Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

J's favorite. I tried a recipe from Cooks.com this time and they turned out pretty good. Adjusted to be dairy-free.

1 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. soy milk
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in soy milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 15 minutes or until done.

Yielded 27 cookies.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

This is a tried and true invention of mine. It's pretty quick to make too.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 T olive oil
8 fresh corn tortillas, El Milagro is best
8 T Frontera tomatillo salsa

Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss cubed sweet potato in casserole dish with 2 T olive oil. Cover and roast for 25 minutes, or until soft and brown. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic in remaining oil. Add black beans, stir, and turn down heat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are warmed through, usually 10-15 minutes. I suggest mashing them minimally with a fork to give the potatoes something to hold on to. On a dry skillet or griddle, warm tortillas on each side for 1 minute.

For each taco, layer 2 tortillas (the second layer reinforces the first one which is likely to split), 2-3 T of black beans, 2 T roasted sweet potatoes and 2 T salsa.

Makes 4 tacos.

Zucchini Cakes

1 large zucchini, grated
2 eggs, beaten
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c minced onion
1/8 t white pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1/4 t dried parsley flakes
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 c oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and 2 T olive oil. Stir in breadcrumbs, minced onion, garlic and spices. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Makes 8 cakes.

*J added a nice kick by whipping up a topping of mayonnaise and sambal olek (a.k.a. rooster) red pepper sauce.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan that's been well-spritzed with cooking spray. Bake 60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean.

Makes one loaf.

Spinach Lasagna

6 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 25 oz. jar pasta sauce, 365 Classic Pasta Sauce
1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1 c torn spinach leaves
1 egg
salt, pepper, oregano to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Boil noodles for 7-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Beat egg and mix with ricotta cheese and salt, pepper and oregano. Layer (3) noodles, spinach, ricotta mixture, 3/4 c mozzarella cheese and half of sauce. Top with rest of noodles, 3/4 c mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.