make for myself quite often. I heat up some falafel in the oven (fried is too rich for me). Okay, I cheat a little and get my falafel patties from a great local company and heat them up.

While the falafel is heating, I make a salad with cabbage, parsley, carrots, radish, and red onion. I top it off with a simple tahini – lemon – agave dressing (about equal parts of each). Very awesome stuff! Also good with a scoop of hummus

This is a tip I picked up years ago on from a vegetarian cooking show. If you have some leftover salad with an oil based dressing, it can make a lovely scrambled tofu.

I tend to get a huge garden salad at Whole Foods, load it up with dressing, and then I can’t finish it. No problem. I just stick it in the fridge, and it’s ready the next day to be stir fried up.

I just first made some basic scrambled tofu (with tumeric, nutritional yeast, dried chives, and cracked black pepper). After that was done, I added the salad – which was full of greens, olives, tomatoes, carrots, and red onion. After about ten minuts of light stirring, I had a great scrambled tofu. I topped it was raspberry salsa (also from the Whole Foods deli).

I love chocolate, so I’m up for any excuse to eat it. Not all Bija Omega Truffes are vegan, but the 70% cocoa, dark chocolate ones are. One 100 calorie peice is very satisfying, and you’ll be getting 8 grams of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Not to mention all the health benefits of chocolate!

This was inspired by a deli salad at my local Whole Foods. It’s just some organic broccoli, organic vegan bacon bits, Vegenaise, and cracked black pepper. It’s really good – and a great way to get some raw broccoli.

So good – and only 140 calories per 8 ounce cup. Throw on a bunch of soyatoo whipped cream or vegan marshmallows, and you’ve still got a really decadent dessert for under 200 calories.

The best thing about being vegan is all of the healthy alternatives to “regular” food. Take these pancakes, for example! One small serving (I usually eat two) has at least 7 grams of fiber, a good amount of iron, omega-3s, calcium, and very little refined sugar. Topped with berries and a little agave nectar, they’re healthy enough to have every day.

I make these wonderful pancakes from an Arrowhead Mills mix I get at the health food store (only read the nutritional facts for the mix, not as prepared with eggs and milk). I simply enhance this mix with some ground flax seeds soaked in water, soy milk, a little agave nectar, a little vanilla extract, and a ton of cinnamon. I use a tiny bit of Earth Balance on my griddle, and these fry up nice and fluffy.